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☆ Chevron, unions in final talks ahead of planned Australia LNG strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Chevron Corp FollowSYDNEY, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Chevron (CVX.N) and a union alliance will hold a final round of talks on Wednesday ahead of planned strike actions at two major liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Australia as ongoing disputes over pay and conditions remained unresolved. Work will stop for seven hours on Thursday, escalating to 10 hours from Sept. 8 to 13. Australia's industrial arbitrator, the Fair Work Commission, has been hosting mediation talks since Monday, and negotiations are scheduled to run on all days this week. Australia is the world's biggest LNG exporter and the ongoing dispute has stoked volatility in natural gas markets, as traders worry about the risk of long-term disruption. Chevron's Gorgon, Australia's second-largest LNG plant, and its Wheatstone operations account for more than 5% of global LNG capacity.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Australia's, Renju Jose, Jamie Freed Organizations: Chevron, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Companies Chevron Corp, Workers, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Australia, British, Norway, Sydney

☆ Shell to sell home energy business in UK, Germany to Octopus Energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Susanna Twidale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of British multinational oil and gas company Shell is displayed during the LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L) said on Friday it would sell its home energy business in the UK and Germany to British energy supplier Octopus Energy Group as part of a deal in which the two companies explore a partnership on EV charging. “This agreement follows the announcement during our Capital Markets Day to divest our home energy retail business in Europe,” said Shell Executive Vice-President Steve Hill. Shell Energy Retail Limited in the UK and Shell Energy Retail GmbH in Germany provide domestic gas, power and broadband services to about two million customers and operate under the Shell Energy brand. Shell and Octopus have also signed a memorandum of understanding to explore a potential international partnership over electric vehicles (EV) charging, including for Shell Recharge subscribers, Shell said.

Persons: Chris Helgren, ”, Steve Hill, Shell, Susanna Twidale, Radhika Anilkumar, Savio D'Souza, Chizu Organizations: Shell, REUTERS, Octopus Energy, EV, Shell Energy Retail Limited, Shell Energy Retail GmbH, Shell Energy, Gas, Shell Energy Retail, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Germany, British, Europe, Britain, London, Bengaluru

☆ 'Once-in-a-lifetime' opportunity: Morgan Stanley's stocks to trade Europe's renewable energy boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Morgan Stanley named several stocks to play Europe's investment in renewable energy — and highlighted a "once-in-a lifetime" opportunity in the electricity sector in particular. Earlier this year, the European Union raised its renewable energy targets in the face of the energy crisis that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The bank estimated the transition to green power sources will cost around 5 trillion euros ($5.5 trillion) between now and 2030. Growth opportunity "The EU and UK renewables targets imply significant growth investment opportunities for renewable developers," the bank said. Though Morgan Stanley is positive on the opportunities for renewable energy companies, it said the EU's targets would be "hard to achieve."

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Morgan, Jens Eisenschmidt, Orsted, Centrica, Michael Bloom, Sam Meredith Organizations: European Union, Grid, EU, Siemens Energy, British Gas Locations: Ukraine

☆ Centrica hikes dividend as profits at British Gas soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's Centrica announced bumper returns for shareholders on Thursday after its first-half profits surged on an almost ten-fold increase at its British Gas supply business. Centrica has doubled its support package for struggling customers to 100 million pounds ($130 million), it added. The British Gas Energy supply division posted adjusted profits of 969 million pounds versus 98 million a year earlier. The firm said it would invest 4 billion pounds by 2028 on security of supply, energy flexibility and renewable power. Overall, Centrica's adjusted operating profit for the first six months of 2023 rose to 2.08 billion pounds from 1.34 billion pounds a year earlier.

Persons: Britain's Centrica, Chris O'Shea, Centrica, O'Shea Organizations: British Gas, British Gas Energy, EDF's Locations: Ukraine

☆ Britain's Centrica hikes dividend as profits at British Gas soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Susanna Twidale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 27 (Reuters) - Britain's Centrica (CNA.L) proposed a 33% increase in its interim dividend on Thursday after posting a jump in first-half profits, buoyed by higher returns from its British Gas supply business. The British Gas Energy supply division posted adjusted profits of 969 million pounds ($1.25 billion) compared with 98 million the same period last year. Centrica said some 500 million pounds of this related to changes to the regulator's price cap which allowed the company to recoup previously lost costs. The company also announced plans to invest 4 billion pounds by 2028 on security of supply, energy flexibility and renewable power. Overall Centrica's adjusted operating profit for the first six months of 2023 rose to 2.08 billion pounds up from 1.34 billion pounds a year earlier.

