Dec 2010

New gas export/import infrastructure critical, says senior Polish official. Government could raise royalty rates if output takes off. Helen Robertson, Warsaw

Disputes with Europe mean eastern gas markets crucial to Gazprom; Qatar LNG eroding Gazprom's western markets. Helen Robertson, Warsaw

Gas price hits Enacana shale-gas development. "We will not pursue growth at any cost" – Randy Eresman

Aim-listed Madagascar Oil targets 87,500 b/d heavy-oil production, seeks investment partners

Environmental and geological obstacles to development of Israel's 300bn barrels of oil-shale potential

Husky sanctions Sunrise oil-sands project; seals ExxonMobil gas deal in Western Canada

New export/import infrastructure critical, says senior official; government could raise royalty rates if output takes off

Disputes with Europe mean eastern markets crucial; Qatar’s LNG also eroding Gazprom’s western markets

Gas price hits Encana developments; “We will not pursue growth at any cost” – Eresman

Aim-listed Madagascar Oil targets 87,500 b/d production; seeks partners for more developments

300bn barrels of oil-shale potential in Israel; environmental and geological obstacles to development

Sunrise oil-sands project sanctioned; ExxonMobil Canada gas deal

US shale-gas development increased total proved gas reserves by 11% in 2009

New York state assembly vote to ban drilling in its share of the Marcellus Shale gasfield

An unexpected rise in US crude stocks last week was not enough to soften oil prices, which remained strong on the back of surging global equity markets and a bullish outlook from Opec

Unconventional gas reserves could supply Argentina for 50 years; 4.5 trillion cf of tight gas found

Cost control vital to oil-sands development; investors yet to be convinced of Husky, Canadian Natural Resources' plans

Shale oil to overtake oil sands as investment target; 83% surge in US Bakken reserves. Pipline companies look for backing

Shale exploration under way in South Australia's Cooper basin. LNG exports planned

Oil prices are strong, amid bullish signals of "100/b" oil from Opec, a draw in US crude stocks and a weaker dollar

4.5 trillion cf of tight gas found in Argentina; Shale reserves could supply Argentina for 50 years

Cost control vital to oil-sands development; investors yet to be convinced

Shale oil to overtake oil sands as investment target; 83% surge in US Bakken reserves

405 trillion cm of recoverable unconventional gas globally; Lane Energy to build pilot shale gas project in 2011

Gas hydrates can be produced; Japan aims for commercial output by 2018

Fireflooding approved for Dawson oil-sands

Meg Energy, which raised C$0.7bn ($7bn) in an initial public offering in July, will spend C$450m in 2011, of an approved C$1.4bn budget, for the second phase of its Christina Lake oil-sands project

LNG exports planned from southern shale resources; shale-gas exploration under way in Cooper basin

Government claims world’s largest unconventional reserves; lack of transparency a worry

Arkansas is to demand that drillers disclose what they are pumping into the ground during hydraulic fracturing of shale-gas structures

Private-equity house Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) is investing around $0.625bn in a partnership with Houston-based El Paso to develop gas-processing plants and pipelines

Sinopec has begun studying a new shale-gas block in southwest China to assess the unconventional resource potential in the region

OIL PRICES above $100 a barrel are unsustainable. But a market once again gripped with speculative fever will test this psychological barrier in 2011. A battle between bulls and bears will be one of the themes of the year

Efforts to resist the world's gas-supply overhang are futile. Exporters should embrace the glut and reap the long-term rewards of cheap gas, writes Derek Brower

Rhum will remain shut in, BP says, "pending clarification from the UK Government on certain aspects of the new EU regulations concerning restrictive measures against Iran"

SHELL is going through a round of asset disposals as part of an overall plan to tighten its portfolio and increase available capital for upstream developments

RUSSIAN companies are eyeing up the latest refining assets on the block in Poland. They may have an easy run at the properties, too

India is offering eight deep-water blocks under its latest licensing round in a bid to lure investors into the country's emerging plays

The country hopes to become the first east African country to produce LNG

THE DEATH knell of the internal-combustion engine may not be sounding just yet, but oil producers must plan pricing strategies carefully if they are to avoid derailing growth in petroleum-powered transport

The company plans to install the world's first subsea gas-compression facility by 2014

PLANS for a liquefied natural gas import terminal (LNG) on Ukraine's Black Sea coast are advancing

The bipartisan commission was appointed by President Barack Obama to investigate disaster in the Gulf of Mexico

RESIGNED to a drawn-out period of low natural gas prices, North America's big producers are finding solace in natural gas liquids (NGLs), especially where their shale-gas deposits are liquids rich

Oil prices were strong in the first two weeks of December, as bullish talk from Opec ministers ahead of their meeting in Quito combined with a sharp draw on US crude stocks and more weakness in the dollar to support crude markets

