Oil and Gas News

January 26, 2018

Stars align to support a rally in crude oil prices

Washington (UPI) Jan 25, 2018
Positive economic sentiments from the European Central Bank, a balancing market and a weak U.S. dollar all led to large gains for oil prices early Thursday. Crude oil prices were lifted in the Wednesday session after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported total U.S. crude oil inventories dropped by 1.1 million barrels for the week ending Jan. 19. The American Petroleum Institute said its read saw U.S. crude oil inventories increase by 4.8 million barrels, while commodity pricing gr ... read more

Rig in December fatality in North Sea to be used again
Washington (UPI) Jan 25, 2018
A Norwegian safety regulator said it would let oil and gas company Aker BP use a drilling rig in the North Sea on which a fatal accident occurred in December. ... more

California, advocacy groups, sue Trump on fracking laws
Washington (UPI) Jan 25, 2018
In separate filings, California and a coalition of environment and tribal groups sued the Trump administration for repealing rules on hydraulic fracturing. ... more

Oil and gas survey reveals fear of oversupply
Washington (UPI) Jan 25, 2018
The greatest threat to growth in the U.S. oil and natural gas sector is a market shifting deeply to the supply-side, a survey of industry leaders found. ... more

Kurdish oil producer Genel Energy could see gains this year
Washington (UPI) Jan 25, 2018
Kurdish oil player Genel Energy said Thursday its performance improved in the fourth quarter and it was anticipating oil production growth in 2018. ... more

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UK sandwich eating produces same CO2 as 'millions of cars'
London (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
Britain's annual sandwich consumption produces the same amount of carbon dioxide as more than eight million cars, according to a study published on Thursday. ... more

First cargo of oil lifted from Catcher area in the North Sea
Washington (UPI) Jan 24, 2018
Nearly a month after production began, the first cargo of about 500,000 barrels of oil was delivered from the Catcher area in the North Sea, the operator said. ... more

Total takes slice of Chevron oil find in the Gulf of Mexico
Washington (UPI) Jan 24, 2018
French energy company said it was setting a deeper footprint in the U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico by taking a minority stake in a Chevron-controlled field. ... more

Baker Hughes reports mixed performance amid uncertain market
Washington (UPI) Jan 24, 2018
The performance for drilling services company Baker Hughes was mixed and the market was still uncertain, despite a hike in oil prices, its CEO said Wednesday. ... more

Oil prices mixed, but still holding near $70 per barrel
Washington (UPI) Jan 24, 2018
Tighter markets, broad-based economic momentum and more rhetoric from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries helped crude oil prices maintain a band near $70 per barrel on Wednesday. ... more

Offshore could be beating U.S. shale
Washington (UPI) Jan 23, 2018
Some offshore developments outside of North America may be gaining a competitive edge over U.S. shale, sector analysis found. ... more

Kenya says Total is committed to a single export pipeline
Washington (UPI) Jan 23, 2018
French energy company Total may buy off Kenyan oil blocks and commit to a single pipeline for exports, the office of the Kenyan president said. ... more

A tightening oil market drives oil back toward $70 per barrel

Alaska's LNG project inching toward reality
Washington (UPI) Jan 23, 2018
A liquefied natural gas project in Alaska could be operating by 2024 because of the quick pace of meeting regulatory requirements, the developer said. ... more

Dutch turning off quake-zone gas for 200 firms
The Hague (AFP) Jan 23, 2018
The Dutch government has ordered more than 200 of the country's biggest businesses to stop using gas from the quake-prone northern Groningen region, Europe's largest gasfield, officials confirmed Tuesday. ... more

Norwegian oil and gas production better than 2016
Washington (UPI) Jan 23, 2018
Oil and gas production from Norway, one of Europe's top producers, was faltered by maintenance in December, but finished higher than 2016, national data show. ... more

High gas prices could be the new normal
Washington (UPI) Jan 23, 2018
Abnormal trends for U.S. retail gasoline prices so far could point to higher prices for the year, but there may be short-term relief in store, analysts said. ... more

UAE air force told 'not to escalate' Qatar air dispute
Abu Dhabi (AFP) Jan 23, 2018
The air force of the United Arab Emirates has been ordered "not to escalate" a civil aviation dispute with regional rival Qatar, a military official said Tuesday. ... more

Radioactivity from oil and gas wastewater persists in Pennsylvania stream sediments
Durham NC (SPX) Jan 23, 2018
More than seven years after Pennsylvania officials requested that the disposal of radium-laden fracking wastewater into surface waters be restricted, a new Duke University study finds that high leve ... more

