May 2009

Enhanced computer-processing capacity and greater expertise in data interpretation are making 4-D seismic surveying an attractive option for maximising reserves, writes Ian Lewis

ExxonMobil is investing in cogen power generation for its refining operations. The result is increased energy efficiency and reduced GHG emissions, writes Tom Nicholls

With financing hard to come by and share prices under pressure, oil and gas firms on the Alternative Investment Market are ripe for take-overs, writes NJ Watson

Australia's CBM sector is booming, but plans for an LNG-export industry face several obstacles, writes Derek Brower

Despite a global and local economic crisis, Russia's Gazprom still has grand plans to boost gas production and dominate European markets, writes Isabel Gorst

Without a $308m charge, Halliburton's Q4 profits would have registered a healthy 12.5% rise. The firm's international expansion is helping it weather the economic crisis, writes NJ Watson

There's nothing Quixotic about Iberdrola's assault on wind power, writes Tom Nicholls

With large gasfields included in Iraq's debut upstream licensing rounds, the country aims to make its mark as a gas producer and exporter, reports James Gavin

With Bolivia no longer an attractive upstream investment opportunity, Southern Cone countries are looking to LNG to meet rising gas demand, writes Robert Olsen

The merger of Suncor and Petro-Canada may be the first of many deals in the oil sands, with the majors looking to build positions while share prices are low, writes WJ Simpson

Unreformed energy agencies and a difficult economic and funding outlook make it hard for investors to enthuse about Nigeria's energy sector. But Gazprom is undeterred, writes Ian Lewis

A new gas pipeline from Norway to continental Europe is under discussion again, less than two years after the government blocked such a plan, writes Martin Quinlan

The plan to lay a gas pipeline from Norway to Sweden and Denmark has survived last-minute doubts by some of its backers, but commercial uncertainties remain, Martin Quinlan writes

Faced with complex geology and maturing oilfields, PDO has invested in enhanced oil-recovery to boost recovery from its fields, writes Saif al-Hinai, director North Oman, PDO

A deal for a stake in Hungary's Mol shifts momentum in eastern Europe's energy sector back towards the Kremlin, writes Derek Brower

US natural gas futures fell to their lowest level for six and a half years this week and the outlook isn't bullish

The merger of Suncor and Petro-Canada may be the first of many deals in the oil sands, with the majors looking to build positions while share prices are low, writes WJ Simpson

As if low oil prices and uncertainties over costs were not enough to cause palpitations in the hearts of the companies developing the oil sands, environmental groups are ratcheting up the pressure.

Oil prices have been surprisingly bullish recently – boosted by growing optimism in financial and equity markets that the US economy has seen the worst of the recession

With large gasfields included in Iraq's debut upstream licensing rounds, the country aims to make its mark as a gas producer and exporter, reports James Gavin

Algeria is the latest Opec member to signal a willingness to improve upstream terms, following Iraq's decision in February to overhaul its proposed oil and gas services-contract model

Global oil prices, a barometer in recent months for market sentiment about world economic prospects, were at six-month highs on Tuesday

A deal for a stake in Hungary's Mol shifts momentum in eastern Europe's energy sector back towards the Kremlin, writes Derek Brower

Despite a global and local economic crisis, Russia's Gazprom still has grand plans to boost gas production and dominate European markets, writes Isabel Gorst

It's been a while since Nigeria's been mentioned in discussions about oil prices; concerns about supply disruptions have generally been engulfed by the black hole of the global recession

The UK government has put clean coal and other environmental initiatives on the country's agenda, reports Derek Brower

Try as it did, the UK government's efforts to sell its budget as a green shift did not quite steal the headlines

CRUDE oil futures in London and New York are continuing to trade around the $60 a barrel threshold, with traders expecting Opec to keep existing output quotas in place when it meets in Vienna on Thursday.

Within a few weeks, another 90,000 barrels of oil could be added to Iraqi production and exports. On 1 June, the Tawke field, being developed by Norway's DNO, is set to start producing and exporting. And output should ramp up to 50,000 barrels a day (b/d) within a few weeks.