» The total value of US oil and gas mergers and acquisitions increased significantly in 2011 due to continued investment in US shale plays and related infrastructure, sustained interest from foreign buyers, and private equity entrants deploying capital in the energy industry, according to an analysis of energy M&A data by PwC US. A major trend in the energy sector driving the increase in deal value throughout the year was a shift towards more investments in oil and liquid plays as natural gas prices remained depressed amid hitting a 10-year low in 2011. In 2011, there were 191 deals with values greater than $50 million, accounting for $186.5 billion, a significant jump in total deal value from the $138.5 billion during 2010, which had five more announced deals. Average deal size also increased in 2011 to $977 million, a 38% increase from $706 million in 2010, driven by 32 'mega' deals (deals with values of $1 billion or more) [ .. Oil&Gas J., feb 21 gen 2012 .. ]

» The most-watched oil price in America, the one for West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), is no longer representative of the broader US oil market, at least for now. The best domestic grade to follow at the moment is probably Louisiana Light Sweet (LLS), which is of similar quality to WTI but not subject to the persistent transportation bottleneck at Cushing, OK. It tracks closely to UK Brent crude, which has largely taken over the role of global oil price indicator [ .. TheEnergyCollective, feb 17 gen 2012 .. ]

» An article titled The uniqueness of the energy security, justice, and governance problem, published in Energy Policy, argues that energy stands out on four dimensions: vertical complexity, horizontal complexity, higher entailed costs, and stronger path dependency. [ .. Elsevier, feb 16 gen 2012 .. ]

» After the decision by U.S. regulators to deny approval for the new Keystone XL oil pipeline, Canada will need to investigate other means of oil transportation and new markets for its products. Bloomberg reports that the International Energy Agency suggested in its monthly oil market report that the decision could force a shift in where Canada sells its oil, with potentially substantial long-term implications of the decision. One prime potential for the country is to increase its overseas exports on oil tankers from the West Coast. [ .. PennEnergy, feb 15 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> The JKC joint venture has signed the formal $15-billion contract for engineering, procurement, and construction at the Ichthys LNG Project offshore Australia. The joint venture consists of KBR, JGC Corp., and Chiyoda Corp. The Ichthys owners are INPEX and Total. Gas from Ichthys in the Browse basin, approximately 200 km (124 mi) offshore of Western Australia, will undergo preliminary processing offshore to remove water and extract condensate. The gas will then be exported to onshore processing facilities in Darwin via an 889 km (552 mi) subsea pipeline [ .. Offshore mag, feb 14 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> The EU's gas supply has already benefited from shale gas without a single molecule being produced in the European Union is more often than not lost in discussions. Cheap LNG destined for an oversupplied US market has re-routed to Europe, displacing more expensive Russian gas in the process. As a result, Gazprom has been continuously locked in price re-negotiations with major European customers and has partially revised its pricing formula [ .. EEE, feb 10 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> Total has started development of the $4.2-billion Hild field in the Norwegian North Sea, although approval has yet to be issued by the Norwegian authorities. This will be a stand-alone project in a water depth of 115 m (377 ft), designed to access separate gas/condensate and oil reservoirs. Centerpiece will be an integrated wellhead, production, and accommodation platform. Processed gas will be exported to St Fergus in northeast Scotland via a new pipeline linked to the existing Frigg UK system. Liquids will be sent to a dedicated storage vessel where water will be separated for reinjection, and oil will be exported via shuttle tankers [ .. Offshore Mag, feb 08 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> Analysis of worldwide LNG investment projects conducted by energy correspondent Alex Forbes reveals a surprising picture. Within just a few years, Australia is set to become a bigger LNG producer than Qatar. North America looks as though it could become a major exporter of gas in the form of LNG. And much of the LNG coming from these sources will be produced using unconventional gas as a feedstock. The message to be gleaned from the behaviour of both LNG buyers and sellers is that global demand for gas is likely to be much more rapid than current projections suggest, with growth led by a ravenous appetite for gas in China. The implications for the global energy market are staggering: the dash for gas will continue with full force [ .. EEE, feb 03 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> The prospect of rising export capacity in Iraq is being overshadowed by the likelihood of an EU embargo on imports of Iranian crude oil and Iran's own threat to close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation. Closure of Hormuz would affect up to 17 mbpd of oil transit, including Iran's own exports, but the CGES remains sceptical of Iran's ability to close the Strait.
Aggregate OPEC oil production rose to within a whisker of 31 mbpd in December, according to assessments made by the CGES, reaching its highest level since before the output cut agreed in Oran, Algeria in December 2008. Output by the twelve members of the Organisation increased by a little over 90,000 bpd between November and December to average 30.95 mbpd, with the biggest increases coming from Libya and Iraq [ .. CGES, feb 01 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> The latest estimates of shale natural gas reserves in the U.S. represent a shocking step backward for the rapidly growing industry, according to Bloomberg. The projections released by the U.S. Department of Energy estimate that the country holds around 482 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas from shale basins. That represents a 42 percent decline from the year before when estimates of shale gas reserves were placed at around 827 trillion cubic feet. The declines stemmed from more detailed information available because of the dramatic uptick in natural gas exploration in shale deposits over the past year [ .. Pennenergy, gen 31 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> To simplify where we are as a civilization and where we're going with respect to energy consumption, economics, and environmentalism, it's useful to postulate three broad 'plans': Plan A: We continue on our current course; Plan B: We aggressively adopt what Jeremy Rifkin and others refer to as 'The Third Industrial Revolution'; Plan C: Although we'd probably love to believe in Plan B, we just don't see it as a pragmatic reality [ .. 2GreenEnergy, gen 30 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> After some extended deliberation, the European Union has agreed to the terms on a new set of sanctions for the Middle Eastern nation of Iran. Bloomberg reports that the new restrictions are set to begin on July 1 and will focus largely on a strict ban on petroleum product imports from the major oil producing nation. However, the sanctions also include bans on dealing in gold, precious metals and diamonds as well as freezing the assets of many Iranian institutions, including the nation's central bank. The most immediate impact of the decision was on oil prices, which rose sharply on the news, but Reuters reports that Iran quickly responded with its own threats. The deputy head of the parliament foreign affairs and national security committee, Mohammad Kossari, reiterated a threat made last month to close the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers [ .. PennEnergy, gen 27 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> The next Big Thing in oil and gas is water. It's one of the industry's biggest threats, and one of investors' biggest opportunities. It's an emotional issue for everybody, and has the potential to be THE galvanizing political force in the North American oil patch in 2012. Consider these statistics: each horizontal well in North America that uses hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, uses 2-6 MILLION gallons of sweet fresh water. And the entire North American industry will use an estimated 72 BILLION gallons in 2012. The cost involved in handling that water will be in the hundreds of billions of dollars this year already. But some companies will be smart enough to profit from that [ .. Oil & Gas Inv. Bullettin, gen 27 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> The first half of the Oil Age was characterised by economic expansion fuelled by these easy and cheap supplies of energy, and logic suggests that the second half, which now dawns, may be marked by a corresponding contraction. Money has been mismanaged many times in history, giving periodic epochs of rampant inflation when circumstances prevented the repayment of excessive debt. The modern world runs on oil, and it is quite possible that the current economic and financial crisis with its far-reaching social and political consequences was triggered by a surge in oil price associated with Peak Oil [ .. Peak Oil personalities, by C. Campbell, gen 26 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> DESERTEC Foundation, Tunisian sun will light European homes by 2016: Using thousands of mirrors to track the Tunisian sun to use its heat to generate electricity, the TuNur Concentrating Solar-thermal Power (CSP) plants will ultimately produce 2 Gigawatts of electricity, roughly double the average nuclear power plant. Project developer Nur Energie and its Tunisian partners, led by Top Oilfield Services, plan to construct the project in several phases. The first phase is expected to begin in 2014 and the first electricity exports are set to reach Europe by 2016 via a new low-loss transmission line to Italy. The project has been designed to reduce water requirements to a bare minimum by using a dry, air-based cooling system [ .. Desertec, gen 25 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> A failure of the ETS has far-reaching consequences for Europe. And failure is precisely what is staring the scheme in the face. The carbon price in the EU has consistently been too low to provide a credible price and investment signal. What is worse, the scheme is not perceived by industry as providing a stable policy framework in the long term - and energy, as we know, is a long-term business [ .. EEE, gen 24 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> Inpex Corporation and Total S.A. have confirmed the final investment decision on the $A32 billion Ichthys LNG Project, with first production targeted at the end of 2016. Ichthys production volumes represent more than 10 per cent of Japan's LNG imports at current levels. [The project] will provide a long-term stable supply of cleaner energy to Japan, and help Japan diversify its energy sources [ .. gastoday, gen 19 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> Don't expect a US-style boom in shale gas production in Western Europe. It's still not proven that economically viable reserves of shale gas even exist over here. Compared with North America, the regions in Europe characterized by the necessary geological conditions for shale gas are scarce. This is the opinion of Jan de Jager, newly appointed professor in Regional and Petroleum Geology at the University of Utrecht, who before his appointment worked as exploration geologist for Shell for over 30 years. In an interview with science journalist Annemieke van Roekel, De Jager notes that unconventional gas tends to be 'easy to find, but hard to produce' - certainly in North Western [ .. EEE, gen 18 gen 2012 .. ]

