New Englia

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Having promised to enact legacy reforms left over from the Martin administration, the New Englian Government has announced plans to create a national renewable energy company aimed at boosting the nation's efforts to reduce its dependence on imported natural gas for power generation. At a press conference at the cabinet offices in Lonmouth, Prime Minister Norah Turney noted that the creation of a state-owned company would enable the government to pinpoint investment which will benefit the public as a whole, thus removing its reliance on private sector firms to initiate renewable energy programmes. She noted that the decision had long been under contemplation for the government as the company's creation played an integral role in the party's recent electoral victory. "We have made a commitment to ensure this company is created to the benefit of the people of New Englia and it is our strongest intention to honour the said commitment," she told reporters. The Department of Finance and the Treasury notes that natural gas imports, specifically those for power generation, account for around 19% of the nation's energy imports, with the vast majority of said imports coming from Dorvik and soon-to-be Vascania and Kafuristan. Pointing to the continued strain said imports place on the nation's limited foreign exchange reserves, as much of the LNG purchase from these nations has been and will continue to be made in LOD, the Department notes that although the nation's reserve situation is set to improve in the coming decades, cutting out unnecessary expenditure via a reduction on the nation's dependence on imported fuel for electricity would free-up considerable foreign exchange reserves which could potentially be used to boost the nation's economic growth programmes. "It is our belief that by cutting costs in this area we can improve our foreign exchange situation in the medium to long term. A 19% increase in foreign exchange wiggle room could be very beneficial to our loan financing programmes, our economic growth agenda and could potentially be augmented to other areas which are strapped for foreign exchange," Finance Secretary Dr Allison O'Connor explained. Prime Minister Turney admitted that the lack of crucial investment is renewables would mean that this new company, to be known as the National Energy Corporation, would have to make massive leaps in order to catch up with the regional/global standard. "Lourenne has made centuries' worth of investment in renewable energy to the benefit of the nation as a whole. It is expected that once this company begins operations it will have to make massive leaps towards catching up with the regional/global standard," she said. The company, according to Trade and Economic Development Secretary Dr Carl Stuart-Lane, would primarily exist under the Department of Infrastructure and Transport with joint cooperation with the Department of International Trade and Economic Development owing to the fact that matters related to sustainable development fall under the latter's preview. According to Parliamentary Secretary of State for Energy and Industrial Strategy Mason O'Hanraghty as the company would maintain its statutory monopoly over New Englia's power generation and distribution market, the company will primarily be formed from the combined assets of the New Englian Electricity Commission (NEEC). Speaking to the massive leaps needed to be achieved by the company, O'Hanraghty stated that the New Englian Government had been in advanced discussions with numerous stakeholders including the IDSB on the development of a programme which would allow for privately-owned solar panels to "sell" electricity to the national grid via a national feed-in tariff in exchange for money. However, he notes that once the programme has been fully conceptualised, both the NEC and the government will inform the public.

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In building Lonmouth into a modern and global financial centre, deeper cooperation with like-minded nations had been identified by the Financial Services Sector Working Group (FSSWG) as an important pillar in the concept's success. In developing a vibrant financial services sector of its own, the Kafuri Government through its Department of Finance has reached out to the FSSWG in search of a lasting relationship between Kafuristan and New Englia's financial services which could render technical assistance during the nation's journey to potentially becoming a regional financial services sector. The Financial Services Sector Working Group was conceptualised during the initial reforms which birthed the concept of Lonmouth as a global financial services sector. Primarily established to coordinate the efforts between the numerous administrative bodies including the City of Lonmouth Corporation, the Lonmouth City Council and the Governments of Dunnard and New Englia, especially on areas related to legislation and ensuring an enabling environment for the growth of a financial services sector within the city. In answering the request, Secretary of State for Finance and the Treasury Dr Allison O'Connor, acting in her capacity as chairman of the working group, instructed Lord Mayor of Lonmouth Lady Margaret Knight and City Steward Sir Alexander Varkandar to meet with Kafuri officials towards establishing formal channels for enhanced communication between both entities and begin laying the groundwork for the potential involvement of the private sector. In a joint statement prior to their departure from New Englia, Both Lady Knight and Sir Varkandar stated that there was considerable potential for the concept of Kafuristan as a regional financial centre in Majatra to take shape. "Kafuristan has access to a great abundance of massive crude oil and natural gas sector. With such a sector being an extremely capital-intensive one (i.e. it is a sector which requires a considerable amount of money to keep afloat), there will always be demands for loan financing from companies within the country or from those outside of the country wishing the do business within it. There is a perfect opportunity for the nation to leverage the idle finances of its foreign exchange wealth towards positioning itself as a regional creditor," the statement read. It is expected that both Lady Knight and Sir Varkandar will sign a memorandum of understanding with Kafuri Finance Minister Achmed al-Nayan on the exchange of technology. With there being rumours of Lonmouth potentially dipping its feet in the fintech scene, an MoU with Kafuristan on a potential technology trade, would all but confirm said rumours. Apart from this, Sir Varkandar is expected to hold a series of meetings with numerous associations representing the hundreds of community/family-owned banks in Kafuristan, as he believes that with enough guidance from both the Kafuri Government and the FSSWG visiting team, said small, family-owned banks could grow into massive, potentially globe-spanning financial institutions, bringing both legitimacy and purpose to Kafuristan's ambitions.

