10 percent of Russia's oil output illegal, minister says

MOSCOW: More than 10 percent of Russia's oil output, nearly 1 million barrels a day, is being produced illegally, the nation's natural resources minister said Friday.

Yuri Trutnev made the statement during an official meeting intended to work out measures to tighten official controls over the extraction of mineral riches.

Save energy, urges Russia and EU

Russia and the European Union on Friday backed energy efficiency measures to save more than 400 million tonnes of oil equivalent each year by 2020 -- similar to adding two more Irans to world oil supply.

Zimbabwe: US$800m Needed for Power Projects

Close to US$800 million is required for power generating expansion projects, setting up of new transmission and distribution systems as well as carrying out a cocktail of maintenance work on existing infrastructure in order for the country's power sector to meet growing electricity demands.

India’s Energy Crunch - Council of Foreign Relations backgrounder

Study: Oil Transition Carries Major Environmental Risks

The increasing use of substitute fossil-based liquid hydrocarbons—either unconventional crude oils or synthetic liquid fuels (synfuels)—will dramatically increase global greenhouse gas emissions unless mitigating steps are taken, according to a new study by researchers at UC Berkeley.

Carbon emissions up one-quarter since 1990

Global carbon emissions rose nearly 3 percent in 2005, up more than a quarter from 1990 levels despite many governments' pledges of cuts to fight global warming, a scientist who provides data for the U.S. Department of Energy said.

"The rate of acceleration is quite phenomenal," said Gregg Marland, senior staff scientist at the U.S. Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC), which supplies emissions data to governments, researchers and NGOs worldwide.

Forecasting Future World Energy Sources and Emissions

While wind power, tidal and solar energy are the best and fastest growing energy sectors, worldwide transitions away from outdarted, polluting forms of energy can be slow. Here is a report that looks at likely scenarios.

Biofuel Skeptic Extraordinaire: An interview with David Pimentel

Q. All of that is very controversial, but let's get to the really provocative part of your work. You claim cellulosic ethanol's energy balance is "worse" than that of conventional ethanol. How can that be?

A. It's quite easy. Number one, if you have a handful of sawdust, and a handful of corn, which one has the most starches and sugars? That's easy. It takes almost twice as much sawdust to make the same gross energy as [corn] from cellulose, or wood.

Number two, it takes two additional treatments to release the starches and sugars [from cellulose]. That is, you're going to treat the cellulose.

Canadian oilsands seen as global energy bonanza

CALGARY - Despite rising costs, Canada will be the planet's largest source of new oil supplies by the end of the decade, economists said Friday.

Jeff Rubin, chief strategist with CIBC World Markets Inc. in Toronto, said virtually all of the world's new capacity growth outside of OPEC will come from oilsands development after 2009.

House Rejects Push to Renegotiate Contracts

In a 207-to-205 vote, the U.S. House on Friday rejected a plan aimed at pushing oil and natural gas companies to renegotiate flawed 1998 and 1999 drilling contracts.

Devon trims output forecast on Canada drop

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Independent oil and gas producer Devon Energy Corp. on Friday trimmed its forecast for fourth quarter production by 1 million to 2 million barrels of oil equivalent, hurt by reduced Canadian gas output.

Iraq oil wealth distribution planned

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi legislation intended to resolve the politically charged question of distributing the country's oil wealth is nearing completion, the chairman of a panel drafting the law said Saturday.

The distribution of oil revenues, the mainstay of Iraq's economy, is at the heart of some of Iraq's most contentious political issues, including the push by Shiite leaders to allow the oil-rich south of Iraq to set up a self-rule region a similar to a Kurdish one in the north.

Congress OKs oil drilling in Gulf of Mexico

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just hours before it ended, the Republican-led 109th Congress sent President Bush legislation early on Saturday to normalize trade with former enemy Vietnam, renew popular tax cuts and open the Gulf of Mexico to new oil and gas drilling.

Nigeria: Militants to hold hostages indefinitely

LAGOS, Nigeria - A militant group in Nigeria's oil-rich delta said Friday it will hold four foreign hostages "indefinitely" to press for the release of two of the region's jailed leaders and compensation from an oil company for alleged pollution.