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This was down seven cargoes from April, accord- expatriates for roles in its oil sector, as the gov-
ing to energy consultancy EnergyQuest’s latest ernment looks to reduce the number of for-
monthly gas sector report. eigners in the Gulf state and protect the local
workforce.
If you’d like to read more about the key events The employment of foreign workers has been
shap-ing Asia’s oil and gas sector then please a contentious issue in Kuwait for some time, and
click here for NewsBase’s AsianOil Monitor. the government is aiming to address it at a time
when the country grapples with an economic
Nigerian downstream progress slowdown.
Nigeria is making advances in its downstream
sector, with industrial conglomerate Dangote If you’d like to read more about the key events shaping
undertaking commissioning on a new $2bn the downstream sector of Africa and the Middle East,
granulated urea fertiliser plant in Lagos. The then please click here for NewsBase’s DMEA Monitor. Aker BP and
plant, one of several under development, will run
on gas feedstock supplied by Nigerian Gas Co. Germany’s hydrogen aspirations Equinor have
and Chevron. But traders warn that it could take Germany is aspiring to become a world leader in announced new
until the second quarter of 2021 for commercial hydrogen energy, after adopting a new strategy
production to start up. that will set aside €7bn ($7.8bn) for its devel- investments
Nigerian authorities have also awarded a opment. Its goal is to establish 5 GW of hydro-
licence to Nigeria Delta Exploration & Produc- gen energy capacity by 2030 and to double this on Norway’s
tion (NDEP) to operate a small-sized oil-refining amount by 2040.
train in Ogbele, a town in the coastal Rivers State. Not everyone is happy with the plan, how- Continental Shelf,
The plant will run on crude produced at a mar- ever. The gas industry has criticised the strategy after securing
ginal field in the area. for only favouring green hydrogen produced
With a capacity of only 5,000 barrels per day using renewables, and omitting blue hydrogen, tax relief
(bpd), the train’s launch will have little impact derived from natural gas. Germany will need a
on Nigerian fuel supply, much of which comes strategy that is inclusive of a wide array of tech-
from abroad. But oil industry figures have called nologies in order to produce the large quantities
on the government to deploy these small-sized of hydrogen it will need in the future and at the
modular refineries en masse in order to wean the best price, the industry argues.
country off costly imports. Norwegian operators Aker BP and Equinor
Meanwhile, Iran continues to supply gaso- have announced new investments on Norway’s
line to Venezuela, drawing heavy criticism from Continental Shelf (NCS), after the government
the US. While Tehran has hailed this trade as a granted tax relief aimed at encouraging more
political triumph, Washington has threatened projects to go ahead, despite the downturn in
to retaliate. The supplies should help Venezuela the market. Equinor is preparing to connect its
ease shortages, as will its decision to partially lift installations at the Gina Krog and Sleipner fields
long-standing subsidies. to the onshore grid, in order to reduce their
Lastly, Kuwait has said it is no longer seeking emissions.

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 24 17•June•2020