Energiser Investments Share Discussion Threads

[ariane] 23/2/2022 15:25

Germany blocks €9.5bn Nord Stream 2 pipeline amid Russia-Ukraine crisis

Oil & GasMidstreamPipeline

By NS Energy Staff Writer 23 Feb 2022

In a blow to the Russia-owned underwater gas pipeline project, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz suspended its certification process after Moscow announced recognition of the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine


Germany has moved ahead to block the €9.5bn Nord Stream 2 pipeline amid the growing military tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

In a blow to the gas pipeline project, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has suspended its certification process after Moscow announced recognition of the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

Construction on the 1,230km Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany through the Baltic Sea was completed in September 2021. However, its operations could not begin due to pending certification by Germany and the European Union (EU).

Last November, the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), which is the German energy regulator, had suspended certification of the pipeline. At that time, the regulator stated that the pipeline operating company Nord Stream 2 did not comply with German law in properly incorporating a subsidiary.

Last month, Nord Stream 2 founded a German subsidiary called Gas for Europe to own and operate the 54km section of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline built in the German territorial waters and the landfall facility in Lubmin.

Nord Stream 2 is owned by Gazprom international projects, a subsidiary of Russian energy company Gazprom.

With the Ukraine crisis deepening, the White House issued a statement that US President Joe Biden has worked with Germany to make sure that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will not proceed.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted: “We welcome Germany’s action today to halt certification of Nord Stream 2. We will continue close consultation with Germany and our other Allies and partners on the next steps in response to Russian aggression.”

The underwater gas pipeline is designed to deliver 55 billion cubic metres (bcm) of Russian natural gas to the European Union. It traverses through the waters of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was slated to begin operations by the end of 2021. Once operational, the pipeline would supply enough volume to meet the gas requirements of 26 million households across Europe.

Russian Deputy Chair of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev tweeted: “German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has issued an order to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Well. Welcome to the brave new world where Europeans are very soon going to pay €2.000 for 1.000 cubic meters of natural gas!”

[ariane] 23/2/2022 08:39

EU: halt to Nord Stream 2 would not affect energy supply

Europe’s energy supply would not be affected if the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline designed to bring Russian gas to Germany was halted, since the pipeline is not yet operating, the European Commission has said.

“Nord Stream 2 is not yet functioning, is not supplying energy to Europe. It’s not a different source of energy, it’s a different pipeline for an existing supplier… There’s no change in the current situation,” a Commission spokesperson told a press briefing.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has halted the certification of the pipeline for the time being after Russia formally recognised two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

Nord Stream 2 is designed to double the amount of gas flowing from Russia straight to Germany, bypassing traditional transit nation Ukraine, on the bed of the Baltic Sea.

Russia currently supplies around 40% of Europe’s gas.

Concerns about supply disruptions amid escalating tensions over Ukraine have led the EU to seek alternative supplies of gas in recent months, from countries including the United States, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Japan and South Korea.

European LNG imports hit a record high in January.

However, the Commission has said its models suggest the EU could cope with a partial disruption to Russian gas supply this winter, pointing to current storage levels and countries’ contingency plans for supply shocks.

The EU plans to limit its reliance on fossil fuel imports over the next decade and beyond, by shifting to renewable energy and using less energy.

To meet its 2030 climate change target, the EU expects to reduce its natural gas consumption by more than 25% compared with 2015 levels.

Follow us on twitter: @risksEmerging

[grupo guitarlumber] 22/2/2022 17:29

Are the lights about to go out across Europe?

Forget Nord Stream 2, it's existing supply that's the real headache

22 February 2022, 5:40pm



Today’s snap decision by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to halt Nord Stream 2 — the new pipeline intended to export vast amounts of Russian gas into the EU — will make precisely no difference to European energy security, at least in the short to medium term. It could force a rethink of Berlin’s longer-term energy strategy, but the bigger question facing energy markets is whether Russia will curtail existing gas flows into Europe.

