Australia NEWS

Oil and gas giant BP said Wednesday “the production of green hydrogen and green ammonia using renewable ‎energy” was now technically feasible at scale in Australia. The energy major’s conclusion is based on the findings of a feasibility study announced in May 2020 and supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, solar developer Lightsource bp and professional services firm GHD Advisory.

Billionaire Sajjan Jindal-led JSW energy is one of the largest players working towards going green. The company has set aside a target to reach 20 GW of power generation capacity by 2030, which will have around 85% of the green and renewable energy portfolio. It’s working on technologies like green hydrogen, offshore wind, and battery energy storage and has recently tied up with Australia-based Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) to explore green hydrogen development and use in industrial and transport sectors in India.

Solar and wind plants can produce green hydrogen with the help of electrolysers, and JSW Energy’s collaboration aligns with its plan to expand the renewable energy share in its portfolio to 85% by 2030 from the current 30%. The country currently consumes about around 6 million tonne of hydrogen nnually. JSW Energy said on Thursday its subsidiary JSW Future Energy has entered into a framework agreement with Australian Fortescue Future Industries to collaborate on green hydrogen production. Solar and wind plants can produce green hydrogen with the help of electrolysers, and JSW Energy’s collaboration aligns with its plan to expand the renewable energy share in its portfolio to 85% by 2030 from the current 30%.

Amp Energy’s Australian operating company, Amp Power Australia, is set to establish a portfolio of integrated solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and battery energy storage (BESS) assets. Amp Energy’s Australian operating company, Amp Power Australia, is set to establish a portfolio of integrated solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and battery energy storage (BESS) assets. The Renewable Energy Hub of South Australia (REHSA) will involve a total investment of more than A$2bn ($1.54bn).

Australia is expected to witness the commencement of 118 oil and gas projects’ operations across value chain during the period 2021-2025, accounting for 6% of the total project starts in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. ‘Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Projects Outlook to 2025 - Development Stage, Capacity, Capex and Contractor Details of All New Build and Expansion Projects’, reveals that of the 118 projects during the outlook period, upstream projects would be 53, midstream projects would be the highest with 56 projects and petrochemicals at nine.

An Australian-dominated consortium is in line to buy windfarm operator Tilt Renewables for nearly $3 billion.The consortium of Queensland Investment Corp., AGL Energy, Australia's Future Fund, and Mercury Energy will pay $7.80 a share for Tilt, which has windfarms on both sides of the Tasman. Tilt was effectively put on the block last year when its two-thirds owner Infratil announced a review of its investment.

BP plc decided to shut Australia's biggest refinery. After the decision was made Exxon Mobil Corp persuaded the Australian government to provide some backing to oil refineries for continuous run. The Australian government has initiated to offer $1.6 billion in incentives to the refining industry for over 10 years to secure the nation's fuel security.

Ancient artefacts have been discovered on the seabed off Australia’s west coast. This discovery has opened up a new frontier for resource companies to look out for in conserving indigenous heritage. In July, archaeologists stumbled upon hundreds of stone tools submerged off the Dampier Archipelago in Western Australia, showing evidence of people living in the area when it was dry land more than 7,000 years ago.

Santos Ltd paid out a weaker than expected half-year dividend amid uncertainty over recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Underlying profit slumped to $212 million for the six months to June 30 from $411 million a year earlier. Including $526 million in asset impairments due to weaker long term oil price assumptions, Santos had a first-half net loss of $289 million.

ConocoPhillips has completed the sale of its west-Australian business to Santos for $1.39 billion, a major boost to the company’s balance sheet during the economic downturn. The Houston oil major, which announced the sale in October, has received about $765 million in proceeds from the sale during the second quarter. The proceeds are expected to be used for “general corporate purposes,” the company said Wednesday.

BP Australia has announced a feasibility study into an export-scale renewable hydrogen production facility in Western Australia. This will help the energy sector to understand the possibilities of using hydrogen to export renewable energy. The project will include an initial investment from BP of (AUS) $2.7 million, with another $1.7 million by Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). It has committed to releasing the results of the study to the public.

Diamond Offshore Drilling, which recently went bankrupt, has slapped a lawsuit against Beach Energy Ltd for abruptly ending a drilling contract worth $65 million. Beach Energy ended the agreement, citing that Diamond Offshore couldn't achieve a “contractual milestone to deliver the rig”. The lawsuit filed in Houston asks the court to render the termination notice invalid, on the grounds that the delay was “largely of Beach’s own making”.

Australian E&P firm, Santos Ltd registered a 13% decline in the first-quarter revenue yesterday due to lower realized prices for oil and gas, but assured about sufficient liquidity and debt headroom to tackle the recent market crash. Santos posted $883 million in revenue from $1.02 billion a year ago. Total production from the firm dropped to 17.9 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe), down from 18.4 mmboe last year.

EPC giant, TechnipFMC has been awarded an integrated engineering, procurement, construction and installation (iEPCI) contract by Woodside. The scope of the contract includes the development of the Lambert Deep field and Phase 3 of the Greater Western Flank fields. The contract will require TechnipFMC to carry out the design, manufacture, delivery and installation of subsea equipment, including a subsea production system (SPS).

Australian E&P major, Santos has inked a non-binding agreement with oil supermajor, BP which will pave the path for A$20 million investment in Australia's Moomba carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. The project aims at capturing 1.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide currently separated from natural gas at the Moomba gas processing plant each year. This captured carbon will be then reinjected into the same geological formations.

Puma Energy has informed that it will sell its Australian commercial and retail fuels business to Chevron Australia for A$425 million. Puma is the retail and midstream arm of Trafigura. The company has taken this decision amidst pressure to rebalance its books after a decade-long buying spree. "The acquisition will provide Chevron with a stable market for production volumes from our refining joint ventures in Asia", said Chevron.

Woodside will delay the final approval date for its mega Browse gas project. Also, the company has decided to bring in the plans to sign off on its smaller Scarborough project. Woodside is focusing on the final investment decision on the $20.5 billion Browse project in the first half of 2021. In early 2020, it will sign off on the $11 billion Scarborough gas project and Pluto LNG expansion.

ConocoPhillips has farmed out its northern Australian business to Santos Ltd in a $1.39 billion deal. The acquisition, which will boost Santos’ output by 25%, is second in the line of major acquisitions made by the Australian firm this year. While ConocoPhillips will let go of the Darwin LNG plant and gas fields off northern Australia, it will hold onto its stakes in the Australia Pacific LNG plant in Queensland.