:\> Oil dipped below $100 Thursday after European Union officials said an embargo on Iranian crude imports may be delayed for six months [erambiente]

:\> After many years of speculation about possible gas pipelines to be built in the so-called Southern Corridor, a first likely winner will be announced shortly. It probably won't be the EU-backed Nabucco nor the Russian-backed South Stream, but the much less ambitious Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), owned by Eon, Statoil and EGL. This is the prediction of Friedbert Pfluger, Director of the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS) at King's College London. In this article written for EER, Pfluger, who served for twenty years as a Member of Parliament and was State Secretary in the first Merkel government, explains why the Southern Gas Corridor is crucial to Europe's energy future and how it is likely to develop [ .. EEE, gen 13 2012 .. ]

:\> Dubai Launches $3.27 Billion Solar Project Dubai on Monday launched a 12 billion U.A.E. dirham ($3.27 billion) solar-energy project that is expected to begin generating electricity by the end of 2013, as the emirate pushes to cut its carbon footprint and diversify away from its dependency on fossil fuels. The 1000 megawatt solar park, which will extend over 48 square kilometers along the Dubai-Al Ain road, will be named after Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The first solar project in the park will be operated under the supervision of state utility Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and will cost 120 million dirham, with funding coming from the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, said Saeed Al Tayer, vice chairman of the council [ .. WSJ .. ]

:\> Case studies of a different GHG emissions offset project activities undertaken within the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism program, including: (i) landfill gas (LFG), (ii) agricultural methane destruction, (iii) waste heat recovery, (iv) afforestation and reforestation (A/R), (v) renewable energy, and (vi) HFC23 destruction. This report focuses on the CDM because it is the largest offset program in the world, and has become the benchmark against which other offset programs are evaluated in terms of their design and performance [ .. EPRI, gen 09 2012 .. ]

