USA 🇺🇸- Update to last week's fire 🔥 at BP's Oil Refinery (6th largest in the US) in Indiana:

🔹On August 24th, BP's Whiting, Indiana Refinery was shut down after a fire. About 2% of nationwide refining 🛢 capacity and over 10% of Midwest capacity is temporarily offline. The refinery has a 435,000 bbl/day capacity and is the largest in the Midwest and BP's largest in the world.

🔹BP plans to restore power 🔋 to a repaired electrical system at the refinery within two to three days. The company "has deployed all available resources to restore production as soon as possible."

🔹The Environmental Protection Agency temporarily lifted a federal rule for fuel ⛽️ sales in four states (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin) in response to the fire as it could affect prices and supply. The waiver lifts a Clear Air Act requirement that lower-volatility gasoline be sold in the states during summer months to limit ozone pollution. It is in effect until Sept. 15.

🔹The EU 🇪🇺 is preparing to intervene in into energy markets, to dampen soaring power costs 📈 and eventually seeking to break the link between gas and electricity prices. Markets already reacted today, with prices for German & French electricity dropping 20%. (Photo)

🔹More and more member states are calling for a price cap. The exact makeup of an EU 🇪🇺 intervention plan is still being developed. Germany's, Habeck suggested a short-term tax 💰on excessive profits by energy companies as part of the transition.

Background:
💠 French 🇫🇷 electricity futures contracts for next year soared past 1,000 euros per MW/hr up 10X in the past year.

💠 Backlash follows a 'natural gas levy' plan by the German 🇩🇪 government to add to consumers’ tax burden.

💠 Waiting lists, sky rocketing prices and export bans on firewood 🪵across European countries.

💠 No confirmation from Germany 🇩🇪 / Canada 🇨🇦 to exempt Russia's 🇷🇺Gazprom gas turbines for servicing by Germany's Siemens for Nord Stream 1.

🔹Russia's 🇷🇺 Gazprom announced that gas flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will be stopped from August 31 until September 3 due to maintenance. Maintenance is on the only gas compressor unit remaining in operation. Upon completion, gas transportation will be restored to the level of 33 million cubic meters per day, or 20% of the pipeline’s maximum capacity.

🔹Gazprom confirmed it had cut off off gas supplies to French 🇫🇷 utilities company Engie that has failed to pay for July gas deliveries in full. Engie maintained it “had already secured the volumes necessary to meet its commitments towards its customers and its own requirements.

🔹Gazprom made a record 2.5 trillion roubles ($41.75 billion) in net profit 💰in the first half of 2022 and its board recommended paying interim dividends.

Background:
💠 Ongoing problems for servicing Gazprom's gas turbines for Nord Stream 1 by Germany's 🇩🇪 Siemens.

💠 Electricity 💡and natural gas 🔥futures contracts in Europe trade at record highs.

🔹USA 🇺🇸 - On Sunday August 28th, a commercial fire 🔥 burned a poultry processing plant in Montebello, California. The blaze at QC Poultry damaged the building and possibly several commercial vehicles.

🔹QC Poultry 🐓 is located in a heavily industrial area and did not threaten any residential properties. The fire’s cause is unknown.

Recent fires in the US at food processing facilities reported on this channel:

💠 Fire destroys eastern Oregon's Pendleton Flour Mills is owned by Grain Craft, which is the largest independent flour 🌾 milling company in the US.

💠 Grain Storage facility in Prosser, Washington, feed storage and grain 🌾 elevator burnt down.

💠 Disruptions to US 🇺🇸 food security from fires in June at multiple food processing plants and in May.

💠In May, a fire at Purdue Farms facility in Virginia had its soybean processing tank burnt 🔥 down .

🔹An interesting 20 minute documentary by the Canadian Patriot Review based upon the essay "Why Assume There Will be a 🇺🇸 2024 Election?"

🔹It dives into the orchestrated demolition 📉 of the financial system in 1929, the Wall Street/London fueled "economic miracle solution" of fascism. President Franklin D. Roosevelt launching a war against the financier oligarchy in 1932.

🔹It dives into the USA's 🇺🇸 most decorated marine, Major General Smedley Butler and his courageous defense of the republic.

De-industrialization of Europe continues as Dutch TTF natural gas prices increase:

🔹 German 🇩🇪aluminum producer Speira is considering cutting production at its smelter to 50% of total capacity in response to surging energy costs.

