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Climate Legislation has to Include Tort Reform
October 27, 2009
Climate change poses new threat: a litigation spree | www.ogj.com
Bob Tippee, Editor of O&GJ recently pointed out the threat of a litigation spree emerging from the Government climate meddling, potentially threatening oil & gas and power industries as well as all businesses and private investors. In the end the consumer has to pay and the ill-advised politicians.
Natural Gas for Aviation Fuels
October 14, 2009
Qatar Flies Natural-Gas-Fueled Plane | online.wsj.com
Qatar Airways has successfully tested jet fuel made from natural gas ("NG"). The jet fuel was supplied by the Qatar Petroleum ("QP") - Shell "Pearl" gas to liquids ("GTL") plant at Las Raffan Industrial City.
Obama to Show his Hand in Ghana's Jubilee Filed in Play by Exxon
October 12, 2009
Cnooc, Exxon Vying for Stake in Ghana Field | online.wsj.com
Kosmos Energy signed on October 12 an exclusive and binding agreement with ExxonMobil ("Exxon") to sell its stake in the Jubilee oil field discovery off the coast of Ghana (WSJ). The field holds 1.8 billion barrels of sweat crude. Today comes China National Offshore Corp. ('Cnooc") forward to spoil the deal together with the Ghana National Petroleum Corp (GNPC") to challenge the Exxon bid of $4 billion.
Shell Proceeds with FLNG in Browse Basin
October 11, 2009
Shell Plans to Build Floating Gas Plant | online.wsj.com
Royal Dutch Shell PLC ("Shell") is proceeding with their Floating LNG Exploration Production Storage and Offloading project ("FLNG") off the coast of Northwestern Australia. The Shell FLNG will be the world's largest vessel, larger than any of our latest aircraft carriers. Shell has ordered one 3.5 mta (0.45 bcfd) FLNG from Samsung with prospects for ten more orders in the order of $5 billion per FLNG.
October 8, 2009
ConocoPhillips to Sell $10 Billion in Assets | online.wsj.com
CcnocoPhillips ("Conoco") is down to less than $1 billion in cash and $30 billions in debt. Something has to give. Sale of assets in the order of $10 billions is considered by CEO James Mulva.
President Obama is Moving to the Middle
October 7, 2009
Obama and the General | online.wsj.com
The Democratic Caucus, led by Nancy Pelosi calls Four Star General Stan McChrystal "General MacArthur". However, President Obama takes the middle road and plays for time.
Sunoco and Valero Shut Refineries
October 7, 2009
Sunoco Shuts Refinery, Halves Quarterly Payout | online.wsj.com
Sunoco shut down their Eagle Point refinery in Westville, NJ and Valero shut down its Aruba refinery and has shut down the gasification section of its Delaware refinery and is considering to shut down the complete refinery.
September 13, 2009
Germany Targets Roll-out of Nationwide Hydrogen Fuelling Network by 2015 | www.chemweek.com
The German minister of transportation Wolfgang Tiefensee got an industry consortium to sign an MOU to create a nationwide hydrogen fuel network across Germany by 2025.
Natural Gas and Nuclear Energy for Security
August 17, 2009
New Priorities For Our Energy Future | online.wsj.com
T. Boone Pickens and Ted Turner opined today that 2,000 Trillion of US Natural Gas and development of "Wind. Solar and Biofuel Energy" are the tickets for future energy and economic security as well as climate security.
North American LNG for Export is Now Economical
August 14, 2009
Apache to Fuel Asia's Gas Demand | online.wsj.com
The Kitimat LNG Inc. import terminal project in British Columbia has been reconfigured for LNG liquefaction of NG and export of LNG to Asia due to abundance of cheap NG in North America. Houston based Apache Corp. and EOG Resources Inc. have both signed MOUs to participate in the project. Apache has the potential to deliver 30 Tcf of NG to Kitimat for the duration of the project.
August 12, 2009
Development of Sasol's Next-Generation GTL Process Gains Momentum | www.chemweek.com
The cited G&OJ article reports on Sasol's present GTL commercial developments and the advancements Sasol is working on to double GTL plant throughput and reduce capital cost with new catalysts and a novel one step air separation and methane partial oxidation process, the latter being pioneered by Air Products in cooperation with Sasol..