:\> A new surge in oil prices today after an Iranian military official issued a warning to the U.S. served to further embolden the domestic oil and gas drilling efforts by First Titan Corp. (OTCBB: FTTN.OB) and others. Gen. Ataollah Salehi, Iran's army chief, warned an American aircraft carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf this morning. The tough talk is the latest drama in Iran's feud with the U.S. over new sanctions that have sparked rising oil prices. After the threat was issued, oil prices jumped nearly 3 percent today before easing to $101.07 a barrel, up 2.3 percent. This political flap is a prime example of why oil companies large and small are increasingly seeking new supplies in stable, developed nations like the U.S., said FTTN CEO Robert Federowicz [ .. PennEnergy, gen 05 2012 .. ]

:\> Petrobras estimates that Brazil's presalt reserves contain about 50 Bboe - enough to turn the country into one of the world's top oil producers in this coming decade. To realize these goals, the company is moving into deeper waters and placing production equipment onto the seabed, including the latest subsea processing, separation, boosting, and gas compression technologies [ .. Offshore Journal, gen 04 2012 .. ]

:\> A multi-patented technology that works to 'stave off' Peak Oil theory by bringing an additional 630 billion more barrels of oil to the world. That's the estimate the company believes can be recovered through its production-increasing process. Its patented process effectively slows down the rate of production decline ... thereby extending the life of oil fieldsand oil companies. Clients using this technology are seeing net returns anywhere from 8:1 all the way up to 30:1. And as the company continues its aggressive expansion efforts, the returns (for investors) could be extremely rewarding in the New Year [ .. Oilandgas investments, gen 02 2012 .. ]

:\> The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has recently redesigned its Geospatial Toolkit (GsT) to simplify use and incorporate additional analysis functionality. The new GsT provides a more modern, easier-t-use interface with considerably faster analytical querying capabilities. NREL developed the GsT, which packages GIS software with GIS data, to allow for advanced analysis of renewable energy potential without the pre-requisite of GIS expertise. Renewable energy resource data can be useful in establishing priorities for renewable energy initiatives, exploring expansion of energy services to under-served populations, and attracting investment in renewable energy projects. GIS software is a powerful tool for analyzing renewable energy development potential. GIS users can perform custom analyses by exploring renewable energy resource data in a map-based form and overlaying that data with other information critical to renewable energy project development, such as protected areas, infrastructure, and load centers [ .. NREL, dec 29 2011 .. ]

:\> Based on an empirical study in the food industry, we identify four sustainability marketing strategy types with distinctive characteristics (performers, followers, indecisives and passives). Consumers are one of the main drivers of sustainability marketing strategies. Depending on the sensitization of consumers to socio-ecological problems, the perceptibility of socio-ecological qualities, the individually perceived net benefits and the availability of sustainable alternatives, we argue that the typology and drivers apply to non-food industries as well. Furthermore, we find that the incorporation of social and ecological aspects into marketing strategies also depends on the market segment in which the company competes: companies that are positioned in the premium or quality segment are more inclined to take an active stance on sustainability marketing than companies that compete in the price segment. [ .. Business strategy and environment, John Wiley & Sons, dec 28 2011 .. ]

:\> An Ethical Critique of Durban Outcomes, It has now been two weeks since negotiations at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP-17) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) were completed in the early morning of Sunday, December 11, 2011 in Durban, South Africa. We will claim that there is something missing from the reporting of what happened in Durban that is crucial if one aspires to think critically about the Durban outcomes. That is, reporting on Durban has for the most part missed the biggest story, namely that most nations continue to act as if they have no obligations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to their fair share of safe global emission, that the positions they have been taking on most major climate issues fail any reasonable minimum ethical test [ .. Climate Ethics, dec 27 2011 .. ]

:\> The shale gas revolution in the US is frequently cited as one of the major highlights of the world's energy industry over the last decade. The growth in shale gas production in the US since 2001 has led to significant changes in the national energy market. Until recently the United States appeared to be on the verge of becoming one of the world's largest importers of liquefied natural gas (LNG). However, the development of two innovative technologies - hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling - has enabled the economical production of indigenous unconventional gas reserves in the US, leading to the emergence of larger domestic gas supplies, mainly coming from gas trapped in the shale formations (shale gas). The successful development of shale gas in the US has intensified the search for these reserves globally. With regard to Europe, recently several European countries, such as Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and others, have begun looking to shale gas as a means of improving national energy security and decreasing gas import dependence on Russia. Until now several shale gas exploration activities have already been initiated in Europe, however, the question whether the American shale gas success can be replicated in Europe still ends with a big question mark [ .. EnergyDelta report, dec 24 2011 .. ]>

:\> Responses to the EU's 2050 Energy Roadmap range from broadly positive to fairly and sometimes highly critical. The most heard criticism is that the Commission fails to put words into action. As WWF puts it, Oettingers roadmap will remain a pure think piece if not backed by effective legislation. WWF warns that Oettinger's roadmap will remain a pure think piece if not backed by effective legislation. The 2050 Energy Roadmap, launched by the European Commission on 15 December, has predictably drawn mixed responses. Despite the radical decarbonisation course charted by the Commission, the green lobby groups are generally more critical of the Roadmap than the energy industry. Industry associations Eurogas (gas industry), Eurelectric (electricity industry) and Europia (oil industry) are all fairly positive in their responses. Eurogas welcomes the clear recognition that natural gas will be critical for the transformation of the energy system and might play an increasing role in the future. It also welcomes the prime focus given to energy efficiency, where gas equipment has many advantages [ .. European Energy Review, dec 23 2011 .. ]>

:\> Leveraging private sector investment to extend limited public climate funds is key to funding the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. Yet it is often unclear what we mean when we talk about the concept of leverage. In Spring 2011 experts from Environmental Defense Fund, Climate Policy Initiative, Brookings Institution, and Overseas Development Institute began a joint study on the topic of the effectiveness of climate finance. The survey paper with overall findings and key lessons was published last month: [ .. edf paper, dec 22 2011 .. ]