Scholz on Tuesday instructed Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action not to allow the Baltic Sea pipeline to start pumping gas 'for now'. Halting the certification process puts the project on hold but doesn’t cancel it altogether, leaving the door ajar to future certification. This might give Berlin some leverage in any future talks with Russia, but that will be for another day; events are moving fast on the ground in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops are reportedly closing in on the Donbas region after the Kremlin recognised the 'independence' of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk breakaway territories.

Shelving Nord Stream 2 is politically significant for Scholz, who only this month declined to cancel it when pressed during a joint meeting with Joe Biden. The US President pledged to 'bring an end' to the project, but Scholz became coy, saying only that Germany is 'ready with the necessary sanctions if there is a military aggression against Ukraine'. That time has come and the European Commission is reportedly preparing retaliatory sanctions against Moscow.

The fate of Nord Stream 2 is, for now at least, irrelevant. Energy markets had already priced in the non-availability of the extra Russian gas after Germany delayed the project in November. That delay is now indeterminate, drawing a line under the endless handwringing over the project.

The irony is that European capitals have been tearing themselves apart over Nord Stream 2 for years — all the while keeping the lights on using Russian gas flowing through Nord Stream 1. The first pipeline, which follows an almost identical route to the now-shelved expansion, is running at almost full capacity to fulfil Gazprom’s contracts with its European customers. So the argument that Germany should halt Nord Stream 2 to avoid relying on Russian gas is moot; the country, and its prized manufacturing sector, cannot function today without it.

The big question facing Germany is whether Moscow’s bellicose escalation will lead to a disruption in gas flows along Russia’s existing gas export pipeline routes rather than future ones. Gazprom roiled EU wholesale energy markets by declining to send extra ‘top-up’ supplies last autumn, causing prices to skyrocket and gyrate wildly. Gazprom is not obliged to send extra gas, but EU gas markets have grown accustomed to receiving it when prices rise.

This is highly unusual behaviour when there are obscene profits to be made from capitalising on red-hot markets. As a result, gas futures contracts are still trading on EU hubs at wildly inflated prices.

Record-high gas prices prompted an almighty tug-of-war between Europe and Asia for spare cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which are delivered to the highest bidder. Asia always wins this battle and gets first dibs on spot LNG — bought at the current market rate — until its storage capacity is full. Only when European gas hub prices rise above the Asian LNG spot price do tankers switch course and head for the UK and European terminals.

That switch happened briefly in December 2021 and an armada of LNG cargoes arrived at European ports a few weeks later. EU terminals are now unloading and regasifying LNG at a record pace, meaning there is not much spare capacity to accommodate more LNG if it is needed. Moreover, Germany doesn’t even have any LNG import terminals of its own and must pipe the gas in from other European ports.

This is what makes Russian gas flows along the Nord Stream 1 pipeline so critical: if these are cut off, infrastructure constraints mean shipped in gas cannot fill the gap. There is also not much spare LNG floating around the global market, and EU efforts to cajole international allies to send more volumes have not been all that successful.

Besides, LNG tankers take several weeks to complete their trans-oceanic voyages — so if Russia turns off the gas taps, the lights could literally go out across much of Germany and eastern and southern Europe. The ensuing price spikes in EU energy markets would make December’s record volatility look positively tame by comparison.

All of this is taking place as Germany progressively cuts off its own access to other forms of energy, such as nuclear. The country closed three reactors at the end of 2021 and will shut down its last atomic power plants this year. The new government in Berlin also wants to accelerate the closure of Germany’s coal-fired power stations to 2030, which many observers see as impossibly ambitious.

With nuclear and coal on their way out and big question marks now hanging over the reliability of Russian gas, Germany is facing serious problems when it comes to balancing the grid and keeping homes warm. Kicking Nord Stream 2 into the long grass only makes those questions more pressing.

The EU climate agenda envisages a rapid fall in Europ gas consumption, be it from Russia or anywhere else. But renewable alternatives will take time to scale up. Quite what happens in the interim will have a huge bearing on European industrial competitiveness, jobs, inflation and the ballooning cost of living for many millions of hard-pressed consumers.

Written bySeb Kennedy

[waldron] 18/2/2022 15:40

ENGIE reports strong performance in 2021

Friday 18th February 2022

Facilitate Team


Global utility and energy company Engie released its full-year 2021 results with an emphasis on its success in delivering commitments from its strategic plan.

