The Oil Drum

Norsk Hydro makes significant new oil and gas find in Barents Sea

Norsk Hydro ASA has made a significant new oil and gas find in the Barents Sea which could dwarf the mammoth Goliath field nearby, according to Norwegian paper Dagens Naeringsliv.

The paper, which quotes oil industry sources, says geological tests have show that the Nucula well could contain 300-500 mln barrels of oil.

Mexico Oil Barrel Costs near Double

Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) is currently facing an oil-extraction cost increase, from $2.20 to $4.20, per oil barrel, which means a 91-percent increase, according to statistics of the company.

This increase adds to a decrease in production, volatility of prices and an important drop in success of drilling prospect wells, going from 57 to 42 percent, between 2000 and 2006.

Gore's `An Inconvenient Truth' Wins Best Documentary Oscar

The best-documentary award may further stir talk that Gore, a former Democratic senator from Tennessee and 2000 presidential candidate, might make another bid for the White House.

Renewable energy in the mix

Following are figures on world energy supply by fuel in 2004 and projected supply in 2030, according to the International Energy Agency, energy adviser to the industrialised world.

States beat Washington to renewable energy

In Texas, home to some of the world's biggest oil companies, you might think the case for renewable energy would be tough to make. As it happened it was tough, but not impossible.

It was simply a case of showing that technologies like massive wind turbines and solar roof shingles would do the job with costs that were in line with power generated from fossil fuel, said Jim Marston, of the Texas office of Environmental Defense, an advocacy group.

Climate draft allows spike in oil-sands emissions

Greenhouse-gas emissions from Alberta's oil sands would be allowed to rise dramatically under a draft version of the government's long-anticipated climate-change plan obtained by The Globe and Mail.

The internal documents appear to underestimate significantly future oil-sands development as a way of producing more positive figures, said two environmentalists who analyzed the documents for The Globe.

Red tape thwarts wind revolution

They were hailed as our new energy source. But local objections have left wind farms in jeopardy.

How will thirst for biofuels affect global hunger?

Experts are talking about a permanent change in food economics.

"We're into a new structure of markets," says British food aid expert Edward Clay. "It could have profound implications on poor people."

Will Cellulosic Ethanol Take Off?

Fuel from grass and wood chips could be big in the next 10 years--if the government helps.

Europe and the IT industry seek energy-efficient data centres

The European Commission may ask data centre operators to become more energy efficient, and the IT industry - including recently formed body The Green Grid - is stepping up to the plate.

Boom seen for energy pipelines

China plans to extend its oil and gas pipelines by nearly 63 percent by 2010 to meet rising energy demand, according to the nation's key pipeline builder.

Iran Oil Offer Pleases Turkey But Not U.S.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki's offer to open natural gas and oil wells in Iran to Turkey, and even market the extra gas produced by these wells, was well received by Turkish energy circles.

However, Mottaki's offer would give rise to new problems in Turkish-American relations said Turkish ministry of energy sources.

Turkey, Egypt agree to discuss oil crisis in Mediterranean

Turkish and Egyptian foreign ministers agreed to set up delegations to discuss an Egyptian-Greek Cypriot deal that paves the way for oil and gas exploration by Greek Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, diplomatic sources said yesterday. The agreement came during a meeting between FM Abdullah Gül and his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abdul Gheit.

Lithuania threatens to block EU-Russia agreement

Lithuanian officials, angered by Russia’s halting of oil supplies to the country, have said that they may join Poland in blocking talks on a new EU-Russia agreement.

Each oil crisis spells a new energy future

Some scientists assert that world oil resources are near their peak and may soon decline. However, reports of the US Geological Survey point out that peak oil production may not be as close as some have previously thought: Oil reserves are still about 42 times annual production levels. Long-term, alternative petroleum resources, such as the nearly 1 million barrels per day of crude oil that Canada now produces from oil sands and Venezuela's Orinoco tar sands, are promising.

Baltic gas pipeline sparks fears in Nordic countries

A gas pipeline project linking Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea that has already prompted an outcry in Poland is also raising environmental and national security concerns in the Nordic countries.

Emirates, MIT team up for green energy

Leaders of this major oil-producing Gulf country said Sunday they were plunging into the field of renewable energy, announcing a joint research venture into green energy with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Saving Starving Children Should Trump Global Warming Concerns

Nobel Peace Prize-nominee Al Gore told a New York University audience last September that, “Our children have a right to hold us to a higher standard when their future… is hanging in the balance.”