:\> For the first time since 1949, the United States is poised to become a net exporter of petroleum, according to the Petroleum Supply Monthly report for November put out by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Through the first nine months of 2011, the U.S. exported 753.4 million barrels of gasoline, diesel and other oil-based fuels while only importing 689.4 million barrels. America's neighbors were far and away the biggest consumers of Yankee petroleum. Mexico imported more than 150 million barrels while Canada brought in slightly more than 64 million. The next closest country - Brazil - imported about 40 million barrels. Jeremy Friesen, a commodity strategist at Societe Generale SA in Hong Kong, told Bloomberg News that part of the reason for the shift is that America’s consumption of oil has remained stagnant compared to the rest of the world [ .. OilandGas inv., dec 21 2011 .. ]

:\> World crude oil distillation capacity has contracted slightly in 2011 after growing slowly in 2010, according to the latest OGJ Refinery Survey. The closings and rationalizations that dominated Western European and North American refineries in 2010 have continued in 2011. Sales of plants and mergers of companies are the most prominent activities in the two developed regions, as the account below details. Much of the capacity decline has been in countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, where the global recession since 2008 has hit [ .. O&G Journal, dec 20 2011 .. ]

:\> A new research report entitled Designing a Large-Scale Federal Offset Program in the United States: Policy Choices and Lessons Learned from the Clean Development Mechanism and Other Offsets Programs, published by EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute). Abstract: If the United States decides to take broader action in the future to mitigate climate change, policy discussions may once again focus on development of a greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade program combined with development of a large-scale GHG emissions offsets program. The compliance flexibility offered by these programs, and the economic incentives they create to identify and implement low-cost compliance options, have the potential to reduce significantly the costs to achieve significant emissions limitations. Realizing this potential, however, is not guaranteed. The overall design and key elements of an offset program will have a significant impact on whether a future offsets program can achieve the objective of stimulating investment in activities that create low-cost GHG reductions. Fortunately, the design of a U.S. program can benefit from experience to date with existing offset programs. In particular, U.S. policymakers can draw lessons from the experience of the first large-scale offset program in the world—the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). By the end of 2012, the CDM is expected to issue offset credits for approximately one billion tons of CO2-equivalent (CO2e) emission reductions. This paper evaluates the CDM and other key existing offset programs, and draws lessons from these programs that can help to inform development of a potential future U.S. national or regional offsets program [ .. EPRI, dec 19 2011 .. ]

:\> Environmental concerns about hydraulic fracturing are impacting shale oil and gas exploration all over the world - Canada, the United States, New Zealand -but none as much as France. One year ago, the Paris Basin in northern France was one of the top international shale oil plays in the world. And just like in North America and the Bakken, a junior player was the leader-Toreador Resources, TRGL-NASD. How this world class play got developed was textbook geological sleuthing. Toreador's stock ran from $5 last year to $18 in February this year before the French government took a fast and bold step to ban fracking country-wide-sending the stock to under $3 [ .. Oil and Gas Investments, dec 18 2011 .. ]

:\> The dilemma of the energy policy: The EU hailed the outcome of the climate conference last weekend in Durban, where world governments agreed to create a new global climate treaty by 2015, to enter into force in 2020. This successor to the Kyoto protocol will for the first time require emerging economies such as China and India to cut their emissions. The world is once more set on the path to a low-carbon future, said EU representatives. Yet there will be no increase in emission cuts for a decade and uncertainties continue to plague the future climate regime. The big question is whether Durban gives energy companies the signals they need to invest in a low-carbon future. The answer is far from clear. Sonja van Renssen reports from South Africa [ .. European Energy Review, dec 16 2011 .. ]

:\> With the close of COP-17, parties to the UNFCCC maintained the same inadequate emissions reduction pledges, thus committing the world to a more costly and risky path forward than is needed given the immediate availability of cost-effective measures to reduce emissions and begin the transition to a low-carbon economy [ .. Climateinteractive, dec 15 2011 .. ]

:\> A world-record size offshore platform is on its provisional transportation frame after being loaded by Hyundai Heavy Industries, according to the company. The 23,600-ton North Rankin 2 topside was jacked up by 26.5 m (87 ft) and installed on the barge. The platform is 100 m (328 ft) long, 50 m (164 ft) wide, and 80 m (262 ft) high. It is scheduled to sail to Woodside Energy’s North Rankin and Perseus fields offshore Australia in mid-December for installation on a jacket set launched earlier this year [ .. Offshore mag, dec 13 2011 .. ]

:\> the climate change problem is actually many distinct problems-each with its own attributes, administrative challenges and distinctive political constituencies. This truism, exhaustively scrutinised by academics in search of optimal or first best solutions to international cooperative action, has been loudly attested to in Durban this week. With some dramatic tones in speeches and actions on Friday night, linkages to trade were not speared from the resulting acrimony. Concerns that actions taken in the name of climate may create distortions to competitiveness are a main obstacle for many countries in moving ahead with mitigation efforts. And claims that mitigation measures unduly disadvantage trading partners render any such effort bitterly contentious. Indeed, any attempt to address the numerous interlinkages between trade and climate in the context of an eventual framework for an integrated, comprehensive climate regime, continues to end in rancor [ .. ICTSD, dec 12 2011 .. ]

:\> BP is asking a federal judge to punish Halliburton, claiming the company destroyed evidence that it did insufficient work on BP's Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, the site of the largest oil spill in U.S. history. BP claims Halliburton intentionally destroyed the results of slurry testing, and lost computer data evidence of cement performance results. BP is asking U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier to sanction Halliburton for the slurry results, and bring in forensic experts to find the missing computer data [ .. PennEnergy, dec 9 2011 .. ]

