Apr 2011

First tanker expected in May as imports double

Ola Borten Moe previously said company should withdraw; Statoil facing court appearance over water charges

Alberta must change its royalty regime to encourage greener production

“Staggering” reserves potential; gas is rich in liquids

Sustainable water management costly, but vital

Firm secures Utah acreage through take-over of OSEC

Norway player eyes Eagle Ford lead

New panel to oversee C$2bn programme

Output to rise by 6% this year; capex $100bn over next three years

Geothermal capacity on the rise; Chevron considering the potential

359m barrels in four project areas

Plan to sell LNG from British Columbia to Asia

End of 2011 deadline set for ruling

Ban in place until review of fracing is complete

“Keep tar sands out of Europe” say environmentalists

Brent was trading above $112/b in London on 17 March

Safety fears prompt Democrats to revive fracing legislation

Kitimat LNG project now certain to go ahead; stronger Asia gas price underpins development

Bakken producers take to the tracks; pipeline capacity also on the rise

UK firm to drill 675 Haynesville wells in 2011-20; BG upbeat about Australian CBM

Industry and government aim for oil-sands revamp; costs, environmental impact and image in the spotlight

Quebec pushes generous shale-gas royalty regime; Fracing moratorium could delay development for two years

$1.55bn joint venture announced

Executives expect measures to encourage further unconventional development

Enhanced oil recovery in Saskatchewan’s Bakken light oil play

Dewatering costs need to be lowered

Assets bought from Harvest Natural Resources

Violence in North Africa and terrorist attack in Israel also contribute

Soaring oil prices boost profits and spending plans; chronic labour shortages emerging

Energy blueprint boost for oil sands and shale gas

Oil and gas policies in limbo; opposition threat to Asia export plans

Will seek listing in Hong Kong; targets 0.8m b/d output

UK firm declares force majeure; Chinese investors may step in

Norwegian producer takes ‘long-term view’ of shale gas

South Korean firm pays $1.5bn for oil-rich shale asset

Wintershall urges caution on unconventional gas

Barnett edged into second place

$4bn project would raise capacity from to 0.7m b/d

Discussions have been held with potential partners

Continued violence in Libya and signs that unrest is spreading contribute

EIA data shows shale gas ramp-up slaking country's thirst

The first tanker is expected in May, as imports double

Tensions are rising in southeast Asia as China re-stakes its claims on disputed maritime areas, and potentially large hydrocarbon reserves

Norwegian plant closed for 40 days; UK LNG withdrawals break new record

Oil's surge adds fuel to market after extra tankers are sent to quake-hit Japan

The oil sands are one of the world’s most controversial energy developments. In the latest opinion piece published by Petroleum Economist, Patrick Moore says it is hypocrisy to demonise oil companies while enjoying the fruits of the petroleum age

Canada must be a ‘global player’ says Daniel; opposition election rivals oppose oil tankers off BC

Develop strategic relations – or miss out on investment

Groundwater supplies concerns shrugged off

Proposal will leave most developments untouched

Texas governor Rick Perry has written to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking her to approve a controversial pipeline from the Canadian oil sands to the US Gulf coast

Oilfields under attack in Libya, while bullish jobs figures help price rises

Record number of horizontal wells expected in 2011; threat of labour shortages rising

White House impetus gives new drive to natural gas for transport

Pennsylvania official gains personal authority over complaints against Marcellus operators

Free-standing oil found in a water well and in shale rock

Sub-Sahara lags behind northern neighbours

Up to 0.825 trillion cubic feet (cf) of shale gas reserves says Sudapet CEO

Shale gas adds 40% to global reserves, but cache could expand

First horizontal shale-gas well in Sichuan province, southwest China

Coal-bed methane (CBM) deposits found at pilot production well

Blocks in Kalimantan awarded to BP and Total

MP Tim Yeo criticises lack of regulation and environmental scrutiny

European gas price rise driven by crude-market rally

A strategic deal between BP and Rosneft is likely to go ahead, but the TNK shareholders will exact a hefty price

Tight fleet pushes day rates up, with no let-up in sight

Transocean faces fundamental challenges to its business on several fronts

Power saving and thermal plant shutdowns delay jump in fossil fuel demand

The settlement of Tullow’s tax dispute with the government paves the way for a new African oil producer

The UK government is shooting itself in the foot by raising taxes on the upstream oil and gas sector

Momentum builds behind shale to GTL project

Kurdistan faces many obstacles as it seeks to realise its untapped oil and gas potential

Gas industry lobbies for exemption; tax a threat to investment reputation

Energy markets have been on edge in case Nigeria’s month-long elections spark violence against oil and gas installations in the volatile Niger Delta

Prices firm on back of Darwin LNG problems and Japanese buying

A shipment of oil has made it out of war-torn Libya, but it may be last for some time to come

A credible carbon-pricing regime is essential if Canada is to protect the oil sands from foreign environmental legislation, argues Andrew Leach*

Australian protests unlikely to stop CBM development; Australia could rival Qatar as an LNG exporter

