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☆ As oil output peaks, US Gulf of Mexico makes room for carbon capture
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Some companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), have been dumping assets in the Gulf, the nation's primary offshore source of oil, and are instead targeting capturing and storing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases underground. The region, soon could became contested ground for oil, carbon sequestration and renewable energy, say analysts. The gain reflects a flurry of new platforms from Shell (SHEL.L), BP (BP.L), Chevron (CVX.N) and others, budgeted before the pandemic hit global demand and made companies reduce investments. Reuters GraphicsAt this week's Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), which annually attracts more than 50,000 people, nearly a quarter of the presentations will involve offshore wind, renewables, carbon capture and energy transition, say organizers. Oil development will still dominate the basin, but should coexist with CCS and renewables such as offshore wind and solar.

☆ BP agrees to buy Shell's stake in Australian Browse gas project
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Samuel Mckeith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Woodside, BP and Shell are also all stakeholders in the North West Shelf LNG plant. "BP believes development of the Browse gas resources could make a significant contribution to energy security in Australia and to the Asia Pacific region," a BP spokesperson said. The company said it supported the concept of using carbon capture for the project and processing Browse gas in the North West Shelf LNG plant. Credit Suisse analyst Saul Kavonic said it was likely "very modest" given "the risks and ongoing spend required at the Browse project". Woodside last week played down concerns over the status of Browse project and told Reuters talks had resumed with the North West Shelf LNG joint venture about a processing deal for Browse.

☆ Oil AGMs presage awkward investor decoupling
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Yawen Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chair Helge Lund defended a sudden reversal in February to now cut less oil and gas production by 2030. Big Oil had more than doubled its profits in 2022 as energy prices spiked after Western sanctions on Russian energy. Pension investors like the Universities Superannuation Scheme, for example, are strengthening their climate investment policies and targeting board members to drive change. The traditional oil investor base may soon start to question why companies aren’t doing much more in oil and gas, if that’s what drives profitability and market performance. The oil world’s own awkward decoupling is happening fast.

The country nationalised its copper sector in 1971, provoking international outrage, particularly in the United States. President Gabriel Boric's lithium "nationalisation" is a more benign version, using an even earlier copper model. THE COPPER MODEL - GOOD AND BADIf President Boric's lithium policy is an echo of past copper policy, the comparison is with the "Chileanisation" programme of the Eduardo Frei Montalva administration in the late 1960s. Even the neo-liberals of the Augusto Pinochet regime kept the national jewel in the crown as they opened the rest of the country's' copper sector up to the private sector. It is now Codelco that is tasked with taking control of the country's lithium sector.

[1/2] Hywind Tampen floating wind farm structures are being assembled at the Wergeland Base in Gulen, Norway, June 7, 2022. But by 2035, the LCOE for floating wind is expected to fall to about 60 euros/MWh. It plans to set a specific target for floating wind this year. Britain aims to have 5 GW of floating wind installed by 2030 but a report by the UK Floating Wind Offshore Wind Taskforce, said 34 GW could be installed by 2040 if ports were upgraded. "South Korea will be commercial the quickest," said Cole at Corio Generation, which has 1.5 GW of floating wind under development there.

SummarySummary Companies Britain's house prices show weak rise in AprilBunelm gains on Stifel upgradeMedica Group surges on buyout dealFTSE 100 down 0.2%, FTSE 250 adds 0.2%April 24 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 fell on Monday as energy stocks and base metal miners lost ground on weak demand outlook, while caution set in ahead of a busy week of earnings. Oil giants BP (BP.L) and Shell (SHEL.L) lost 0.9% and 1.2%, respectively, as crude prices fell more than 1% on concerns about rising interest rates, global economic slowdown and fuel demand outlook. The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) fell 0.2%, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) was up 0.2%, as of 0821 GMT. Growth companies, including Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), Google parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), are scheduled to report their earnings this week. The FTSE 100 logged its fifth consecutive weekly rise on Friday, marking its longest streak of weekly gains in more than a year, buoyed by commodity stocks, even as weak global economic growth outlook keeps investor sentiment subdued.

The move would see Chile, the world's second largest lithium producer, shift to a model with the state holding a controlling interest in all new lithium projects through a public company that would partner with private mining firms. Mexico nationalized its lithium deposits last year, and Indonesia banned exports of nickel ore, a key battery material, in 2020. In early trading on Friday, Chilean firm SQM's U.S.-listed shares slid 6.2%, while Albemarle was down 2.5%. SQM's lithium contract in Chile is set to expire in 2030 and Albemarle's in 2043, giving it more insulation from the potential move. Mining shares in London fell sharply too.

☆ Exxon declares force majeure on crude liftings in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A logo of the Exxon Mobil Corp is seen at the Rio Oil and Gas Expo and Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil September 24, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes/File PhotoHOUSTON, April 17 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM.N) in Nigeria declared force majeure on oil liftings from different terminals in the country following industrial action by the company's in-house workers union, the company said on Monday in a statement. In the third quarter last year, production in Nigeria fell behind Angola to about 1 million bpd as companies like Shell PLC (SHEL.L) and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) exited the country amid widespread corruption and security issues. Nigeria produced 1.38 million bpd in February, according to OPEC's latest report. "We will continue to take all reasonable actions necessary to resolve the impasse as soon as possible," Exxon spokesperson Michelle Gray said in a statement on Monday.

☆ Teck's base metals business attracts offers from Freeport, Vale, Anglo
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Mrinmay Dey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

These approaches from international miners come as the Vancouver-based miner is fending off unsolicited bids from Glencore Plc (GLEN.L). Freeport, Vale and Anglo American declined to comment. Teck investors will decide on the Canadian miner's restructuring plan on April 26. Influential proxy advisor Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) on Thursday advised shareholders to reject Teck's restructuring plan on uncertainties and structural issues. The Globe and Mail first reported interest in Teck's base metals business.

☆ Teck approached by other companies while fending off Glencore offers -Globe and Mail
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A vote on Teck's plan to fully separate the copper and zinc business Teck Metals from the steelmaking coal Elk Valley business is scheduled on April 26. These approaches from international miners come as the Vancouver-based miner is fending off unsolicited bids from Glencore Plc (GLEN.L) that would involve combining and spinning off the thermal and steelmaking coal businesses of both companies. The Swiss mining company has offered Teck shareholders 24% of the combined metals group and up to $8.2 billion in cash for those who may not want exposure to thermal coal. Two proxy shareholder advisory firms have recommended that Teck Resources shareholders vote against the planned split. On Saturday, Bloomberg News reported that Glass Lewis also asked Teck Resources shareholders to vote against Teck's plan to spin off its coal business.

☆ Big copper deals to take centerstage in Santiago as demand heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Lundin Mining Corp (LUN.TO) is paying nearly $1 billion for control of Chile's Caserones copper mine despite ongoing political uncertainty in the country. "The green transformation theme remains a strong tailwind for copper, the king of green metals," Saxo Bank strategist Ole Hansen told Reuters. Global copper demand expected to reach 53 million tonnes annually by 2053 - more than double current levels - but supply is still expected to fall short, according an S&P Global (SPGI.N) study. And Hudbay Minerals Inc (HBM.TO) last week said it would pay $439 million for rival Copper Mountain Mining Corp (CMMC.TO). Neighboring Peru, the world's second-largest copper producer, also expects to boost production this year.

☆ Britain eyes development roles in Japan offshore wind -official
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Katya Golubkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The UK is one of the world's largest offshore wind markets, with more than 10 GW of installed capacity. Japan has launched a second major round of public auctions to select operators for four new areas capable of generating 1.8 GW of offshore wind power. It wants to install up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and up to 45 GW by 2040. Shapps did not specifically mention the offshore wind power auctions but said there were "very broad areas of cooperation between UK and Japan" in offshore wind development. He also noted the targets set by G7 on solar and offshore wind generation were "overall" for the group.

☆ Banknote printer De La Rue's chairman steps down
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 14 (Reuters) - British banknote printer De La Rue Plc (DLAR.L) said on Friday chairman Kevin Loosemore has resigned from his role and will leave office on May 1. Loosemore's resignation comes weeks after its third-largest shareholder Crystal Amber Fund Limited (CRSL.L) had called for a general meeting to oust the company's chairman. Crystal Amber has nominated Pepyn Dinandt as a candidate. Earlier this week, De La Rue, which designs paper and polymer banknotes for government and central banks across the world, warned on its 2023 profits as demand for cash hit its lowest in over two decades. Crystal Amber was concerned that going concern doubts, which were raised by the company in November, could hurt De La Rue's ability to win new contracts and retail existing ones.