:\> With the completion of its first shale gas exploration well in the Baltic Basin, San Leon Energy plc has taken another step in its goal of becoming one of the leading unconventional gas producers in Europe. The Talisman Energy-operated Lewino 1G-2 well, on the Gdansk W Concession in Poland, has been drilled to 3,600 meters. During drilling continuous gas shows were encountered over more than 1,000 meters in the middle and lower Silurian shales, Ordovician, and upper Cambrian. Gas shows consist of methane (C1) with a small percentage of ethane, propane, butane, and pentane (C2-C5+). While debate continues over the economics and feasibility of potential shale gas development across Europe, Poland, according to reports from IHS CERA, may have the greatest potential for shale gas development of all the European nations [ .. O&GFj, dec 8 2011 .. ]

:\> The Visund North investment (Statoil) decision means that the fast-track developments around the Visund field in the North Sea are a step nearer completion. It was decided in autumn 2010 to fast track the development of Visund North with production start-up scheduled for autumn 2013. The partners have now reached an investment decision worth NOK 3.1 billion. Recoverable reserves are expected to be 29 million barrels of oil equivalents, and to consist mainly of oil. A standard seabed template with two wells is envisaged. It will be produced by FMC and will be installed during the summer of 2012 [ .. PennEnergy, dec 7 2011 .. ]

:\> As the climate negotiations in Durban enter their decisive phase, questions about the adequacy of alternative institutions for global cooperation on climate change mitigation remain high on the agenda. A new report, authored by Camilla Bausch and Michael Mehling of the Ecologic Institute and commissioned by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, evaluates major initiatives addressing the climate challenge, and assesses their potential to advance international mitigation efforts [ .. Addressing the Challenge of Global Climate Mitigation: An Assessment of Existing Venues and Institutions, dec 7 2011 .. ]

:\> In February European political leaders called for an energy revolution. Next week on 13 December the European Commission will release its long-awaited response to this call: a 2050 Energy Roadmap that sets up the signposts and the routes that are meant to lead Europe to a decarbonised future. However, drafts of this Roadmap, including the accompanying impact assessment, have already been circulating for weeks in Brussels, and have given rise to the first heated debates [ .. Ready .. set .. go! The European decarbonisation race is on, EEE, dec 6 2011 .. ]

:\> A volume cap on fossil energy extraction will give a clear price signal to markets, without any need to commodify emissions. Science calls for a finite limit on CO2 emissions. The easiest way to achieve this is to limit fossil energy extraction. A cap on fossil energy extraction will efficiently distribute costs between fossil energy producers, distributors and end-users, all of whom benefit from cheap, dirty fuels. A volume cap on extraction will allow for a planned phase out of fossil fuels by providing a clear signal about available reserves and their value [ .. Climate Justice Research Project, dec 5 2011 .. ]

:\> Climate Change and the Kiribati Syndrome: THIS WEEK in Durban, South Africa, 194 nations are meeting to discuss global warming. The whole effort is in disarray: The Bush administration withdrew American support in 2001, in a decision that is still having disastrous consequences; China, considered a developing country, isn't bound by Kyoto targets for reducing carbon emissions. With the world's two biggest economies out of the discussion, Durban is crowded with little island nations and other poor, vulnerable countries that have resorted to forming a 132-nation bloc - call them the pesky unknowns - to protest the continuing environmental damage. Another obstacle to progress is the very term 'global warming', which sounds like one big group hug - far too benign to generate the political momentum needed to promote renewable energy, slow deforestation, and embrace energy efficiency. Dry scientific discussions - about, say, how many more gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions the climate can tolerate - aren't creating a compelling narrative, either. Environmentalists should focus on repackaging the problem in a way that prods people into action. We need a new name: the Kiribati syndrome [ .. Belfer Center, Juliette Kayyem, dec 3 2011 .. ]

:\> Central European University's Department of Public Policy Webcast, Fatih Birol (Chief Economist, IEA) on Global Energy Prospects: how to bridge the gap between climate actions and goals? [ .. CEU Webcast live, dec 2, 2011, 1:45 p.m.-3:30 p.m. .. ]

:\> Why Silicon Valley will never become Green Energy Valley: Despite spending hundreds of billions of venture capital on developing Green Energy, Silicon Valley never produced any companies or technologies that managed to achieve a breakthrough in energy. That was left to the son of a Greek goat herder who worked in the dirty old fossil-fuel sector that attracted no interest from the likes of Bill Gates. Analyst Andrew McKillop explains why the Silicon Valley model does not work in the energy sector [ .. European Energy Review, dec 01 2011 .. ]

:\> Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) released an update of the ECN/EEA report on the National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs): The report features European Union renewable energy projections for all 27 Member States, with data updates for 20 countries, additional tables on current and future biomass supply, current land use for energy crops and projections on possible excess or deficit in renewable energy. Message by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on this report: 'Massive renewable energy growth this decade, if EU countries meet projections' [ .. ECN, nov 30 2011 .. ]

:\> Germanwatch released this year's edition of the Global Climate Risk Index at COP17 in Durban. As in previous years, the Global Climate Risk Index 2012 analyses to what extent countries have been affected by the impacts of weather-related loss events (storms, floods, heat waves etc.). The most recent available data from 2010 as well as for the period 1991-2010 were taken into account. Most affected countries in 2010 were Pakistan, Guatemala, Colombia and Russia. For the period 1991 to 2010, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Honduras rank highest. This year's analysis underlines that less developed countries are generally more affected than industrialised countries, according to the Climate Risk Index. With regard to future climate change, the Climate Risk Index can serve as a warning signal indicating past vul-nerability which may further increase in regions where extreme events will become more frequent or more severe through climate change. While some vulnerable developing coun-tries are frequently hit by extreme events, there are also some where such disasters are a rarity [ .. Germanwatch, nov 30 2011 .. ]

