Dec 2013

Oil deliveries have been pushed onto flexible forms of transport, like rail and barges, which are able to cater for changing dynamics of production

China’s Sinopec has more than doubled it shale-gas production target for 2015 following exploration success at the Fuling Block in Chongqing

Despite a suspected corruption scandal, PetroChina is continuing business

Brent and WTI prices fell in November as Iran reached a deal with the international community to halt its nuclear enrichment programme in return for a modest easing of economic sanctions

Oil production reached 91.8 million b/d, according to figures by the International Energy Agency

China’s Sinopec has more than doubled it shale-gas production target for 2015 following exploration success at the Fuling Block in Chongqing

Companies are bidding for rights in the lightly explored area

US producer Chevron is set to shake up control of Australia's gas-rich Browse basin as it seeks to offload its exploration permits in the region

South Korea will raise electricity prices to fund $25 billion investment in smart grids that carefully monitor the supply and demand for electricity to eliminate waste

Fossil fuels are seen as the solution to developing nation’s energy woes

As North America’s unconventional sector matures, deals will emerge elsewhere

Fracking companies are trying to solve the sector’s liquid problem

Hard-core opposition to fracking isn’t going away. But transparency and engagement can win approval for shale gas from the broader public

Large reserves in the Karoo basin are bringing upstream interest, but many barriers stand in the way of production

Promising shale deposits could help lessen the country's dependence on gas imports

The region is rich in unconventional gas, but it will not be developed quickly

The continent’s large unconventional reserves have yet to yield any significant production

Argentina’s shale-gas trove could be one of the most prolific in the world. It has yet to live up to its promise

With the world’s largest reserves of conventional gas, the country can afford to leave shale gas in the ground

Despite their struggling economies, some European governments are hesitant about shale gas development

Government backing, generous tax breaks and world-class reserves should make the UK a major unconventional gas producer

Why has Poland’s unconventional gas sector failed to live up to the promise?

Canada has lots of unconventional gas but the loss of its market in the US has stalled the sector. Exports to Asia should eventually usher in a new phase of development

The country has all the ingredients as initial exploration looks promising

Promising plays are scattered across the region, but exploration has scarcely begun

The world has 7,300 trillion cf of shale to exploit. Development has been slow outside North America, but momentum is building

The shale boom might be restricted to North America in the short term, but investment could change that

New Zealand has awarded deep-water exploration blocks to Norway's Statoil and Australia's Woodside Petroleum

While its neighbours push ahead with major developments, Lebanon lags behind

Michael Fallon is bullish about the prospects for Britain's shale-gas sector. And, as he tells Conal Urquhart, while there's a lot of work to be done, the rewards will make the effort worthwhile

Field decommissioning work, particularly in UK waters, is due to accelerate over the next few years, offering a large new market for offshore contractors

Allseas' decommissioning, installation and pipelaying vessel has its first contract for the Brent field

Fracking firms are finding solutions to the sector’s liquid problem

The Central Bank of Nigeria says the withheld revenues total almost $50 billion

The company has bought into InterOil's LNG fields

The rebel group that controls three of Libya’s biggest oil ports has rejected a pledge by Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan to reopen the terminals on 15 December

Iran is preparing for a complete overhaul of its contract model, confident that the improved political atmosphere in light of the P5+1 deal will attract major international firms – so long as the terms are sufficiently inviting, reports James Gavin

Business trends in independent oil storage have diverged geographically, with profits led by terminals serving the long-distance trade in refined products

New independent oil storage terminals due to start-up in 2014 and 2015 could threaten Singapore’s good times

Independent oil storage operators in the US are mostly experiencing difficult times but business is good on the Gulf coast

Independent storage operators at the Dutch port are facing a squeeze while Antwerp has seen growth in volumes

Growth in global coal demand will slow over the next five years as consumption in China, the US and Europe are expected to ease, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)

Hard-core opposition to fracking isn’t going away. But transparency and engagement can win approval for shale gas from the broader public