Petroleum Economist
Oil's volatility hastening decline in oil-indexed LNG pricing
The pricing of often decades-long liquefied natural gas (LNG) contracts is becoming more unpredictable as a result of oil price swings
June 2019
The June 2019 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
Majors mull power puzzle
Financial and regulatory challenges are curbing the ambitions of major oil companies' ambitions to invest in the electricity supply sector
LNG's brave new world
LNG has been thrust into the spotlight by its starring role in China’s ‘Blue Sky’ revolution, but is the industry ready for rapid change?
LNG spot trading on a roll
Growth in “true” LNG spot trading is set to continue, with an emergent role for portfolio players and traders
Shorter queues at the pump, more tax
US states are rolling out fresh gasoline taxes at a time when US road fuel demand has already gone flat
Oil price puzzle as sanctions choke Iran exports
Which direction is the price of Brent crude heading following deployment of a US naval and B-52 bomber strike force to the Middle East? The answer is complex
Lower oil price forces tax regime changes
The effective oil price ceiling created by the US shale boom is causing governments elsewhere to revise their tax codes
Third time lucky for Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline?
Financial and institutional obstacles to the project appear at last to be clearing
Sponsored: How Europe's gas industry can decarbonise and transform energy power sectors
New policies and regulations are essential to speed up the gas evolution
Transformation and sustainability may be the new watchwords
Shrinking optimism over the longer term
US LNG's second wave
More US LNG export projects are nearing a green light just as earlier developments debut
RWE warns on European gas demand
The German utility paints a sobering picture for the future of the fuel, even in a lower price environment
Druzhba's lasting impact
Oil contamination on a key Russian export pipeline that shocked the markets may echo long after the fuel has been cleaned up
OMV Petrom calls for Romanian fiscal stability
New deepwater gas play needs greater clarity on terms
Old facility, new lease of life in Saudi Arabia
Global media attention on Saudi Aramco's bond sale and acquisition of Sabic obscures progress on routine ventures
Mind the divestment gap
Oil and gas majors are setting increasingly ambitious divestment targets, despite volatile market conditions and questions over the size of the buyer pool
Saudi Aramco's new lease of life
Global media attention on Saudi Aramco's bond sale and acquisition of Sabic obscures progress on routine ventures—like a refinery upgrade and new training techniques
Turkmenistan sees light at the end of the tunnel
Turkmenistan must overcome economic crisis and political hurdles to reverse its gas exports decline
Another hot summer in prospect for Iraq
Protests could return this summer, against a background of political fragmentation
Etinde gas export project hangs in doubt
New reserve assessments and government talks will shape the Cameroon project's future
The long road to the rig
New entrants to Aramco’s upstream arm are trained to be multi-skilled
EV revolution could stall due to mineral shortages
More planning is required to ensure adequate supply, researchers say
Cyprus offshore: Turkey turns up the heat
The prospects for monetising natural gas discovered off Cyprus have risen, but so has the geopolitical temperature
Oil revenue access drives conflict
General Khalifa Haftar's LNA is battling the GNA for control of Tripoli. But what are his options and what are the longer-term implications for the oil sector?
Libya sends out warning signs
Uncertainty over the fate of Tripoli and recent statements by the government there are sending negative messages to IOCs
Mozambique nears FID under insurgency cloud
A decision is rapidly approaching for the first of the long-awaited Rovuma Basin LNG projects
Mauritanian elections promise little upstream change
The expected winner of the presidential poll is unlikely to rock the boat for players in the country’s fast-expanding offshore sector
Gastalk Webinar: Focus on Europe
The Gastalk webinar series provides a monthly expert review of the gas and LNG market
US sanctions debilitate Venezuelan oil output
President Nicolas Maduro is standing firm, despite oil production falling to levels not seen since the infamous oil lockout of 16 years ago
NGVs battle zero-emissions rivals in EU transport sector (1)
Fuelling vehicles with natural gas is often cost-effective, but a push to use even greener alternatives is holding the sector back
NGVs battle zero-emissions rivals in EU transport sector
Fuelling vehicles with natural gas is often cost-effective, but a push to use even greener alternatives is holding the sector back
Australia finds more gas for home and abroad
Santos’ discovery of a sizeable gas column in the Northern Carnarvon Basin should boost the NWS venture’s expansion plans
Big names bid in Argentina's offshore auction
Some of the world's biggest oil companies get involved in Argentina's first offshore licensing round in almost three decades
ExxonMobil on bringing lower-cost energy to the world
ExxonMobil's chief process engineer, Don Victory, speaks on the development of LNG as a transportation fuel
Saudi Aramco allows sneak peek into its finances
The company's mammoth $12bn global bond offering allowed a glimpse into its treasure chest for the first time
Qatar steps over the blockade
Two years after the economic and political boycott on Qatar, the Gulf state is pressing on with LNG expansion plans
Kuwait and Iraq seek to defuse Iran crisis
The states depend of the Strait of Hormuz for their oil exports and vital oil revenue
Anadarko signs off with Mozambique LNG FID
Mozambique’s long-awaited giant LNG project is now set for completion
Saudi Arabian crude inventories sink to historic low
Riyadh’s production cuts to support the oil price have caused domestic stocks to plummet
Wave of delta kidnappings rings alarm bells
After a relative calm period, unrest in the Niger delta could be on the rise
Oil price recovery eases Chad's gloom
Oil sector investment outlook remains uncertain for the landlocked central African country
US majors in the slow lane on transport transition (1)
US majors see little incentive to prepare for greater EV adoption
US majors in the slow lane on transport transition
US majors see little incentive to prepare for greater EV adoption
Big names target Australian renewables
Falling solar and battery storage costs, combined with a desire to save on infill gas use, are luring majors into Australia’s renewables generation sector
Plenty more to come from Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco’s mammoth $12bn global bond offering allowed a glimpse into its treasure chest for the first time
The Chinese art of persuasion
Recent Chinese NOC activity in the South China Sea underscores a growing interest in the disputed region, as Beijing seeks to bring regional states around to its way of thinking
Interview: Cairn Energy targets transformative changes
Simon Thomson, the chief executive of Cairn Energy, expects 2019 to be an eventful one for the London-listed exploration and production company
Valeura shifts to London
The Turkish gas producer joins Toronto peers in an LSE listing
Selva gas estimates on the rise
Po Valley targets first production in 2020 from its recently awarded Italian concession