:\> Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) released an update of the ECN/EEA report on the National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs): The report features European Union renewable energy projections for all 27 Member States, with data updates for 20 countries, additional tables on current and future biomass supply, current land use for energy crops and projections on possible excess or deficit in renewable energy. Message by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on this report: 'Massive renewable energy growth this decade, if EU countries meet projections' [ .. ECN, nov 30 2011 .. ]

:\> Four projects to transport Marcellus shale gas went into service during October as two more were announced, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said on Nov. 14 as its energy projects office released its latest monthly update. It said National Fuel Gas Co.'s pipeline and storage division placed its Line N replacement and Lines R and I expansion projects into service on its Line N system in western Pennsylvania. The projects will provide 150 MMcfd of firm Marcellus shale gas transportation to Texas Eastern Transmission LP's pipeline in Greene County, Pa., FERC said. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., meanwhile, placed its Line 300 expansion project into service, FERC said. The El Paso Corp. subsidiary's system will provide 360 MMcfd of firm transportation, include Marcellus shale gas, with increased reliability. ERC said NFGC and TGP received approval to construct and operate their Northern Access and Station 230C projects, which will provide 320 MMcfd of transportation capacity for Marcellus shale gas in Pennsylvania and New York. The report also mentioned two projects outside the US Northeast shale gas region. It said Northern Border Pipeline Co. placed into service its nearly 9-mile Princeton Lateral project in Illinois into service to provide 120 MMcfd of firm gas for Central Illinois Light Co.'s plant near Princeton, Ill. It also said El Paso Natural Gas Co. applied to construct and operate a project to increase capacity of Wilcox Lateral in Cochise County, Ariz., by 185 MMcfd [ .. O&G Journal, nov 29 2011 .. ]

:\> Japanese non-governmental panel on energy scenarios, which was established in August, published its first report Assessment Report on Costs of Electricity Generation. We now have a English page, which includes presentation slides and press release. Currently in the Japanese government, costs of electricity generation is under review in the process of reviewing overall energy policy, and the cost analysis would affect future energy choices. But it seems it tends to conclude that nuclear is still not expensive even after the 3/11 Fukushima accidents.The report compared various cost estimates for nuclear power, including new ones published after March 11, 2011, and analyzed their problems. The report also considered factors that had been downplayed or externalized in the existing cost estimates [ .. Panel Report, nov 28 2011 .. ]

:\> Did the heatwave of summer 2003, which killed at least 30,000 people in Europe, have anything to do with climate change? And were the 2010 floods in Pakistan, which affected more than 20 million people, linked to a warming climate? Various studies have attempted to examine the links between extreme weather events and climate change, and now the world’s most authoritative body on climate science - the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - has spoken out on the issue. After three years of assessing climate models and new evidence, the panel has released a summary of its special report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation - SREX for short. The full report will be released in early 2012 [ .. IRIN, nov 25 2011 .. ]

