Latest news with #liquefaction
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Thousands of Otago residents exposed to flooding, liquefaction, new report finds
Lateral spreading happens when liquefaction stretches and tears the ground. This example happened during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Photo: Sarah Bastin A new report has found thousands of people and buildings, including homes, are potentially exposed to flooding and liquefaction in Otago. The Otago Regional Council report used existing data to map the natural hazard exposure risks for people, buildings and critical services. It is the first comprehensive assessment for the entire region. The report found the greatest exposure was from river and lake flooding and liquefaction hazards. "Totals of greater than 30,000 people and buildings, including >10,000 dwellings, within the Otago region are located in areas identified as potentially subject to each of these hazards," the report said. Most of that exposure was located in and near Dunedin, with 39 of the 117 community areas being classed as having a 'high exposure' - which meant an area that had a high number of people or buildings within a mapped hazard area, not that an event was imminent. This included the floodplains that were in the council's and Lower Taieri flood protection schemes, but people and buildings within those areas were considered to be 'potentially exposed'. The report assessed 90 critical community facilities across the region - important buildings in a post-disaster response including hospitals, fire and police stations, or emergency operation centres. Of those, 23 were at risk of flooding and 35 were exposed to liquefaction across the region. Queenstown, Wānaka and Dunedin all had relatively high exposures to hazards involving slope stability including landslides and alluvial fans. There were about 500 people and 1100 buildings exposed to coastal hazards including tsunamis and storm surges, mostly around Dunedin and Clutha. The council's natural hazards manager, Dr Jean-Luc Payan, said the data would help to inform future planning to reduce risk. It would also show where they should prioritise future resilience and hazard investigations, as well as aid emergency management. "This work is not about predicting when an event might happen," he said. "It's about identifying where exposure exists so we can make smarter decisions about resilience, planning and investment." The council's senior natural hazards analyst, Tim van Woerden, said it was a living dataset that would continue to be refined as more detailed information was sourced. "These terms may sound technical or worrying, but it's important to remember this analysis is about where we focus effort to reduce exposure - not about predicting events or sounding alarms," he said. The council's natural hazards prioritisation programme is due to begin in the upcoming financial year.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plug Power Partners Up With BASF: Will Use German Company's Purification Tech To Liquify Hydrogen
U.S.-based Hydrogen fuel cell company Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ:PLUG) will use German Chemical Company BASF's (OTCQX:BASFY) purification solutions in its Hydrogen liquefaction plants. What Happened: Plug Power will utilize BASF's Private Pd15 DeOxo catalysts as well as implement BASF's Oxygen and water removal solutions, Offshore Energy reported on Thursday. Don't Miss: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary called Missing Ring his biggest mistake — don't repeat history — invest in RYSE at just $1.90/share. Nancy Pelosi Invested $5 Million In An AI Company Last Year — Here's How You Can Invest In Multiple Pre-IPO AI Startups With Just $1,000. The collaboration will primarily focus on hydrogen liquefaction plants with capacities of 30, 60, and 90 tons per day, according to the report. "We are proud to have also earned the approval of other leading players in the green hydrogen sector," BASF's Senior Vice President Detlef Ruff said. "We believe this collaboration will provide our clients with proven and reliable end-to-end solutions that enhance the economic viability of liquid hydrogen plants," Plug Power's Vice President Daniel Kennedy shared in the statement. Why It Matters: Plug Power recently announced a $525 million debt facility deal with Yorkville Advisors as the company looks to implement its turnaround plan successfully. The company also launched its Hydrogen liquefaction facility in Louisiana as part of a joint venture with Olin Corporation. The plant is capable of liquifying over 15 metric tons of Hydrogen on a daily basis. Plug Power had shared the company's Q4 earnings, which showcased a revenue of $191.5 million, falling well below analyst estimates of $263.2 million. The company also posted a gross margin loss of 122%. Read Next: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal: Invest in Cytonics and help disrupt a $390B Big Pharma stronghold. 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can invest today for just $0.30/share with a $1000 minimum. Photo by T. Schneider via Shutterstock Send To MSN: Send to MSN Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Plug Power Partners Up With BASF: Will Use German Company's Purification Tech To Liquify Hydrogen originally appeared on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oil Markets Enter May on the Back Foot
