Aug 2013

With shale crude production escalating and the world's refineries becoming increasingly complex, processing sour crudes is no longer a reliable route to sweet margins

Hwan-eik Cho, chairman of the World Energy Congress 2013, argues that the debate about shale gas is in danger of being derailed by the often emotional rhetoric surrounding the unconventional fuel

The report recommends the government looks at regulations and taxes faced by refiners

Eni says the Nene' Marine field holds around 600 million barrels of oil and 20 billion cubic metres (cm) of gas

As the US witnesses a shift in the use of alternative fuels, Dr Abhishek Deshpande, oil markets analyst at Natixis, explores the trends that may affect demand for and supply of diesel products over the coming decade

The US unconventional oil and gas sector are now driving merger and acquisition activity in the US

Faced with growing oil-sands production and delays to export pipelines to the US, Canada is moving ahead with a 1.1 million barrel a day (b/d) link from Alberta to the Atlantic coast

The majors all saw their results take a hit as lower crude prices and weak refinery margins ate into second-quarter profits

The civil war in Syria has forced Gulfsands Petroleum into some big decisions. The jury is still out on whether these will bear fruit

Gas discoveries have added fuel to the fire of regional tensions in the Levant

Operations have been disrupted for years due to deliberate damage to facilities and theft of crude

Woodside is set for a high-stakes deep-water drilling campaign in the lightly explored Outer Canning basin offshore Western Australia

A small group of anti-fracking protesters glued themselves to the front door of the London building which houses the offices of Cuadrilla Resources’ PR firm Bell Pottinger

The godfather of fracking passes away aged 94

The UK's energy strategy needs a rethink as production falls

President Enrique Peña Nieto is hoping to transform the country’s energy sector

Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa said this week that his government is pulling out of a deal to keep oilfields in an environmentally sensitive swathe of the Amazon untouched

Tripoli threatens military action against any tanker lifting illegal cargoes

Brent oil prices reached four-month highs in mid-August as civil unrest in Egypt fuelled supply disruption concerns

Total global oil production for the month was 91.8 million b/d in July, an increase of 785,000 b/d year-on-year

US crude imports have plummeted in recent years as producers have pumped more oil out of the Bakken and Eagle Ford shales and drivers have chosen more fuel-efficient vehicles

Their domination of global reserves has put NOCs in control of the oil industry. But they must do more to keep their advantage

Its growth plan is aggressive, can Russia's state oil firm step out of the shadows to become a truly global player?

Shifting global fundamentals have weakened Russia's gas champion. A shake-up may be on the cards

Chinese NOCs are getting more sophisticated both at home and overseas

Both countries, who are big importers in oil and LNG, push ahead

The Malaysia state firm is putting a legacy of underperformance behind it

Indonesia’s state firm is battling to reverse the country’s falling oil and gas production

With an aggressive foreign strategy, Thailand’s state oil firm wants to put a string of setbacks behind it

The government wants foreigners back in the upstream. What will the reform mean for Pemex?

Having over-promised and under-delivered in recent years, Brazil's state firm thinks its pre-salt is at last primed for strong output growth

Ecuador's state oil companies have restructured, there's new acreage, and China is bringing much needed funding

Venezuela's state firm controls one of the world's biggest oil resources. Hamstrung by politics, it has failed to capitalise on it

With most of its oil and gas producing fields maturing, Argentina's oil company needs to find investors for the Vaca Muerta to change fortunes

The threats to the world’s biggest and most important oil company are overstated

Libya is in chaos. Can its state oil firm survive intact?

A new emir and shifting global gas fundamentals mean things are likely to be different at the mighty QP

Poor fiscal terms, scandals and political insecurity are undermining Algeria's upstream and the hopes of its state oil firm

Only a thaw in relations in the west can help Iran’s state firm

As Abu Dhabi renews decades-old contracts with IOCs, the state firm plans to build up its output capacity

With new gas exports and plans to increase oil output, Angola’s state firm is trying to overcome recent setbacks and vested interests

From modest beginnings, Ghana’s state firm is now in a position to capitalise on the country’s thriving upstream

Nigeria is revamping its state firm and hopes a new petroleum law will rejuvenate its upstream. Investors aren’t so sure

Statoil is a model for other NOCs, neatly balancing the needs of its state controller with the urges of its private shareholders

CNHC, the world’s youngest NOC, wants to turn Cyprus into a world-class natural gas hub

With an energy-hungry domestic market to feed, TPAO and Botas see opportunities abroad, especially in Iraq

A small group of anti-fracking protesters glued themselves to the front door of the London building which houses the offices of Cuadrilla Resources' PR firm Bell Pottinge.

China's economy might have wobbled during the first half of the year, but the country's big three national oil companies have thrived, seeing their profits and output rise on the back of domestic fuel price reforms, as well as a series of acquisitions abroad

Despite stiff opposition from the Argentine government, Premier oil is moving closer to first oil off the Falkland Islands

Concerns over the future of renewable energy and unconventionals fuel protests

UK protests are more about fears over the future of renewable energy than unconventionals

The deal comes amid political upheaval in the country