☆ South Africa targets $111 billion investment goal in tough investor climate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa looks on as he delivers the opening address at the 5th Investment Conference to showcase opportunities available in the country to local and international companies, in Sandton, South Africa, April 13, 2023. Jairus Mmutle/Government Communication Information System (GCIS)/Handout via REUTERSJOHANNESBURG, April 13 (Reuters) - South Africa needs to urgently fix energy, transport and security challenges if it is to reverse souring investor sentiment, executives said on Thursday as President Cyril Ramaphosa targets 2 trillion rand ($111 billion) in new investments over the next five years. "The way we see it for the future of South Africa, international investment is so important and these challenges make it difficult for us to position the potential of South Africa as an attractive investment destination while there is uncertainty on when reforms will be implemented," Brown said. South Africa has experienced its worst power cuts on record, leaving businesses and households in the dark for up to 10 hours daily. The South African Reserve Bank estimates these blackouts have shaved off at least 2 percentage points from growth.

☆ KPMG fined 875,000 pounds for failures in Luceco audit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - KPMG has been fined 875,000 pounds ($1.09 million) for its audit of lighting manufacturer Luceco (LUCEL.L) for its financial year to Dec. 31, 2016, Britain's accounting watchdog said on Thursday. During 2016 Luceco was the parent of companies that produced and distributed lighting products and wiring accessories, with subsidiaries in China and other countries. "The breaches included failures in the design and performance of audit procedures, failures to adequately review and critically assess the audit evidence obtained, failure to document the audit work and failures by the respondents to apply professional scepticism," the Financial Reporting Council said in a statement. Smith, who no longer works at KPMG, was fined 50,000 pounds. Cath Burnet, head of audit at KPMG UK, said the accounting firm is committed to dealing with and learning from its historical cases and regretted that aspects of its 2016 audit of Luceco fell short of required standards.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) rose 0.5%, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) lost 0.1% as of 0807 GMT. Oil and gas (.FTNMX601010) added 0.8% as crude prices gained against the dollar, lifting oil giants BP Plc (BP.L) and Shell Plc (SHEL.L) 0.6% and 1.0%, respectively. "The FTSE 100 is falling in line with the positive sentiment we saw at the start of the week, overlooking the China-Taiwan tensions," said Giles Coghlan, chief market analyst at HYCM. While concerns over a potential recession in the U.S. amid persistent inflation have weighed on sentiment recently, the FTSE 100 has been on a positive streak, helped by commodity stocks and defensives including pharmaceuticals. Shares of West Africa-focused oil producer Tullow Oil (TLW.L) slid 2.9% on Jefferies' downgrade to "underperform" from "hold."

☆ Britain's De La Rue warns on profit as demand for cash tumbles
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 12 (Reuters) - Struggling British banknote printer De La Rue Plc (DLAR.L) warned its fiscal 2023 profit was set to miss market expectations and next year's outlook was uncertain, as demand for cash hit its lowest in over two decades, sending shares to a record low. De La Rue shares, which have lost more than half of their value so far this year, fell more than 30% to 33 pence on Wednesday to a record low. The company said it expected adjusted operating profit for the year ended on March 25 to undershoot market expectations by a mid-single digit percentage. It expected adjusted operating profit to be in the low 20 million pound ($24.84 million) range for its fiscal 2024. The banknote printer said the downturn in demand for currency was also causing significant uncertainty in its outlook for 2024.

☆ Kazakhstan takes oil majors to arbitration over costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ASTANA, April 11 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan has started arbitration proceedings against companies developing its giant Kashagan and Karachaganak oilfields over $13 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively, in deducted costs, Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev said on Tuesday. "I can only say these lawsuits have been filed in the interest of the people of Kazakhstan," Satkaliyev told reporters, refusing to provide any further details about the claims. The offshore Kashagan field, one of the biggest discoveries in recent decades, is being developed by Eni (ENI.MI), Shell (SHEL.L), TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), ExxonMobil (XOM.N), KazMunayGas (KMGZ.KZ), Inpex (1605.T) and CNPC (CNPC.UL). Both projects are covered by production sharing agreements stipulating that companies can deduct certain costs from income before splitting it with the government. Kashagan and Karachaganak are the second- and third-biggest producers of oil respectively in the Central Asian nation whose economy relies heavily on energy exports.

☆ Shell sees stronger LNG volumes and oil product performance in Q1
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Shell PLC FollowApril 6 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L) expects higher liquefied natural gas (LNG) output in the first quarter after outages at its Australian plants last year as well as stable earnings from LNG trading, it said on Thursday. Shell, which recorded a record $40 billion profit last year, said In an update ahead of results due on May 4 that it expected first-quarter liquefaction volumes of 7 to 7.4 million tonnes, up from 6.8 million tonnes in the previous quarter. Its oil products division also likely boosted earnings through a "significantly higher" trading performance, the world's biggest fuel retailer said. It expects to have paid between $2.6 and $3.4 billion in tax for the first quarter, down from $4.4 billion. Its renewables unit is set to contribute $100 to $700 million to adjusted earnings, compared with $300 million in the last quarter of 2022.

☆ London's FTSE 100 climbs ahead of Easter break
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Sruthi Shankar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) rose 0.5% and is on course to end the holiday-shortened week about 1% higher, with gains in oil & gas and healthcare stocks offering support. Shell (SHEL.L) rose 1.7% as the energy giant forecast higher liquefied natural gas (LNG) output in the first quarter. The midcap FTSE 250 index (.FTMC) rose 0.2%, with London-listed shares of travel firm TUI jumping 7.2% after sharp losses this week. "The report noted mortgage rates have continued to trend downwards, housing transactions have picked up slightly and the employment market remains robust. We still see challenges ahead as affordability remains under pressure," said Derren Nathan, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown.

LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) - A group of investors with $1.1 trillion in assets under management has joined climate activist group Follow This in asking TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) shareholders to push for more ambitious targets on emissions cuts. "These climate resolutions at Big Oil will show which investors are serious about resolving the climate crisis and which prefer to just talk about it." TotalEnergies has said its emissions will not register a big reduction by 2030 in absolute terms. In 2020, the last time TotalEnergies shareholders voted on a Follow This resolution, the activist received 17% of the votes. TotalEnergies' climate strategy was approved by about 90% of shareholder votes in 2021 and 2022.

☆ Ascential's consumer data unit draws interest from Apax, BC Partners - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Amy-Jo Crowley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Private equity firms including Providence Equity and Carlyle are also evaluating an offer for WGSN, two of the people said. Apax, Ascential, BC Partners, Carlyle, JPMorgan and Providence declined to comment. BC Partners has experience in owning information assets including the financial media and data firm Acuris, which it sold to Irish software firm ION Investment Group in 2019. Ascential generated 121.1 million pounds in adjusted EBITDA last year, up 36% from a year earlier. Revenue rose to 524.4 million pounds from 349.3 million pounds.

☆ Nigerians accuse Shell of delay in oil spill London lawsuits
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Thousands of members of the Bille and Ogale communities are suing Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary SPDC over oil spills. Shell strongly denies any liability and argues that parts of the cases were brought too late. It also says the majority of the spills were caused by illegal third-party interference, such as pipeline sabotage and oil theft. Shell says two further trials could then take place to determine allegations against its subsidiary and Shell's alleged liability as its parent company. Shell's proposal is "advanced as a device to shield (Shell) from scrutiny", Richard Hermer, a lawyer representing the claimants, said in court filings.

Companies Anglo American PLC FollowApril 4 (Reuters) - Anglo American (AAL.L) said on Tuesday it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Swedish hydrogen and steel producer H2 Green Steel to work on advancing low-carbon steelmaking processes. The miner said the agreement includes studying and trialling the use of iron ore products from its Kumba mines in South Africa and Minas-Rio mine in Brazil as feedstock for H2's direct reduced iron (DRI) production process at its Boden plant in Sweden. DRI steel production is estimated to be significantly less carbon intensive than traditional blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace integrated processes. Anglo American's shares were up 0.4% by 0715 GMT. Reporting by Muhammed Husain in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - BP (BP.L) shareholders should vote against its annual report and remuneration policy and support the "Follow This" climate activist resolution at BP's shareholders' meeting, Britain's Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) has recommended in a report seen by Reuters. In February BP rowed back on plans to slash oil and gas output and emissions and will not offer shareholders a vote on its climate strategy as it did last year when they backed it. LAPFF in a report to its members said it was "disappointed with the slackening of 2030 aims for emissions reduction". "LAPFF is further disappointed that there is not a company resolution on transition planning this year, especially given the material changes since the last one." They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

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