🔹 Several companies operating in Belgium 🇧🇪 have been forced to shut down their production facilities due to high energy prices. Stainless steel producer Aperam is shutting down its production facility in Genk. Fertiliser producer Yara and flooring group Beaulieu are also winding down operations.

Previous reports on this channel:

💠 Norwegian 🇳🇴 owned Norsk Hydro is planning to shutter a 175,000-ton annual capacity aluminum smelter in Slovakia. The Budel zinc smelter in the Netherlands 🇳🇱, to be placed on care and maintenance from Sept. 1 indefinitely.

💠Europe has lost about half of its zinc and aluminum smelting capacity 🔥within the past year.

💠Europe’s largest copper producer, Hamburg-based Aurubis AG, aims to minimize gas 📉 use.

🔹A wave of European ammonia-plant shutdowns due to soaring natural gas prices 📈 has resulted in as much as 70% of production offline.

🔹Norway's 🇳🇴 Yara International said that record gas prices are forcing it to cut ammonia capacity utilization in Europe.

🔹CF Fertilisers UK 🇬🇧 announced its intention to temporarily halt ammonia production at the Billingham Complex. Intends to import ammonia to run its ammonium nitrate (AN) and nitric acid upgrade plants.

🔹Borealis AG, an Austrian 🇦🇹 chemical company confirms stopping production of some fertilizer plants in the different EU sites for economic reasons.

Reported last month:
💠 Germany's 🇩🇪 BASF, the world's largest chemical company, is cutting ammonia production further due to soaring natural gas prices. Germany's biggest ammonia maker SKW Piesteritz and number four Ineos also said they could not rule out production cuts 📉.

🔹Concerns arise over the impacts of the lithium industry on the environment. Huge volumes of water 💧is required for production . By-products of the brine extraction process include sulfuric acid, radioactive uranium ☢️ and magnesium waste.

🔹The IEA estimates that the world will need roughly 20 times as much nickel and cobalt by 2040 as it had in 2020, and 40 times as much lithium. The US 🇺🇸 currently has one operating nickel mine, in Michigan. Its resources are expected to be exhausted by 2026.

🔹China 🇨🇳 currently assembles 76% of the world’s batteries. Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act calls for at least 50% of an electric 🔋vehicle’s battery to be made in the U.S. to qualify for a federal discount.

Previous reports:

💠 Lithium carbonate, price rise in the last few months.

💠 Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 lithium reserves & China investment.

💠 Tesla 🚗 and automakers affected by high lithium prices.

💠 EV's face increase costs due to rising commodity prices 📈 of essential materials for EV production.

🔹 French 🇫🇷 owned Air Liquide says ammonia production stoppages impacted its carbon dioxide supplies. Polish 🇵🇱 chemical firm Grupa Azoty's Pulawy said it was producing carbon dioxide at less than a third of nominal capacity.

🔹A pause in fertilizer production in the U.K. 🇬🇧 due to rising energy costs is cutting the country’s available supply of carbon dioxide (CO2) (a by-product of ammonia production), an essential ingredient to producing carbonated drinks including beer.

🔹CO2 is used to stun pigs and chickens for slaughter, as well as in packaging to extend shelf life and for dry ice that keeps items frozen 🥩 during delivery. Food-supply chain users are urged to look for new sources of supply.

Recently reported:

💠 Shortage of commercial carbon dioxide (CO2) supplies hit in New Zealand 🇳🇿 greenhouse growers and dry ice producers.

💠 In addition to the previous lithium post, here is a short clip on the EV push in the US. Near the end, Tucker Carlson talks about the vast resources needed to be mined for an EV vehicle which is clearly unsustainable.

Previous posts:

💠 Today's post on lithium mining pollution ☢️ and the growing scarcity

💠 Lithium carbonate, price rise 📈 in the last few months.

💠 Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 lithium reserves & China investment.

💠 Tesla 🚗 and automakers affected by high lithium prices.

💠 EV's face increase costs due to rising commodity prices 📈 of essential materials for EV production.

🔹Strongest tropical storm of the year forecast to hit China’s 🇨🇳 mainland this weekend after winds reach 160mph. Southern Japan and South Korea in path of super typhoon Hinnamnor.

🔹Ports, such as the ones in Shanghai, could be in the storm's path by the late weekend or early Monday. Japan 🇯🇵 and South Korea 🇰🇷 are known for some of the largest containerized shipping ports in the world.