Crude oil futures tumbled over the past week, falling more than 6% as concerns over weakening global demand and a resurgent supply outlook weighed on sentiment. Friday, May 02, 2025 China, preparing for a week-long lull in trading activity, has nevertheless given the oil markets a much-needed carrot after a month-long stick treatment, saying that Beijing is evaluating a Trump administration proposal to hold negotiations over tariffs. As US-Iran nuclear talks have seemingly hit a temporary impasse, ICE Brent is set to start May trading with a second consecutive weekly decline, trading slightly above $61 per barrel. Saudi Arabia Wants Lower Oil Prices. Seemingly intent on regaining lost market share and stymying non-OPEC+ production growth, Saudi Arabia has been signalling that it will continue unwinding its output cuts and that Riyadh is ready to handle a prolonged period of lower prices after 5 years of OPEC+ cuts. Texas LNG Project Sapped by Deadly Incident. Port Arthur LNG, the 13 mtpa gas liquefaction project developed by Sempra (NYSE:SRE), saw all construction work suspended after three people were killed and two others injured in a scaffolding accident that took place at 2am, according to contractor Bechtel. Pemex Sinks Even Lower. The world's most indebted oil company, the Mexican state oil firm Pemex, posted another quarterly loss after its Q1 performance showed a $2.1 billion shortfall, attributing the disappointing results to falling production from mature wells and delays in new well Ethane Might Be Out of the Woods. Chinese petrochemical producers have been allegedly informed that ethane will be exempted from Beijing's 125% tariff on all US goods, providing some relief as the US accounts for 99% of global ethane trade and has sent some 5.3 million tonnes to China last year. Scotland No Longer Has a Refinery. Scotland's only refinery, the 150,000 b/d Grangemouth plant operated by a tandem of Petrochina and Ineos, ceased all crude oil processing this week, to be refurbished into an import terminal as plans for a biorefinery never really took off. Ukraine Signs Long-Delayed US Minerals Pact. Kyiv signed the oft-mulled minerals deal with the Trump administration following two months of hesitation, giving the US preferential access to its energy resources, including rare earth metals but also iron, uranium and natural gas. Spain Mulls Nationalization of Grid Operator. Alerted by the possibility of another nationwide blackout, Spain's deputy Prime Minister has suggested that Madrid fully take over the Mediterranean country's power grid operator REE, currently 20% owned by the state with the rest held in private hands. Refiners Warn of California Gasoline Shortages. PBF Energy chief executive Matthew Lucey warned that the closure of P66's Los Angeles refinery and Valero's Benicia plant would create a gasoline short in California that could be as big as 250,000 b/d, causing the state to lose 17% of its current capacity. China Courts Europe as Its Next UCO Market. As Trump's 145% tariff on China has killed any market economics in supply used cooking oil to the US, Chinese producers of the increasingly popular biofuel now target Europe to maintain steady export flows, after a meagre 0.6 million tonnes exported in 2024. Chevron-Exxon Arbitration Set to Begin Soon. The Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce has scheduled the first hearing of ExxonMobil's (NYSE:XOM) arbitration dispute against US peer Chevron (NYSE:CVX), claiming it has right of first refusal over Hess' Guyanese assets, part of the latter's buyout. Malaysia Turns Against Petronas. Malaysia's Sarawak state warned the country's national oil firm Petronas that its Miri crude oil terminal operates without a regulatory license and questioned its distribution rights, endangering Petronas' revenues as the state is home to 60% of the country's reserves. Asia Starts to Pull LNG Cargoes Away from Europe. According to media reports, four LNG carriers that were en route to Europe changed course to Asia over the past week as the decline in European gas prices and the return of Asia's gas premium led sellers of US LNG to look eastward again. Shell Plays Down Talk of BP Takeover. Wael Sawan, chief executive of UK-based energy major Shell (LON:SHEL) said that he would rather ramp up the company's share buyback than launch a takeover bid over peer major BP (NYSE:BP), coming on the back of Q1 net profit falling 28% year-over-year to $5.6 billion. By Tom Kool for More Top Reads From this article on
Reuters
25-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Freeport LNG in Texas set to return to service after lightning strike, LSEG data shows
March 25 (Reuters) - Natural gas flows to Freeport LNG's export plant in Texas were set to rise on Tuesday after a lightning strike on a pipeline caused the plant to shut on Monday, data from financial firm LSEG showed. Freeport is one of the most closely watched LNG export plants in the world because the start and stop of its operations often cause price swings in global gas markets. The Reuters Power Up newsletter provides everything you need to know about the global energy industry. Sign up here. When flows to Freeport drop, gas prices in the U.S. usually decline due to the export plant's lower demand for the fuel, while prices in Europe usually increase due to a drop in LNG supplies available to global markets from the plant. That is what happened with U.S. gas prices on Monday. LSEG said the amount of gas flowing to Freeport was on track to rise to 1.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) on Tuesday, up from 0.1 bcfd on Monday. That compares with an average of 2.0 bcfd during the prior seven days (February 17-23). Freeport said in a filing with Texas environmental regulators Monday afternoon that it shut the three liquefaction trains at the plant early Monday morning "due to an interruption of feed gas supply from the upstream (pretreatment facility)." Freeport did not comment on the cause of that feedgas interruption, however, Boardwalk Pipelines' Gulf South Pipeline unit, which delivers gas to the plant, told customers on Monday that it could not deliver gas to the location following a lightning strike. The three liquefaction trains at Freeport are capable of turning about 2.1 bcfd of gas into LNG. One billion cubic feet of gas is enough to supply about 5 million U.S. homes for a day.
