Tales of woe on North America's refinery row 01/17/2010
The trail of wreckage on North America's Refinery Row gained another victim Jan. 7 with Royal Dutch Shell's decision to turn its Montreal facility into a fuel terminal after failing to find a buyer fo...

Canada's upstream on upswing; '09 drilling licenses down 47% 01/17/2010
With Canadian government land sales slumping to a 17-year low and average natural gas prices at their lowest point in the past decade, it was no surprise that cash-squeezed producers slashed their dri...

Canada clears Chinese oil sands purchase 01/10/2010
Applies stiff conditions to large stake by state-run PetroChina; makes clear Canada eager to allow 2-way trade, resource investment
The Canadian government is opening the door to investment in its energy and mining sector by Asia's resource-hungry, state-run companies, but has left no doubt that the welcome mat does not constitute...

Canadian companies weeding out the weak 01/10/2010
New decade launched with flurry of MandA action as Suncor offloads unwanted Petro-Canada assets, PetroBakken adds tech-driver plays
Canadian-based companies have added early sizzle to the 2010 mergers and acquisitions market, led by Suncor Energy's swift action to weed out what Chief Executive Officer Rick George rates as weaker,...

Ho-ho-hold the holidays 01/10/2010
Proponents of Mackenzie gas have tight deadline to respond to 679-page report
It landed Dec. 30 with a thud on desks in the high-rise petroleum towers of downtown Calgary, spoiling whatever hopes employees working on the Mackenzie Gas Project might have had to put their feet up...

Canadian natural gas exports walloped 01/03/2010
Canadian natural gas exports to the United States have gone into a nosedive, hitting their lowest point in the 24 years that volumes have been tracked by the National Energy Board. The cross-border sh...

Industry revival on Canada's horizon 01/03/2010
Firming of commodity prices points to resumption of oil sands growth; natural gas expected to remain weak; consolidation predicted
One of the strongest oil patch forecasts for 2010 has come from a leading Canadian law firm, which is counting on an industry revival as commodity prices strengthen, opening up the investment taps in...

Mackenzie has liftoff; panel gives support to project 01/03/2010
The Mackenzie Gas Project has surfaced from its prolonged regulatory bog to receive strong backing from a Joint Review Panel which gave approval, along with caveats, based on its examination of the im...

Enbridge warns of possible pipeline over-capacity 12/27/2009
Between TransCanada and Enbridge - Canada's two biggest energy pipeline companies - there's seldom a meeting of the minds. From the time they got caught up squabbling over rights to ship Alaska North...

On the one hand, on... 12/20/2009
Husky, Nexen on opposite sides of cap-ex fence in Canada as analysts count on largest companies sticking close to '09 spending
As Canada's leading upstream companies start to unveil their 2010 capital spending programs, some appear more inclined to bide their time than others. Analysts doubt the budgets of major players will...

Canada: Cleaning off a 'dirty' image 12/20/2009
Canadian, Alberta political, industry leaders defend record in oil sands, say they are ready to participate in any Copenhagen deal
Government and industry leaders are fighting back against a tidal wave of criticism and abuse flowing from the Copenhagen climate change summit that has Canada cast as a "corrupt petro-state" because...

New economic age for Canada 12/13/2009
Final terms for Northern Gateway regulatory hearing coincide with Harper's declaration that Asia-Pacific supplanting US, Europe
The pieces are now in place for a Canadian regulatory hearing that carries profound overtones for Canada's economic future, now that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has rated the Asia-Pacific region ahe...

Testing big leagues with new technology 12/13/2009
Juniors bring talent to table, advancing 'next big thing' in Alberta oil sands by embarking on pilot projects in carbonate rocks
Investment banker Tristone Capital (now Macquarie Capital) observed last year that the Alberta oil sands region covers an area the size of Florida. Thus, it suggested, a chunk equivalent to Disneywor...

'Possible ... probably not likely' 12/06/2009
EnCana chairman, execs play down takeover risks as Canadian independent goes its separate ways; argue share value best protection
A few voices of dissent were effectively stifled and an overwhelming 99 percent-plus of shareholders set the oil and natural gas parts of EnCana on separate directions, with executives playing down an...

Harper, Stelmach feel the green heat 12/06/2009
Prime minister decides against boycotting Copenhagen summit; Alberta premier ready to accept climate-change goals in step with US
There is talk of a re-branding of the two Canadian political leaders - Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach - seen as the least supportive of cap-and-trade systems as part of...

Alberta's chance to 'get it right' 12/06/2009
Government to release interim findings of competitiveness review; industry leaders say results key to business, government future
Aware, after more than two years of meddling with its oil and natural gas royalties, that it has lost the confidence of industry and investors, the Alberta government has one last chance to "get it ri...

Wood Mac: EandP spend to recover in 2011, flat in 2010; Conoco's Alaska budget uncertain 12/06/2009
Wood Mackenzie predicts investment in the world's upstream oil and gas sector will grow modestly in 2011, reaching around $350 billion by 2012, down from a five-year peak of $370 billion in 2008 when...

Asia-bound, 'sooner rather than later' 11/29/2009
Enbridge, Kinder on verge of revealing strategies to open new markets for Alberta oil sands production, urged on by interest groups
Between now and mid-2010, the prospects of shipping bitumen from the Alberta oil sands to Asian refineries are heading toward make-or-break decisions. Enbridge anticipates submitting an application to...

One more thing for oil sands 11/29/2009
Study says geopolitical events will determine sands development rate, markets served, upgrading, what environmental costs imposed
As if the Alberta oil sands don't have enough on their plate, figuring out economic and environmental challenges, a new study has tossed geopolitical ingredients into the mix. A joint report by the Lo...

Putting makeup on the oil sands 11/22/2009
To the critics, they are the tar sands. To proponents, they are the oil sands. To EnCana, apparently unwilling to sully its public image with something as messy as bitumen, they have morphed into enha...

Canadian oil and gas giants tread warily 11/22/2009
New-look Suncor and EnCana roll out disciplined 2010 spending plans, leaving flexibility to boost budgets if commodity prices rise
While trading places as Canada's dominant oil and natural company, Suncor Energy and EnCana are both delivering a similar refrain for 2010 - steady as it goes. Suncor is the new king of the hill after...

Wrestling with the risks in Alberta 11/15/2009
Smaller oil sands players pinned by startup woes, inability to finance holdings; Suncor not ruling out building on industry-leading position
Some either want out or want a reduced presence; some are struggling to keep their heads above water; some are now paying the price for the rush to complete projects during a frenzied boom that ended...

It's big and it's 'real' 11/15/2009
Canadian study points to 5.3 million barrels per day from oil sands by 2043
The Canadian Energy Research Institute figures that a "realistic" target for oil sands production by 2043 is 5.3 million barrels per day, almost a five-fold increase over the next 34 years, hitting 1....

Alberta oil sands leases change hands 11/08/2009
Oil sands startup UTS Energy has sold a 50 percent working interest in three leases to Imperial Oil and ExxonMobil for C$250 million to keep alive its hopes of retaining a 20 percent stake in the Fort...

Canada faces gas liquids challenge 11/08/2009
Canada's National Energy Board expects rising imports of condensate to support the oil sands sector will reach 346,000 barrels per day by 2020 compared with 78,000 bpd in 2008. Diluents are needed for...