@videos

Oil Market Dynamics: Moving the Bakken Barrel

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The refineries along the US East Coast sit close to some of the globe’s largest energy demand centers, but face such high prices for the crude they process that many have struggled to make money. Many import crude oil from Africa and the Middle East, and have been cut off from cheaper supply recently surging out of the middle and west of North America by limits on transportation infrastructure.

Companies like Enbridge, which presented recently at the US Association for Energy Economics, are seeking solutions to a bottleneck that is preventing lower-priced crude from competing on global or even national markets. Much oil currently travels by rail, as we’ve noted on Breaking Energy before, and may increasingly go multi-modal, from pipelines into rail cars and vice versa as it wends its way to energy-hungry Eastern US and Eastern Canadian markets. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 10, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Supply Shift Prompts Energy Forecast Revisions

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For several years the focus of the energy sector has been on the supply side. A lingering economic recession has kept demand pressures from building across much of the sector – crude oil being an exception at times – and the notable surge in supply of natural gas and even domestically produced oil has turned analysis and forecasting to focus on the impacts of more supply.

That trend was in evidence at the US Association for Energy Economics summit in November in Austin, Texas, where panelists from companies including Williams, Enbridge and Ranger Midstream discussed the impact supply side revisions have had on their businesses. The significant opportunity to displace imported oil is highlighted by speakers here, noting the trend days before the release of an International Energy Agency report that forecast the US could become the single largest oil producer in the world. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 6, 2012 at 11:30 AM

The $50 Million Mile: Natural Gas Infrastructure Challenges, Opportunities

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It is difficult to exaggerate the scale of the changes that the burgeoning natural gas and oil production in the US are setting in motion, so some numbers help set the tone. Numbers like $50 million a mile, and $70 billion a year.

Those are two of the figures cited by Manhattan Institute senior fellow Robert Bryce, who writes about and studies the energy sector for the think tank. Breaking Energy spoke with him at the US Association for Energy Economics conference in Austin, Texas in November, and he detailed some of the opportunities and the challenges for the natural gas sector. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 4, 2012 at 12:45 PM

Is it Time to Consider Exporting Crude Oil from the US?

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Exporting crude oil from the US has been a politically divisive issue given given the country’s significant level of import dependence, which has dramatically declined in recent years with the shale gas and tight oil production boom.

This domestic liquids production increase – which is primarily light and sweet – fetches higher prices on the international market than the lower quality grades many refineries along the Gulf Coast have been configured to process. This has led some industry watchers and analysts to suggest that it would make economic sense to export surplus crude and liquids while purchasing cheaper heavy oil from global markets that can be efficiently refined into gasoline and other finished products here in the US. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 28, 2012 at 9:00 AM

Video: Experts Consider the Prospect of US Energy Independence

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The concept of the United States being energy independent has been around for decades, with the past 8 US presidents calling for it and even suggesting dates by when it might be achieved. However, the recent ramp up in domestic oil and gas production has drastically reduced oil imports and rejuvenated the discussion, with some believing the long sought-after goal could finally be around the corner.

Some have suggested that North American energy independence – including petroleum exports – is a more realistic pursuit. Others maintain energy security is what really matters and that it’s impossible and even undesirable to disconnect the US from the global oil market. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 19, 2012 at 12:00 PM

Likelihood of Keystone Pipeline Approval

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The Keystone Pipeline emerged as one of the most prominent energy issues of 2012 and the US presidential election. The line is controversial because it would transport synthetic crude oil produced from Alberta’s oil sands deposits – oil that is more energy intensive to produce than conventional crude. The resource has been dubbed “dirty oil” by activists who also oppose its route through environmentally sensitive areas.

Proponents of the pipeline claim it would transport oil more efficiently from producing regions to demand centers, particularly the massive US Gulf Coast refining complex. The project would also benefit the US and Canadian economies by creating jobs and lowering gasoline prices, they say. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 15, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Conference Highlights: USAEE Closing

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The 31st USAEE North American Conference held in Austin, Texas featured hundreds of presentations on topics like sustainable energy and the implications of North American natural gas developments.

Breaking Energy was there covering the event from beginning to end, as well as following the US presidential elections and Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. The conference was attended by economist, analysts, industry professionals and students from around the US and around the world, who discussed dozens of topics relevant to all major energy sectors. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 8, 2012 at 8:30 AM

Energy Experience Balanced by Urgency: Opening USAEE

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Elite economists and analysts from around North America and the world gathered in Austin, Texas this week for the US Association for Energy Economics North America conference. Breaking Energy has been on the ground at the event, covering sustainable energy and anticipated impacts of the US presidential election, as well as responses to Hurricane Sandy.

Unusual for its diversity of approaches and subject areas, the USAEE conference mixes deep dives into areas of technical and financial analysis with broader sweeps of trends driving the business. The mix of attendees, which includes everything from Pulitzer Prize winning authors and senior energy company executives to college students, also balances the sector-specific discussions with valuable real-world and operational insight. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 6, 2012 at 9:30 AM

US Natural Gas Exports

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Will exporting large volumes of US natural gas in the form of LNG raise the price of the commodity and potentially create a competitive disadvantage for gas-intensive industries? And what portions of the US economy are experiencing the impacts of increasing natural gas output most? These are some of the important questions that analysts, government officials, companies and environmental organizations are trying to answer.

In this second installment of our video series about the prospects for and implications of increased US natural gas use, Ian Nathan, Manager of Global Gas and LNG Research at Energy Intelligence Research & Advisory delves a bit deeper in to the issue. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 30, 2012 at 1:00 PM

Benefits and Risks Associated with Increased US Natural Gas Use

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The dramatic ramp up in US natural gas production in recent years caught many by surprise, as an anticipated need for imports changed seemingly overnight to mainstream talk about exporting natural gas as LNG.

In addition to the export conversation, there are numerous other applications for natural gas that are now attractive given the fuel’s abundance and historically low price. The power generation, petrochemical and transportation sectors are three major sources of increased consumption, but there is even a company using cheap gas to melt down waste plastic in order to separate out crude oil that can be sold back to refineries. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 26, 2012 at 1:00 PM
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