Group revenue on 31 December stood at €57.9 billion (as against €44.3 billion at the same time in 2020).

Announcing continued investment in growth, particularly in renewables, with 3GW commissioned in 2021 taking the total installed capacity to over 34GW, Catherine MacGregor, CEO, said: “With our strategic plan to 2023 that was presented last year, we focused on setting the foundation for sustainable, long-term growth.

“Throughout last year, we have put our strategy into action and driven a relentless focus on execution, enabling us to deliver on commitments in an unprecedented energy environment and achieve a strong financial performance in 2021.”

Disposal of the services unit EQUANS to Bouygues for €7.1 billion is reportedly on track, with completion expected in the second half of 2022 as planned, and ENGIE states that it has made major progress on simplification of its structure through €9.2 billion of disposals signed or completed.

Progress was also made on the disposal of coal assets with Jorge Lacerda in Brazil and closure of Tejo in Portugal, while there was high availability of nuclear power with its two Belgian plants running at 92% capacity.

Net recurring income group share was put at €2.9 billion, showing significant growth in EBIT, up 42% organically to €6.1 billion, leveraging “a favourable price environment and operational performance”. A proposed dividend of €0.85 per share was announced with 2022-2024 guidance expected in the range of €3.3 billion to 3.5 billion.

MacGregor added: “The energy transition is under way at pace and presents multiple opportunities that ENGIE is strongly positioned to capture, with our resilient asset mix and integrated business model, enabling us to deliver long-term growth, value creation and shareholder return.”

ENGIE is committed to achieving net zero covering all three scopes by 2045. In line with this target, ENGIE has become one of the founding members of the First Movers Coalition, launched at the COP26 last November. By joining the coalition, ENGIE commits to buying low-carbon equipment to help develop decarbonised supply chains.

On key ESGs, the group stated that last year, greenhouse gas emissions from energy production were reduced to 67 million tonnes.

[waldron] 18/2/2022 14:24

GTT wraps up 2021 with 68 LNG carrier orders
GTT wraps up 2021 with 68 LNG carrier orders

Business developments & projects

February 18, 2022, by Sanja Pekic

French LNG containment specialist Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) reports solid earnings at high-end of annual targets for 2021, with 68 LNG carrier orders, amongst others.
GTT finishes 2021 with 68 orders for LNG carriers
Courtesy of GTT

On 17 February 2022, GTT presented its results for the 2021 financial year.

Philippe Berterottière, CEO of GTT, said: “With 68 LNG carrier orders, 2 ethane carrier orders and 6 onshore storage tank orders, GTT posted a strong commercial performance in 2021 for our core business. The market dynamics remain very positive in 2022 with ten LNG carriers ordered since the beginning of the year. All the liquefaction projects under construction still represent significant potential for LNG carrier orders.”

In the LNG as fuel segment, new orders reached a total of 27 units, which is a record volume compared to previous years.

Also, the company obtained several approvals from classification societies to develop new technologies.

In 2021, the revenues were down 21 per cent compared to 2020, when they were exceptionally high, but up 9 per cent compared to 2019.

“From a financial standpoint, revenues for 2021 are in line with our expectations,” Berterottière said. He also added that they estimate that consolidated revenues for 2022 should be in the range of €290 million to €320 million ($329.6m to $363.7m).

“The Group underlines that the orders received since mid-2020 correspond to delivery dates spread mainly over the 2023-2025 period. These factors enable us to expect, from 2023 onwards, revenues and earnings to be significantly higher than in 2022.”
Related Article

DSME orders GTT tank design for Maran Gas LNGCs
Categories:
Infrastructure
Posted: 1 day ago

Higher order intake for LNG carrier and ethane carrier

2021 brought multiple successes in the field of LNG carrier. With 68 orders for LNGCs booked during the year, GTT’s core business activity now stands at a very high level.

Delivery of these vessels will take place between the first quarter of 2023 and the fourth quarter of 2025.