Wintershall confirms Libyan oil production restart
Washington (UPI) Jan 22, 2018
German energy company Wintershall said it was able to restart production from a license area in Libya, which the government said was closed illegally. ... more

Oil prices flat at market open, even after talk of extended OPEC action
Washington (UPI) Jan 22, 2018
Word over the weekend of yet another possible extension to OPEC's balancing act was offset somewhat by gains in Libya, leaving oil prices even on Monday. ... more

Lundin Petroleum revises reserve outlook higher
Washington (UPI) Jan 22, 2018
An estimate of the reserves in the Edvard Grieg oil field off the coast of Norway boosted the recovery outlook by almost 50 percent, Lundin Petroleum said. ... more

Kurdish oil production expectations high
Washington (UPI) Jan 22, 2018
Kurdish oil player Gulf Keystone Petroleum said it wants to set up a commercial framework necessary to boost gross production by as much as 70 percent. ... more

Iraq to sign gas deal with US firm for southern field

Oil slick off China coast trebles in size
Beijing (AFP) Jan 22, 2018
The spill from a sunken Iranian tanker off China's east coast has more than trebled in size, just over a week after the ship sank in a ball of flames. ... more

Drilling services company Halliburton upbeat about North America
Washington (UPI) Jan 22, 2018
After a year of volatility, the recovery in crude oil prices so far this year could support growth in North America, drilling services company Halliburton said. ... more

Oil spill disasters in the past 50 years
Paris (AFP) Jan 22, 2018
Concerns are growing over an oil slick off China's east coast after an Iranian tanker, the Sanchi, exploded and sank a week ago following a collision at sea. ... more

Malaysia protest against EU push to ban palm oil in biofuels
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jan 16, 2018

Hundreds of Malaysian palm oil farmers protested Tuesday against a push by the European Parliament to ban the use of the commodity in biofuels, saying it would devastate rural people's livelihoods. Waving banners that read "Stop the Palm Oil Ban" and "Palm oil provides food for my family", the smallholders gathered in downtown Kuala Lumpur and marched to the European Union's mission to deliv ... more

+ Bio-renewable process could help 'green' plastic

+ To maximize sugarcane harvesting, use the right blade

+ The making of biorelevant nanomaterials

+ New catalyst for hydrogen production is a step toward clean fuel

+ New study shows producers where and how to grow cellulosic biofuel crops

+ Solid-state physics offers insights into dielectric properties of biomaterials

+ Rice U.'s one-step catalyst turns nitrates into water and air

Chinese solar boom sparks global renewables boon: study
Paris (AFP) Jan 16, 2018

A Chinese boom in solar panel installation last year helped drive global investment in renewable clean energy technology to record levels, a new study showed Tuesday. After a dip in 2016, overall global investment in the sector rose 3.0 percent to a total $333.5 billion, offsetting falls in Japan, Germany and Britain, according to the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) study. That was t ... more

+ Trump approves steep tariffs on solar panels, washing machines

+ Semiconductor breakthrough may be game-changer for organic solar cells

+ Ultrathin black phosphorus for solar-driven hydrogen economy

+ Perovskite solar cells: Mesoporous interface mitigates the impact of defects

+ Progress on energy storage can expedite New York's shift to clean energy

+ A Russian scientist improved nanofluids for solar power plants

+ New gas-solid reaction for high-speed perovskite photodetector proposed

German offshore wind farm closer to powering mainland
(UPI) Jan 17, 2018

Construction of a wind farm in the German waters of the Baltic Sea, set to supply power for 400,000 homes, is ahead of schedule, the head company said. German utility E.ON said Wednesday that construction of its Arkona wind farm is moving into its second phase a bit early, with the 60 foundations already set in place for their Siemens turbines. The 60-turbine wind farm is set abo ... more

+ China wind turbine-maker guilty of stealing US trade secrets

+ The wave power farm off Mutriku could improve its efficiency

+ Turkey gets European loan for renewable energy

+ Oil-rich Alberta sees momentum for wind energy

+ Construction to start on $160 million Kennedy Energy Park in North Queensland

+ U.S. wind turbines getting taller and more efficient

+ New wind farm in service off the British coast

USA: Framatome to acquire Instrumentation and Control nuclear business of Schneider Electric
Paris, France (SPX) Jan 19, 2018

Framatome has announced an agreement with Schneider Electric to acquire its nuclear automation business. The two companies recently signed an asset purchase agreement that outlines the terms of the sale, which is expected to close before the end of the first quarter of 2018. The acquisition expands Framatome's instrumentation and control (I and C) offerings. These systems are the central n ... more

