Donald Trump and Viktor Orban held a phone conversation a day after the US president said he would press the Hungarian premier to stop purchasing Russian oil. The two leaders discussed energy security, in addition to Russia’s war on Ukraine, the global economy and tariffs, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York late Wednesday.  Their call came as pressure mounts on Hungary to at least reduce purchases as Western allies seek to dent Russia’s oil revenues, a major source of financing for its continuing invasion of Hungary’s eastern neighbor. On Tuesday, at a briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the UN, Trump floated calling Orban to ask him to cut Hungary’s Russian oil procurements. Szijjarto publicly gave no indication that Hungary was ready to do that. Hungary, a European Union and NATO member, can’t scrap its Russian oil purchases due to “geographic and physical” reasons and Russia has been a “reliable partner,” Szijjarto told reporters after meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, with whom he’s maintained close contact even after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Slovakia, another landlocked EU nation neighboring Hungary, holds a similar position. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday he would send a government emissary to the US, to explain why it’s also not ready to phase out Russian energy. Facing pressure from Trump, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is reviewing trade measures targeting imports of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline that feeds Hungary and Slovakia, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 20. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also told Bloomberg on Wednesday that the bloc should wean itself off Russian energy more quickly. Some member states which continued to buy from Moscow were “good friends of Trump,” she said, asking the US president to talk

Listen to the article 14 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Several utilities are exploring partnerships with nuclear fusion startups that promise to deploy the cutting edge technology at commercial scale – a feat that has eluded scientists for decades. Recent technical breakthroughs at government labs around the world have moved this milestone closer, but industry and experts are divided over how close.  “We’re seeing these companies get a little more serious about their siting and deployment plans, no longer just making vague promises about getting fusion onto the grid ‘in a few years,’” said Patrick White, group lead for fusion safety and regulation with Clean Air Task Force. Inside a nuclear fusion reactor, lightweight atoms smash together under incredible heat. The energy they release drives a power conversion system similar to those found in existing thermal power plants’ generator rooms. Electricity comes out the other side. The process is energy-dense: A ton of the hydrogen isotope deuterium, one possible fusion fuel, contains the energy equivalent of 29 billion tons of coal. Commercial fusion power still exists only in theory because sustaining an earthbound atom-smashing reaction at temperatures hotter than the sun’s core is a formidable technical challenge. For years, scientists warned that commercial fusion power was always 50 years off. Utilities strike fusion partnerships following breakthroughs Now, they’re not so sure.  In late 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said it had achieved a vital breakthrough. For the first time, scientists there had created and briefly sustained a fusion reaction that generated more energy than it consumed –  a threshold called “net energy gain” or “Q>1.” Researchers and technicians in the National Ignition Facility control room at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory react to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s

Indian officials have again told the Trump administration that a significant reduction in Russian oil imports by the South Asian nation’s refiners would require Washington to instead allow crude purchases from sanctioned suppliers Iran and Venezuela. A delegation visiting the US this week reiterated the request in meetings with American officials, a person with knowledge of the discussions said, asking not to be identified as the talks are private. Indian representatives have emphasized that simultaneously cutting off Indian refiners’ supply from Russia, Iran and Venezuela – all major oil producers – could lead to a spike in global prices, people familiar with the negotiations added. Spokespeople for the Commerce and Oil Ministries, and the US embassy in New Delhi, didn’t immediately respond to requests seeking comment.  New Delhi’s representatives traveled to the US for talks after Washington imposed crushing tariffs on the country in punishment for its oil trade with Russia. Despite the levies, the South Asian nation has maintained its crude imports from the OPEC+ producer, albeit at a lower rate. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said this week that the country wanted to increase its purchases of American oil and gas, adding that “our energy security goals will have a very high element of US involvement.” He made the remarks in New York. Russia was forced to discount its crude after many others shunned trade with Moscow due to the war in Ukraine. Almost 90 percent of India’s oil needs are met by imports, and cheaper Russian barrels have helped to reduce the burden on its import bill. Iranian and Venezuelan oil would also be similarly discounted. India stopped buying Iranian oil in 2019, and the nation’s largest private refiner – Reliance Industries Ltd. – halted purchases of Venezuelan crude this year as the US tightened sanctions. Processors can shift to buying more Middle Eastern

