Nigeria's unions end fuel strike

Nigeria's trade unions have called off their general strike over a recent rise in petrol prices, after talks with government officials.

Union leaders said they had accepted the government's proposal to freeze petrol prices for at least a year.

The government had already agreed to reduce its increase in prices as one of a series of compromises offered before the strike began on Wednesday.

An Inconvenient IT Truth

Surveys show that 48 percent of IT budgets is being spent on energy.

And 70 percent of those surveyed say power and cooling are now their biggest problem.

Oil prices: You ain't seen nuthin' yet

And people think the price of gasoline is high now.

Midland Reporter-Telegram's weekly oil and gas news

Following Cyclone Gonu, Oman has said all oil and gas operations are now back to normal.

Pakistan: Heavy imports cut LPG companies profit

A recent meeting between producers and government officials was told that since price of locally produced LPG was pegged with Saudi Aramco CP rates in January last, retail cost of the fuel has risen by $100 per ton till June over the same period in previous year.

“Due to high prices market could not absorb the fuel and importers continued to dump more and more,” said an industry official privy to ongoing discussions with petroleum ministry and Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).

The Future of Energy in the West: Will the West go nuclear or will it turn towards biofuels?

It took too long for some western countries to realize that their dependence on oil must come to an end. Now the future of energy has turned into a heated political topic that is intrinsically related to issues like stability in the Middle East, global warming, the Iraq war, Russia and even Africa.

Corporate greed, corruption, and the coming collapse

My message to all U.S. citizens is to prepare yourself now for what's coming. Get out of debt. Get healthy. Invest in your education and learn some practical skills like gardening, bicycle repair or natural medicine. Own some productive land and learn how to use it. Be near a source of fresh water. When the oil runs out, and the fresh water tables are drained, and the financial system collapses, and the real estate bubble bursts, life is going to be a whole lot harder than it is today. Forget about shopping malls, must-see TV and the latest fashions. Most families are going to be struggling just to put food on the table.

El Al to raise prices as fuel costs increase

El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. will raise airfares on long-haul flights to North America, South Africa, and the Far East by $20, and airfares on short-range flights by $10. The rise in prices follows recent increases in fuel prices.

Too little, too late: Gore blames scientists for climate crisis

In an extraordinary outburst aimed at America's failure to tackle global warming, Al Gore says that if scientific agreement on the climate crisis had been reached sooner it would have been easier to "galvanise the public and persuade Congress to act".

Manufacturers count cost of carbon

WHILE much of the carbon kerfuffle has centred on emitters in the energy and mining sectors, it is manufacturers that may face the biggest adjustments, says Liza Maimone, head of environment and sustainability services at Ernst & Young.

Already under siege from low-cost exporters and a dollar threatening to pierce the US85¢ mark, manufacturers face being caught in a vice of higher electricity and fuel costs and the shift by consumers to less carbon-intensive products.

India: Power sector may obviate coal

The preference of the Indian power sector for coal based plants - with over half of the overall capacity of 132,000 MW is coal-based and the rest split between hydro, gas, diesel, nuclear and renewables - may change as stricter norms for carbon emissions emerge, and as alternative sources of generation like solar and nuclear power become more cost-competitve, says a report by the Tata Strategic Management Group (TSMG).

Exxon to focus on oilsands?

Exxon Mobil Corp. is likely to turn its attention to Alberta's oilsands in a big way as it scales back its presence or even pulls out of Venezuela, an analyst said yesterday.

A report in Caracas-based Diario Reporte de la Economia said the Irving, Tex.-based company is pulling out of the South American country altogether because of a disagreement with the government of Hugo Chavez over compensation for Cerro Negro, a large project it ran in the Orinoco belt, where there are heavy oil deposits similar to Alberta's oilsands.

After being forced by Mr. Chavez to give up control and reduce its stake to 40% from 60%, Exxon will sell what is left, as well as an affiliate that markets gasoline and lubricants, the newspaper said yesterday.

Dr. Albert Bartlett, In Depth

Dr. Albert Bartlett, professor emeritus of Physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder discusses population growth, peak oil and global warming, solutions and sustainability in great detail with GPM's Andi Hazelwood. The in depth interview closes with a brief discussion of Australia's coal reserves and a look at Queensland's local government reform plan.

Driving home theory of peak oil

Cheryl Nechamen knows that when a discussion turns to the theory of "peak oil," listeners' eyes tend to glaze over. So she's been pleasantly surprised at how well talking about the 100-mile diet helps to break the ice.

Oman: Tapping green alternative

If a Sohar-based Omani entrepreneur has his way, then by 2010 the sultanate could become the first Arab country to produce an economically viable alternative to petrol.

Mohammad Bin Saif Al Harthy and his family are successfully using ethanol produced from biomass for the last 18 months to run their cars in Sohar.

Arabs urged to adopt solar energy plan

OPEC member Algeria's plan to generate solar power for export and domestic use is an excellent innovation that other Arab states would do well to emulate, according to a renewable energy advocacy group.

Future of energy goes nuclear

When Whitecourt Mayor Trevor Thain looks into the future of his western Alberta city, he gazes past the three mills, beyond its agricultural heritage and over the black gold that powers the province's economy.

Thain and city council, along with a feisty Calgary entrepreneur and at least one unnamed oil company, are hoping to plant nuclear power on the fringes of the oilpatch.

The fight for the world's food

Already there are signs that the food economy is merging with the fuel economy. The ethanol boom has seen sugar prices track oil prices and now the same is set to happen with grain, Mr Brown argues. "As the price of oil climbs so will the price of food," he says. "If oil jumps from $60 a barrel to $80, you can bet that your supermarket bills will also go up."

In the developed world this could mean a change of lifestyle. Elsewhere it could cost lives. Soaring food prices have already sparked riots in poor countries that depend on grain imports. More will follow. After decades of decline in the number of starving people worldwide the numbers are starting to rise. The UN lists 34 countries as needing food aid. Since feeding programmes tend to have fixed budgets, a doubling in the price of grain halves food aid.

BP to restart 10,000 bpd Alaska oil output Monday

BP Plc expects to restart on Monday 10,000 barrels per day of Alaskan oil production at its giant Prudhoe Bay oil field, halted June 18 for a pipe leak, a BP spokesman said.

BP shut part of the 400,000 bpd field after workers discovered a small leak in a 24-inch diameter flow line, said BP Alaska spokesman Daren Beaudo.

Qatar seeks tenders to build oil refinery

Qatar is seeking tenders to build a oil refinery with a capacity of 250,000 barrels a day, Energy Minister Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah said on Saturday.

The technical and financial studies for construction of a refinery at the Shahine oilfield have been completed, he told journalists, with 2011 set as the target for the facility to become operational.

Nigeria: 4 kidnapped foreigners released

Kidnappers on Saturday released four foreign oil workers seized weeks ago in restive southern Nigeria.

As journalists looked on, mediators handed the Pakistani, British, French and Dutch citizens over to top security officials in Port Harcourt. All the foreigners, who had been seized June 3, appeared healthy. There were no details on any ransom payments for the four.

Dr Roger Bezdek in Australia: ASPO-Australia has set up a page with Dr. Bezdek's schedule, as well as multimedia links to many of his talks and interviews.