LNG

Norway, the nation that helped restore Europe’s energy security with natural gas, oil and LNG supplies after Russian links were cut following the invasion of Ukraine two years ago, has become the first country in the world to approve commercial deep-sea mining in its waters to supply rare minerals needed to make electric vehicles and other technology.

The Norwegian Parliament voted 80-20 on January 9 to approve a cross-party proposal that could revolutionise the global supply of minerals, which are pivotal for an array of clean technologies, including batteries for electric vehicles.

Under the new legislation Norway is opening up 280,000 square kilometres (108,000 square miles) of the Norwegian Continental Shelf, an area equivalent to the size of the UK, for the granting of exploration licences for minerals and chemical elements such as lithium, cobalt and scandium.

Norway’s approval of deep-sea mining in its own waters will add momentum to moves to open up some international waters for extracting rare minerals.

Mineral sources

Lithium and cobalt are only found below ground in a small number of countries, including onshore the Republic of Congo in West Africa, which will also soon become an LNG exporter with an offshore natural gas project being developed by Italian major Eni.

Norway itself has impeccable environmental and conservation profile as a nation and easily stepped in to increase its natural gas supplies to Europe when Russian deliveries were cut after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Norwegians are also Europe’s largest producers of hydro-electric power and more than 95 percent of their electricity and 50 percent of all the country’s power comes from renewables, including wind.

The Norwegians also run the Hammerfest LNG export plant on Melkoya Island in northern Norway supplying nations such as France, the Netherlands, Italy, the UK, Spain and Lithuania with cargoes.

Failure of ideas

The Norwegian move on deep-sea mining was, of course, condemned by the environmental groups, run by the elites and who have forced governments to get petrol-driven cars off the road and replace them with electric vehicles without themselves coming up with any worthwhile suggestions except for sowing chaos and energy poverty.

Analysts say that estimates for the rare minerals industry’s new potential range from hundreds of millions to trillions of dollars.

They add that pressure from opponents mean detailed environmental studies will have to be carried out before any mining can take place, potentially delaying extraction until the 2030s.

None of Norway’s 17 protected marine areas are included in the Norwegian zones proposed for mining and the Government in Oslo has insisted that every commercial licence will have to be approved by its parliament, the Storting.

The first steps for commercial mining companies will be to undertake exploration and mapping activities to increase knowledge of what is below ground in the NCS.

The US Department of Energy published its latest LNG export data with France, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK and South Korea and Japan being the main destinations while prices for that period began to rise and shipments from Calcasieu Pass were the most expensive.

The US Department of Energy published its latest LNG monthly export data with European nations such as France, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy being joined by Japan in the list of leading destinations while Sempra’s Cameron LNG plant in Louisiana shipped the most expensive cargoes for a second month.

May 16 (LNGJ) – At least three LNG cargoes were being unloaded at Spanish ports this week. The 167,400 cubic metres capacity carrier “Methane Mickie Harper” was discharging a cargo from Peru on May 16 at the Bilbao terminal, according to shipping data. The 173,400 cubic metres capacity vessel “Ribera Duero Knutsen” was also scheduled to berth at Bilbao with a cargo from the US Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana and a third vessel, the 174,000 cubic metres capacity carrier “British Sponsor”, was heading for either Cartagena or Barcelona with a shipment from the US Cove Point plant in Maryland.

March 4 (LNGJ) - Spain continues to be a main recipient of US LNG cargoes and another is headed for the east coast Spanish terminal  at Sagunto. The 178,800 cubic metres capacity LNG carrier “Castillo De Merida” is scheduled to discharge its shipment on March 5. The cargo was lifted on February 18 from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana.

   Spain has received over 220 cargoes from the US since February 2016 and is the fourth-largest recipient of exported US LNG after South Korea, Japan and China.

Dec 20 (LNGJ) - Cargoes are heading this week for the West and East Mediterranean. The 170,000 cubic metres carrier “LNG Port Harcourt II” is scheduled to discharge a shipment on December 24 at the Cartagena import facility in southeast Spain from the Bonny Island plant on the Niger Delta, according to shipping data. The 205,940 Q-Flex carrier “Al Ghariya” will deliver a Qatari cargo on December 25 to the Aliaga terminal in Turkey.

European natural gas futures have jumped to record highs over supply concerns as the new German Left-Green coalition is expected to put energy politics over energy security and is seen as ignoring the supply of adequate natural gas for the Germany-led European Union.

Enagás, the Spanish natural gas network operator and LNG terminal owner, said its terminals unloaded 126 LNG cargoes in the first half of 2020, 12.5 percent more than in the same period of last year as gas demand in Spain begins to return to pre-Covid-19 levels.

Enagás, the Spanish natural gas operator and LNG terminal owner, reported an almost 15 percent rise in net profits as it enacted special working measures to keep LNG flowing at its three main regasification terminals.

High levels of Spanish liquefied natural gas imports and storage meant more pipeline supplies were exported to France as Spain also set records for domestic natural gas consumption.