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☆ Governments take action to keep offshore wind projects on track
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Susanna Twidale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Scroby Sands offshore wind farm can be seen off of the coast at Great Yarmouth, Britain, October 24, 2018. Investors told Reuters governments have since shown willingness to pay higher prices, helping to restore confidence in the future of the industry. Britain's last auction in September failed to attract any offshore wind projects, with developers saying the guaranteed price on offer was too low. Britain's Octopus launched a dedicated fund with Japan's Tokyo Gas (9531.T) to invest 3 billion pounds ($3.7 billion) in offshore wind projects by 2030. Soeren Lassen, head of offshore wind Research at WoodMac said more than 50 GW of offshore wind tenders globally are planned for 2024.

Persons: Chris Radburn, ”, Jonathan Cole, Corio's Cole, Keith Anderson, Anderson, Marc Hedin, Nathalie Gerl, Germany's RWE, Soeren Lassen, WoodMac, Susanna Twidale, Nichola Groom, Scott DiSavino, Simon Webb, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Governments, Investors, Corio Generation, Power, New York, Energy, New York State Energy Research, Development Authority, Aurora Energy Research, Research, Ireland, Aurora, Gas, Thomson Locations: Great Yarmouth, Britain, U.S, New York State, China

OPEC and the IEA expect China's oil demand to show growth in 2023 of 7.6% and 12.1%, respectively. OPEC has dismissed fears of that demand growth for oil in China is fading, describing negative sentiment as "overblown" in a recent report. OPEC's forecasts show China accounting for 24.6% of global oil demand growth in the first half of 2024, according to Reuters calculations. Consultancies Wood Mackenzie, Rystad Energy and Energy Aspects respectively forecast China's first-half 2024 oil demand to grow by 3.7%, 4.0% and 4.4% versus the same period in 2023. Energy Aspects expects first-half diesel demand to be flat from a year earlier.

Persons: Aly, Consultancies Wood Mackenzie, Rystad, Lin Ye, Xia, Andrew Hayley, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, of Petroleum, International Energy Agency, OPEC, Rystad Energy, JET, Reuters Graphics Reuters, National Bureau of Statistics, Thomson Locations: Zhuhai, China, Rights BEIJING, OPEC, Russia, Beijing

New capacity in China is expected to make up more than half of that growth, according to the International Energy Agency. Reuters GraphicsIn 2023, WoodMac sees China's output growth creating a local surplus of 4.24 million metric tons of ethylene and an even bigger oversupply of propylene at 8.69 million metric tons. Reuters GraphicsMARKET SHARE BATTLENewly launched refinery complexes by state giant PetroChina's (601857.SS) Guangdong Petrochemical and privately-run Jiangsu Shenghong Petrochemical have added to surging petrochemical supply from mega refiners Zhejiang Petrochemical Corp and Hengli Petrochemical (600346.SS) that has come online in recent years. Rongsheng Petrochemical (002493.SZ) and Hengyi Petrochemical (000703.SZ) swung to net losses in the first quarter. While Chinese demand from some sectors such as inexpensive clothing and daily essentials is robust, other sectors such as automative have yet to recover in line with expectations, said Salmon Lee, global head of polyesters at consultancy WoodMac.

Persons: Chen, refiners, China's, Wood Mackenzie, WoodMac, Ganesh Gopalakrishnan, TotalEnergies's, Salmon Lee, Lee, Mohi Narayan, Andrew Hayley, Matthew Chye, Florence Tan, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, International Energy Agency, Reuters Graphics, Guangdong Petrochemical, Jiangsu Shenghong Petrochemical, Zhejiang Petrochemical Corp, Hengli Petrochemical, Sinopec, Rongsheng Petrochemical, Hengyi Petrochemical, Thomson Locations: Dalian, Liaoning province, China, Asia, Europe, U.S, Guangdong, Jiangsu, China's, New Delhi, Beijing

☆ China expected to account for 40% of this year's oil demand recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Rowena Edwards | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 23 (Reuters) - China is expected to account for around 40% of the increase in global oil demand this year as its economy emerges from strict lockdowns, but the increased use will not take prices back to 2022 levels, consultancy Wood Mackenzie said on Thursday. This would equate to 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of a 2.6 mln bpd increase in global oil demand this year. A high-growth scenario, under which China's GDP rises by 7%, would add a further 400,000 bpd of Chinese demand, the report said. Global refining margins are set to decline to around $6/bbl in the fourth quarter compared with $11/bbl a year earlier, WoodMac said, as additions to global refining capacity outpace demand growth for transport fuels. The consultancy expects diesel profit margins to crude to average $30/bbl in the fourth quarter, while gasoline is expected to average around $5-6/bbl, Williams said.

"High spot LNG prices and dwindling domestic production will mean that Pakistan will continue facing issues with ramping up gas-fired power generation," said Poorna Rajendran, LNG consultant at FGE. Despite LNG prices having fallen from last year's record highs, the superchilled fuel is still expensive for South Asian buyers as their currencies have weakened sharply, making it hard for them to boost LNG imports this year. Ship tracking data from Kpler shows Pakistan's LNG imports in 2022 fell 17% from the previous year to a five-year low. Bangladesh's LNG imports in 2022 fell 14% from the previous year, according to Kpler, which drove down power output while demand was rising. LNG prices are unlikely to ease enough to help Bangladesh and Pakistan, with analysts expecting a rebound in Chinese purchases to push prices up in 2023.

The ban is likely to create a diesel supply shortfall that Europe hopes to fill with Chinese fuel, some of which will be produced from Russian crude. China has raised its first batch of 2023 export quotas for refined oil products by nearly half from a year ago. "But without Chinese exports pushing swing barrels westward, Europe is unlikely to replace the 0.5 million bpd loss in Russian diesel exports come the embargo," Energy Aspects analysts said. Russia has long been the main diesel supplier for Europe, where refineries do not produce enough to meet domestic demand from its large diesel car fleet. Reuters GraphicsAn EU ban on Russian crude imports that took effect in December will be broadened to include refined fuels from Feb. 5.

☆ Factbox: Europe rushes to stock up on diesel ahead of Russian ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Buyers are rushing to fill European oil storage tanks with Russian diesel, with flows this month on track to hit a one-year high. FEB. 5 EU BANThe European Union banned seaborne Russian crude imports from Dec. 5 and will ban Russian oil products from Feb. 5, in a move aimed at depriving Moscow of revenue. The Group of Seven nations (G7), Australia and the 27 European Union countries also implemented on Dec. 5 a price cap on Russian crude. This allowed non-EU countries to continue importing seaborne Russian crude oil, but it will prohibit shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling cargoes of Russian crude around the globe, unless it is sold for less than $60. DIESEL PRICESSince Europe is heavily reliant on Russian diesel imports, the Feb. 5 ban is expected to support profit margins for the fuel, analysts say.

This figure compares with 1.1 million bpd of offline capacity in September, and is above the 2015-2019 average for this period. Maintenance outages next month include Eni's Sannazzaro refinery in Italy, Repsol's (REP.MC) Tarragona refinery in Spain, and Galp Energia's (GALP.LS) Sines refinery, among others. read more"The European diesel market is looking a bit softer than we had expected say this time last month," Gallarti said, adding that the consultancy has softened its European demand forecast as economic pressures mount. read moreBut while higher imports and a softening demand outlook are helping to ease the pressure on diesel markets, widespread refinery outages in France, partly due to strike action, could tighten supplies again. Benchmark European diesel profit margins hit a two-week high of about $50 a barrel on Wednesday, based on Reuters assessments, driven by the French strikes.

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