The Oil Drum

[editor's note, by Dave] I had some input for this story from jdeely and Henry Coulter (TOD user name?). My thanks to them. These posts of mine on other countries tend to get few responses. I don't know whether to attribute this to lack of interest in other countries-- American/Euro centrisim --or other factors. I'd be interested to know your thoughts. We do live in the age of Globalization and high energy prices affect everyone everywhere on the Earth.

I thought I would do another story on how higher energy prices are affecting other parts of the world. In this case, I have picked Thailand. This story will focus a bit on the history of energy in Thailand and more on the affects of current prices on their economy and how this South East Asian country is trying cope with the stress this has caused. While there are large differences, there are eerie similarities with the United States, though on a smaller scale. We will also take a brief excursion to talk about natural gas use in vehicles.

Well it appears that the thought of a New Great Game is catching on, as an image to describe the scene, if nothing else. The discussions this week are focusing on Kazakhstan where, you remember

China's CNPC last year bought Kazakh oil producer PetroKazakhstan, and the first oil from Kazakhstan reached China last week via a major new pipeline. Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov last month paid a six-day visit to Beijing, where he signed off on a plan to send 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually by a new pipeline to China beginning in 2009. Not satisfied, China is in talks with Kazakhstan over a gas pipeline from that country, too.

Well enter Vice President Cheney and the United States has an alternate suggestion

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to push in Kazakhstan on Friday for a major new gas pipeline from the country to bypass Russia and take Kazakh gas westward through Azerbaijan and on to Turkey.

The President's State of the Union message divided his energy initiative into two parts. The first deals with the stability of the supply of energy to the electric grid, and the second dealt with fuels for transportation. Both are fossil fuel dependent, but it is in transportation that the dependance on foreign oil is most critical. Let's unpack them under the fold.