:\> China the world's second-largest oil user, will be able to sustain its current domestic crude oil production of around 4 million barrels per day (bpd) beyond 2030 thanks to new hydrocarbon resource findings, the Ministry of Land and Resources said. China, also the world's second-largest crude buyer after the United States, is currently importing nearly 55 percent of the crude oil it refines. Over the next 20 years, China is expected to locate a total of 20.2 billion tonnes of geological oil reserves, with the country's central and western regions and offshore the main contributors, the ministry said in notes posted on its website (www.mlr.gov.cn) on Wednesday [ .. Reuters, 25 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Improving the Effectiveness of Climate Finance. Key lessons report: Flows of finance to developing countries to support climate mitigation and adaptation efforts are growing in speed and scale, yet in most cases they are still insufficient in comparison to projected needs. Ensuring that money is well spent, and hence maximizing its impact and effectiveness will therefore be critical to maintaining support and realizing the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. However, the practices that are being used now to measure and ensure the effectiveness of climate finance will not be sufficient to support this expansion. With many international institutions and bilateral agencies boosting their climate portfolios, as well as the creation of the Green Climate Fund, the time is ripe to examine current practices to improve the effectiveness of climate finance [ .. Environmen­tal Defense Fund, 24 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Falcon, Woodside, Adelaide, APLNG, John Holland, Santos (Australia): International company Falcon Oil and Gas are hot on the heels of Beach Energy’s shale success, having successfully produced gas at each shale interval during its testing program of the Shenandoah-1 well, located in the Beetaloo Basin, Northern Territory. Shenandoah-1 is a vertical well situated in the deepest part of the basin and natural gas was the expected hydrocarbon at the depths being tested. The well is the first to be tested in these unconventional targets, consequently the objectives of the tests were to determine whether the shale intervals could be fracture-stimulated and produce hydrocarbons, and to confirm rock, pressure and fluid properties [ .. Gas Today, 24 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> The U.S. government could save the economy hundreds of billions of dollars per year by 2050 by spending a few billion dollars more a year to spur innovations in energy technology, according to a new report by researchers at the Harvard Kennedy School. Achieving major cuts in carbon emissions in the process will also require policies that put a substantial price on carbon or set clean energy standards, the researchers find. The report is the result of a three-year project to develop a set of actionable recommendations to achieve 'a revolution in energy technology innovation' [ .. Belfer Center - Harvard Kennedy School, 23 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> South Sudan's daily oil output has fallen by about five percent since the country declared independence in July, largely because of logistics issues and a lack of skilled workers, the oil minister said on Tuesday. South Sudan took about 75 percent of the united Sudan's oil output with it when it broke off into a separate country. Production has since fallen by about 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) to around 350,000 bpd, Petroleum and Mining Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau told reporters. Oil is the lifeblood of both nations' economies, and accounts for almost all of South Sudan's government revenues [ .. Reuters, 22 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> FMC sets new deepwater completion record in Gulf of Mexico: HOUSTON FMC Technologies, Inc. reports that its enhanced vertical deepwater tree (EVDT) system has set a new deepwater completion record of 9,627 ft (2,934 m). The world record depth was achieved at the Shell-operated Tobago field, part of the Perdido development located in the Gulf of Mexico. The new depth record surpasses the previous milestone of 9,356 ft (2,852 m) that was established in 2008 at Shell's Silvertip field, which is also a part of the Perdido development. That record was also achieved with an FMC-designed EVDT, a subsea oil and gas production tree system that earned FMC the 2008 Spotlight on New Technology Award at the energy industry's Offshore Technology Conference in Houston [ .. Offshore mag, 22 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Nanjing University of Science Information and Technology in collaboration with the Rock Ethics Institute at Penn State University organized the first conference on climate change ethics in China that was held on October 29 and 30 in Nanjing. This conference examined the ethical dimensions of climate change as well as other economic, legal, and policy issues entailed by climate change policy-making. Papers presented included nine papers on climate change ethics, eight papers on climate change policy and law, and eight papers on social and economic issues entailed by climate change [ .. Penn Univ, 22 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> GHG Market Report 'Asia and Beyond: The Roadmap to Global Carbon and Energy Markets', IETA''s new report features nearly 30 articles, contributed by authors from all regions of the world and range of sectors (business, government, international organizations and financial institutions, academia, think tanks etc.), cover an comprehensive range of topical issues, such as: CDM reform; impact of CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) on CDM; roadmap to Durban; changes to MRV (Monitoring, Reporting and Verification); climate finance; accounting and tracking of carbon units post2012; and the impact of new industries to carbon trading in EU ETS Phase 3. The report also includes updates on the aviation industry and analyses on the IMO's recent adoption of the first global measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions inform the global maritime transportation sector [ .. IETA, 21 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Noble sees giant East Mediterranean oil, gas potential: Noble Energy Inc. said it has identified 12 more prospects with more than 20 tcf of gross unrisked resource potential in the eastern Mediterranean that target sands equivalent to those it discovered at Tamar off Israel. The company said its acreage also has total gross unrisked deep oil potential of 3.7 billion bbl, and the company plans to reenter the Leviathan discovery well to test the deep oil concept by early 2012. Noble Energy is drilling the Cyprus A prospect, which has an estimated gross mean resource range of 3 to 9 tcf and a 60% probability of geologic success. It continues to appraise Leviathan with the drilling of the third well while evaluating field development concepts and commercialization options. Noble Energy-operated Mari-B field off Israel has achieved record levels of production this year and since 2004 has lowered Israel's energy costs by more than $7 billion and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 17 million metric tons. At nearby Noa field, a recently sanctioned development project is expected to add 100 MMcfd of deliverability in mid 2012, partly offsetting anticipated depletion at Mari-B [ .. Oil&GasJournal, 18 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Are we finding enough oil? When the market is in this kind of mood its thoughts inevitably turn to the question of whether the world has been finding enough oil of late and, if so, whether the additional oil is likely to be available soon enough to make a difference. In discussing the question of the adequacy of oil discoveries it is necessary in the first instance to be precise about what is meant by discoveries: do we mean pure or wild-cat discoveries alone, or are oilfield extensions and reserves revisions to be included? Peak oil theorists, are they right?: [ .. Centre for Global Energy Studies report, 17 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Future building: the world meets in Durban at the end of November to negotiate on climate change, some important questions come to mind: Are we really speaking the same language when it comes to climate change? How can we understand the complexities of climate change? Can illustrations help? DiploFoundations's Translate Climate initiative combines illustrating and translating climate change [ .. DiploFoundation, 17 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Copenhagen, Beyond Green. The city of Copenhagen is well known for being a green city. Through strategic urban planning and a history of environmental ambitions, Copenhagen has created swarms of cyclists, large recreational areas, a high share of renewable energy, clean water in its harbor, and a world class system of district heating and integrated public transportation. What is not as well known about being a green city are the social and economic benefits. The study documents that Copenhagen's green city strategy has not only brought great reductions in the CO2 emissions, decreased pollution, created several green jobs and produced annual growth rates of an impressive 12 percent in the green sector [ .. GGL, 16 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Attacks