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On the heels of the company's breakthrough via the securing of a major long-term loan from the North Englian Development Bank, New Englian Steel, the nation's largest steel manufacturer has announced its intention to construct the company's first steel mill in a move set to introduce both North Englia and New Englia into the global steel market. Having spent the majority of the previous three decades struggling to stabilise the company's finances following numerous poor investment decisions, New Englian Steel CEO Erik Henderson signed a landmark agreement with the President of the North Englian Development Bank Dr Maisy Nicholson for a 1.5 billion LOD, long-term loan for the purpose of business expansion. Alongside this, the New Englian Government through the New Englian Investment Corporation has purchased 18% of the company's shares after numerous medium-sized investors withdrew from the company amidst its calamitous state. "It is our [the Board's] belief that this loan with the NEDB alongside the 18% shares taken up by the NEIC that we can bounce back from decades of poor performance," Henderson said at the loan signing ceremony a month ago. The mill, which is set to be constructed in the Cosgrove Industrial Estate, will commence construction next year. When questioned on why the company decided on North Englia for its first steel mill, Henderson stated that the province was the obvious choice owing to the Cosgrove Industrial Estate and the loan agreement. "When we signed onto that loan agreement we made a commitment towards ensuring our first mill would be constructed in the province as it is largely the province's money which is keeping this company afloat. Through this agreement, we have gained technical assistance from numerous organisations both domestically and internationally including the Cosgrove Industrial Estate Development Company and the IDSB," Henderson explained. North Englian Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Treasury Neve Marsh noted that once New Englian Steel stabilises and expands the portfolio of its services, it would have aided the North Englian Government in achieving one of its major long-term economic objectives of building the foundation for what they hope would be the development of a heavy industry sector within the province. "When New Englian Steel stabilises itself and plays a more active part in the regional and international markets we could have achieved one of our major economic objectives: building the foundation of a world-class heavy industry sector. With continued assistance this company has the potential to become a major competitor against the established steel manufacturing giants of the world," Secretary Marsh noted. The majority of New Englian Steel's mineral ores come from New Englia's state-owned mining company, National Quarries with much of the firm's electricity coming from the recently restructured National Energy Corporation as steel mills remain energy-intensive facilities. As the nation's largest privately owned steel manufacturing firm, many hope that the company's recent moves would encourage other firms to seek collaborations with both the provincial and national governments towards the common goal of greater prosperity for the New Englian people.

