Jun 2012

Japan will have a clearer idea of its demand for fossil fuels later this summer when it decides how much nuclear capacity will be idled, the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) said in an interview with Petroleum Economist

The company will build, own and operate the LNG pipeline

France's GDF Suez is tidying up its business, with an eye on more lucrative markets elsewhere

Shale-gas development has been slowed across much of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by protests from a wary public, but the lure of increased energy independence for the region makes a push for the development of those resources “inevitable”, KPMG has said in a new report

Sasol expects to detail ambitious plans for what would be Canada’s first natural gas-to-liquids (GTL) project later this year

Christophe de Margerie noted the pressure that will be on LNG producers to insist on oil-linked gas contracts to safeguard long-term returns

The way in which gas is used is set to change fast, as the fuel develops into a natural partner for renewable energy, delegates at the World Gas Conference were told

The head of Germany's Germany’s E.ON Ruhrgas and E.ON Trading said the future is with renewables in Europe

Gazprom's deputy chairman claims the US government is keeping domestic gas prices low in order to stimulate its economy

Despite all the political and economic issues, Opec's production is at record highs

Falling oil prices and competition from unconventional plays such as the Bakken threaten future expansion of Canada’s oil sands, says Wood Mackenzie

The way in which gas is used is set to change fast, as the fuel develops into a natural partner for renewable energy, delegates at the World Gas Conference were told

The US government is keeping domestic gas prices lower than the rest of the world in a bid to stimulate its economy, Gazprom’s deputy chairman Alexander Medvedev claimed in a keynote address

The future of European gas is married to renewable energy and reforms of the carbon emissions trading system, the head of Germany’s E.On Ruhrgas and E.On Trading said in an exclusive interview with Petroleum Economist

Japanese buyer wants imports linked to gas hub prices, rejects argument for oil-indexation

Japanese energy player Inpex is keeping an eye on the future as it invests in foreign upstream developments, chief executive Toshiaki Kitamura tells Kwok W Wan in an exclusive interview

The scheme will develop the Caldita and Barossa gas fields off Australia’s north coast

Shell is continuing efforts to move up the North American natural gas value chain with plans for an extensive network of liquefied natural gas (LNG) filling stations in the US

Australian firm Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd (LNG Ltd) has bagged a lease extension for its Fisherman’s Landing site in Queensland as it pursues options for gas supply at its planned liquefied natural gas project (LNG), including a potential takeover of compatriot WestSide

Despite having vast shale-gas resources, it is unlikely that China will be able to meet its expanding demand for energy from the unconventional source in the short-term, Zhou Jiping, president of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), said

Argentina’s ‘energy champion’ shrugs off Repsol’s threat of legal action and vows to push ahead with development of Vaca Muerta

The race to develop Australia’s unconventional gas resources could lead to a supply glut towards the end of the decade, potentially pushing gas prices down after an expected surge over the next few years, according to Santos managing director David Knox

ExxonMobil is taking an initial 10% stake in a coalbed methane (CBM) exploration joint venture as it bets on the unconventional fuel that has already attracted billions of dollars worth of investment in Australia

Latin America's resource nationalisation need not be disruptive for private oil companies, a panel of international representatives concluded at Canada’s Global Petroleum Show in Calgary

Cartel meets as global economy teeters on brink

Gunvor is to buy Germany’s Ingolstadt refinery, in the latest move by companies with access to Russian crude into Europe’s largest refined products market

North America’s oil roads all lead to Oklahoma, and now the state is looking to reassert its century-old role as a leading distribution point and production centre, governor Mary Fallin told PEU in an interview

A representative from the EU denied that the bloc is seeking to discriminate against Canada’s oil sands, even as new studies suggest bitumen output from Canada is less polluting on a “well-to-wheels” basis than crudes from Nigeria and Iraq, which are both imported into Europe

Apache is sitting on what could be the largest shale-gas discovery in the world, at Fort Liard in Canada’s Northwest Territories

Santos is set to spend an extra $2.5 billion on the Gladstone liquefied natural gas (GLNG) project in Australia as it brings forward spending on drilling to ensure it has adequate gas supplies for the 7.8 million tonne per year (t/y) scheme

Arbitration filed against Russian exporter by European utilities are expected to end “amicably”

ExxonMobil’s shale-gas exploration programme in Poland has ended in disappointment with the company pulling out of its licences in the country after two wells proved non-commercial

As Venezuela’s October election nears, president Hugo Chavez and his challenger Henrique Capriles Rodonski have started to outline different visions for the future of the country’s oil sector

A dismal response to Iraq’s latest licensing round still hasn’t convinced the government that reform is needed if ambitious production targets are to be met

Two new gas discoveries off Tanzania and Mozambique should cement East Africa’s future as a world-scale exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG)

As country's unconventionals sector booms, few remember Horseshow Canyon, the field which kickstarted it all

Statoil will look to North America as the driver of future growth, with plans to triple oil output by 2020

Statoil is looking to step up its shale game. After spending several years cutting its teeth in the established Marcellus, Eagle Ford and Bakken shale plays in the US, the company is looking to become more aggressive in entering frontier shale plays

Norway’s Statoil is the latest international oil company to enter Australia’s emerging shale-gas sector after committing up to $200 million in an exploration venture with Canadian independent PetroFrontier in the Northern Territory

Asian liquefied natural gas buyers expect oil-link transition

US independent Apache has ruled out linking the value of its pending liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to anything other than the price of oil, according to the firm’s vice-president of gas monetisation

Strong competition is expected in Norway's 22nd licensing round

With a lower oil-price outlook, project economics will need careful consideration. Securing project finance may also become more difficult. And government spending will, no doubt, need to be curbed. James Gavin reports from Bahrain

Malaysia has handed Canadian independent Talisman Energy a progressive, volume-based production sharing contract (PSC) as part of the state-run producer’s renewed push to invigorate its upstream sector

The company is seeking funds to develop shale resources in the Argentine province of Neuquén

Myanmar's hopes of attracting more Western interest in its upcoming licensing round have been dealt a blow after opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi urged nations to bar their companies from forming joint ventures with her country’s state-owned oil and gas company until it improves its business practices

The company has agreed to buy the Calgary-based company, including the assumption of debt

Lithuania launched an international tender for shale-gas exploration licences this week, making it the latest European country to explore its domestic gas potential in the hopes of breaking its reliance on Russian imports of the fuel

Chinese oil and gas companies are not interested in developing shale gas, which means China is not expected to produce any significant shale-gas volumes for at least five years, former China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) employee Xiaoyi Mu said

US energy firm Cheniere expects the final investment decision on its Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project "in the next 30 days”, with company vice president of origination Ramzi Mroueh adding first cargoes are pencilled in for mid-2015

Origin Energy looks set to approve a second train at its Australia Pacific Liquefied Natural Gas (APLNG) project in Queensland, after signing up a second customer for the venture

Canada’s Encana has initiated an investigation into alleged wrong-doing regarding US land purchases

Talisman Energy has withdrawn from South African firm Sasol’s plans to build Canada’s first gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant