December 2021

Amid rising public spending, the French government has tasked two experts with reassessing the support scheme for renewable electricity and storage, with proposals expected within three months.
The revocation of US licences limits European companies’ operations in Venezuela, triggering a collapse in crude oil imports and a reconfiguration of bilateral energy flows.

Bourbon secures five-year contract with ExxonMobil for Angola’s Block 15

Bourbon has signed an agreement with ExxonMobil for the charter of next-generation Crewboats on Angola’s Block 15, strengthening a strategic cooperation that began over 15 years ago.
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Faced with tighter legal frameworks and reinforced sanctions, grey fleet operators are turning to 15-year-old VLCCs and scrapping older vessels to secure oil routes to Asia.
Reconnaissance Energy Africa completed drilling at the Kavango West 1X onshore well in Namibia, where 64 metres of net hydrocarbon pay were detected in the Otavi carbonate section.

Polish army joins efforts to secure power grid against drone threats

National operator PSE partners with armed forces to protect transformer stations as critical infrastructure faces sabotage linked to foreign interference.
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The Norwegian government establishes a commission to anticipate the decline of hydrocarbons and assess economic options for the country in the coming decades.
CNOOC Limited has started production at the Weizhou 11-4 oilfield adjustment project and its satellite fields, targeting 16,900 barrels per day by 2026.

Shell and Equinor finalise the creation of Adura, largest independent North Sea producer

The Adura joint venture merges Shell and Equinor’s UK offshore assets, becoming the leading independent oil and gas producer in the mature North Sea basin.
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A Delaware court approved the sale of PDV Holding shares to Elliott’s Amber Energy for $5.9bn, a deal still awaiting a U.S. Treasury licence through OFAC.
A new $100mn fund has been launched to support Nigerian oil and gas service companies, as part of a national target to reach 70% local content by 2027.

Sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil redirect oil flows toward Asia

Western measures targeting Rosneft and Lukoil deeply reorganise oil trade, triggering a discreet yet massive shift of Russian export routes to Asia without causing global supply disruption.
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The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission opens bidding for 50 exploration blocks across strategic zones to revitalise upstream investment.
La Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission ouvre la compétition pour 50 blocs d’exploration, répartis sur plusieurs zones stratégiques, afin de relancer les investissements dans l’amont pétrolier.

Kazakhstan launches tenders for 3 GW of renewable capacity by 2026

Kazakhstan plans to allocate 3 GW of wind and solar projects by the end of 2026 through public tenders, with a first 1 GW tranche in 2025, amid efforts to modernise its power system.
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Serbia's only refinery, operated by NIS, has suspended production due to a shortage of crude oil, a direct consequence of US sanctions imposed on its majority Russian shareholder.
Hurricanes Beryl, Helene and Milton accounted for 80% of electricity outages recorded in 2024, marking a ten-year high according to federal data.

Oil prices rise amid tensions between Washington and Caracas

Crude prices increased, driven by rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela and drone attacks targeting Russian oil infrastructure in the Black Sea.
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Amid persistent financial losses, Tullow Oil restructures its governance and accelerates efforts to reduce over $1.8 billion in debt while refocusing operations on Ghana.
The French Energy Regulatory Commission introduces a temporary prudential control on gas and electricity suppliers through a “guichet à blanc” opening in December, pending the transposition of European rules.
New Delhi launches a 72.8 bn INR incentive plan to build a 6,000-tonne domestic capacity for permanent magnets, amid rising Chinese export restrictions on critical components.
The rise of CfDs, PPAs and capacity mechanisms signals a structural shift: markets alone no longer cover 10–30-year financing needs, while spot prices have surged 400% in Europe since 2019.

Aksa Enerji to build 119 MW thermal power plant in Burkina Faso

Turkish company Aksa Enerji has signed a 20-year contract with Sonabel for the commissioning of a thermal power plant in Ouagadougou, aiming to strengthen Burkina Faso’s energy supply by the end of 2026.
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The Caspian Pipeline Consortium resumed loadings in Novorossiisk after a Ukrainian attack, but geopolitical tensions persist over Kazakh oil flows through this strategic Black Sea corridor.
Germany plans to finalise the €5.8bn ($6.34bn) purchase of a 25.1% stake in TenneT Germany to strengthen its control over critical national power grid infrastructure.

Hungary doubles oil shipments to Serbia amid US sanctions on refinery

Hungary increases oil product exports to Serbia to offset the imminent shutdown of the NIS refinery, threatened by US sanctions over its Russian majority ownership.
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Faced with falling oil production, Pemex is expanding local refining through Olmeca, aiming to reduce fuel imports and optimise its industrial capacity under fiscal pressure.
Brazil’s state oil company will reduce its capital spending by 2%, hit by falling crude prices, marking a strategic shift under Lula’s presidency.

TotalEnergies sells Bonga stake for $510mn to Shell and Eni

TotalEnergies has finalised the sale of its 12.5% stake in Nigeria’s offshore Bonga oilfield for $510mn, boosting Shell and Eni’s positions in the strategic deepwater production site.
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The Ghanaian government is implementing a reform of its energy system focused on increasing the use of local natural gas, aiming to reduce electricity production costs and limit the sector's financial imbalance.
Serbia is preparing a budget law amendment to enable the takeover of NIS, a refinery under US sanctions and owned by Russian groups, to avoid an imminent energy shutdown.

Suriname targets 220,000 barrels per day in oil strategy by 2028

On the 50th anniversary of its independence, Suriname announced a national roadmap including major public investment to develop its offshore oil reserves.
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Nigeria’s Dangote refinery selects US-based Honeywell to supply technology that will double its crude processing capacity and expand its petrochemical output.
Iraq secures production by bypassing US sanctions through local payments, energy-for-energy swaps, and targeted suspension of financial flows to Lukoil to protect West Qurna-2 exports.

BP partially restarts Olympic Pipeline but leaves 60% of capacity offline

Restarting Olympic Pipeline’s 16-inch line does not restore full supply to Oregon and Seattle-Tacoma airport, both still exposed to logistical risks and regional price tensions.
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Faced with tightened sanctions from the United States and European Union, Indian refiners are drastically reducing their purchases of Russian crude from December, according to industry sources.
In its latest review, the International Energy Agency warns of structural blockages in South Korea’s electricity market, calling for urgent reforms to close the gap on renewables and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.

China’s installed power capacity reaches 3.75 bn kW, up 17.3 %

China's power generation capacity recorded strong growth in October, driven by continued expansion of solar and wind, according to official data from the National Energy Administration.
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Serbia’s only refinery, operated by NIS, may be forced to halt production this week, weakened by US sanctions targeting its Russian shareholders.
The 2026–2031 offshore programme proposes opening over one billion acres to oil exploration, triggering a regulatory clash between Washington, coastal states and legal advocacy groups.