Apr 2002

Subsea production technology, itself a cornerstone of the ultra-deep-water revolution, is breaking the mould elsewhere in the offshore business. The age of the ultra-long tie-back has arrived and is realising the dream of producing distant offshore reserves remotely from shore, writes Dan Rigden

The falling cost per barrel in subsea developments and the productivity and size of deep-water reserves have lead the offshore industry to even deeper waters. Several ultra-deep-water prospects are in progress, or on the drawing board, and are driving the development of new technology, writes Dan Rigden

As expected, Opec oil ministers last month decided to maintain their production levels, claiming that the recent spike in prices was mostly due to political events in the Middle East. David Townsend reports

It is far too early to discount the potential of the North Sea’s cold grey waters – even the Dutch and UK sectors, where gas has been flowing since the 1960s, writes Martin Quinlan.

The Norwegians did not become wealthy by being wasteful, so careful exploitation of oil resources has been given a high priority by the country’s authorities. Recovery factors are among the world’s highest – but could soon be approaching a practical limit, Martin Quinlan writes

If roller coaster rides make your head spin and your stomach churn, the constant twists and turns of the US power generation industry will certainly make you queasy. But the ups and downs in the business have become a way of life for industry players, writes Anne Feltus

Despite a growing power surplus, the prospects of price spikes and electricity outages plague some regions of the US. The reason? The 157,000-mile, high-voltage transmission grid that interconnects the country’s 5,000 generation facilities has not kept pace with demand. It is being strained by the US’ growing power needs and by exponential growth in electricity trading, brought on by competition in the wholesale and retail power markets, writes Anne Feltus.

After a decade of acquisitions in Europe, concentrated in the UK, growing competition in their domestic market has forced US companies to retrench and focus on their US activities. Now, cash-rich European utilities are preparing to reverse the trend, writes Roger James

Picture a market the size of the US, in area, with clusters of customers in the southeast and pockets around the edge, but thousands of kilometres apart, and you see the challenge facing gas suppliers in Australia. But as gas consumption grows, falling oil production threatens self-sufficiency, writes John McIlwraith

Asia is the world’s most dynamic LNG market, with consumption expected to grow from a recent level of 70m t/y to 110m t/y in less than a decade. Australian producers hope to secure a major role in that growing market, writes John McIlwraith

Within the next decade or so, nearly a quarter of Australia’s electricity generating capacity will be fuelled by gas, as pipeline projects improve supply – and this in a country that has almost unlimited supplies of cheap coal. But regulation is delaying pipeline projects, writes John McIlwraith

A buying spree in the mid-1990s, when mainly US firms paid a dazed but delighted Victorian government $15bn for its electricity assets, has been followed by the realisation that profit margins in the industry are too low to provide a reasonable return on capital, writes John McIlwraith

Moves to open up some Middle East economies to foreign investment have been under way for the past few years. While progress remains slow, overseas investors appear to be prepared to play the waiting game, as the potential rewards are expected to justify the effort. In addition, as liberalisation gathers pace, new investment opportunities are expected to emerge, not only in the energy sector. David Townsend reports

I called the New World into existence, to redress the balance of the Old, said the 19th Century poet, George Canning. The New World of the UK’s liberalised gas market is proving difficult to balance and is set for further reform by the regulator. Liz Bossley investigates

The European refining industry is facing several challenges in the form of EU legislation on cleaner fuels and tight margins, as well as the impact of M&A activity among the oil majors. A recent seminar heard some of the region’s players discuss the implications of these factors and the outlook for the sector. David Townsend reports

Powerline communications (PLC) - communications over the electricity distribution grid - has had its share of technological and commercial challenges, but has once again become a hot topic

Evolution of the regulatory framework in the energy market is accelerating as liberalisation spreads across Europe. However, holes in coverage continue to appear as new products emerge

The world's consumption of hydrogen is growing rapidly, and nuclear power could play a major role in the market for its production

There is continuing growth in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market and some areas are likely to continue to evolve. But there are also certain risks which prospective funders of LNG projects need to consider

The recent Policy Innovation Unit (PIU) UK energy review set out ambitious targets for renewables contribution to the energy mix, but does not deliver a coherent strategy or policy for the future of renewables and energy from waste

In February 2002 new provisions came into force creating criminal offences for UK nationals and companies involved in the making of corrupt payments overseas