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In what has been described as a major achievement for the company since it first began operations in Vascania two years ago, Burnside Energy has announced that it has made a significant natural gas discovery which has the potential to solidify the firm's role in the future of Vascania's crude oil and natural gas market. In a press statement earlier this morning, Burnside Energy President Jonathan Cormick confirmed that the discovery had been the largest and most significant discovery since the firm formally began business in the nation. The find would represent the first natural gas discovery since deregulation and liberalisation brought about a renaissance/revival of foreign direct investment into the country's lucrative crude oil and natural gas sector. According to initial estimates, the discovery stands at around 4 trillion cubic feet, which when monetized at the wellhead could accrue Burnside with a net profit of around 12 billion LOD. Cormick stated that the discovery had demonstrated to the company's board and shareholders the immense potential which could be brought to bear should the company continue along its pre-determined path of investments. Since the company first began operations in the country it has strived to become wholly involved at each step of the natural gas and crude oil supply chain from extraction to distribution and use. "If we are to continue on our current path, I am certain we will continue to make significant finds of this nature and potentially larger. By building out the infrastructure necessary for us to become involved at all steps of the supply chain, we will extract the most benefit from these finds," he explained. Although the discovery will not propel Burnside Energy and by extension Eastern Petroleum into direct competition with the larger crude oil and natural gas producers of the world, it certainly heralds the beginning of the company's long journey towards transforming Vascania and New Englia's extractive energy sectors. As a direct result of the discovery, Burnside Energy Vice-President Krishnaa Chaudhari has confirmed that the company intends to re-enter the bidding process to acquire an additional block adjacent to the A1A Block which contains the Chandrish-1 field. Drilling and extraction will remain on indefinite hold as the company continues to build out the necessary infrastructure to support its ambitious plans for the country. An LNG liquefaction and purification facility is yet to be constructed alongside the necessary pipeline infrastructure capable of moving natural gas from offshore to onshore for the entire LNG liquefication process to begin. The majority of the natural gas extraction from the well is expected to be liquified, purified and shipped to New Englia where it will feed the nation's growing hunger for LNG for basic chemicals (ammonia, urea and nitric acid). Cormick stated that whilst this arrangement would remain in place during the company's infancy, once the company obtains economies of scale, 40% of the natural gas extraction from Vascania will be shipped to New Englia whilst the remaining 60% would remain in the country for purposes related to the downstream petrochemicals sector which Burnside Energy's General Manager (Business Administration) Cole O'Hanrahan has stated the company intends to develop in the future. "It is our belief that as a demonstration of our continued optimism for future finds in this territory. Having committed to becoming involved along the entire supply chain in Vascania, we will begin the work necessary to build ammonia, urea and nitric acid plants in Vascania among other projects in the medium to long-term.

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Following months of negotiations between the South Englian Agriculture Development Company (SEADCO) and Dunnard-based defence firm Harrington Dynamics, the two parties have come to an agreement on the arrangements behind the development and financing of the nation's first offshore aquaculture facility in a bid to begin the work necessary towards reducing the New Englia's dependence on imported food. At the signing ceremony at SEADCO's headquarters in South Englia, SEADCO President and CEO Tom Northway stated that the facility could introduce a major shift in how agriculture is done within the country. He noted that with the design and development elements coming from Harrington Dynamics and financing coming from SEADCO (supported by the South Englian Government), the facility had the potential to become the blueprint on which the company expands its portfolio. "This is the first major public-private sector to be undertaken by the company since its inception so it is a very historic moment for us. We believe that through this model we can bring about numerous innovations in agriculture domestically with the hopes of achieving the company's founding mandate of providing avenues from which South Englia and by extension New Englia could become food independent," Northway explained. According to Harrington Dynamics, the facility addresses numerous concerns surrounding inshore aquaculture primarily those related to discarded nutrients from unconsumed feeds and faeces accumulating on the farm's seafloor and causing damage to the benthic ecosystem, by being able to be moved further offshore than conventional marine-based fish farming facilities. It noted that due to the greater distance with which the facility can operate further offshore, much of the systems related to the management of the fish, primarily monitoring their health and well-being have been largely automated via technological solutions developed by the firm. Harrington Dynamics, although a company primarily involved in defence has an established history of developing technological solutions for a wide range of commercial disciplines. Most notably, the company has a long history of operation with the New Englian Government on natural gas technologies, as much of the firm's solutions have seen widespread use in Eastern Petroleum's operations both domestically and abroad. "Our involvement in this project is but an extension of our corporate social responsibility. It is our belief that we should be leveraging our advantages against the odds that our nation continues to face. Both the South Englian and New Englian Governments have identified food imports as a major problem for the country and thus we believe that we can aid in addressing these issues via the technological solutions we have applied throughout our company's history," Adam Murden, President and CEO of Harrington Dynamics, said to reporters during the signing ceremony. SEADCO's Northway stated that the facility will contain 15 of Harrington Dynamics' automated offshore fish cages, and will primarily be used to develop a wide range of fish including salmon, trout and tuna. The facility is expected to cost around 300 million LOD, with SEADCO indicating its intention to work with Harrington Dynamics on constructing more facilities along the South Englian coast. As a part of SEADCO's own CSR, Northway revealed that it had signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the New Englian Department of Agriculture and Marine Resources to aid in repopulating the nation's fish population. Under the agreement, on an annual basis, SEADCO will release some of its fish cages and allow for specific species of fish into the wider aquatic ecosystem to aid in rebuilding their numbers.