But the future for 18,000 hungry children extends about 24 hours. What’s our planetary hero doing about that?

A Conservative Conservationist?

When George W. Bush, The Post and the insurance giant Lloyd's of London agree on something, it's obvious a new wind is blowing. The climate change debate is here to stay, and as America warms to the idea of environmental conservation on a grander scale, it's vital that conservatives change the debate before government regulation expands yet again and personal freedom is pushed closer toward extinction.

Cars not needed on campus

I'm tired of hearing people complain about the parking situation on campus. When more than 80 percent of students live within a mile of campus, there is no excuse for using your cars.

An Open Letter To Cindy Sheehan

We do not have the luxury anymore for shortsighted policies which benefit the few. Our reliance on cheap oil, our subsidization of corporate agribusiness, and our death-kiss to family farms have made us incredibly vulnerable to famine. Our unchecked consumption, our devotion to technology, and our car-dominated sprawling lifestyles have been ravaging the planet. Global warming is a huge threat to all of Earth's inhabitants, while peak oil threatens our economic system and will completely end the standard of living we have grown accustomed to. Ecologically speaking, the 6 billion people of the planet can likely not be sustained without cheap oil, and most certainly not without dramatic social reorganization.

Michael T Klare: Three US reasons to attack Iran

Some time this spring or summer, barring an unexpected turnaround by Tehran, US President George W Bush is likely to go on national television and announce that he has ordered US ships and aircraft to strike at military targets inside Iran.

Nigerians not benefiting from foreign debt cancellation, says CITN

He listed some of the woes recorded in the country in spite of increased earnings from crude oil sales at the international market to include: the pervasive infrastructural inadequacies which inhibited the operations of businesses and the attendant business closures; the escalating energy crisis and incessant increases in the prices of petroleum products which make the cost of manufactures goods very prohibitive and incomparable with those of other economies globally.

Global warming worries to boost renewables

Three decades after former U.S. President Jimmy Carter experimented with solar panels on the White House roof, grim U.N. warnings about climate change may kick-start wider global use of renewable energy.

Aramco signs Chinese refinery deal with Exxon, Sinopec

An Official at Saudi state oil giant Saudi Aramco announced that the company has signed an agreement with Exxon Mobil and China-based Sinopec for a project to triple the capacity of the Fujian oil refinery in southern China, the Peninsula reported.

Gas Rationing Begins At Some Stations As Fuel Shortage Worsens

A few Petro-Can stations that are running low on reserves are at least temporarily restricting drivers to just 75 litres [20 gallons] of fuel per fill-up.

Pumps have been set to shut off once the magic number is reached and you won't be able to squeeze any more out of the nozzle.

In some instances, stations have completely run out of super, leaving high-end vehicle owners with no choice but to put in what regular they can get.

Gas prices up almost 13 cents nationwide

Gasoline prices soared nearly 13 cents a gallon on average nationwide in the past two weeks as the price of crude oil rose.

Shell cuts flow to 16 Oregon gas outlets

Shell Oil Co. has cut the flow of gasoline to 16 Oregon stations - 11 in the Eugene area - because the stations' operator is behind in its payments, a Shell spokeswoman said Friday.

Hydrogen Storage Gets A Boost

Three papers published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society now report a significant milestone in hydrogen storage: the first definitive evidence for H2 binding to open metal coordination sites in nanoporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Uganda: $160 Million Palm Oil Project Stalls As Bidco Waits for Promised Land

One year down the line, Bidco Uganda Ltd is still waiting to get land for the Bugala nucleus palm oil project.

Because of this delay, the project is expected to cost more than the initial estimate of $160 million.

Who Sucks Energy: Conventional or Organic Farming?

The London Telegraph dutifully reported the results of a study by the Manchester Business School, comparing energy use in organic and conventional farming systems. In a life cycle assessment - farm to fork - it found that many organic crops use more energy.

'End of Oil' author to speak at Embry-Riddle

"Every 24 hours," journalist Paul Roberts writes, "we burn 81 million barrels of crude."

For oil producers, it's getting more difficult to locate the large fields where oil can be cheaply pumped. So high prices will likely continue, ultimately leading to change -- be it the rise of alternative fuels or a scaling back of our consumptive practices, says Roberts, author of "The End of Oil," a celebrated 2004 book on the subject.