Nov 18, 2010
Eric Watkins
OGJ Oil Diplomacy Editor
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18 -- The Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungs-Leitung (OPAL) pipeline, which eventually will extend 470 km to link the Nord Stream Pipeline to Eastern Europe, has been laid across the German-Czech border, according to company officials.
“The closer cross-border integration of national natural gas pipeline systems called for by the European Union has taken a key step forward,” said Bernd Vogel, managing director of OPAL Nel Transport GMBH, a subsidiary of the Wingas Group, which is co-owned by Germany’s Wintershall and Russia's OAO Gazprom.
"By building the Nord Stream Pipeline and its connecting pipeline OPAL, European customers are gaining direct access to the major Russian natural gas reserves in Siberia,” said Vogel, whose firm will perform the tasks of network operator for OPAL.
About 400 km of the pipeline’s overall length have already been laid, and the welding together of the more than 26,000 pipes has also largely been completed.
"This makes us confident of completing the pipeline by the late summer 2011 as planned and bringing it online in October 2011 together with the first Nord Stream Pipeline," said Vogel.
Gazprom projects completion of the first 27.5 billion cu m/year Nord Stream line in 2011, with a parallel line of the same capacity to follow in 2012. The line will pass through Russian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, and German waters.
Construction of the 1,200-km Nord Stream system, which will extend through the Baltic Sea from Vyborg, Russia, to Greifswald, Germany, began Apr. 9 (OGJ Online, Apr. 9, 2010).
Meanwhile, Wingas Chief Construction Manager Michael Muth outlined the work program for OPAL over the coming months, saying that it “will concentrate on the construction of the gas transfer station in Lubmin and the natural gas compressor station in Baruth, south of Berlin.”
When complete, OPAL will be the largest gas line to be laid in Europe, with an annual transport capacity of 36 billion cu and a diameter of 1.4 m.
In addition to OPAL, Wintershall and Gazprom also are planning construction of the 440-km North European gas pipeline (NEL), which will transport Nord Stream gas from Greifswald on the German coast west to Rehden in Lower Saxony. NEL is scheduled to come on stream in 2011 and has a planned capacity of 20 billion cu m/year.
“It will connect Nord Stream with the European gas network, just as the OPAL natural gas pipeline does to the Czech Republic,” Wingas said. That will facilitate gas transportation from Russia, through Germany, to Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and the UK.
Earlier this week, the European Union described the Nord Stream line part of one of four “big axis” for the diversification of gas supplies in Europe: the Southern Corridor from the Caspian, the Northern Corridor from Norway, the Eastern corridor from Russia, and the Mediterranean Corridor from Africa.
Wingas is owned 50.02% by BASF subsidiary Wintershall and 49.98% by Gazprom. Wingas owns 80% of OPAL and 75% of NEL, with E.On Ruhrgas holding the remaining 20% and 25%, respectively.
Nord Stream's shareholders include Gazprom 51%, E.On Ruhrgas and Wintershall 15.5% each, and Dutch state Gasunie and France's GDF Suez, each with 9%.
Friday, December 10, 2010
IOCL to acquire 49% in NPCIL JV
MUMBAI: Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) may acquire up to 49% stake in its proposed joint venture with Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) as against the 26% holding announced earlier, says a senior NPCIL.
“IOC has communicated to us internally that it will acquire 49% stake in the proposed venture which will own the seventh and eight unit of Rajasthan plant of 700 mw each,” said JK Ghai, director (finance), NPCIL.
State-run IOC had earlier said that it would invest Rs 961 crore for 26% stake for setting up the 1,400 mw nuclear power project with NPCIL.
The project is being set up at a total outlay of Rs 12,000 crore, to be financed in the debt-to-equity ratio of 7:3. The state-run nuclear power producer is also forming joint ventures with other public sector enterprises such as National Aluminium Co and NTPC .
NPCIL may exceed its annual generation target of 22 billion units for 2010-11 due to availability of imported fuel, Mr Ghai said. In April-September, the utility generated 10.85 billion units of electricity, up 5% from the target for the period. “With this trend, the total generation in 2010-11 is expected to be about 10% higher than the target fixed for the corresponding period,” Mr Ghai said. Courtesy:ET
13 October 2010 PB
“IOC has communicated to us internally that it will acquire 49% stake in the proposed venture which will own the seventh and eight unit of Rajasthan plant of 700 mw each,” said JK Ghai, director (finance), NPCIL.
State-run IOC had earlier said that it would invest Rs 961 crore for 26% stake for setting up the 1,400 mw nuclear power project with NPCIL.
The project is being set up at a total outlay of Rs 12,000 crore, to be financed in the debt-to-equity ratio of 7:3. The state-run nuclear power producer is also forming joint ventures with other public sector enterprises such as National Aluminium Co and NTPC .
NPCIL may exceed its annual generation target of 22 billion units for 2010-11 due to availability of imported fuel, Mr Ghai said. In April-September, the utility generated 10.85 billion units of electricity, up 5% from the target for the period. “With this trend, the total generation in 2010-11 is expected to be about 10% higher than the target fixed for the corresponding period,” Mr Ghai said. Courtesy:ET
13 October 2010 PB
Big Qatari LNG tanker heads for US
According to AIS Live ship tracking data, Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker Al Dafna is heading to the US, carrying what could be a second test cargo for the new Golden Pass LNG terminal.The AIS ship tracker on Reuters showed that the Q-Max tanker, one of the world's largest super cooled gas carriers with a capacity of 266,000 cubic meters passed the Algerian capital of Algiers.
At its current speed of just under 19 knots the vessel could arrive at the terminal near Port Arthur, Texas by October 18. The terminal operator said that Golden Pass where construction was delayed by hurricane damage sustained in 2008 would take its first test cargo from the 210,000 cubic meters Al Khuwair tanker which is expected to arrive on October 20.
Analysts said that it could need up to 5 test cargoes to prepare the terminal for commercial operation but the operator has declined to comment on expected deliveries. The Golden Pass LNG terminal said on Wednesday it had still not got permission to take in the first cargo after applying to the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in late September.
The start up of Golden Pass LNG JV between Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips could absorb some LNG that is expected to enter an already well supplied global market as big Qatari production facilities open in the next few months.
Work on Golden Pass began in 2006 before the US lost much of its appetite for imported gas because of a surge in North American shale gas production.Qatari vessels now rarely deliver to the US because of a slide in prices, which has left many LNG producers scrambling for new markets and most terminals on the US.Courtesy:REUTERS
12 October 2010 PB
At its current speed of just under 19 knots the vessel could arrive at the terminal near Port Arthur, Texas by October 18. The terminal operator said that Golden Pass where construction was delayed by hurricane damage sustained in 2008 would take its first test cargo from the 210,000 cubic meters Al Khuwair tanker which is expected to arrive on October 20.
Analysts said that it could need up to 5 test cargoes to prepare the terminal for commercial operation but the operator has declined to comment on expected deliveries. The Golden Pass LNG terminal said on Wednesday it had still not got permission to take in the first cargo after applying to the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in late September.
The start up of Golden Pass LNG JV between Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips could absorb some LNG that is expected to enter an already well supplied global market as big Qatari production facilities open in the next few months.
Work on Golden Pass began in 2006 before the US lost much of its appetite for imported gas because of a surge in North American shale gas production.Qatari vessels now rarely deliver to the US because of a slide in prices, which has left many LNG producers scrambling for new markets and most terminals on the US.Courtesy:REUTERS
12 October 2010 PB
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