on Nuclear Infrastructure: Opening Pandora's Box. Despite the intuitive appeal of attacking states' nuclear infrastructure to curb proliferation, the empirical record gives reason for caution. On the one hand, targeted attacks can slow progress toward acquiring nuclear weapons. For states in the early stages of nuclear research, an attack can make the prospect of developing nuclear weapons seem too costly and too difficult. On the other hand, an attack on a state with a more robust infrastructure could accelerate its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Unless strikes are accompanied by actions designed to address the security concerns of the targeted states, the long-term effects may prove counterproductive. Such attacks may not only speed the targeted state's efforts to produce nuclear weapons, but also create a false sense of security in the outside world. [ .. Belfer Center is the hub of the Harvard Kennedy School's research, 16 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> The world's slow progress towards legislating for a sustainable energy future means we may have to live with the consequences of global warming as we lose the ability to get it under control. Such is the stark warning coming from the International Energy Agency's latest World Energy Outlook, published last Wednesday. Alex Forbes asked Fatih Birol, the IEA's Chief Economist, what can still be done to avert climate disaster. Birol's answers are sombre throughout [ .. European Energy Review, 15 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Special issue on new Scenarios for Climate Assessment (RCPs) released: A new Special issue of the journal Climatic Change (Volume 109, Numbers 1-2 / November 2011 ) describes four new key scenarios for the climate research community: the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCPs). The RCPs will form an important contribution to IPCC's next assessment report and are designed to replace the previous set of scenarios (called SRES). The RCPs describe a wide range of potential futures for the main drivers of climate change: greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions and land use. The RCPs cover the range from high emission futures to scenarios consistent with the 2°C target [ .. Journal Climatic Change, 14 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> ECN Policy Studies recently completed a study entitled 'Paving the way for Low-Carbon Development Strategies'. The study finds that the process of developing an LCDS is at least as important as the strategy document itself, and that low-carbon development should ideally be treated as a continuous process. International and institutional support for developing an LCDS requires flexibility, patience and should be tailored to the specific (national) context. Low-carbon development planning does not have strict prerequisites and can be initiated at any time. However, LCDS is not a fast-win [ .. ECN, 14 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> very short term WTI report: WTI is falling away to test support from the 60 minute cloud after failing to break the key level of $100 on Friday so the short and medium term remain bullish with the price and lagging lines above the 60 minute and daily cloud. The very short term one minute point and figure chart is now in a down trend with an activated downside target of $96.5 (which would take the price down to the base of the 60 minute cloud)and the target of $97.8 has now been met. Watch out for any new thrust targets [ .. updataTA.com, 14 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Eurozone crisis may cloud Durban climate talks: Ahead of the Durban climate change talks beginning Nov 28, experts are worried that Eurozone crisis may curtail the billions of dollars of funding from industrialised countries to their poorer counterparts to adapt to climate change. Money is expected to be a bone of contention between developing and developed countries at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties 17 (COP 17) Nov 28-Dec 9 [ .. Deccan chronicle, 14 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> NOAA greenhouse gas index climbs: The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI) number today, which measures the direct climate influence of a select set of greenhouse gases, and the news is not good. The numbers continue to climb, further evidence that the greenhouse effect is on the rise. This comes on top of a staggering report released by the U.S. Department of Energy last week saying that global emissions of carbon dioxide –- a key, and long-lived, greenhouse gas –- had jumped by the biggest amount on record in the year 2010. The figures showed a 6% increase over the year before. That rise was steeper than worst-case scenarios that had been laid out by climate experts only four years before. That news was met with headlines worldwide calling it a monster increase and the biggest ever seen [ .. L.A. Times, 13 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Total announces new oil discovery in Nigeria : Total today announced that its subsidiary Total E&P Nigeria Ltd. has made a new oil discovery in the southeastern corner of Oil Mining Lease 102 in Nigeria. The discovery is located 65 kilometers off the southeastern coast of the country, about 15 kilometers southeast of the Ofon field. The Etisong North-1 well was drilled to a total depth of 2,387 metres in 80 metres of water. One of the three reservoirs encountered tested at 8,500 barrels per day of 40° API oil. This is the second discovery in the lease, following on from the Etisong Main find in 2008 increasing the feasibility of a new development hub on OML 102. [ .. pennyenergy, 12 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> UN to discuss stricter rules to avoid flood of CO2 credits: A U.N. panel will this month consider placing strict limits on emission reduction projects applying to earn carbon credits under the U.N. Joint Implementation carbon offset market - a move designed to stop a potential 'flood' of credits being generated [ .. point carbon, 12 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Adapting to climate change in China: achievements and challenges: With millions of people dependent on natural resources and agriculture, China is very vulnerable to climate change. The need to adapt to future changes is gaining importance in the country's political agenda. The government's latest five-year plan, for example, is the first to include a section on adaptation, and the development of a national adaptation strategy is under way [ .. iied briefing, 12 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Postdoc in Paleolimnology (3 - 4 years) (Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland): A position is open for an enthusiastic young paleolimnologist in the Paleolimnology research group at the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland. The topic of the position is 'Climate of NE Poland for the last Millennium: Quantitative Chrysophyte stomatocyst-based climate reconstruction from varved lake sediments' [ .. University of Bern, 12 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Greece turns to Iranian oil as default fears deter trade: Greece is relying on Iran for most of its oil as traders pull the plug on supplies and banks refuse to provide financing for fear that Athens will default on its debt. Traders said Greece has turned to Iran as the supplier of last resort despite rising pressure from Washington and Brussels to stifle trade as part of a campaign against Tehran's nuclear program. [ .. Reuters, 12 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> CDM's multiple benefits detailed in new report: A UNFCCC report just released shows that the CDM is contributing a great deal to project host countries in the form of job creation, increased energy efficiency in households, and increased levels of investment. This is the first of three reports measuring the affects of the CDM on society, and focuses on sustainable development, technology transfer and investment spurred by the CDM. [ .. UNFCCC, 12 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> CCAs rebound 6 pct in active market: California carbon allowances (CCAs) for delivery in 2013 were valued at $18/t on Thursday, but market sources said the $1 gain from the previous week was the result of usual volatility in the still thin market

:\> Australia, carbon tax passed, but not everyone's convinced: Yesterday, the debate on a carbon tax found resolution as the Clean Energy Future legislation was passed through the Senate [ .. gas today, 10 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> IEA economist Fatih Birol: 'We have to leave oil before it leaves us'. The International Energy Agency (IEA)'s annual World Energy Outlook, due for publication on 9 November, will contain alarming research that the world is on track for a catastrophic rise in global temperatures unless fossil fuel subsidies are cut, energy efficiency is improved, and more countries introduce some form of carbon pricing [ .. euroactive, 9 nov 2011 .. ]

:\> Obama proposes CO2 regulations: The Obama Administration announced Tuesday its intention to regulate CO2 emissions from power plants for the first time. The new rule, nimbly titled 'Greenhouse Gas New Source Performance Standard for Electric Utility Steam Generating Units', would allow the Environmental Protection Agency to create emissions standards for new power plants [ .. LA Times, 8 nov 2011 .. ]