Coal bed methane is hotting up, with the prospects for shale looking up

Competitiveness, delivery and value could all be affected

Utility buying fits market expectation; prices not high enough to spur Atlantic diversions

IEA notes "real risks” of high oil prices to global economic recovery

Oil sands on back burner ahead of vote; national energy strategy essential to development

With demand for pipeline capacity surging in the US’ emerging shale plays, the country’s midstream leader is stepping up to plug the gap

Shales in northern Spain look ‘very promising’

Black Swan Energy raises C$350m ($364m) from equity funds

“We need to start from zero,” says Francois Fillon

388 trillion cf of technically recoverable reserves

Concern for water supplies follows public outcry in the US

Qatar is encroaching on Russia’s gas markets in Europe, but Gazprom remains unfazed

Emissions claim 'inaccurate and misleading'; greater scrutiny of the report's data required

Interest in the Mexican oil monopoly’s upstream operating contracts looks strong as first bid round date is set

The gems among the 12 or so refineries for sale in Europe are being snapped up – but by new entrants

With massive frontier tracts up for grabs in Australia’s latest bid round, the government hopes the prospect of big discoveries will lure the majors

Extra LNG set to offset nuclear shutdowns

The resumption of oil production, and exports, from rebel-controlled Libyan oilfields is vital to the success of the insurgency

Tarhouni calls on Europe to open Qadhafi's foreign bank accounts

Libya’s TNC shuts door on Ghanem; post-conflict oil output to soar; Tarhouni vows to honour Qadhafi-era contracts

Japanese utilities top up their stocks as cheaper gas prompts switch from oil

Export plans to speed Horn River development; all three planned LNG export projects are viable

Oil-sands pipeline decision a step nearer as report lodged with EPA; study claims over environmental impact stoke green ire

Land-use planning needs balance

Golar Energy is to provide the technology for Asia’s first floating LNG import terminal in West Java, Indonesia, the company said today

Canada can develop its oil sands, an essential resource for the global economy, responsibly. But realism about the pace and scope of the transition to low-carbon energy must infuse the debate about the developments

Fracing fluids flow into Susquehanna tributary

Brent crude traded above $124/b on 21 April

Development of the US’ vast unconventional oil resources under the spotlight

Olivier Lazare says industry must improve well design and operating standards

Horizontal well at at tight-gas project in Poland by end of year

LNG tanker technology player Excelerate Energy has joined the floating liquefied natural gas rush and expects to complete at least two more floating regasification import projects within the next year, chief executive Rob Bryngelson told Petroleum Economist

A consortium of Japanese energy firms wants to build a large LNG production facility near Vladivostok with Russia’s Gazprom, the companies said today, with the east Asian country attempting to secure long-term energy supplies following the earthquake in March

The big oilfield services companies are upbeat about 2011, with unconventional energy projects the main driver of demand for their technical know how

The legal battle has been launched to establish who should pay what for the blowout that destroyed Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon rig last April, killing 11 workers and triggering a massive oil spill

When crude prices topped $100/b again in February, producers and consumers agreed: if the market sustained its surge into triple digits the world’s economy would suffer, and so would oil demand

“Nato: do it right or leave the fight!” reads a sign in Benghazi, heart of the rebellion against Libya’s Muammar Qadhafi

Derek Brower reports from inside the rebel-held east of the country

The Energy Information Administration has found 6,000 trillion cubic feet (cf) of technically recoverable shale-gas reserves in 32 countries

Billionaire T Boone Pickens has gained an important ally in his campaign to curb US oil imports by converting the country’s diesel-guzzling 18-wheelers to domestically abundant natural gas

Libya is buoying the oil price, but a peak may be nearing

Global oil production fell to 85.9 million barrels a day in March

By embracing and enhancing the EITI, resource companies will level the playing field, says Clare Short

Spot LNG prices rose this week, after Japan delayed the restart of some nuclear power plants while also bringing in more gas-fired turbines to meet summer electricity demand.

Pennsylvania drilling suspended

Unconventional-gas plans advance

Karoo basin applications already under review to escape bar

Regulatory clearance to add another 120,000 b/d to Christina Lake

Rules for “sustainable and responsible” development needed

C$1.24bn ($1.3bn) allocated for Boundary Creek power station

Party proposes stringent climate-change action; NDP could emerge as kingmaker after 2 May vote

‘Pure play’ gas strategy hit by slump in Henry Hub price; focus turns to liquids-rich plays

Thailand is preparing to double LNG imports after putting plans for two new nuclear power plants on ice in the aftermath of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi disaster

Marius Kloopers, the chief executive of Australian player BHP Billiton, today reaffirmed the company’s interest in becoming an LNG operator, as speculation continued to mount that the resources player is set to buy a big stake in Woodside Petroleum

Shales to meet 47% of US output; liquids share of energy mix to slump

Onshore liquids drilling soars; brisk demand for high-spec rigs

Company says it can reduce the amount of water necessary

Marathon will remain operator of the blocks

Debate over how much public land to open up to shale and oil sands

US labour market was still in a very deep hole says Bernanke