These orders include three medium-capacity LNG carriers and four large-capacity LNG carriers. These 68 orders represent an average capacity of 172,000 cubic metres.

In addition, in April 2021, GTT also received an order from Hyundai Heavy for the design of the tanks of two very large ethane carriers (VLEC), with a total cargo capacity of 98,000 cubic metres. Delivery of these vessels is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.

In May, GTT announced that it had received an order from China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering for the design of four full integrity LNG membrane storage tanks. Following this, it also received a second order from Chengda for the design of two additional large storage tanks.

GTT will design these membrane tanks with a total capacity of 220,000 cubic metres using latest generation GST technology. These orders are part of the new cooperation agreement for the Tianjin Nangang LNG terminal concluded in March 2021 between Beijing Gas Group and GTT.

The company received orders to equip 27 vessels with LNG as fuel in 2021. The first order was from the Chinese shipyards Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and Jiangnan Shipyard on behalf of CMA CGM. This was to equip 12 very large LNG-powered container ships. The second order was from Samsung Heavy to equip five very large container ships for Asian ship-owner Seaspan. In September, it received one order from Korean shipyard HHI to equip two container ships and another order from Korean shipyard SHI to equip six new container ships. Finally, in November, Hyundai Samho shipyard placed an order with GTT to equip two container vessels.

In September, GTT launched LNG Optim, a new digital smart shipping solution that helps LNG operators, and LNGC or LNG-fuelled vessel ship-owners, to plan the voyages of their vessels.

Hydrogen mass production with Elogen

In October, Elogen said that Storengy selected it as part of the HyPSTER project to store green hydrogen produced from renewable energies. Elogen will design and produce the 1MW PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolyser and will install its technology at the Etrez site in France from 2022.

As a reminder, Elogen signed a contract with German energy company E.ON as part of its major SmartQuart project. Elogen will supply E.ON with a 1MW-containerised electrolyser with a production capacity of 200 cubic metres of hydrogen per hour.

In addition, it also signed a collaboration agreement with the University of Paris-Saclay. This agreement will provide for the pooling of resources around a joint research program dedicated to PEM electrolysis.

Finally, in January 2022, Elogen said it was taking the first step towards mass production with the installation of a new electrolyser production line designed to reach an assembly capacity of 160 MW per year.

In the 2021 financial year, Elogen generated €5 million ($5.68m) in revenues and received €0.6 million in operating subsidies; giving total income of €5.6 million, and recorded order intake worth €6.2 million.
Related Article

Elogen to massify production for Europe’s hydrogen projects
Categories:
Business developments & projects
Posted: 23 days ago

GTT climate ambitions


In 2021, GTT embarked on a structured approach to define its decarbonisation ambitions in accordance with the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), covering its own emissions.

The company confirms its climate targets over the 2019-2025 period. It remains committed to significantly reducing its operational emissions (Scope 1 & 2) by 2025:

In line with the objective of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, i.e. -4.2 per cent per year vs. 2019, and -25.2 per cent by 2025;
By improving energy efficiency, switching to low-carbon energy sources and gradually replacing its fleet of company vehicles.

In addition, GTT will continue to reduce emissions from business travel (restricted Scope 3) by 2025:

In line with the objective of limiting global warming to 2.0°C, i.e. -2.5 per cent per year vs. 2019, and -15.0% by 2025;
By limiting travel through extensive use of digital resources.

Order book at end of 2021

On 1 January 2021, GTT’s order book excluding LNG as fuel comprised 147 units, and subsequently changed as follows:

Deliveries completed: 53 LNG carriers, 5 ethane carriers, 3 FSRUs;
Orders received: 68 LNG carriers, 2 ethane carriers, 6 onshore storage tanks.

At 31 December 2021, the order book excluding LNG as fuel stood at 161 units, as follows:

137 LNG carriers;
6 ethane carriers;
0 FSRU3;
2 FSUs;
1 FLNG;
3 GBSs;
12 onshore storage tanks.

With regard to LNG as fuel, the order book stood at 32 units at the end of 2021, compared with 14 units at the end of 2020. It changed as follows during 2021:

Deliveries completed: 8 container ships and 1 cruiser icebreaker;
Orders received: 27 container ships.

