Mining News: Movie gives industry a big black eye 01/17/2010
James Cameron's 'Avatar' exploits outdated stereotype; gifted earth scientists and engineers lead most successful mining companies
I must join what appears to be a growing parade of voices criticizing some aspect of the mega-blockbuster sci-fi movie, Avatar, and add my two cents. Critics have complained about the movie's story l...

Iraqi Cabinet OKs Exxon-Shell deal 11/15/2009
Iraq's government approved a major oil deal with a consortium grouping U.S. and European oil giants Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC to develop a prized oil field in the country's south, th...

Koreans stun Canadian oil patch 11/01/2009
State-run KNOC offers premium for Harvest Energy Trust holdings in search for energy security; bolsters chances of new sands market
South Korea's state-run Korea National Oil Corp. has taken a headlong plunge into Canada's energy sector in a highly complex move that is causing widespread head scratching within the industry. The mo...

Military largest U.S. energy consumer 10/18/2009
Study by retired officers highlights impacts of climate change, energy choices on military; nation's aging electric grid a big issue
Energy is a crucial issue for the U.S. military and a recent study by retired senior military officers concluded that fossil fuel dependence and a fragile national electric grid are threats to U.S. mi...

Campbell backs renewable energy in state 09/27/2009
Visits Unalakleet wind project with Vermont's lieutenant governor; six 100-kilowatt Vermont wind turbines being installed there
Alaska Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell affirmed the Parnell administration's commitment to renewable energy at a forum in Fairbanks on September 17. "The bottom line is we face a bright future with an aggres...

OPEC leaves crude oil targets unchanged 09/13/2009
OPEC on Sept. 10 decided to leave its production quotas unchanged, opting to take a cautious approach in a market awash in crude and a global economy still in the early stages of recovery. The 12-nati...

China leads energy spurt 06/21/2009
BP Review outlines unprecedented shift in global demand for fossil fuels in 2008 toward emerging nations of Asia-Pacific region; gas growth slows
Unprecedented turbulence in world energy markets in 2008 may have overshadowed a less dramatic but perhaps equally profound development in implications for the long term. For the first time ever, the...

Home refining causes fires, explosions 05/31/2009
Fire officials warn of dangers, consider new restrictions after incidents in Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon
Trying to live green and beat high gasoline prices, some enterprising Americans are turning cooking oil into biodiesel in their garages. Problem is, some of these do-it-yourselfers are burning down th...

Talisman to spend $8M in Alaska in '09 03/15/2009
Spending focused on finding prospects in NPR-A, announcement follows major seismic shoot in 2008, no plans to drill this year
Despite a decision not to drill until at least 2011, Talisman Energy Inc. plans to spend $8 million in Alaska this year "on identifying prospects and leads," part of a $660 million exploration program...

Oil Patch Insider 03/15/2009
Oklahoma's not doin' fine -OK? ANGDA pondering life after Harold? Yes, Isenberg's optimistic and ExxonMobil is spending more money, not less
Harold Hamm has locked horns with Mexico, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Now he's doing battle with Canada. The U.S. producer is heading up a group of Oklahoma oilmen, operating under the name Dome...

Foreign legion in retreat 03/08/2009
Canadian-based companies experience more downs than ups in overseas plays; can't negotiate financing to develop strong prospects
Whether they have been looking for a way to hedge their bets, or using the Maple Leaf as a flag of convenience, Canadian-based companies operating outside of North America have found their foreign adv...

Oil prices surge on falling inventories 02/22/2009
Weaker dollar also supports prices; EIA says crude stocks down 200,000 barrels - analysts had expected 3.5 million barrel growth
Oil prices jumped Feb. 19 as new government data showed oil inventories fell unexpectedly. Light, sweet crude for April delivery rose $1.83 to $39.24 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The vast majo...

Oil Patch Insider 02/22/2009
AGIA coordinator Myers shares thoughts on gas line; Obama, Harper taking the high-tech route
As previously reported in Petroleum News, on Jan. 21, Gov. Sarah Palin named Mark Myers coordinator for the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act. In a recent interview with Petroleum News, Myers answered th...

Eni CEO: Oil price bumps unprecedented 02/01/2009
The head of the Italian oil company Eni SpA said Jan. 25 that the turbulence in oil prices is unprecedented and is "extremely bad news" for the industry. Paolo Scaroni, CEO of Eni, told a panel at th...

The Explorers 2008: Shell still positive on Alaska 11/23/2008
Massive lease purchase in the Chukchi supplements Beaufort holdings; drilling remains on hold
Commitment to an exploration strategy doesn't come much stronger than the $2.1 billion payment that Shell sent to the U.S. Minerals Management Service for oil and gas leases that the company bought in...

40 Years at Prudhoe Bay: BP's long road to Alaska 11/16/2008
British company prevailed over 10 years of international setbacks, obstacles on its way to becoming major U.S. oil producer
As one of the seven major international oil companies, BP's strength had always been in the Middle East. Its vast reserves of oil in Iran, Kuwait and Iraq were greater than those of any other single c...

Mideast grapples with oil price slump 10/19/2008
ast, oil-fueled budget surpluses may cushion some of the Mideast's major oil-producing countries now that crude prices have plummeted. But Iran, Iraq and a handful of other nations face daunting chall...

Shell reports progress working offshore Alaska 10/05/2008
Company advances Beaufort, Chukchi programs, but cannot drill before appeals court rules on federal approval of exploration plans
Shell's program for exploration drilling in the Beaufort Sea offshore of Alaska's North Slope remains on hold until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit rules on an appeal of U.S. Mineral Man...

Oil sands raise environmental issues 08/31/2008
Energy, water needed for oil sands development causes concerns in nearby towns, among scientists because of emissions levels
The largest dump truck in the world is parked under a massive mechanical shovel waiting to transport 400 tons of oily sand at an open pit mine in the northern reaches of Alberta. Each Caterpillar 797...

Alaska fits Talisman plan 08/03/2008
Canada independent includes NPR-A in hunt for 'material reserves'
Talisman Energy shows no signs of backing away from its view that Alaska is part of its refocused future on an array of global exploration areas - including such potential flashpoints as the Kurdistan...

Canadians hanging tough 07/20/2008
Going global not for faint-hearted; 84 Canadian firms have international stakes
No matter how uneasy they might feel about the misadventures of EnCana in Ecuador, Talisman Energy in Sudan, PetroKazakhstan in Kazakhstan and First Calgary Petroleums in Algeria, Canadian-based energ...

BP: Oil reserves adequate 06/29/2008
Cites supply constraints, increased demand, not lack of resources, for high prices
It may come as no surprise to learn that high and rising energy prices defined the worldwide energy scene in 2007. But a review of the inexorable increase in the price of crude oil and other fuels rev...

Indonesia to pull out of OPEC 06/01/2008
Indonesia is leaving the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries because declining production and investment have made it difficult to meet its own needs, the energy minister said May 28. Purnom...

U.S. considers more northern patrols 05/18/2008
Pentagon eyes expanded Arctic navigable waters; increased surveillance would include sensors, cameras, developed for war
As the Arctic ice cap shrinks, the Pentagon is eyeing the expanding navigable waters as possible entry points for security threats that must be monitored more closely, the chief of the U.S. Northern C...

IEA forecasts slip in crude oil demand 04/20/2008
Demand for oil will slip in the coming months amid a global economic downturn, the International Energy Agency said April 11 - but prices may remain high because of uncertainty over supply. The Paris...