Persons: Centrica, Susanna Twidale, Prerna Bedi, Varun, Sharon Singleton Organizations: British Gas, British Gas Energy, Thomson Locations: Britain, London, Bengaluru

☆ UK energy company forecasts higher profit from retail business
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - British Gas owner Centrica (CNA.L) expects its retail business to generate significantly higher first-half adjusted operating profit than in previous years, it said on Tuesday, citing reduced debt-related costs. UK energy regulator Ofgem's price cap provides an allowance to account for debt on energy bills that cannot be recovered by suppliers and is ultimately written off. In a statement ahead of its annual general meeting on Tuesday, the company said its performance over the first five months of the year has been strong overall. It expects its full-year group adjusted earnings per share to come near the top end of a predicted range between 16.5 and 24.7 pence per share. Reporting by Nina Chestney in London and Eva Mathews in Bengaluru Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nina Chestney, Eva Mathews, David Goodman Organizations: British Gas, Thomson Locations: London, Bengaluru

☆ Energy firms lose UK legal challenge over sale of collapsed rival Bulb
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A British Gas sign is seen outside its offices in Staines in southern England, July 31, 2014. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoLONDON, March 31 (Reuters) - Centrica's British Gas, Scottish Power and E.ON on Friday lost a court challenge over the British government’s handling of the sale of collapsed energy firm Bulb. The three other energy suppliers had argued the government had unlawfully committed billions of pounds of taxpayers' money to prop up Bulb, without considering the potential impact on the wider energy market. "It's clear that the case was a desperate attempt by those organisations to defend their waning market positions against a more efficient and customer-focused rival," Octopus Energy said in a statement. The addition of Bulb's customers catapulted Octopus to become the country's third largest domestic energy supplier behind British Gas and E.ON.

☆ Ovo Energy plans takeover of Shell gas and electricity arm
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ovo Energy is planning a takeover of Shell Plc 's UK gas and electricity business, a move that would allow the British retail energy supplier to reclaim the No. Ovo is expected to propose an indicative offer for Shell Energy Retail Ltd's UK operation, the report added, citing sources. Shell Energy Retail has about 1.4 million customers. Retail energy suppliers in Europe have struggled over the past year with soaring wholesale prices forcing governments to shield consumers from rising bills. This would put Ovo ahead of Octopus Energy, currently the UK's second-largest supplier, which has nearly 5 million household customers after its takeover of energy supplier Bulb.

☆ More than 94,000 prepayment meters forcibly installed in Britain in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - More than 94,000 prepayment meters were installed in homes in Britain using warrants and without customer consent in 2022, the government said on Monday, adding that British Gas, Scottish Power and OVO Energy accounted for 70% of them. Prepayment meters allow customers to pay for gas and electricity on a pay-as-you-go basis. British Gas, Scottish Power and OVO Energy forcibly installed 66,187 prepayment metres under warrant last year, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said. Scottish Power was the worst offender when taking its customer base into account, force-fitting more than 24,300 meters, BEIS said. The company is not currently installing prepayment meters or recovering debt from those customers on new prepayment meters unless requested by the customer, the spokesperson added.

LONDON, March 15 (Reuters) - Finance minister Jeremy Hunt presented less gloomy forecasts for Britain's economy at his Spring Budget on Wednesday. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsROSIER OUTLOOKA rout in global banking stocks on Wednesday overshadowed many UK-specific moves. Investments announced by Hunt such as a corporate spending tax break, a boost for defence and extra childcare support were not viewed as particularly inflationary. Unlike in the last budget, noise around windfall taxes on oil and gas companies was muted in the run-up to the budget since energy prices have fallen dramatically since then. "In general, the budget is not the big story for gilts right now, global drivers are in the driving seat," said James Smith, economist at ING.

REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - British energy regulator Ofgem on Monday lowered its price cap on household energy bills from April, but it will offer little relief to consumers as costs continue to rise. The cap sets a maximum price suppliers can charge consumers for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of energy they use, but it has been superseded by a government-backed energy price guarantee (EPG) that limits the maximum costs of energy. "Although wholesale prices have fallen, the price cap has not yet fallen below the planned level of the Energy Price Guarantee. If wholesale prices continue to fall, the price cap could be lowered again in July, potentially reducing bills, the regulator said. British Gas owner Centrica (CNA.L) this month posted record annual profit of 3.3 billion pounds on soaring energy prices and production.

☆ Centrica to extend share buyback as annual profit triples
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Centrica said on Thursday it was extending its share buyback program by £300 million (£361 million) after its annual profit more than tripled on high energy prices, robust electricity generation and gas production levels. The extension, in addition to the British energy supplier's existing 250-million-pound buyback program, would result in it buying back 10% of its capital, the group said. Centrica, which restored dividends in the first half after asset sales and soaring energy prices helped it deliver strong half-year earnings, declared full-year dividend of 3 pence per share. The British Gas owner's adjusted operating profit for 2022 rose to 3.3 billion pounds from 948 million pounds in the previous year.

SummarySummary Companies Centrica, StanChart jump on upbeat earningsVodafone up on report exploring options for African UnitFTSE 100 up 0.2%, FTSE 250 flatFeb 16 (Reuters) - Britain's internationally-focussed FTSE 100 on Thursday closed above 8,000 points for the first time as upbeat earnings from Centrica and Standard Chartered countered global risk-off sentiment after hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data. The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) gained 0.2%, off an intra-day record high hit earlier in the day, but still at its highest ever closing level of 8,012.53 points. The exporter-heavy index has had a stellar start to the year, gaining 7.5% so far as positive corporate earnings and rising commodity prices supported the index. Data showed U.S. producer prices rose more than expected in January while jobless claims unexpectedly fell, fanning speculation the U.S. Federal Reserve would keep raising interest rates for longer than expected. Shares of Centrica (CNA.L) jumped to top the FTSE 100, adding 5.7%, after the British Gas owner's annual profit more than tripled and it announced an extension of its share buyback programme.

☆ FTSE 100 at record high on positive Centrica, StanChart earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies FTSE 100 hits record high, trading above 8,000 pointsCentrica, StanChart, Relx jump on upbeat resultsVodafone rises on report of looking at options for Africa unitFTSE 100 up 0.3%, FTSE 250 adds 0.4%Feb 16 (Reuters) - UK's FTSE 100 rose to a record high on Thursday, underpinned by corporate earnings from Centrica and Standard Chartered, while higher commodity prices drove up heavyweight miners. The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) gained 0.3%, trading comfortably above the 8,000-point mark it had breached in the previous session. The exporter-heavy FTSE has had a stellar start to the year as positive corporate earnings and rising commodity prices supported the index. Shares of Centrica (CNA.L) jumped to top the FTSE 100, adding 4.2%, after the British gas owner's annual profit more than tripled and as it announced an extension of its share buyback programme. Standard Chartered (STAN.L) rose 1.8% after the lender reported a 28% rise in annual pretax profit and unveiled a $1 billion share buyback programme.

☆ Morning Bid: Growth trumps rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

While there were some questions about seasonal adjustments in the data, economists were impressed that sales growth was pretty broad based and have scrambled to re-crunch first quarter U.S. output forecasts as a result. There may be a more mixed picture from Thursday's data slate on producer prices, housing starts and weekly jobless claims. Even though rates futures and Treasury yields ticked back a bit today, pricing now has Fed policy rates moving as high as 5.25% and staying above 5% all year. And while full-year earnings growth estimates for S&P500 companies have sunk to zero, consensus forecasts are now pencilling in a rebound of almost 12% next year. Uncertainty about the pace of growth and annual tax receipts in April makes it difficult for government officials to predict the exact "X-date", it said.