2021 consolidated revenues amounted to €314.7 million ($357.5m), down 20.6 per cent compared to 2020.

GTT 2022 targets

In the absence of any significant order delays or cancellations, the company announces its targets for 2022, namely:

Consolidated revenues between €290 million and €320 million ($329.45m to $363.54m);
2022 consolidated EBITDA between €140 million and €170 million ($159m to $193.1m);
A dividend amount for the 2022 financial year at least equivalent to that proposed for the 2021 financial year.

The Group notes that the orders received since mid-2020 correspond to delivery dates spread mainly over the 2023-2025 period. For this reason, the Group expects, from 2023 onwards, revenues and earnings to be significantly higher than in 2022.

[waldron] 17/2/2022 09:01

(Bloomberg) --

Engie SA raised its dividend payout by 60% after a surge in energy prices drove net income higher last year.

The French utility also predicted that earnings will continue to rise through 2024 as the gas and electricity crunch in Europe show little signs of easing. The company is growing its renewable and energy-infrastructure segments as demand these business rise with the energy transition.

Energy producers have benefited in Europe after limited supply, depleted stockpiles, and demand rebounding from a pandemic boosted prices of gas and power to record highs last year. Markets remain on edge with tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine running high, while issues at some of Electricite de France SA’s nuclear plants are driving regional power higher.

Engie plans to pay 85 euro cents (96 cents) per share of dividend for last year, up from 53 euro cents in the previous year. Net recurring income rose 85% in 2021 to 3.2 billion euros, the company said in a statement Tuesday. Excluding the Equans unit that’s being sold, net recurring income rose 70% to 2.9 billion euros last year.

Engie benefited from colder temperatures that boosted demand for gas used in its network in France last year. Rebounding power production and sales at its Belgian nuclear plants and French hydroelectric dams, and the easing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its energy-services activities also helped drive earnings higher in 2021.

For 2022, Engie predicts recurring net income in the range of 3.1 billion to 3.3 billion euros. The company sees that at 3.3 billion to 3.5 billion euros in 2024.

Engie’s predictions for the 2022-24 period are based on average prices of forward commodity prices -- mostly for its Belgian nuclear output and its French hydropower production -- of the second half of 2021.

[florenceorbis] 15/2/2022 12:14

As a reminder, for the 2020 financial year, a dividend of €0.53 per share was paid on May 26, 2021.

[florenceorbis] 15/2/2022 12:12

Engie Boosts Dividend 60% as Energy Prices Lifts Profits

Francois de Beaupuy, Bloomberg News



(Bloomberg) --

Engie SA raised its dividend payout by 60% after a surge in energy prices drove net income higher last year.

The French utility also predicted that earnings will continue to rise through 2024 as the gas and electricity crunch in Europe show little signs of easing. The company is growing its renewable and energy-infrastructure segments as demand these business rise with the energy transition.

Energy producers have benefited in Europe after limited supply, depleted stockpiles, and demand rebounding from a pandemic boosted prices of gas and power to record highs last year. Markets remain on edge with tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine running high, while issues at some of Electricite de France SA’s nuclear plants are driving regional power higher.

Engie plans to pay 85 euro cents (96 cents) per share of dividend for last year, up from 53 euro cents in the previous year. Net recurring income rose 85% in 2021 to 3.2 billion euros, the company said in a statement Tuesday. Excluding the Equans unit that’s being sold, net recurring income rose 70% to 2.9 billion euros last year.

Engie benefited from colder temperatures that boosted demand for gas used in its network in France last year. Rebounding power production and sales at its Belgian nuclear plants and French hydroelectric dams, and the easing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its energy-services activities also helped drive earnings higher in 2021.

For 2022, Engie predicts recurring net income in the range of 3.1 billion to 3.3 billion euros. The company sees that at 3.3 billion to 3.5 billion euros in 2024.

Engie’s predictions for the 2022-24 period are based on average prices of forward commodity prices -- mostly for its Belgian nuclear output and its French hydropower production -- of the second half of 2021.

