According to an alert issued last year by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, hackers using a tactic called “spear phishing” sent targeted emails to insert malware in computers belonging to natural gas sector organizations. In a separate series of attacks, intruders attempted to obtain information from oil and gas companies about drilling projects and… Keep reading →
Last week, the US and the EU hit Russia with a new sanctions regime in order to punish its continued meddling in destabilizing Eastern Ukraine. The economic restrictions are dubbed ‘Stage Three’ sanctions, indicating the increased level of severity meant to further ratchet up costs to the Russian economy. The sanctions now target Russian banking,… Keep reading →
Natural gas production from the Marcellus shale formation – primarily from West Virginia and Pennsylvania – exceeded 15 billion cubic feet per day through July, equivalent to 21% of total 2013 US marketed gas production. With the rig count essentially stable, increases in drilling productivity are driving output growth. “…production from new wells is more… Keep reading →
The United States is now the world’s largest producer of natural gas. This natural gas revolution is driving economic growth across the country, lowering energy prices and creating jobs. It has also contributed to an American manufacturing renaissance. As the President noted in the State of the Union address, American businesses plan to invest almost… Keep reading →
Morgan Stanley analysts floated the idea that Russia’s President Putin could order state-controlled natural gas export monopoly Gazprom to cut supplies to European firms in retaliation for western-imposed economic sanctions. It appears the incremental damage such a move would cause to Russia’s economy makes using the “gas weapon” unlikely, but the Putin regime is not… Keep reading →
The incredible oil production growth coming from the Bakken Shale formation – from 200,000 barrels per day to 1 million b/d in 5 years – has also brought significant volumes of associated natural gas to the surface. With oil trading at higher prices than those currently paid for natural gas, infrastructure needed to bring that… Keep reading →
This [last] week, during a special hearing by the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, legislators gathered a cross-section of industry, policy, and environmental leaders to testify about the economic impacts of increased natural gas development. I was one of the witnesses, on behalf of Environmental Defense Fund, arguing that natural gas can only be a net… Keep reading →
Traditional and social media universes have been buzzing as analysts and market observers digest the recent US crude oil export news. The Wall Street Journal was accused of writing a misleading headline stating the US “loosened” the crude oil export ban. This may be a bit nitpicky, but the broad US crude oil export ban… Keep reading →
The energy industry – oil & gas sector in particular – is bracing itself for a massive wave of retirements over the short to medium term, which has been dubbed “The Great Shift Change.” As the industry prepares for this turnover, companies are looking to the next generation of candidates with skills ranging from finance,… Keep reading →
The giant Groningen natural gas field in the Netherlands’ northeastern countryside supplies much of Europe’s natural gas, but earthquakes in the region have been occurring more frequently as the field ages. The Dutch government ordered Shell and ExxonMobil to cut back production to 80% of the volume produced in 2013 – which amounts to an… Keep reading →
