As the situation in Iraq develops, oil market bulls and bears battle over the degree to which the worst sectarian violence since US troop withdrawal will exert upward price pressure. The bear case states the lion’s share of Iraqi oil output and exports originate in the country’s Shiia-controlled south, where it is more difficult for… Keep reading →
As militants spilling over from Syria advance toward Baghdad, oil traders are jittery and market observers are trying to evaluate the level of risk posed to Iraq’s main southern oil export facilities. Analyst Michael Lynch proposed potential oil price scenarios that range from relatively minor geopolitical risk premiums to more severe spikes that could see… Keep reading →
Piping Israeli gas to liquefaction plants in Egypt is the most commercially logical option but remains politically risky. The announcement of a letter of intent between the partners in Israel’s giant Tamar natural gas field and the Spanish owners of a liquefied natural gas plant on Egypt’s Nile Delta coast is a major breakthrough, one… Keep reading →
Wind turbines that float 1,000 above ground for months at a time take advantage of higher wind speeds than ground-based units, but they cost a lot more. Nevertheless, floating windmills could be deployed in circumstances where cost is not a primary limitation, such as remote locations characterized by high power prices or military installations. [Inhabitat]… Keep reading →
President Obama upped the ante yesterday in the burgeoning trade war with Russia over the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine when he announced an executive order that authorized sanctioning Russian economic sectors. The first round of sanctions targeted individual Russian officials, but now enterprises involved in Russia’s energy sector – including banks, trading houses and… Keep reading →
The Saudis threatened to block fellow GCC member Qatar’s land and sea borders unless it cuts all Muslim Brotherhood ties, shuts down Al Jazeera and expels think tanks Brookings Doha Centre and the Rand Qatar Policy Institute. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Doha last week to protest Qatar’s Muslim Brotherhood support,… Keep reading →
Ukraine’s political crisis continues, with Russian troops in Crimea, reformist forces in power in Kiev, and Europe, the US and Russia vying to broker a lasting solution. Just below the surface is the critical issue of natural gas. Europe gets approximately one-third of its gas from Russia and the majority passes through Ukraine. Will Ukraine… Keep reading →
The conflict between North and South Sudan is rapidly deteriorating amid talk of war. The South last Friday and Saturday reportedly shut in 900 oil wells and signed a deal with Kenya to construct a new pipeline that would divert exports away from the North. “What the South will pay to ship oil north to… Keep reading →
Incremental Iraqi oil production growth will play a critical role in the medium-term global oil market and increasingly demand Opec’s attention, as other producing countries will need to cut output to avoid flooding the market and potentially reducing the price of oil upon which their economies rely. This Congressional Research Service report focuses on politics,… Keep reading →
A few years ago international oil companies were sharpening their drill bits in anticipation of re-entering Iraq’s post-Saddam Hussein oil industry, and now a similar situation is developing in Iran as plans to ease western-led economic sanctions progress. Potential investment opportunities in Iran – from upstream oil and gas to petrochemicals – have IOCs paying… Keep reading →