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With the company's vision for the development of a vibrant downstream LNG and petrochemicals sector making shape, Eastern Petroleum, via its subsidiary Eastern Chemicals announced its intention to construct an integrated basic chemicals production facility in North Englia, in what the company hopes will become the first of many. In a press statement, the company noted that the facility, which is expected to be the first of its kind on the Dovanian continent, will allow for the company to produce basic chemicals such as ammonia, urea, methanol and nitric acid in a central location, reducing the need to ship/move natural gas feedstock throughout different locations to feed different processes and hence reducing costs. "Once constructed, the facility will allow for the company to reduce expenditure across the board, allowing for us to reduce costs on transportation since the natural gas needed to produce our products will not have to move to individual ammonia, urea and nitric acid plants, but will only have to unloaded at the facility whereby the natural gas would be moved throughout the facility to the various sub-plants," the statement read. In recent years, particularly in the term prior to the firm's rebranding from the NEGC to Eastern Petroleum, the company has made numerous agreements with natural gas producers on the importation of natural gas for the purpose of converting LNG in the aforementioned basic chemicals. The company's agreement with the Dorvish Natural Resources Technical Management Corporation (NTVS) and the Kafuri National Oil Company (KNOC) have been major milestones towards the eventual construction of the firm's first processing facility. Speaking on the confidence with which the New Englian Government continues to maintain for the company, Parliamentary Secretary of State for Energy and Industrial Strategy Mason O'Hanraghty stated that the construction of the integrated basic chemicals production facility builds on the mandate given by the company since its inception "to drive the development of a vibrant, robust and world-class natural gas sector within New Englia through strategic investments and long-lasting partnerships." According to Secretary O'Hanraghty, the development of the facility, which has been made possible via loan financing and technical assistance from the New Englian Government, will go down as a major achievement of the nation's economic development model. "For the development of downstream LNG sector in New Englia was originally a part of former Prime Minister Darren Martin's economic planning programme, and whilst it can be said that we have strayed from that course it remains commendable that such a policy remained a priority even into the current administration," former Secretary of State for Finance and the Treasury Erica Miller said in an interview. The facility is expected to be constructed in the Cosgrove Industrial Estate as the estate's construction was originally conceptualised around advanced designs for the proposed facility. Chairman of the Cosgrove Industrial Estate Development Company (CIEDC) Cooper O'Moran stated that owing to the company's shares in the estate, a considerable portion of the estate's square footage had been unoccupied as the facility had not yet arrived, however amidst the news, O'Moran expressed relief and enthusiasm. "The facility's construction will herald a new era for the estate as many other businesses will seek to become integrated with the chemicals production facility," Cooper proclaimed. The facility is expected to cost around 3.5 billion LOD to construct with the natural gas acquired via agreements from Kafuristan and Dorvik set the feed the facility alongside imports from Burnside Energy's operations in Vascania. It has been stated that once completed, the facility will be able to produce around 1,000 kilotons of ammonia, urea, methanol and nitric acid per annum.