Seatrium Limited has agreed to sell its AmFELS Yard in Brownsville, Texas, for $50.4 million to Karpower Valley LLC, a Karpowership-related party. Seatrium said in a media release that this sale will allow it to improve its capital and operational efficiencies while unlocking value from one of its surplus facilities. “We have a strong and long-standing relationship with Karpowership, and are pleased to entrust the yard to a partner with whom we will continue to deepen our collaboration. Notwithstanding the divestment, the U.S. market remains important to us”, Chris Ong, Chief Executive Officer of Seatrium, said. “We will continue to leverage our global footprint and integrated One Seatrium Delivery Model to deliver world-class solutions to our U.S.-based and global customers in the offshore and energy sectors”. Seatrium said it will shift its focus in the U.S. toward engineering innovation and technological capabilities through its technology centers and offices based in Houston, Texas, as well as a service center in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to meet the changing needs of its clients. The price will be paid in cash, with $38.8 million being deferred to be paid one year following closing. The finalization of the divestment is subject to standard closing conditions, including the Port of Brownsville transferring the lease to the new owner. Seatrium said it is dedicated to finishing all current projects at AmFELS Yard by the end of 2025. To contact the author, email [email protected] WHAT DO YOU THINK? Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed. MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR

Sempra Infrastructure Partners has reached a final investment decision to advance the development, construction, and operation of phase 2 of the Port Arthur LNG project in Jefferson County, Texas. The new phase will include two natural gas liquefaction trains, one liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tank and associated facilities with a nameplate capacity of approximately 13 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of U.S.-produced LNG, Sempra said in a news release. Incremental project capital expenditures for the new phase are estimated at $12 billion, plus an approximate $2 billion payment for shared common facilities, the company said. Commercial operations are expected in 2030 and 2031 for Trains 3 and 4, respectively. Funding for the new phase is supported by a $7 billion equity investment led by Blackstone Credit & Insurance, together with an investor consortium including KKR, Apollo-managed funds, and Private Credit at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, for a total of 49.9 percent minority equity interest, with Sempra Infrastructure Partners retaining a 50.1 percent majority stake in the project, according to the release. Sempra Infrastructure Partners has entered into a contract with global engineering, construction and project management firm Bechtel Energy Inc., which has received full notice to proceed for the project. Bechtel’s continued involvement from the first phase is expected to “drive favorable economics and help mitigate execution risk by leveraging efficiencies and learnings across phases,” the release said. Phase 2 is subscribed with long-term offtake under 20-year sales and purchase agreements with strategic partner ConocoPhillips as anchor, and counterparties EQT, JERA Co. Inc. and Sempra Infrastructure Partners, which said it expects to enter into additional offtake agreements from time to time to enhance the overall economic value of the project. KKR Acquires Majority Interest in Sempra Infrastructure Partners Meanwhile, Sempra said it has agreed to sell a 45 percent

Woodside signed a preliminary agreement to supply Turkiye’s state-owned BOTAS about 5.8 billion cubic meters (204.83 billion cubic feet) gas equivalent liquefied natural gas (LNG) for up to nine years from 2030, mostly from the under-construction Louisiana LNG project, the Australian company said Wednesday. “This is a landmark heads of agreement between Woodside and BOTAS as it is the inaugural long-term LNG supply arrangement between our companies”, Woodside chief operating officer Daniel Kalms said in an online statement. “More importantly, it stands as a testament to BOTAS’ confidence in the Louisiana LNG project, the U.S. LNG sector and Woodside’s reputation for reliability and operational excellence. “This agreement also strengthens the Turkish-U.S. relationship and paves the way for building a larger strategic relationship with BOTAS that supports energy security and economic growth for Turkiye and the United States. “Woodside appreciates the strong support from the Turkish and United States governments to help advance this agreement”. Woodside announced a positive FID (final investment decision) on Louisiana LNG, formerly Driftwood LNG, in April, with a projected gross capital spend of $17.5 billion. In June it completed a farm-down of 40 percent to Stonepeak Partners LP. The Gulf Coast project holds a permit from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to export a cumulative 1.42 trillion cubic feet a year of natural gas equivalent, or 27.6 million metric tons per annum (MMtpa) of LNG according to Woodside, to both FTA and non-FTA countries. The DOE authorization was first granted – later amended – February 2017 for the portion for countries with a free trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S. and May 2019 for the non-FTA portion. The FID is for phase I, which will have three liquefaction trains with a combined capacity of 16.5 MMtpa. Earlier this month Woodside and Malaysia’s state-owned Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) announced