🔹Shanghai International Port Group posted a container 🚢 throughput of 22.55m teu in the first half of 2022, declining 1.7% due to the impact of Covid lockdowns and supply chain disruption.

Previously reported on this channel:

💠 Average transit times for loading and unloading between China 🇨🇳 and both coasts of the US 🇺🇸 is deteriorating.

💠 China's disruptive lockdowns in Shanghai affects supply chains 🚢 around the world.

🔹Russian 🇷🇺 energy giant Gazprom announced today the suspension of natural gas supplies to the EU 🇪🇺 via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, for an indefinite period, due to technical malfunctions. The pipeline was supposed to restart on September 3 following repairs to its sole operating turbine.

🔹The problems were reportedly detected during maintenance work. Meanwhile, the newly-built Nord Stream 2 pipeline stands idle as Germany 🇩🇪 has refused to certify it for operation.

Background:
💠 Ongoing problems for servicing Gazprom's gas turbines for Nord Stream 1 by Germany's 🇩🇪 Siemens.

💠 German Chancellor claims one turbine is ready to be shipped from Germany.

💠 Gazprom claims declare 'force-majeure' on Nord Stream 1. 📉

💠 Gazprom 🇷🇺 stopped the operation of a second Siemens turbine for servicing.

💠 Gazprom 🇷🇺 was awaiting the full volumes of function testing/safety/legal documents 📂.

💠 Western sanctions 🇨🇦 have been stalling the return of the turbine.

Summary translation of official 🇷🇺 Gazprom report on the "technical malfunction".

🔹During maintenance 🪛🔧🔩 work on the Trent 60 gas compressor unit (GPA No. 24) of the Portovaya compressor station, carried out jointly with representatives of Siemens, an oil leak with an admixture of a sealing compound was detected at the connectors of the terminal connections of the cable lines of the low and intermediate pressure rotor speed sensors.

🔹Oil has been detected on the cable plug connection of the BPE2 subplate included in the motor. Oil was also found in the area of the cable line in the external terminal box of the GPA automatic control system outside the noise and heat insulating casing. The oil leak detection report was also signed by representatives of 🇩🇪 Siemens.

🔹According to Siemens information, the complete elimination of oil leakage on these engines ⚙️ is possible only in the conditions of a specialized repair shop 🇨🇦.

Picture: One of the identified leaks at GPU No. 24.

🔹ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, 🏭 will shut down one of the two blast furnaces at the Bremen, Germany 🇩🇪 flat steel site until further notice. The Hamburg long steel plant will be shut down from Q4.

🔹Reasons: The exorbitant rise in energy prices, 📈 weak market demand, a negative economic outlook and persistently high CO2 costs.

Recent metal companies affected in Europe:

💠 Belgian 🇧🇪 stainless steel producer & German 🇩🇪 aluminium smelter shutting down.

💠 Norwegian 🇳🇴 owned Norsk Hydro is planning to shutter a 175,000-ton annual capacity aluminum smelter in Slovakia. The Budel zinc smelter in the Netherlands 🇳🇱, placed on idle indefinitely.

💠Europe has lost about half of its zinc and aluminum smelting capacity 🔥within the past year.

💠Europe’s largest copper producer, 🇩🇪 Hamburg-based Aurubis AG, aims to minimize gas 📉 use.

🔹 MakeUK, the lobby group for 🇬🇧 UK factories, survey said that 13% of factories now have reduced hours of operation..., and concluded that soaring energy bills are threatening to put six in 10 British manufacturers 🏭 out of business.

🔹🇬🇧 A Resolution Foundation study indicated that spiking energy bills would cut household incomes in the country by 10% 📉 and push an extra 3 million people into poverty. Inflation-adjusted average incomes would continue falling..., taking real earnings back to their levels of 2003.

🔹In March 2022, claims were that the UK can soon become natural gas independent of Russia 🇷🇺. Now Boris blames Putin for high energy prices in the UK. 🤷‍♂️

Previous reports:

💠 UK gov't warned of mass civil unrest by pending energy rate 📈 increases.

💠 UK Firewood 🪵 sellers see price jump after ban on importation of firewood from Russia.

💠 Tensions increase between UK energy 🔋suppliers and their customers.

🔹Moscow 🇷🇺 has approved the application of Japan’s Mitsubishi to continue its participation in the Sakhalin-2 LNG project following its transfer to a new operator and approved a separate application from Japan’s Mitsui to transfer its 12.5% stake in the project to the new entity.

