Apr 2006

Libya has experienced a bout of musical chairs, with the replacement of National Oil Corporation chief Abdulla El-Badri with the former prime minister, Shukri Ghanem, and the dissolution of the energy ministry. James Gavin looks at the implications for future developments

Although Washington and Tehran have supposedly agreed to discuss Iraq's troubles, a positive conclusion is by no means guaranteed.

The European Commission says it intends to clamp down on the large-scale mergers that are threatening to kill off competition. But few expect the wave of M&A taking place among Europe's gas and power firms to end just yet. NJ Watson reports

"The point of view of the producers – nobody understands it, nobody wants to understand it, nobody listens to it" – renowned oil economist Robert Mabro, who believes equal representation for producers and consumers is the solution to the present oil crisis. Interview by Ayesha Daya

Bolivia's new government is still trying to work out how to implement its promise to nationalise the gas sector. But, amid growing demand from its neighbours for its gas, a full nationalisation looks neither in the country's interests nor feasible, reports Robert Olson

Oilfield operators and explorers are using more comprehensive simulation tools than ever before to plan ahead and mitigate risk to achieve the maximum potential from oil and gas projects, writes Martin Clark

One of the largest and deepest oilfields found in the deep waters of the US Gulf of Mexico presents technological challenges that are as impressive as the discovery itself, writes Anne Feltus

Cold-flow technology could save the offshore energy industry billions of dollars by preventing flowline blockages that hold up production and prolong the economic life of many fields. Anne Feltus reports

THE ERA of large-scale offshore wind-energy in Europe and the US is approaching fast, but perhaps not quite as fast as some governments – eager to find green alternative power sources – would like, writes Ian Lewis.

Seabed drilling rigs have been around in one form or another for decades, but high costs and technical obstacles have stemmed their widespread use. Now, as exploration moves ever deeper into the oceans, developers hope they have a technology whose time has come. Ian Lewis writes

Oil production by the four main North Sea countries declined sharply last year while gas output fell slightly. With the UK's gas decline likely to be matched by Norway's growth over the coming few years, the make-up of the area's hydrocarbons output – at present a 50:50 split between oil and gas, on an energy-equivalent basis – is set to swing towards gas, as oil output falls. Licensing rounds in the UK, Norway and Denmark should maintain the exploration interest this year, Martin Quinlan writes

The European Commission has accused some utilities and states of blocking competition and pushing up gas and electricity prices. What should it do about it? NJ Watson writes

The European Commission has promised to draw up a new directive on renewable energies for heating and cooling before the end of 2006, but this legislative ambition appears at odds with the IEA's assessment there has been a serious decline of R&D budgets for renewables. NJ Watson reports

The oil ministry has designed a plan to capture flared gas and bring new output on stream, but it is already behind schedule if it wants to supply expected power demand by the end of the decade, writes Ayesha Daya

With the start-up of Oryx expected within a few months, 2006 could mark the start of a GTL boom. Ayesha Daya reports from Doha's Megas Summit, a catwalk for the energy industry's latest fad

Can contractors meet escalating demand for energy services? Ray Bignell, director of strategic planning at Foster Wheeler, writes

CNOOC's bid for Unocal went awry. But China's national oil companies will be back, write Peter Parry, John McCreery and Adrian Del Maestro, Booz Allen Hamilton