THE EXPLORERS 2007: Repsol partners with Eni, Shell in Beaufort Sea 11/18/2007
In September 2007, Repsol YPF joined a Shell/Eni partnership in a block of 64 leases in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's North Slope. It was the Spanish oil and gas major's first acquisition in the state...

EandP spending up by 13% 06/10/2007
Lehman forecasts increased worldwide spending in '07, beyond despite high costs
Exploration and production companies worldwide are expected to boost capital spending by 13 percent on average in 2007 compared to 2006, a 4 percent increase from a prior forecast of a 9 percent incre...

International rig count at 994 for March 04/15/2007
Baker Hughes Inc. said April 9 that the international rig count (including nations other than Canada and the United States) for March 2007 was 994, up 13 from the 981 counted in February and up 96 fro...

PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: Company news in brief 04/08/2007
Lynx Enterprises gets a face-lift
ASRC Energy Services Lynx Enterprises, Inc. has recently undergone a name change to ASRC Energy Services, Regulatory and Technical Services. Under the Lynx name AES-RTS has provided regulatory services...

Oil sands to build global presence 02/25/2007
Consulting firm estimates Alberta resource will account for 25 percent of world's unconventional supplies by 2025
More than three decades of research and development in the once-scorned oil sands of Alberta may now be headed for a major payoff. According to United Kingdom-based Wood Mackenzie, the 175 billion bar...

International rig count up in January 02/11/2007
Baker Hughes says the international count of working rigs for January 2007 was 972, up 21 from 951 rigs in December, and up 67 from 905 rigs counted in January 2006. The company said the internationa...

It's Saint John and don't forget it 10/15/2006
Small Atlantic Canada city bids to become a N.A. energy hub, with plans for a 2nd refinery, work under way on LNG terminal
From the beginning of time it's been confused with St. John's, Newfoundland. But there could be a role reversal in the making for Saint John, New Brunswick. It's being touted by its own economic promo...

Venezuelan firm to provide fuel oil for villagers 09/24/2006
Rural Alaska homes will stay warm this winter with help from a gift from a Venezuelan-owned oil refiner and a leader who has been a thorn in the side of President George W. Bush. A roughly $5 million...

Harvest spreads wings, buys refinery 09/03/2006
Harvest Energy Trust has moved Canada's income trust sector into a whole new realm, buying a Newfoundland oil refinery to become a fully integrated operation from exploration to processing. It is payi...

Marathon signals oil sands ambition 07/09/2006
Company looks to swap refining for production, while EnCana has offered production for refining, expects September deal
Marathon Oil has been the headline grabber in the latest stretch of oil sands activity by reaffirming that it wants a role in developing the northern Alberta deposit. Chief Financial Officer Janet Cla...

Oil Patch Insider 06/18/2006
We interrupt this message ... Columbia stumbles; Firm protests PN's coverage of Arctic claim Timing being everything, the Colombian government must be wondering what they did to have events conspire...

Latin American leaders agree on energy plan 06/11/2006
Seeking relief from soaring energy prices and dependence on foreign oil, leaders of 10 Latin American nations agreed June 3 to push forward a sweeping energy plan that includes the construction of a l...

Venezuela: Congress wants heavy oil 05/21/2006
Venezuela's congress, dominated by supporters of President Hugo Chavez, released a report May 11 recommending the state assume majority control of key heavy oil projects run by companies like Chevron...

Soaring energy prices fuel takeovers 05/07/2006
Nationalization of Bolivian natural gas is part of a broader global wave souring investment climate for international companies
First Russia. Then Venezuela. Now Bolivia. Soaring energy prices are fueling a global wave of natural-resource nationalization that is souring the investment landscape for international oil companies...

Oil exports to U.S. could be cut 02/26/2006
U.S.-Venezuelan relations hit new lows as each country expels a diplomat for alleged spying
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned on Feb. 17 he could cut off oil exports to the United States if Washington goes "over the line" in what he has said are attempts to destabilize his left-leaning...

Petrobras to buy 50% of Texas refinery 02/12/2006
Brazil's state-owned oil company announced Feb. 3 it will pay $370 million for a 50 percent stake in a Texas refinery as part of its plan to expand into the United States. Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or...

Sands innovator to demonstrate process 01/22/2006
Petrobank Energy and Resources is about to launch an oil sands pilot project that could place the company on the leading edge of a technological breakthrough. The Calgary-based junior said its 84-perc...

Bolivia's newly elected government expects to sign new oil contracts 01/22/2006
Leftist government says country looking to retain 50% of oil and gas royalties under new contracts
Bolivia's newly elected government expects to sign new gas and oil contracts within months under which one of Latin America's poorest countries will retain more energy revenues, the vice president-ele...

What if Venezuela stops shipping to U.S.? 01/22/2006
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused Washington on Jan. 13 of repeatedly trying to smear his government and asked hypothetically what would happen if he decided to halt oil shipments to the United...

New U.S. outlets for Canadian heavy crude 01/08/2006
Aside from the welter of major new crude pipeline projects out of Alberta, smaller gains are under way in the United States, with new pipeline and refinery projects being announced Jan. 3. Minnesota P...

$1.4B capex for Alaska from BP, Conoco 12/18/2005
Conoco shows 'modest' increase from '05; BP funds down, but with less to tankers, TAPS reconfig and more to North Slope
Both ConocoPhillips and BP have released their 2006 capital budgets for Alaska, and ConocoPhillips plans to spend some $60 million more this year than last, BP some $100 million less. BP's capital sp...

International rigs up 4% from October 12/11/2005
The international rig count for November was 935, up 32 from 903 in October, and up 59 from 876 November 2004, Baker Hughes Inc. said Nov. 7. Including North America, the worldwide rig count for Novem...