[maywillow] 11/2/2022 08:37

GTT gets HSHI order for 3 LNG-fueled container vessels

Infrastructure

February 11, 2022, by Sanja Pekic

French LNG containment specialist GTT has received the fuel tank design order for three new LNG-fueled container vessels from the Korean shipyard Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI).

GTT gets HSHI order for 3 LNG-fueled container vessels


The new containerships each have a capacity of 7,900 containers. They will include LNG tanks, each holding up to 6,000 cubic metres of LNG used as fuel.

The tanks will feature the Mark III Flex membrane containment technology, developed by GTT.

HSHI will deliver the three vessels in the first half of 2024.

In January, the Korean shipyard also ordered GTT tank design for six new vessels; each with a capacity of 15,600 containers. Of these, each is holding up to 12,700 cubic metres of LNG used as fuel.

Liquefied natural gas is today the best marine fuel to preserve air quality, a major public health issue. It reduces sulfur oxide emissions by 99 per cent, fine particles by 91 per cent, and nitrous oxide emissions by 92 per cent.

It also reduces a ship’s CO2 emissions by up to 20 per cent compared to a conventional ship.


Philippe Berterottière, CEO of GTT, said: “We are pleased that our partner Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries is reiterating, with this new order, its confidence in GTT. We are particularly proud that leading shipbuilders recognize GTT’s expertise in the area of LNG used as fuel.”

[waldron] 09/2/2022 06:00

In his latest research note, analyst Ajay Patel confirms his positive recommendation. The broker Goldman Sachs is keeping its Buy rating. Previously set at EUR 18.20, the target price has been slightly modified to EUR 18.50.

[grupo guitarlumber] 08/2/2022 17:21

Engie, Infinium partner on gigantic e-fuels production project in Dunkirk
Infinium reactors.

February 8 (Renewables Now) - French utility Engie SA (EPA:ENGI) and California-based electrofuels start-up Infinium on Tuesday announced a partnership to jointly develop a synthetic fuels production hub in Dunkirk, northern France.

Their Reuze hub project will integrate a 400-MW electrolyser, which Engie will install to produce green hydrogen, and Infinium’s technology that uses hydrogen and waste CO2 in the production of low-carbon e-fuels. The future e-fuels plant will take some 300,000 tonnes of CO2 captured from local steel production facilities owned by ArcelorMittal SA (AMS:MT) to use in the process, the partners said.

The goal of the project is to produce synthetic fuels for hard-to-decarbonise maritime and air transport sectors, and the chemicals industry, which is also being considered.

The Reuze hub will represent an investment of over EUR 500 million (USD 571m). In December 2021, France's environment and energy management agency Ademe selected the project to grant it financial support. The Dunkirk urban community, the Dunkirk Grand Port Maritime and the Hauts-de-France region also gave their blessing, Engie said in its press release.

The final investment decision on the Reuze development can be expected some time at the end of 2023, according to Engie.

“The Reuze project is scheduled to come into commercial operation in 2026, and will support ENGIE's ambitious strategy of deploying 4 GW of green hydrogen production capacity by 2030,” Engie executive vice president Sebastien Arbola said in the press release.

There are two layers to the meaning of the word Reuze depending on how it is pronounced. A Dunkirk legend says Reuze is a giant who protects the town and is celebrated every year during the carnival, Engie explained. If pronounced as the French would, the word would mean giant and thus point to the large scale of the project. But, it could also be pronounced as the English word “reuse”, which highlights the circular economy side of the new initiative, the utility added.

[waldron] 08/2/2022 07:17

Gaztransport & Technigaz: Shell and GTT join forces to accelerate the development and innovation of liquid hydrogen technologies

[florenceorbis] 06/2/2022 16:33

France Braces For Blackouts As Gas Stockpiles Dwindle
By ZeroHedge - Feb 06, 2022, 10:00 AM CST

Europe’s energy crisis has led to a shortage of natural gas supplies, and France could pay the price.

French natural gas pipeline operator GRTgaz warned that gas stockpiles are much lower at this point in the year than they have been during years past.

France's energy problems have been exacerbated by the lower-than-usual capacity at the country's nuclear power plants.


