Just last week, a study by the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security concluded that unconventional gas resources in Europe – such as shale gas – could radically reshape the continent’s oil and gas outlook, and reduce its dependency on Russia and the Middle East. The report said that, in theory “Europe’s unconventional gas … Read More
Gas
Fracking Emissions “Worse than Coal”
Later today, several hundred New Yorkers, backed by at least 40 environmental organisations, are heading to attend a rally on Capitol lawn in Albany to protest against the dirty drilling technique of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.” Among the speakers will be Josh Fox, director of the award-winning anti-gas industry documentary “Gasland.” Opponents of fracking have … Read More
Now Fracking Starts In Britain
Despite the ongoing serious concerns about pollution from hydraulic fracturing or fracking in the US, the technology is set to be used in the UK too. Such is the concern in the US that the state of New York has issued a moratorium on the practice. The US Environmental Protection Agency is also currently undertaking … Read More
USA Becomes A Fractured Nation
On Saturday the outgoing Democratic governor of New York State, David Paterson ordered a seven-month moratorium on some natural gas drilling in the state. He issued an executive order prohibiting high-volume hydraulic fracturing of horizontally drilled wells. The order stands until July 1. Hydraulic fracturing which is also known as fracking, involves blasting millions of … Read More
“The risk of it being a mess is high”
Question: Can you build a $15 billion natural gas plant in a remote, rural, deeply impoverished and corrupt country and not expect any social or environmental problems. The answer is don’t be silly. So the news last December that Exxon Mobil and several other energy companies were planning the largest ever foreign-investment project in Papua … Read More
Gasland Ain’t So Green After All
Finally people are waking up to the concept that the fossil fuel industry’s supposedly wonder transition fuel – gas – may not be so green after all. It’s a subject I have covered on this blog before, notably questioning just how green shale gas is, but now the idea is getting some serious traction. Â
Peter Voser Has A Gas Problem
Pardon the title, but the Wall Street Journal has an extremely interesting interview with the top dog at Shell, Peter Voser. He admits that Shell is fast becoming a gas company rather than an oil company. “Shell started quite a while back, actually, to put a lot of emphasis on gas” says Voser. “And by … Read More
Cheap Gas Fuels Tar Sands Expansion
One of the unseen consequences of the lower gas prices in North America is that it is actually making it cheaper to extract the tar sands. And that in turn is giving tar sands operators the confidence to expand production. So bizarrely cheap cleaner gas is fuelling the exploitation of the dirty tar sands. Â
Its January, must be time for a Russian energy dispute
It’s that time of year again. It’s January, snow is on the ground (and no that doesn’t mean that climate change is not happening), it’s freezing outside and … Russia is having an energy dispute with its neighbours. Somethings never change. This time it is Belarus and the spat is about oil rather than gas, … Read More
The First of Peter’s Problems: Nigeria
When Peter Voser takes control at Shell next week from his predecessor Jeroen van der Veer, he will have a bursting in-tray that includes one persistent problem for Shell: Nigeria. Here the oil giant faces a myriad of problems including continuing community unrest, militant attacks and what to do about gas flaring.