Oil Field Development

Fracking In California Under Spotlight As Some Local Municipalities Issue Bans

Every year Germany’s Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) publishes its annual BGR Report showcasing BGR scientists’ work on fascinating projects in the world of geosciences. All projects are driven by BGR’s mission statement – “Planet Earth represents the basis for all our lives – its resources are limited” – and underscore BGR’s… Keep reading →

Tamar, The Natural Gas Production Platform Off The Israeli Coast, Is To Begin It's Natural Gas Production

In an August article for McKinsey Insights the authors – Stefano Martinotti, Jim Nolten, and Jens Arne Steinsbø – write that “the rapid progress of technology such as big data and analytics, sensors, and control systems offers oil and gas companies the chance to automate high-cost, dangerous, or error-prone tasks”, thereby positioning themselves to significantly… Keep reading →

Kazakhstan Oil Industry Is Booming

The hits keep on coming for companies invested in the North Caspian Operating Company, the consortium developing Kazakhstan’s giant Kashagan oil field. One of the world’s largest and most complex oil field development projects, Kashagan has been plagued by delays and cost overruns for years. The project briefly came on stream late last year only… Keep reading →

Fuel Shortage Eases A Bit In South China

Malaysian state company Petronas has agreed to sell a 15% stake in its proposed Pacific NorthWest LNG export facility to be sited in British Columbia, and a 15% stake in the upstream shale assets designated to feed the plant to Chinese state-controlled Sinopec. Taking a page from Japan’s LNG supply playbook, which has companies secure… Keep reading →

Three Gorges Dam Project To Be Completed On May 20, 2006

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 →

Navy Launches First Drone From Aircraft Carrier

This piece is short on details, but reports scientists have found a way to do gas-to-liquids on the high seas at a cost of around $3 to $6 per gallon. “For us in the military, in the Navy, we have some pretty unusual and different kinds of challenges,” said Cullom. “We don’t necessarily go to… Keep reading →

Azerbaijan Oil Industry

  The giant Kashagan oil field development project offshore Kazakhstan’s territorial Caspian Sea will be shut down for at least two more years, according to Quartz. Already woefully overdue and over budget, the project being developed by a consortium that includes some of the world’s largest international oil companies must now construct new pipelines that… Keep reading →

Iraq Signs Contracts With Foreign Oil Companies

Amid much hype and excitement, international oil companies that had been chomping at the bit for years to get into Iraq finally got their chance in 2009 when the country hosted its first post-Saddam Hussain oil field development bid rounds. After much confusion and a generally failed first bid round, the second resulted in several… Keep reading →