The Brits aren't the only European nation to find itself on the verge of a full-blown energy crisis.

On Thursday, French natural gas pipeline operator GRTgaz warned that French gas stockpiles are much lower at this point in the year than they have been during years past - and as a result, they run the risk of potentially being depleted before the winter is up, a disaster that could make last year's deep freeze in Texas look tame if a sudden cold snap sends demand soaring.

According to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe, France’s stockpiles were about 34% full as of Feb. 1, which is well below the five-year average of 42%. Inventories are now at the lowest seasonal level since 2018, when a brutal winter cold snap nicknamed "the Beast from the East" left French reserves standing at just 3% when the heating season was over.

"We’ll probably be close to zero toward the end of March, and we remain vigilant on that topic," GRTgaz chief Thierry Trouve said in a presentation in Paris Thursday.

It's the most precarious for French gas inventories since they arrived at their lowest seasonal level since 2018. Inventories are now at the lowest seasonal level since 2018, when the country ended the heating season with storage at a record-low of just 3%.

And gas prices are much higher today than they were back then.

Fortunately, mild weather is expected to continue across much of Europe this month. But further down the road, limited Russian shipments to Europe and surging demand as economies reopen following the omicron wave could create problems, especially if a late-season cold snap should arise.



Additionally, France's energy problems have been exacerbated by the lower-than-usual capacity at the country's nuclear power plants, some of which have been closed over safety fears as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to modernize France's nuclear power system.

As we have previously reported, this drawdown in nuclear capacity has raised the risk of rolling blackouts in France if struggles to compensate with LNG.

France will be able to cope with a “late” cold snap assuming that enough gas continues to arrive from Norway and from other nations via France's LNG terminals to compensate for the shortage of supplies coming “from the East,” said Trouve. He added that provisional schedules for terminal deliveries remain "well filled".

Even if supply shortages don't end up leading to rolling blackouts, it's possible that France's energy woes could create a serious political problem for President Emmanuel Macron ahead of elections in April.


Energy inflation is already creating serious problems in the UK, and if renewable power generation lags, nuclear reactors remain halted for maintenance, and natural gas prices remain elevated, then higher power bills into January and February could create more unpopularity for Macron.

By Zerohedge.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

[the grumpy old men] 03/2/2022 10:22

Upcoming events on ENGIE




Tuesday 15 February, 2022

FY 2021 Earnings Release

[the grumpy old men] 03/2/2022 09:19

Consensus

Mean consensus BUY

Number of Analysts 19

Last Close Price 13,86 €

Average target price 16,49 €
Spread / Average Target 19,0%

[the grumpy old men] 03/2/2022 08:36

Holcim, INSA Lyon, Engie Partner To Launch Energy Storage Solution
02/03/2022 | 08:33am GMT

(MT Newswires) -- Swiss building materials group Holcim (HOLN.SW, HOLN.PA) is teaming up with INSA Lyon and Engie's (ENGI.PA, ENGI.BR) corporate research center Engie Lab Crigen to develop a new energy storage solution to serve as an alternative to batteries.

The solution, which aims to meet the demands of renewable energy storage, uses a cementitious material that can absorb 300 kiloWatt of energy per cubic meter and release it later through hydration, according to a Thursday release.

Shares in Holcim were up marginally, while Engie's stock gained nearly 1% in morning trade.

[grupo guitarlumber] 01/2/2022 09:32

February, 2022

15

Tuesday


2021 RESULTS

[misca2] 27/1/2022 13:28

Engie SA and EDP Renovaveis SA's joint venture, Ocean Winds, said Thursday that it has reached a final investment decision on a floating offshore-wind pilot project in the Mediterranean Sea, marking the end of its development phase.

"This major step will allow the signing of contracts with the main industrial and financial partners and the launch of the project's actual implementation phase," the offshore-wind energy company said.

The project, called "EFGL", involves the construction and operation of three 10-megawatt floating wind turbines. The farm is set to be commissioned at the end of next year and will operate for 20 years, Ocean Winds said.



Write to Giulia Petroni at [e-mail]



(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 27, 2022 07:02 ET (12:02 GMT)