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Natural gas was used to produce hydrogen at a Faced with a gloomier outlook for oil, Total
plant in the Saudi port of Jubail and this was then plans to invest more in renewables and gas,
combined with nitrogen to create the ammonia. which it sees as having far stronger prospects. Its
Carbon dioxide from the process was captured new strategy calls for a doubling of annual LNG
and used at a methanol plant in Jubail and at an sales over the next decade.
enhanced oil recovery (EOR) pilot facility in In Norway, six fields could face closure due
Uthmaniyah. to strike action by a union. Some 43 workers
The ammonia will be used at a 2-MW gas tur- went on strike at the Equinor-operated Johan
bine in Yokohama in Japan, as well as at a 50-kW Sverdrup oilfield on September 30 after wage
micro gas turbine in Koriyama and at a boiler in negotiations between union Lederne and the
Aioi. The waste products from these facilities will Norwegian Oil and Gas Association (NOGA)
be nitrogen and water. failed to make any progress.
Saudi Arabia is eager to develop ammonia Later that day Lederne, which represents
and hydrogen to serve other economies that are around 1,000 offshore staff, said 126 additional
decarbonising. This will help diversify its exports workers would down tools. Those workers are
and make its own economy more resilient. stationed at Equinor-operated Gudrun, Gina
Japan, meanwhile, is looking at hydrogen and Krog and Kvitebjorn fields, as well as the Nep-
ammonia as key solutions for decarbonisation, tune Energy-run Gjoa field. These fields, as well Faced with a
estimating that 10% of its power could be gen- as the Valemon and Vega fields, are at risk of clo- gloomier outlook
erated using 30mn tonnes per year (tpy) of blue sure as a result, NOGA has warned.
ammonia. Lastly, Equinor has opened an internal probe for oil, Total plans
In other news last week, Baker Hughes into the “dramatic” fire that broke out on Sep-
secured an order for multiple main refrigerant tember 28 at its Hammerfest LNG facility on to invest more in
compressors for the North Field East (NFE) Melkoye Island. No personnel were injured in
project in Qatar, describing the win as one of its the incident, but the plant remains shut down renewables and
largest deals in five years. NFE represents the first until further notice. Norway’s Petroleum Safety natural gas
stage of an expansion project at the North Field Authority (PSA) and the police are also investi-
that will raise Qatar’s gas liquefaction capacity by gating the fire.
some 33mn tpy to 110mn tpy.
If you’d like to read more about the key events shaping
If you’d like to read more about the key events shaping Europe’s oil and gas sector then please click here for
the downstream sector of Africa and the Middle East NewsBase’s EurOil Monitor.
then please click here for NewsBase’s DMEA Monitor .
FSU: Nord Stream 2 movement
Europe: Total sees oil peaking in 2030 The Akademik Cherskiy, a Russian pipelaying
Total has followed BP in predicting a soon- vessel that Gazprom is widely expected to use
er-than-expected peak in oil demand. The to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Ger-
French major expects oil consumption to reach many, is on the move after remaining moored at
its height in 2030, or sooner depending on the the German port of Mukran for months.
pace of decarbonisation efforts. The vessel has moved into open waters in
Total’s forecast is more bullish than that of the Baltic Sea, ship-tracking data from Marine
BP, which recently warned that peak oil demand Traffic and Vesselfinder show, but its current
would occur in a few years, if it has not happened destination is not disclosed. Its current speed
already. But this still marks a significant change is minimal. Fortuna, another Russian-flagged
in the French firm’s thinking. Just a few years ago vessel anticipated to provide Cherskiy with sup-
CEO Patrick Pouyanne saw peak oil demand as port, moved from the German ports of Rostock
merely an eventual possibility. to Wismar on September 29-30.

Week 40 08•October•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P11