The NRDC released a report that finds Chinese bunker fuel emissions are a serious and often “overlooked” problem. “With ships allowed to burn fuel with much higher sulfur levels than permitted in on-road diesel, one container ship cruising along the coast of China emits as much diesel fuel pollution as 500,000 new Chinese trucks in… Keep reading →
As the volume of ethanol blended into the US gasoline supply increased from 3% to 10% over the past two decades, the fuel’s energy density decreased by 3%, according to the EIA. In an interesting example of how energy/environmental issues are often characterized by tradeoffs, greater volumes of ethanol added to gasoline decreases air pollution… Keep reading →
Continental Resources, one of the largest Bakken Shale producers, announced some good and bad news to investors yesterday – a new oil discovery (good) but increased capital expenditure guidance (bad). The company announced a new oil discovery in the South-Central Oklahoma Oil Province (SCOOP) where it also said “net unrisked resource potential has increased to… Keep reading →
Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company plans to invest $40 billion over the next decade to maintain oil production capacity at 12 million barrels per day, while doubling natural gas output. The Kingdom faces a dilemma with much of its associated gas already being consumed by the oil sector for enhanced recovery, the power generation sector… Keep reading →
The energy industry – oil & gas sector in particular – is bracing itself for a massive wave of retirements over the short to medium term, which has been dubbed “The Great Shift Change” As the industry prepares for this turnover, companies are looking to the next generation of candidates with skills ranging from finance,… Keep reading →
A key indicator of global energy production and consumption growth is mega-project construction. Where are the world’s largest power plants, mining operations, oil & gas developments, utility-scale renewable energy projects or desalination plants being built? These mega-projects require a company to oversee the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) aspects of the capital intensive investments. It’s… Keep reading →
Gazprom and CNPC look set to sign a 30-year, 38 billion cubic meter per year supply deal this week at price between $350 and $400 per 1,000 cubic meters. “The deal has been on the table for over 10 years, as Moscow and Beijing have negotiated back and forth over price, the gas pipeline route,… Keep reading →
In parched California, desalination of seawater is becoming an increasingly attractive option for potable water. In Saudi Arabia, more than two dozen desal plants already provide some 70 percent of the water used in cities. Australia, too, has in recent years embraced salt removal as a path to assuring the availability of drinking water. You… Keep reading →
Saudi Arabia announced an ambitious natural resource development project in the underpopulated Northern Borders region. Nearly $10 billion in investments and agreements will jumpstart construction on King Abdullah Wa’ad Al-Shamal City, which will include a 1,000 MW power plant and other infrastructure needed to support industrial activity. “President and CEO of Saudi Aramco Khalid Al-Falih… Keep reading →
Novomer is a small start-up chemistry company developing novel methods for converting waste carbon dioxide, CO2, into useful plastics, polymers and chemical intermediates. Novomer has developed proprietary catalysts that react with CO2 and allow it to bond with other molecules. CO2 is a difficult molecule to work with for the same reasons that it accumulates… Keep reading →
