A new ‘Zeitgeist’ is increasingly taking hold in growing pockets of society, politics and the business world. All indications point to one direction – towards the concept of ‘sustainability’ dominating human behavior and thinking in the twenty-first century. As the urbanization wave around the globe rolls on, megacities are increasingly becoming the epicenter of human… Keep reading →
China quietly cut its 2020 goals for shale gas, a goal that was so ambitious that few took the number seriously. The goal – to ramp up from zero commercial production of shale gas to 60-80 billion cubic meters by 2020 – was met with skepticism both inside and outside China when first announced. Now,… 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 →
The development of Arctic energy resources poses the potential for an energy security competition between the Great Powers and Arctic stakeholders that will alter the geopolitical climate. The hydrocarbon reserves – 25% of world deposits- available under the melting ice caps, and undiscovered oil and gas will see states shifting their economic and foreign policy… Keep reading →
“The nation that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will be the nation that leads the 21st century”… President Obama, 2010 By 2050 fusion will be the source of most of the world’s energy. This is not wishful thinking, it is simply a way of stating that all other forms of energy that… Keep reading →
In the second part of our series on Myanmar’s power sector, Breaking Energy takes a look at the pricing structure and future demand projections. Both are integral to understanding the third installment on independent power producers (IPPs) and foreign direct investment (FDI). See the first installment on challenges facing the newly-democratic nation here. The government… Keep reading →
A deal to buy Israeli natural gas can help mitigate the kingdom’s energy shortage and steer Amman away from problematic nuclear plans, but it risks stirring domestic opposition. In February, two private Jordanian firms signed a contract with a private U.S.-Israeli consortium to import natural gas from Israel’s giant Tamar field, located under the bed… Keep reading →
Scientists at the UAE’s Masdar Institute conducted detailed regional power consumption analysis that found GCC countries plus Iran, Iraq and Egypt (GCC+) need considerable incremental renewable energy capacity to meet power demand without increasing hydrocarbon consumption. “We found that if current energy supply and demand trends continue, regional electricity production capacity growth will outpace GDP… Keep reading →
As the sociopolitical situation in Egypt deteriorates, the country’s energy infrastructure is also suffering. Although winter blackouts currently frustrating the population are being blamed on seasonal maintenance, a tight natural gas supply situation could exacerbate matters this summer when air conditioning-demand peaks. In late January, BG Group was ordered to direct gas away from LNG… Keep reading →
In the past three years, Beijing’s projections for 2030 oil and gas output increased by a third to almost 700 million tons of oil equivalent, based on hopes of developing unconventional oil and gas. Production last year of oil and natural gas was 318.9 million tons of oil equivalent. With traditional oil production practically stagnant… Keep reading →