Shell New Gas Find in Browse Basin Favors FLNG
August 9, 2009
Shell gas find boosts Browse basin LNG plan | www.ogj.com
Shell has found in block W05-3 (WA-371-P) gas close to its Prelude discovery in the Browse basin off northwest Western Australia. The new find is designated Concerto by Shell.
Industrial Gases and LNG Growth
August 8, 2009
Praxair carries on regardless | www.gasworld.com
Praxair has reported decline of volumes during the first and second quarter of 2009 due to the contracting markets in North America and the EU. However, despite resulting overall sales decline Praxair has kept their operating margins steady at 20% due to effective restructuring and pricing policies. The future looks bright when the markets recover.
Solar Thermal Power Plants Becoming Mature
August 7, 2009
Hot Streak for Solar Power in Spain | online.wsj.com
Concentrated solar thermal power plants (STP) with thermal energy storage are becoming reality in Spain. Spain has presently thirty STPs under construction and companies are trying to get project approval to add 4,300 MW of capacity, representing an investment of about $24.5 billion.
Turkey Eager to Become Gas Hub
August 7, 2009
Turkey and Russia Conclude Energy Deals - NYTimes.com | www.nytimes.com
Turkey's ambitions are to become a leading regional gas hub for transhipment of fuels from East to West. For this purpose Turkey recently signed an agreement supporting the EU Nabucco pipeline, running from the Caspian region to the EU and now Turkey has also signed an agreement with Russia, supporting Gazprom's South Stream pipeline project.
Chevron-Exxon-Shell Gorgon-Jansz JV has time for a Plan B
July 31, 2009
Gorgon-Jansz LNG project moves forward on strict conditions | www.ogj.com
Western Australian Environment Minister Donna Faragher conditional approved the Chevron-Exxon-Shell joint venture (JV) Gorgon-Jansz LNG project of 2 bcfd capacity (15 mta). The consortium has to convince Faragher that the project will continuously monitor and protect the corals, subterranean fauna and the flatback marine turtles native to Barrow Island where the liquefaction plant is to be located
Samsung Wins over Air Liquide and Linde in Saudi Arabia
July 30, 2009
Samsung Engineering Awarded Industrial Gases Plant Contract in Saudi Arabia | www.chemweek.com
National Industrial Gases Co., a Sabic subsidiary has awarded a $300 million contract to Samsung Engineering (Samsung) for a large tonnage air separation unit (ASU) for the petrochemical complex at Al Jubail. Start up of the ASU is scheduled for 2011.
Shell Getting on the FLNG Band Wagon
July 29, 2009
Shell to push ahead with floating LNG | www.ogj.com
Shell has developed their own FLNG (Floating LNG plant) design to be placed directly over offshore gas fields. On July 28 Shell signed an agreement with Technip and Samsung for the development of several FLNGs over the next 15 years.
Golar LNG Leads with FSRU Installations
July 27, 2009
Reagas units for floating LNG being installed | www.ogj.com
Golar's LNG Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRU) are being tested this summer prior to commissioning off Brazil, Dubai and off Boston.
Discounts for Heavy Crude Nixed by OPEC but Benefits Petroplus
July 27, 2009
Heavy Crude Loses Its Shine for Refiners | online.wsj.com
The US and major EU refineries have heavily invested in high complexity refinery process units in order to catch the discount of up to 20% between high sulfur heavy crude and lighter crude. However, in face of declining crude demand OPEC has scaled back on production, and in particular heavy crude. This reduces the crack spread of most complex refineries.
Chesapeake Energy bites the natural gas bullet
January 25, 2012
Flurry of newbuild drilling rig deliveries in 2012 may dampen rig rates
January 20, 2012
Talisman joins the ranks of cautious E&P companies
January 12, 2012
Early signs of caution begin to cloud frontier exploration and production
January 4, 2012
It's too early in the game to write off Shtokman
December 8, 2011