As Iran continues to grab the headlines coming out of the Middle East, the Obama Administration is said to be quietly pushing Israel to soften its stance on Gaza to relax its vice-like grip on the border crossings, in order to ease the growing humanitrian crisis. Any diplomatic initiative by Obama that lessens the suffering … Read More
Gas
The Next Big Thing: Shale Gas
Most people across the spectrum of the energy industry – from its critics to its most ardent supporters – believe that the days of easy oil are really over. Apart from the abundant deposits in the Middle East, which are not under the control of the international oil majors, oil is becoming harder to find … Read More
EU’s Answer to Gas Crisis “Not Credible”
OK – hands up. I admit it. Yesterday I may have been too hasty to blame the European row on Russian and Putin, when there is increasing evidence that the Ukrainians are to partly to blame too. You could argue that the other countries in Europe are also to blame. Despite these annual spats between … Read More
Putin’s Power Games Cause Severe Gas Shortages
As much of Europe shivers under unusually low temperatures, it is not only the temperatures that are plummeting. The annual spat over gas supplies and price between Russia and Ukraine has worsened overnight with four countries now reporting a complete halt in supplies. The government in Kiev has said that Gazprom, the Russian state gas … Read More
Putin: “Era of Cheap Gas” at an End
Oil may be at its lowest level for years, but Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned consumers that the “era of cheap gas” is coming to an end. At a meeting to create a new forum of gas exporting countries, Putin said: “The expenses necessary for developing fields are rising sharply, and this means … Read More
The spoils of war are coming home…
It could be the ultimate irony for millions of people who opposed the illegal war in Iraq – within months when they switch on their heating or their cooker, they could be burning Iraqi gas. Their homes could be heated by the spoils of war. Yesterday Shell signed a $4 billion gas deal – the … Read More
First Came Heavy Oil Now its “Unconventional Gas”
As energy prices rise on a daily basis, anything becomes possible. First unconventional heavy oils from tar sands to oil shales have become economical, now it’s the turn of “unconventional gas”. Just as we blogged that natural gas supplies are beginning to dry up, so energy companies are starting to exploit this new resource.
Now the Gas Dries up…
Two different stories from separate parts of the world, but one underlying trend that signals just how bad the energy crunch has become. It may be the price of oil that is grabbing the headlines but you should also keep an eye on what is happening to gas. The Emirates may have been built on … Read More
EnCana to Split
EnCana Corp, Canada’s biggest energy company, is going to buck the trend in the oil industry of mergers, and split into two separate oil and natural gas firms in an effort to wring out more value with crude prices at record highs. The new oil firm, worth about a third of the enterprise value, will … Read More
Alaska Threatens Companies Over Gas Pipeline
Alaska could revoke leases for oil fields like Prudhoe Bay if top energy companies refuse to participate in a government natural gas pipeline plan, the Governor Sarah Palin has said. Exxon Mobil Corp, BP and ConocoPhillips together control more than 35 trillion cubic feet of known gas reserves on the Alaska North Slope. But the … Read More