Jul 2008

PdV has long been Latin America's pre-eminent oil company. But it is losing ground to Petrobras, writes Robert Cauclanis

With $1.4bn-worth of investment pledged Arab petrodollars are set to regenerate the moribund Palestinian economy, writes James Gavin from Bethlehem

The Southern Cone countries want Bolivia's gas, but the deepening political crisis continues to stall investment, writes Robert Cauclanis

Already heavily dependent on imports, China is pulling out all the stops to maximise production from its dwindling domestic oil and gas reserves, writes Ian Lewis

Senior Iraqis may still be reluctant to boast in public, but the situation in the country looks better than it has ever done in the five years since Saddam Hussein was overturned, writes James Gavin

Dmitry Medvedev is projecting a new image for Russia. But the TNK-BP squabble and Gazprom's bullishness is undermining it. Derek Brower reports from St Petersburg, Russia, and Deauville, France

Despite a slump in its share price, many analysts believe Lukoil is undervalued, their optimism is based on substantial Caspian resources, writes NJ Watson

Fuel subsidies around the world are distorting the oil market. But with oil prices now so high, something has to give. Derek Brower reports

With Asian and European buyers prepared to pay high prices for LNG under long-term contracts, building a receiving terminal is no guarantee of receiving supplies in the future, says Linda Cook, Shell's executive director for gas and power

With feedstock prices rising fast and growth in world demand slowing, there are warnings that start-ups of new ethylene capacity planned for the second half of this year could trip the chemicals business into a down-cycle, Martin Quinlan writes

Attendance at this year's Offshore Technology Conference in Houston was at a 26-year high, with more than 75,000 through the door. The draw, as throughout the event's long history, is that it is a showcase for the pioneering offshore oil and technology and equipment. Darius Snieckus looks at some of the new kit

Environmental barriers are threatening oil-sands developments. Images of 500 dead ducks in a toxic-waste pond have made matters worse, writes WJ Simpson

ECOPETROL plans to offer shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) by the end of the year, giving foreign investors their first chance to buy directly into Colombia's largest oil company.

Oil futures held firm above $145 a barrel on Tuesday as weakness in the US economy triggered another drop in the dollar's value, pushing crude prices up in its wake. News about supply disruptions added to the bullish momentum.

GTL has the potential to be a viable alternative to LNG for monetising gas reserves, especially in today's high oil-price environment. But an essential prerequisite to rekindle interest in the industry will be to address the issue of technical risk. By Rajnish Goswami, vice-president, gas and power consulting, Asia and Middle East, and Alan Gelder, vice-president, downstream oil consulting, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Wood Mackenzie

GTL products have properties that make them more valuable than conventional refinery products. So how do you persuade customers that a premium price is worth paying, asks Petroleum Economist's Alex Forbes?

Le Mans has been described as a "24-hour party with one hell of a race attached". But there is more to it than that. For the companies behind the racing teams it's a chance to try out engineering and fuels in a gruelling and very public arena, writes Alex Forbes

Less than two weeks ago, oil futures were setting records at close to $150 a barrel. Now they are trading almost $20/b below that level at comfortably under $130/b.

OIL-PRICE inflation is in danger of triggering a global economic slow-down, with China and India at particular risk, the IEA's executive-director told the World Petroleum Congress last week.

A COMBINATION of systems to cap and trade emissions, and to capture and store carbon, is the only sustainable way to meet the world's demand for energy over the next 50 years, but don't expect the European Commission to subsidise this, delegates at the World Petroleum Congress were told last week.

OPEC went on the offensive last week, dismissing the IEA's claim that prices have brought the world into a "third oil shock" and saying the agency's figures lacked sufficient transparency to encourage producers to bring more oil on stream in the long term.

CANADA will employ the "best and latest technology and engineering available" to solve environmental problems arising from its development of the oil sands, and is to launch an aggressive programme to reduce emissions and air pollution.

ANGOLA'S production will "soon" plateau at 2m barrels a day (b/d), but the country will need another $100bn of investment to keep it at that level in the medium term, according to Sonangol.