This week’s meetings indicate a substantial U.S. effort may be under way to end the Arab diplomatic rift over Qatar. On January 30, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will jointly host a U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue in Washington. In an auspicious sign of how seriously the Trump administration is taking this… Keep reading →
Extremely tough conditions set by Saudi Arabia and the UAE for resolving the diplomatic rift with Qatar could force Washington to choose sides in the crisis. The list of thirteen demands to which Qatar must respond within ten days appears to reflect longstanding desires — although not publicly stated until very recently — by Riyadh… Keep reading →
The former chief of China’s biggest oil firm has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for accepting bribes. [BBC] Around 70% of Americans believe in the science behind global warming – the highest level of acceptance in the US since 2008, according to a new survey. [The Guardian] Global oil prices have bottomed out… Keep reading →
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that it is bringing civil charges of fraud against Miller Energy Resources Inc. [Knoxville News Sentinel] Qatar continues to develop as an LNG giant, producing around a third of all liquefied natural gas, despite Australian and the United States export ambitions. [The NY Times] Duke Energy has reported… Keep reading →
In recent years, Qatar – with a population of only 2 million – has become the quintessential heavyweight in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry. The small Middle Eastern country has been the world’s largest LNG exporter since 2006, and has made spectacular profits, particularly from 2011 to mid-last year, riding the crest of record… Keep reading →
The president should use this week’s visit to channel Qatar’s diplomatic energies in directions more in line with U.S. regional policy. When Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani visited the White House on February 24, President Obama contended with a Qatari diplomatic scorecard that has significant marks on both sides of the ledger. Given its historically… Keep reading →
The recent surprise drop in crude oil prices is having big impacts on international LNG prices and may cause a slowdown in the development of LNG export plants globally. LNG is liquefied natural gas, cooled to a temperature of -260° F, for the purpose of compression and transportation. International shipments of LNG by container ship… Keep reading →
Tesla and SolarCity’s Elon Musk told utility executives at the Detroit auto show that utilities and solar power can get along just fine. “Rive’s cousin and SolarCity investor Elon Musk sought to assuage such fears further at the Detroit auto show. Speaking about utilities’ role in the future of the energy mix, he said: ‘Long-term,… Keep reading →
Washington should look for small changes in Kuwait and Qatar’s political and security calculus that could provide opportunities to support counter-terrorist financing measures there. On April 30, the U.S. State Department noted that private donations from Persian Gulf countries were “a major source of funding for Sunni terrorist groups, particularly…in Syria,” calling the problem one… Keep reading →
Moscow and Beijing have danced around a natural gas supply deal for over a decade, with price being the major sticking point, but the current dust up with Europe over Ukraine could finally open the door to price conciliation. “Conversely, on the Russian side, Gazprom might finally sign a natural gas supply deal with China,… Keep reading →
