This first of three articles on how Gazprom is attempting to revamp its natural gas export strategy in Europe reviews Germany’s central role in this endeavor with specific focus on the traditional role of underground gas storage facilities. Germany is the second largest natural gas consumer in the EU, closely trailing the United Kingdom. Moreover,… Keep reading →
High vapor pressures can increase the flammability of crude oil and Bakken grades were determined to have higher pressures than several other common international grades refined in the US, which raises rail transport safety questions. “Given the recent derailments and subsequent reaction of the Bakken crude in those incidents, not enough is known about this… Keep reading →
The secondary laws needed to enact Mexico’s historic constitutional changes that break state oil company Pemex’ 75-year monopoly on oil & gas development will reportedly be released mid-March. Additional laws covering royalties and taxes, however, will not be finalized until September. [Reuters] The Nymex natural gas futures contract for March delivery closed at $6.149 per… Keep reading →
Business leaders, policy makers and the general public generally seek lower carbon energy sources but struggle to accurately determine their cost effectiveness. Many see the future of energy to be in natural gas. The unconventional shale gas revolution has catapulted the United States past Russia in total gas output, and recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission… Keep reading →
As the situation in Kiev goes from bad to worse, with intensifying riots and growing casualties, the geopolitical struggle for influence between Russia and Western powers is also ratcheting up. The protests began in November when Russian-friendly President Yanukovych rejected an EU-sponsored trade agreement in favor of Russian support. “Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Russia… Keep reading →
We featured it in today’s “News Roundup,” but the articulate and impassioned Financial Times editorial calling for reform of Nigeria’s national oil company – NNPC – is worth repeating. For a country so well endowed with natural resources, its overall energy situation is arguably in shambles. Despite ample refining capacity, the country is forced to… Keep reading →
Shale gas revolution will result in cleaner electricity generation mix Coal is slowly retreating as natural gas and renewables gain market share in the electric power generation. That is old news. What is new is the accelerating speed in a sector not known for moving fast. The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Energy Outlook projections,… Keep reading →
Egypt was recently forced to divert natural gas from LNG export projects to domestic power generation and industrial sectors, and there is no relief in sight. One of the major challenges facing leadership are the substantial energy subsidies that keep gasoline prices below market levels, which is a common issue throughout the region. Keeping the… Keep reading →
The idea that global oil production was nearing its peak, only to plateau and then decline was a common view in the energy world for many years. The geophysicist M. King Hubbert predicted in the 1950’s that US oil production would peak in the 1970’s, a forecast that held true until technology allowed companies to… Keep reading →
U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, addressing a propane shortage currently affecting millions of consumers in the Northeast and Midwest at the National Association of State Energy Officials annual policy outlook conference last week: “There’s a lot of day-to-day issues to be concerned about but we also want to keep this in a broader context. What we’re… Keep reading →