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Against the backdrop of the need to enhance the nation's defensive capabilities and complete the reforms initiated by the New Englian Defence Force decades prior, the Defence Appropriations Committee of the New Englian Parliament approved some 5.5 billion dollars for the purchase of dorvish-made combatant aircraft, as the government seeks to rebuild the fleet of the New Englian Air Guard. ADG (Artanian Defence Group), the manufacturer of the Unionfighter multi-role aircraft had been awarded the contract following an intense bidding process that saw numerous designs from multiple nations including Lourenne, Kazulia, Hutori and Dorvik. According to a report commissioned by the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) on the capabilities of the aircraft compared to others within the process, "the Dorvish-made Unionfighter, is by far the most capable and technologically advanced aircraft presented during the bidding round. Its ease of operation and advanced avionics set it aside from the other aircraft present." The decision to procure the aircraft comes amidst concerns from defence planners that although it had committed to making such a purchase, the Department of Defence had not approved the decision of numerous parliamentary committees, which had approved funding for the purchases. Secretary of State for Defence Magnus Dawson explained that amidst the NELP's temporary withdrawal from New Englian politics and the return of caretaker administrations, much of the procurement decisions enacted by the previous NELP government had not been followed through. She states that problems arose wherein the Defence Appropriations Committee had been approved funding for purchases or the DPA had not approached the producers/manufacturers in communicating New Englia's interest to acquire certain pieces of equipment. Aside from the Unionfighter, the appropriations committee had also approved funding for the purchase of interceptor/strike aircraft. A separate bidding round had been initiated wherein similar to the multi-role fighter aircraft bidding round, ADG had come out on top. For strike purposes, 30 ADG Tornado IDS' will be purchased and will become the backbone of the New Englian Air Guard's Ground attack and interdiction capabilities. For interception, 50 ADG Tornado ADVs will be purchased and will become the backbone of the New Englian Air Guard's interceptor fleet. Chief of the Air Guard, Air Marshal Jenson Hudson stated that with New Englia possessing multi-role, ground strike & interdiction and interceptor aircraft, the New Englian Air Guard can finally begin honing in its skills and training assiduously to become an extremely capable and competent fighting force. Officials from the Department of Defence have stated that the government intends on launching a programme to re-evaluate the nation's air bases, with an extreme emphasis on moving a large percentage of the future combatant aircraft into underground hangers, in accordance with its Bas 90 doctrine.

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At a joint press conference held at the company's headquarters, National Quarries CEO Jason MacTraynor revealed that surveys conducted by the company's internal surveyors unearthed a minor, yet potentially profitable deposit of gold in an exploration block near the North Dovanian-New Englian border, adjacent to the town of Bevan. Tucked inside a series of quartz-lined on the outskirts of Bevan, National Quarries surveyors estimate that the mines contain around 20 metric tonnes (20,000 kilograms), which when refined could accrue some 1.04 billion LOD. Although the surveyors had not ascertained certainty on the quality of the gold deposits, initial estimates place the quality of the gold deposits at around 20K (80-3% pure gold). "Whilst this find will by no means have any lasting reverberations on the regional or global markets, it could potentially become a major boon for numerous sectors dependent on gold," James Downer, a gold futures expert explained. "Numerous sectors domestically require gold for numerous reasons. In chip manufacturing, it is used to provide contact pads that do not oxidize and form highly reliable bonds. It is used for jewellery and in glassmaking it is used for making speciality glass for temperature-controlled buildings." Unlike other territories, New Englia does not maintain a liberalised mining industry. With National Quarries maintaining a statutory monopoly on the extraction, processing and sale of mineral resources, MacTraynor stated that the company intends to begin work towards extracting, refining and eventually commercialising the deposits. Present during the press conference, Parliamentary Secretary for Energy and Industrial Strategy Mason O'Hanraghty as the line minister responsible for mineral resources, addressed renewed calls for the liberalisation of the nation's mining industry. "Our decision to nationalise the industry was based on numerous factors including the amount of illegal quarrying being conducted throughout the country, the loss of revenue as a result of said illegal quarrying and the scale of the entire operation. There were cases of well-established mining firms facilitating much of these illegal quarrying activities primarily by refining and exporting minerals originating from illegal mining operations. I recognition of this, we have no intention of liberalising the market." O'Hanraghty noted that the find would undoubtedly encourage the national government to enhance public investment in the operations of National Quarries with the hopes of discovering more mineral resources throughout the nation. Nonetheless, he stated that it would continue to ensure the most benefit is derived from the extraction, refining and sale of 20 metric tonne gold deposits.

