Energy

Bloomberg It’s the beginning of the end for the era of mega-dam building in China. China Three Gorges Corp turned on the first set of generators at the massive Wudongde hydropower plant, deep in the mountains of Yunnan province. About 170 kilometres (106 miles) downstream on the Jinsha River sits Baihetan, the last of its kind, scheduled to go into …

Bloomberg Total SA has deployed a rig to South Africa to look for more oil near a massive discovery, in a rare example of exploration in a frontier area. The Odfjell Deepsea Stavanger has left Bergen in Norway for the southern tip of Africa, Africa Energy Corp, Total’s partner in the project, said. While drilling work has dropped off dramatically …

Bloomberg Exxon Mobil incurred an unprecedented second straight quarterly loss as almost every facet of the oil giant’s business slumped amid Covid-19 lockdowns that stunted economic activity. The explorer’s oil and natural gas unit took a hit of as much as $3.1 billion as prices for those commodities slumped, according to a regulatory filing. Margins in Exxon’s refining business contracted …

Bloomberg As Covid-19 spread across the globe this spring, flights were halted, commutes were cancelled and oil tankers floated offshore, waiting for a spike in demand. The coronavirus cut global carbon emissions more than any other event in the last century. But the pandemic-induced slowdown may ultimately hamper efforts to curb climate change. “If we end up in a deep …

Bloomberg Japan may shut about 100 inefficient coal-fired power units by 2030 to reach its emissions reduction target under the Paris agreement. The powerful Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will soon start expert panel discussions on details of the closure plan, according to an official with the ministry. The shut downs are necessary to meet targets already laid out …

Bloomberg Covia Holdings Corp, a supplier of sand and other mineral products to the oil and gas industry, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in federal court in the Southern District of Texas. The company has a restructuring support agreement with holders of the majority of its secured debt. It currently has cash reserves of about $250 million and US operations …

Bloomberg Plentiful reserves of fossil fuels and rich seams of valuable minerals are no guarantee of national health, wealth or happiness. The “resource curse” has blighted many countries: Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo, for example, have suffered from years of graft, civil unrest and poverty. After discovering oil in the 1960s, Norway has managed to escape these troubles. …

Bloomberg Royal Dutch Shell Plc said it will write down between $15 billion and $22 billion in the second quarter, as the company gave investors a wider glimpse of just how severely the coronavirus crisis has hit Big Oil. The pandemic left no part of the energy giant’s sprawling business unscathed. Shell lost money from pumping oil, fuel sales fell …

Bloomberg Tanzanian authorities detained executives from three oil-marketing companies overnight on suspicion that they hoarded supplies to cause a shortage, according to the utilities regulator. The Tanzania Oil Marketing Association denied the allegations, saying the companies comply with fair competition rules that prohibit cartels, and that the shortage is because of the coronavirus pandemic. Petroleum imports were cut by half …

Bloomberg China’s state-owned oil refining giants are in discussions to form a purchasing group to buy crude together, increasing their bargaining power and avoiding bidding wars. Senior executives from China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, PetroChina Co, Cnooc Ltd and Sinochem Group Co are in advanced talks to iron out details of the plan, said people familiar with the initiative, who …