🔹Tokyo Gas, the largest city gas supplier in Japan, 🇯🇵 has signed a long-term LNG agreement with the new Russian operator. The largest power generation firm in Japan, JERA, recently signed a long-term LNG deal to maintain its supply from the Sakhalin-2 project.

🔹The Japanese government is taking the unprecedented step of preparing to buy 🚢 LNG if companies can’t afford to do so.

Previous developments on Sakhalin-2:

💠 President Putin 🇷🇺 ordered the re-organization of the Far Eastern Sakhalin-2 LNG project, transferring ownership to a new domestic company.

💠 Japan lacks viable alternatives to Russian LNG, 🚢 which it buys relatively cheaply under long-term deals, to secure its baseload power.

🔹India 🇮🇳 purchased 20% of the available August shipments of Russian ESPO oil, 🚢 a brand of Siberian crude. The US 🇺🇸 has urged New Delhi to support a price cap on Russian oil, but India seems reluctant to do so.

🔹Russia's 🇷🇺 deputy PM said it won't sell oil to countries that go along with a US-led plan to impose a price cap.

🔹Speculation arises that shipping companies will use insurance companies in China, 🇨🇳 India 🇮🇳 and Russia 🇷🇺 for oil shipments. Russian oil may change custody in other countries and then be re-exported to Europe.

🔹OPEC+ is already producing less than it was supposed to & hinting at a 🛢 production cut. OPEC+ meets on Sept. 5, and may roll back the planned production increase for September.

Previous reports on crude oil market:

💠India 🇮🇳 cuts US crude imports by 50% & US crude oil inventories 6% below 5-yr average.

💠Venezuela 🇻🇪 interested in trading crude oil for refined fuels with Italy & Spain.

💠OPEC+ says spare crude 🛢 capacity is becoming scarce.

🔹September 4th - Over 70,000 Czech 🇨🇿 protestors went to the streets in the country's capital, Prague, demanding the government take a neutral stand on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.

🔹The protestors have been asking the Czech government to ensure that energy 💡supplies, which the country gets from Russia 🇷🇺, should not be hampered ahead of the winter season. The protest was organised at the heart of the capital, Wenceslas Square, and was held just a day after the government survived a no-confidence motion.

🔹Western media 📺 report that the protesters are far-right and fringe political groups.

🔹Czech Prime Minister Fiala, said the protest 🔥 was organized by "pro-Russian forces close to extremist positions".

Video compilation of protest from social media and a report from OneIndia.

🔹Germany's 🇩🇪 ammonia producer SKW Piesteritz is in talks with the federal gov't, in hope for funding to prevent a shutdown.

🔹Achema, on Sept. 1st 2022, the Lithuanian 🇱🇹 producer of nitrogen fertilizers, reportedly shutdown its factory. Their prices became uncompetitive compared to Russia 🇷🇺 & the US 🇺🇸.

🔹Achema is the only co. 🏭 in Lithuania that produces nitrogen based fertilizers. It’s the largest consumer of natural gas in the country.

🔹At the end of August, Poland's 🇵🇱 biggest chemicals firm Grupa Azoty decided to limit fertiliser production to 43% capacity. Nitrogen based fertilizer (ammonia) production will be halted.

Previous reports on European fertilizer producers:

💠 Norway's 🇳🇴 Yara International, UK's 🇬🇧 CF Fertilisers & Austria's 🇦🇹 Borealis AG are cutting ammonia production at facilities across Europe due to high natural gas prices.

💠 Germany's 🇩🇪 BASF, the world's largest chemical co., is cutting ammonia production due to soaring natural gas prices.

🔹Germany 🇩🇪- Wittenberg's District Administrator warns of far-reaching consequences of SKW Piesteritz shutting down its ammonia plants. SKW Piesteritz also produces the 'Diesel Exhaust Fluid', Ad-Blue.

🔹In a crisis meeting at SKW on September 1, a report emerged that nationwide AdBlue stocks can enter an acute shortage if no immediate solution is found.

🔹Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), ⛽️ the emissions control liquid required by modern diesel engines. Electronics send the vehicle into emergency mode at bicycle speed if DEF is missing. It is injected into the exhaust stream to remove harmful nitrogen oxide emissions.

🔹DEF is a urea-based solution. Sanctions on the world’s #1 urea exporter 🇷🇺 Russia, and China’s 🇨🇳 restrictions on urea exports 🚢 has contributed to supply chain issues.

Video- BR24 Germany. Auto-translated with sentences missing.