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Chinasa: The North Dovanian coalition government of FPP and UftR has put a claim on the Bevan Valley, a border location currently part of New Englia's sovereign territory. The claim, likely pressed by the far-right UftR, was carefully considered following the discovery of gold in the border region, which suddenly makes it a valuable area. In recent decades thousands of keobi people have fled North Dovani and settled in border regions such as Bevan, with the valley itself now consisting of 40% Keobi. This is, formally, the reason for this new and daring claim but observers seem to be unanimous in their believe that the claim is largely a result of the gold found in the area. While North Dovani its economy has grown and flourished in recent years it has been a widespread believe of the far-right that any resources found in the upper half of Dovani actually belong to North Dovani. This, arguably twisted view, largely stems from a weird offspring of Pan-Dovanian thought which sees North Dovani as the only country capable of uniting Dovani under one banner. This view is thus largely preached by the far-right UftR which since last years election has found itself in a coalition government with the FPP of two term Premier Ozioma. Now, likely under pressure from the UftR, the governments foreign minister has put a formal claim on the Bevan Valley and has officially requested the New Englian government to transfer sovereignty of this "rightfull territory". Premier Ozioma, likely put in a corner with threats from the UftR, has repeated the request and openly calls bevan "formal North Dovanian territory."

It is not known what the objective here is by the North Dovanian authorities and how New Englia might respond. Hawkish members in government are already calling on increased pressure, with military presence if need be, but Premier Ozioma has so far refused to comment on possible steps if new Englia refuses the request.

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Holding firm on its commitment to extract gold mineral deposits from a cave system in Bevan, North Englia, Prime Minister Norah Turney and Secretary of State for Foreign and Dovanian Affairs Vivienne Dennison have rejected North Dovanian territorial claims on the area, calling the attempt "the mumbling of an unserious government." Following the announcement by National Quarries about the gold deposit find, the North Dovanian Government has laid claim to the Bevan Valley, citing the fact that the province is majority Keobi, owing to decades of immigration and settlement by Keobi-North Dovanian economic migrants. At a joint press conference at the cabinet offices in Lonmouth, Prime Minister Turney and Secretary Dennison stated that the New Englian Government had no intention of conceding territory to North Dovani, saying: "Our sovereignty is something for which we hold dear. It is the very basis upon which our nations exist. To bow to the demands of the government in Chinasa would be to abandon our principles of sovereign determination and non-interference." The timing of the assertion has created some speculation within numerous analytic circles, with some believing that the statement was the machination of an internal struggle for power among the numerous factions within Chinasa's political scene. As was reported in North Dovanian media, Premier Mudukaife Ozioma's endorsement of the statement could be a potential sign of said internal struggle, as the Premier is blinded-sided by his more hawkish cabinet ministers. According to Secretary Dennison, the rhetoric displayed by the North Dovanian Government raises the prospect that the nation could potentially adopt an increasingly confrontational stance towards future rejections of the aforementioned territorial claim. "It remains the opinion of the Director of National Assessments that this situation has the potential to boil over into something more confrontational/violent. Whilst any and all attempts to recognise the Bevan Valley as the sovereign territory of North Dovani will be rejected out of hand, we are urging our North Dovanian neighbours to abandon these statements and work towards what is better for the region as a whole: cooperation." It is unclear whether the North Dovanian Government will continue to make active claims on the Bevan Valley, however, what remains clear to both Prime Minister Turney and Secretary Dennison is that should the more hawkish members of the North Dovanian Government have their way, both nations could easily find themselves in a largely unnecessary confrontation. In balancing the need for the New Englian Government to remain steadfast in its protection of the nation's sovereign territory, whilst being prepared for any/all eventualities, Prime Minister Turney has instructed the Department of Defence to deploy the New Englian Defence Force's Quick Reaction Force to the Bevan Valley to "monitor" the situation. The Department of Defence has confirmed that the New Englian Air Guard will begin conducting combat air patrols near the border utilising their recently acquired Unionfighters and Tornados. In a brief statement following the press conference, National Quarries CEO Jason MacTraynor stated that the company would remain committed to it is plans for extraction, saying: "We have been instructed by the Department of International Trade and Economic Development that notwithstanding the diplomatic row between New Englia and North Dovani, works towards extracting gold deposits from our most recent find in the Bevan Valley will go on as scheduled with operations set to commence next year."