The world's oil supply rose by 380,000 b/d in November, says the International Energy Agency (IEA), reaching 85.81m b/d

Polemical by nature, a controversial Canadian author is on a quest to save the battered image of the oil sands

After months of deadlock, the world's most ambitious oil producer is edging nervously towards political stability, writes James Gavin

Iraq's government must face reality: a fast-pace rush to quadruple oil production capacity is not suited to the country's capabilities or needs

The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government is pressing home the advantage opened up by the Iraqi power-sharing agreement, reports James Gavin

To meet ambitious oil and gas production-expansion plans, mainly landlocked Iraq must rapidly develop and expand export pipelines if increased output is to reach markets, writes James Gavin

Hawks in the Mideast Gulf and the US think war with Iran is both necessary and inevitable. But what would this do to the oil price – and the world's economy – asks Miles Lang

The UAE is leading the way as the GCC states look to nuclear power to meet surging electricity demand and preserve valuable oil and gas for export, writes Ian Lewis

Mideast Gulf states have been bold in their rhetoric on plans to tackle global warming by developing renewable energy

Plans for combined CO2 capture and enhanced oil recovery could help relieve the UAE's gas-supply shortfall. But making CCS profitable could take a while

A problematic well in US deep waters dented Marathon's share price, but upstream-growth predictions bode well for the long term, reports NJ Watson

Demand for independent oil storage capacity at the world's main supply hubs is rising as new refiners seek markets and long-haul trade expands, Martin Quinlan writes

The Singapore oil-supply hub handled more volume than ever last year, gaining rather than losing from expansions in refining capacity around Asia, Martin Quinlan writes

Long-haul oil trade is driving up storage volumes at the big ARA ports faster than consumption, Martin Quinlan writes

The US independent oil-storage business is seeing capacity expansions and corporate acquisitions, as leading operators position to meet trade-driven growth, Martin Quinlan writes

A new Petroleum Economist graphic shows which countries have done nicely in the high-oil-price era – and which haven't. It's a snapshot of the changing global order, explains Derek Brower

Oil prices could reach $135/b by 2035 says the IEA, as conventional output declines, while China drives rising demand, reports Helen Robertson

Caspian oil and gas output will both almost double over the next 15-20 years, says the IEA. But growth will depend on overcoming upstream and midstream challenges

The latest wave of resource nationalism will hit Ecuador's oil-production outlook and deter badly needed investors

North America's shale-gas plays supported the oilfield services industry during the economic downturn, but the boom times won't last forever

Chinese unconventional-gas reserves could transform the country's energy mix. But the sector needs investment and regulatory clarity

CNOOC has completed a deal with Chesapeake Energy, giving China's state-owned companies their first foothold in the burgeoning US shale-gas sector

Most of the world's shale gas lies outside of North America. But companies must manage the risks if they are to capitalise on the abundance elsewhere

In an exclusive interview, Shell's head of IR&D says the company is well equipped to meet the "energy challenge" of rising demand and increased efficiency

Anadarko has made a second oil discovery off Sierra Leone, validating its interpretation of the area's geology and raising prospects for a new province spanning four countries

China's offshore is bracing itself for a wave of activity, as China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and its foreign partners prepare to drill a series of deep-water wells

Alberta environmental assessment "deficient", weaker than elsewhere; but many ecological worries about pollution unfounded, RSC says

First Canadian LNG exports from 2015; Kitimat LNG secures environmental approval

An unconventional independent tackles unconventional gas resources

Tight-gas and shale-oil to boost Oxy's domestic production

Six-well drilling programme in 2011; Baltic basin 'highly prospective'

Oil prices remain strong, after the US EIA reported the biggest draw in oil inventories for eight years.

Alberta environmental assessment “deficient”, weaker than elsewhere; but many ecological worries about pollution unfounded, RSC says

Report largely supports environmental groups but proves tougher with regulators than oil-sands developers

First Canadian LNG exports from 2015; Kitimat LNG secures environmental approval

An unconventional independent tackles unconventional gas resources

Six-well shale-gas drilling programme in 2011; Baltic basin ‘highly prospective’ says Eni

First Colombian shale-gas permits due in “two years”; large coal reserves hint at CBM-export potential

China extends its unconventional reach; deal with Exoma could secure long-term LNG supply

Tight-gas and shale-oil to boost Oxy’s domestic production

KNOC is to buy Canadian assets from Hunt Oil for $0.525bn

YTL buys stake in Eesti Energia's Jordan oil-shale

New York governor David Paterson has vetoed a proposed ban on fracking, enacting instead a rule that will allow the practice, but ban horizontal drilling

Alberta environmental assessment "deficient", weaker than elsewhere; but many ecological worries about pollution unfounded, RSC says