Oct 2005

The Canadian dollar, having climbed 30% in the past three years against the US dollar, is continuing to gain altitude, prompting some observers to talk about a petro-dollar, writes WJ Simpson

Strong economic growth across Asia and the emergence of the US as a thermal coal importer have lifted coal prices to record highs over the past year, although things are now starting to ease, writes Martin Clark

Cairo is rolling out gas-export schemes at a breathtaking pace, backed by a reformist administration and the involvement of a growing list of oil majors. James Gavin reports on Egypt's gas-based expansion schemes

Deep-water exploration success has helped transform Egypt into a net gas exporter. But rising domestic demand may limit the scope for further gas-export schemes, writes Ayesha Daya

The prospects for oil and gas in the Caspian basin were undoubtedly exaggerated, but the region continues to attract Asian investors and small to medium-sized energy companies, writes NJ Watson

If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again. NJ Watson reports on CNPC's acquisition of PetroKazakhstan

THE FIRST oil to be pumped through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline will reach the Turkish port in October, marking a huge technological and logistical achievement for all the parties involved. But it remains unclear what effect the pipeline will have on Azerbaijan, the region and global oil markets, writes NJ Watson.

Output from Brazil's deep-water oilfields is set to continue to rise over the next five years, despite huge increases in development costs and considerable technical hurdles reports Robert Olson

FPSOs have become the most-favoured production facility for oil in many areas. The latest development takes the concept into LPG production, Martin Quinlan writes

ICE - LIKE CRYSTALS composed of water and gas occur in abundance in sediments on the floor of the deep-water Gulf of Mexico (GoM). For offshore operators, these structures – gas hydrates – can be hazardous. Yet they may be a significant future energy source, writes Anne Feltus.

Dependent on imports for three-quarters of its energy needs, India is pressing ahead with ambitious plans to expand and develop its oil and gas industries. James Gavin takes the pulse of one of the world's fastest-growing economies

The country's band of downstream players are looking to ramp up production, while operating in a subsidised pricing environment, a difficult balancing act reports James Gavin

Hurricane Katrina has shut in most of the Gulf of Mexico's oil and gas production and inflicted widespread damage to the region's oil infrastructure. Anne Feltus reports

The devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina could spell change for operators in the US GoM, writes Martin Clark

An accident, in May, at the Chagino power station, near Moscow, drew attention to the dilapidated state of much of Russia's electricity-generating infrastructure and to the chaos that even temporary breakdowns can cause. A sweeping reorganisation of the highly regulated sector, intended to stimulate badly needed investment, is under way, writes Isabel Gorst

The European Gas Directive of 1998 was updated in 2003 because of "significant shortcomings and possibilities for improving the functioning of the market". Two years on, Liz Bossley and Gavin Templeton consider whether the dream of the free and competitive movement of gas within the EU is a reality

Rising oil and gas prices have led to one of the greatest comebacks in UK corporate history – from the verge of bankruptcy, British Energy's share price has almost doubled this year. But some analysts say the renaissance of the UK's nuclear generator is not sustainable writes Robert Lea

Damage caused by Hurricane Rita at the end of September aggravated the drop in US Gulf of Mexico (GoM) output caused by Hurricane Katrina