☆ UK power firm SSE ups profit outlook on strong market conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 20 (Reuters) - British power firm SSE Plc (SSE.L) on Friday raised its annual earnings forecast helped by strong market conditions, and said it would invest any additional profit it makes into low-carbon electricity infrastructure. The company said it now expects adjusted earnings per share of more than 150 pence for fiscal year 2023 ending March 31, up from the previous outlook of at least 120 pence. The group's finance director Gregor Alexander said in a trading statement that its 12.5 billion pound ($15.45 billion)net-zero acceleration programme was progressing "at pace". In November, National Grid (NG.L) and British Gas-owner Centrica too had raised their annual earnings expectations as power companies benefit from persistently high energy prices caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. ($1 = 0.8090 pounds)Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Commodity-linked stocks push FTSE 100 higher; retailers slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) gained 0.6% to hover near a more than four-year high scaled on Wednesday, while the more domestically focused FTSE 250 mid-cap index (.FTMC) rose 0.9%. Retailers Tesco (TSCO.L) and Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) slipped between 0.3% and 1.6% despite strong sales, as both companies warned of inflationary pressures. Financial stocks were among the top gainers on the FTSE 100, with banks like HSBC (HSBA.L) and Barclays (BARC.L) rising 0.9% and 1.4%, respectively. The FTSE 100 has had a bright start to the year so far, rising in almost every session. Centrica (CNA.L) climbed to the top of FTSE 100, jumping 6.1% after the British Gas owner raised its full-year earnings forecast.

☆ Bulb bailout exposes UK’s pseudo power market
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Bulb is the biggest of dozens of flaky British power suppliers which opted not to hedge their future costs when energy prices were cheap. The Office for Budget Responsibility expects the saga to cost taxpayers 6.5 billion pounds. Octopus itself thinks the loan could be more like 2.4 billion pounds, as wholesale prices have recently fallen. If that’s correct, regular payments by Bulb customers will cover the cost. With retail power prices fixed and the government on the hook for higher wholesale costs, Britain’s privatised power industry is operating in anything but a free market.

☆ Centrica gives ammo to UK windfall tax fans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The chief executive of 5 billion pound Centrica (CNA.L) on Thursday outlined plans for a 250 million pound share repurchase, following in the footsteps of chunky payouts by BP (BP.L) and Shell (SHEL.L). With the UK already windfall taxing North Sea oil profits, the risk for O’Shea is that it emboldens UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to hit power generators as well. Nearly half of Centrica’s 25 billion pounds of revenue this year, based on Refinitiv data, will come from British Gas, which sells power to Britons. But a strong performance from Centrica’s electricity and gas production, and from its trading arm, means O’Shea has cause to be generous. Generation provides a much larger chunk of 2.2 billion pound renewable energy group Drax’s (DRX.L) top line.

☆ Centrica reopens UK's Rough gas storage site in time for winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Nora Buli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 28 (Reuters) - British Gas owner Centrica (CNA.L) has reopened its Rough gas storage site off England's east coast at about 20% of its previous capacity, enough to heat 1 million homes for 100 days this winter, the company said on Friday. Before it was closed, Rough represented more than 70% of UK storage and supplied 10% of peak winter demand. However, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and growing concerns over gas supplies this winter, Centrica upgraded the facility and started refilling the site in early autumn. Even at 20% of previous capacity, Rough is the UK's largest gas storage site and adds 50% to the UK's gas storage capacity, though this lags behind European countries, Centrica said. The long-term aim is to turn the Rough gas field into the largest long-range energy storage facility in Europe, capable of storing both natural gas and hydrogen, Centrica said.

☆ Fracking: What's all the fuss about it in the UK?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Reuters Christian Edwards | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves drilling into the Earth and injecting water and chemicals at high pressure to break rocks and release the gas trapped inside. Since only few test wells have been drilled, there are no estimates of proven reserves to confidently predict how much shale gas would be technically and economically viable to extract by fracking. Cuadrilla, 96% owned by Australia’s AJ Lucas, was the only one of these firms to receive consent to begin fracking. Former British Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said in March when he was Business and Energy secretary gas fracking would not lead to lower British gas prices. “With the best will in the world, private companies are not going to sell the shale gas they produce to UK consumers below the market price,” he tweeted.

☆ Wall Street keeps selling as world assets fail to recover
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Lawrence Delevingne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 27, 2022. The Bank of England said late on Monday it would not hesitate to change interest rates and was monitoring markets "very closely." U.S. stocks mostly faltered after a morning bounce, with the S&P 500 hitting a two-year intraday low. The MSCI world equity index (.MIWD00000PUS) reversed early gains on Tuesday, falling about 0.3% to a near two-year low early Tuesday afternoon. MSCI's broadest index of Asia shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) hit a fresh two-year low and was flat on the day.

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