Page 8 - AfrOil Week 45

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Construction of the Duqm refinery itself is con- terminals are using for feedstock.
tinuing on schedule, though, with its completion Engie’s exit from talks comes as a blow to
on track for the first quarter of 2022. NextDecade, which is trying to secure offtake
agreements for an additional 9mn tonnes per
If you’d like to read more about the key events shaping year of LNG in order to reach a final investment
the downstream sector of Africa and the Middle East, decision (FID). This is in addition to the 2mn tpy
then please click here for NewsBase’s DMEA Monitor. deal the company already has for Rio Grande.
Europe: Danish delays If you’d like to read more about the key events shaping
The restart of Denmark’s largest gas field after Europe’s oil and gas sector then please click here for
a redevelopment programme has been delayed NewsBase’s EurOil Monitor.
by a year as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19)
related disruptions. FSU: Azerbaijan bullish on SGC
The Total-operated Tyra field accounted for Despite conflict raging with neighbouring
90% of Danish gas output until its closure in Sep- Armenia, Azerbaijan remains adamant that it
tember last year. It will not resume production will begin piping gas to Europe via the Southern
until the second quarter of 2023, compared with Gas Corridor (SGC) shortly.
an original target of July 1, 2022, project partner An official at Azerbaijan’s national oil firm
Noreco has confirmed in a statement. SOCAR said last week that the Trans-Adri-
Tyra began producing gas in 1984, and in the atic Pipeline (TAP), that runs from the Turk- Azerbaijan
subsequent decades its platforms subsided by ish-Greek border to Italy, would be ready in just
more than 5 metres, according to Total. Their two weeks. Once in full operation, the pipeline remains adamant
topsides were removed in August and will be will carry 10bn cubic metres per year of gas to
replaced with new and elevated topsides, while European customers. It should reach that peak that it will begin
jacket extensions will be fitted onto the existing in 2023.
jacket structures. Fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Kara- pipeline gas to
The field’s closure led Denmark to become bakh region has been going on for six weeks, Europe via the
a net importer of gas, reliant on supplies from raising concerns about the security of oil and
neighbouring Germany. Once it is back on line, gas pipelines in Azerbaijan. Armenia has several Southern Gas
Denmark expects to re-emerge as a net gas times denied Azeri claims that it has targeted
exporter and retain this status until at least 2035. these pipelines with shelling. BP, which leads the Corridor shortly
Over in France, utility Engie has abandoned consortium developing Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz
talks with US-based NextDecade over a pro- field, said in October it had beefed up security at
posed LNG supply deal involving gas from the its infrastructure in the country.
planned Rio Grande LNG terminal in South Over in Russia, the government is talking
Texas. up prospects for exporting hydrogen to Japan.
This comes after NewsBase reported last Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin
week that Engie had delayed signing a deal with recently told Japan’s Nikkei that Russia aims to
NextDecade following pressure from the French export 2mn tonnes per year (tpy) of hydrogen
government – which has a 23.6% stake in the by 2035. He said that Russia was already hold-
utility – to seek cleaner supplies instead. ing negotiations on hydrogen exports with the
The French government banned domes- Japanese government, as well as Kawasaki Heavy
tic hydraulic fracturing in 2011 and has since Industries and other Japanese companies.
expressed misgivings over importing gas that
is produced using the technique. And such gas, If you’d like to read more about the key events shaping
produced from shale formations and involv- the former Soviet Union’s oil and gas sector then
ing the use of fracking, is what US LNG export please click here for NewsBase’s FSU Monitor .

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 45 11•November•2020