Mandates that require utilities to generate renewable energy can be satisfied by physically owning the assets and generating power from distributed sources like wind and solar, or by purchasing renewable energy certificates from other who generate power from renewables. This creates markets that vary by state depending on local mandates and regulations. REC trading in… Keep reading →
Statoil has been proactively linking the contractual price of natural gas to European gas trading hubs and abandoning oil-linked pricing as Brussels pushes for market liberalization, consumers fight oil-linked prices and regional hubs gain liquidity. The change is slowly taking place in Eastern Europe, but “all of its German contracts and nearly all its UK,… Keep reading →
There is no shortage of global energy problems to solve – meeting the electricity needs of rising populations while simultaneously slowing the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, generating a skilled labor pool for a shifting energy landscape, and looming water shortages in arid regions, to name a few. And there are plenty of very smart,… Keep reading →
Four oil traders are claiming in a lawsuit that they can prove that BP, Statoil and Shell conspired with Morgan Stanley and trading firms such as Vitol to manipulate Brent crude prices. The traders say that the three oil companies placed orders to move markets, rather than buy crude. “Platts’ methodology ‘can be easily gamed… Keep reading →
A question that frequently surfaces in discussions about energy and environment is why we continue to use fossil fuels, rather than transition to cleaner energy sources, given the threats posed by climate change. According to Statoil chief economist Eirik Wærness, no one has identified a means of sustaining acceptable levels of economic growth without them.… Keep reading →
The world uses about 91 million barrels of oil per day. And most forecasts suggest that oil consumption will rise over the next few decades, driven in large part by growing demand for transportation fuels, especially in Asia. Norway’s state-owned oil company, Statoil, predicts that oil demand will peak at around 105 million bbl/d in… Keep reading →
Energy forecasts rest on price assumptions, and price assumptions rest on shifting foundations, said Statoil Chief Economist Eirik Wærness at an event hosted by Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy this morning, where he presented the Norwegian company’s global energy outlook to 2040. No matter how good the data on how much the world… Keep reading →
As US natural gas production swelled in recent years – largely a result of shale gas development – and prices fell amid burgeoning supply, producers moved rigs to economically greener pastures. In a world of comparatively high oil prices, this meant more liquids rich natural gas resources that produced ethane, butane, propane and pentanes, known… Keep reading →
A couple of firsts, and one sloppy second… Some citizens of Sub-Saharan African countries may get access to reliable electricity for the first time. President Obama has announced plans to invest $7 bln over five years to expand access to electricity in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania, mostly as loans to buy US… Keep reading →
The Wall Street Journal’s Justin Scheck and Jenny Gross have done a nice job laying out how oil traders can manipulate prices. The EU has has been investigating the trading arms of some large oil companies, including Norway’s Statoil, in an effort to determine whether energy traders are doing just that. [Wall Street Journal] On… Keep reading →
