Jun 2008

The government plans to allow Gazprom to raise the domestic price it charges for gas, while the oil sector is set to benefit from tax cuts, writes Derek Brower

Outspoken, staunchly independent and passionate about the minutiae of Russian oil and gas policy, Jonathan Stern is riding a wave of interest in the country and its energy sector. Profile by Derek Brower

Brazil is set to change its upstream investment terms following a series of large offshore discoveries. Robert Cauclanis writes

Plans to export natural gas from Iran look increasingly unlikely. Will the country ever have an LNG business? asks Derek Brower

If Opec pulled the plug on the dollar, the financial turbulence of the last year could be eclipsed by even greater problems. That is one of several reasons why the cartel will not take the step

Increased M&A activity can be expected in Canada, with junior E&P companies the most likely targets, writes WJ Simpson

Life has become tougher for Aim-listed oil and gas firms, especially smaller ones, writes Derek Brower

Banks are increasingly reluctant to fund upstream ventures in Russia, writes NJ Watson

Investment in clean energy is now around $150bn a year and is rising at a rate of 60% every 12 months. Are we watching a green bubble inflate? Alex Forbes reports

High costs, technological hurdles and challenges from increasingly viable alternatives are clouding the prospects for hydrogen fuel cells, writes Ian Lewis

The kingdom plans to accelerate upstream investment, but sees limits to demand growth, writes James Gavin

On the back of generous subsidies, Spain has become a world leader in wind and solar power, writes Ian Lewis

Given the shortage of skilled labour, oil companies cannot afford to ignore half the population, writes Anne Feltus, in Houston

Its first-quarter financial results suggest Spain's Repsol YPF might have finally turned the corner, writes NJ Watson

An expanding economy and efficient oil logistics – the latter a legacy of the years of state control – make Spain an attractive downstream market. Repsol YPF is making sure it will hold onto its dominant position, Martin Quinlan writes

Little has changed since last week: neither the oil price nor the explanations for why oil is at record highs. At around $136 a barrel, prices are off last week's record levels, but only by $4/b or so.

Predictions of higher-than-expected demand for crude pushed oil prices up on Tuesday.

Consumer governments have long been begging Saudi Arabia to help them out of the economic bind of high oil prices by pumping more crude. But the kingdom appears to have lost its legendary influence over the markets.

OIL PRICES weakened again on Tuesday amid evidence that demand is responding to the recent bull-run in the market. In New York, the contract for July delivery of light sweet crude oil traded down as low as $125.20/b, a fall of more than $9/b since record highs last month.