It appears there is a possibility that President Obama could veto congressional legislation that pushes for Keystone XL pipeline construction, but ultimately approve the project anyway. This is because a key piece of the puzzle is a Nebraska Supreme Court decision. “If Nebraska were to bless a pipeline route, the State Department could finish its… Keep reading →
Times are changing and Opec is not what it once was in terms of oil price influence, but it’s too soon to completely dismiss the producer group that collectively controls such a large share of the world’s oil production, reserves, exports and thus supply. In this article, a Saudi diplomat argues his country “gets… Keep reading →
New vehicle average fuel economy in the US was unchanged in November from the previous month – it remained at 25.3 mpg – which is likely due to countervailing forces. “The unchanged average fuel economy is likely a net consequence of two opposing trends: less demand for fuel efficient vehicles because of the decreasing price… Keep reading →
Majid Jafar, CEO of Crescent Petroleum, suggests in an article titled “What can the Middle East learn from the US shale boom?” three ways for regional policymakers to bring interconnectivity to the Middle East’s oil and gas market as well as accompanying infrastructure. These steps are intended – in his words – to “unleash a… Keep reading →
Argentina needs foreign technical and financial assistance to tap its considerable shale resources. Unable to access international debt and capital markets after a recent default, the country is restructuring legislation to make investment opportunities more attractive to international oil companies. [Reuters] Global accounting firm Ernst & Young released its latest quarterly Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness… 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 →
GE CEO Jeff Immelt said the company is researching technology that could use carbon dioxide instead of water for hydraulic fracturing operations. GE is reportedly putting an additional $10 billion through 2020 into its “ecoimagination” budget, which focuses on energy solutions including high efficiency natural gas turbines, “CNG In a Box,” wind turbine manufacture and… 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 →
Mexico’s legislature recently passed historic energy reforms designed to attract desperately-needed foreign direct investment to the inefficient nationalized energy sector for the first time since 1938. This was when then-President Lázaro Cárdenas seized fields from U.S. and British companies and made oil at all stages of production, refining and distribution constitutionally guaranteed legal property of… Keep reading →
Scotland will vote on a referendum to secede from the UK this September. A major component of that decision involves the future of the massive Grangemouth refining and petrochemical complex and oil reserves located in the Scottish portion of the North Sea. “Mr. Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, is banking on North Sea oil to underpin… Keep reading →
