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The Basmanny redemption
Power
Scottish Power bets on US wind farms
Despite enabling it to return £2.5bn of cash to shareholders, Scottish Power's US adventure looked like it had come to a sticky end with the company's exit from its under-performing PacifiCorp unit and the £1bn write-off that followed. But its decision to hang on to PPM Energy, a rapidly growing US wind business, suggests it has merely changed tack, writes Robert Lea
Petrobras looks to gas
Brazil is expected to complete its long quest for oil self-sufficiency by early next year. The country is now turning its attention to natural gas, where surging demand and potential supply disruptions in Bolivia are becoming a concern, reports Robert Olson
North America: ANWR
To drill, or not to drill
Among all the energy proposals embraced by the administration of US President George W Bush, drilling for hydrocrabons in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is arguably the most controversial. To the administration, the refuge is a promising source of new domestic oil and natural gas supplies; to conservationists and environmentalists, it is a unique habitat that should be protected, not exploited, by the government. Ellen Lask reports
North America: GoM
A problem for the future
The number of platforms being decommissioned each year in the US Gulf of Mexico is outpacing the number of new installations. As retiring platforms are found in ever-deeper waters, innovative solutions will be required, writes Anne Feltus
Collaboration creates ultra-deep opportunities
It is ironic that one of the largest and most complex development projects undertaken in the US Gulf of Mexico (GoM) has been labelled the Independence Hub, writes Anne Feltus
North America: Canada
LNG import plans take shape
Seven liquefied natural gas (LNG) import projects, with a potential send-out capacity of 3.7bn cubic feet a day (cf/d), the bulk of it earmarked for the US, are on track for completion in Canada this decade. Although not all are expected to survive, they represent a way around the rising tide of anti-LNG campaigns in the US, writes WJ Simpson
Middle East: UAE
Feeling the winds of change
Abu Dhabi's main energy-investment vehicle is forming relationships with international oil companies to explore in areas throughout the Middle East. These partnerships could have decisive implications for the region's oil and gas landscape. James Gavin reports
Middle East: Iraq
Lowered horizons
IBRAHIM Bahr al-Ulloum, the Iraq transitional government's new oil minister, took office in early May with an optimistic message about the prospects for the country's oil industry. The new motto would be to "boost production and battle corruption". James Gavin reports
Middle East: Qatar
Dolphin leaps into action
The $3.5bn Dolphin gas pipeline project between Qatar and the UAE has reached some important milestones. James Gavin reports on the progress of one of the Middle East's grand projects
Corporate France: Total
Building impressive results
Total is a favourite among analysts for its strong business mix and geographically dispersed operations. However, the French company faces the same problem as others majors in replenishing its dwindling reserves, leading it into regions with greater exploration and political risks, writes NJ Watson
Corporate France: Suez
A return to profit
Suez's has finally turned the corner after a terrible period. But a cloud still hangs over the French industrial and services group in the form of a dispute with a minority shareholder over its complex structure, writes Nick Watson
Former Soviet Union
BTC spurs co-operation
Completion of a new oil pipeline linking Baku with the Turkish Mediterranean has provided Azerbaijan with a route to western markets that will guarantee the republic a future as a Caspian export hub even after its own production enters decline, writes Isabel Gorst
Energy Charter Treaty
ECT and the Yukos case
LATE last year, various newspapers claimed Yukos' shareholders were to sue the Russian government under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) for the dismantling of their company to pay for alleged back-taxes. That led to a polarised debate over how successful such an attempt would be. The question deserves accurate legal analysis and might keep lawyers busy for a long time, writes Andrei Konoplyanik
Technology
Exploration revolution
Electromagnetic surveying has long been a vital tool for academic geologists. Now the race is on to commercialise it as a way of detecting hydrocarbons deposits. The results could revolutionise oil and gas exploration, writes Ian Lewis
South Asia
Home and away
With GDP growth running at about 8% a year India's economy is booming. That is forcing the authorities to focus on how to meet future energy demand. Other South Asian countries are equally keen to secure energy supplies, writes Martin Clark
Climate change
Defend or attack
IPCC is convinced the climate is heating up and, consequently, extreme weather events will become the norm. But will it be better in the long run to defend ourselves against climate change and its consequences or to attack its causes? Liz Bossley investigates
Markets
Prices continue to rise, despite Opec production increase
Exploration and production
Cera forecasts plentiful supply
Kazakhstan tops exploration rankings
Saudi Arabia: reserves back in the spotlight
Exploration and production
Russia: slow-down prompts concern
Exploration and production
Nigeria-São Tomé e Príncipe: Second round awarded
Denmark: Sixth licensing round opens
Corporate
Russia: Gazprom to go shopping
Poland: Mixed results in sell-off efforts
Corporate responsibility
Disclosure improving, says KPMG
Refining and marketing
Qatar: Economics stall GTL developments
Nabucco: Study delays pipeline until 2011
Australia: NWS LNG plots fifth train expansion
China: BP eyes the vast products market
Book review
Mastering emissions trading
News in brief
Demand undeterred by high prices
Venezuela, FSU boost world total
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| July 2005 |
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