+ Framatome nuclear fuel contract with CNNC

+ Framatome pursues the industrial and technological adventure of the nuclear energy business

+ Struggling Westinghouse Electric sold to Brookfield for $4.6 bn

+ Russia to build nuclear power plant in Sudan

+ Dominion Energy to buy troubled SCANA and shuttered nuclear projects

+ REVA NP installs I and C upgrade at Krsko nuclear power plant

+ New model considers an extra factor to improve our prediction of nuclear fission

Dimming the Sun to cool Earth could ravage wildlife: study
Paris (AFP) Jan 22, 2018

Geoengineering schemes designed to deflect some of the Sun's planet-warming rays would backfire if suddenly discontinued, wiping out species and entire ecosystems, a study published Monday warns. "Rapid warming after stopping geoengineering would be a huge threat to the natural environment and biodiversity," said co-author Alan Robock, a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Ha ... more

+ Temp targets will be missed within decades unless emissions reversed

+ Cape Town now faces dry taps by April 12

+ Long-Term Warming Trend Continued in 2017: NASA, NOAA

+ Future climate change revealed by current climate variations

+ Release of ancient methane due to changing climate kept in check by ocean waters

+ Pentagon strategy drops climate change as a security threat

+ Worst-case global warming scenarios not credible: study

Plug-in vehicles not yet straining U.S. grid
Washington (UPI) Jan 24, 2018

Plug-in electric vehicles aren't yet putting a strain on the national grid, but may require upgrades to infrastructure as demand increases, a U.S. report found. The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory looked at how plug-in electrical vehicles impact the grid, particular as more owners charge their vehicles at home. "Previous research into the amount o ... more

+ NREL research determines integration of plug-in electric vehicles

+ Peugeot plans electric versions of all cars by 2025

+ Tesla founder Musk will only be paid if firm meets goals

+ China considers tech center for alternative energy vehicles

+ Daimler struggling with European emissions standards

+ At Detroit auto show, future high tech is present

+ Beyond the car: how tech firms are exploring the future of transport

Interpol returns ex-minister wanted for corruption to Iraq
Baghdad (AFP) Jan 25, 2018

Interpol Thursday handed over to Iraq a former minister arrested in Beirut over a conviction for corruption, in a first such collaboration with the international police body, a government source said. "Former trade minister Abdel Falah al-Sudani has landed in Baghdad after having been handed over by Interpol," the source told AFP. "It's the first time that Interpol responds to a governme ... more

+ Facing death in Iraq, European jihadists won't get help from home

+ Three French female jihadists risk death sentence in Iraq

+ Tribal feuds spread fear in Iraq's Basra

+ IS poses threat to Iraq one month after 'liberation'

+ Iraq PM seeks allies online to join election list

+ Minorities in north Iraq look to post-jihadist future

CIA: North Korea intent on building reliable nuclear arsenal
Washington (AFP) Jan 23, 2018

CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that North Korea is intent on developing a reliable arsenal of nuclear weapons to threaten America, not just "a showpiece" to preserve Kim Jong-Un's regime. "Kim Jong-Un will not rest with a single successful test," Pompeo said in a speech at the American Enterprise Institute. "The logical next step would be to develop an arsenal of weapons that is n ... more

+ US will 'never allow' Iran to have a nuclear weapon: Pence

+ Defector soldier 'committed murder in North': report

+ US hopes for progress with Europeans on Iran: Tillerson

+ UN Security Council to inspect 'Iranian-made' missile debris

+ New tactical nukes in US arsenal raise risks, experts warn

+ China's doorway to N. Korea feels sanctions pinch

+ Nuclear N.Korea 'immediate challenge' of our time: Kissinger

Chinese officials staging 'takeover' of Tibetan Buddhist academy: HRW
Beijing (AFP) Jan 25, 2018

Chinese authorities are staging a "takeover" of the world's largest institution for Tibetan Buddhist learning, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday, the latest move to bring religion under strict Communist control. The monastic encampment of Larung Gar was once home to more than 10,000 devotees, their self-built red wooden homes sprawled across a valley in a remote corner of the southwest ... more

+ Anger over second 'snatching' of bookseller in China

+ Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong released on bail

+ China to enshrine Xi's name in state constitution

+ China sees births fall despite push for second child

+ Chinese human rights lawyer's detention 'absurd': attorney

+ Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong jailed over protest

Two customs officers killed in Mali 'jihadist' attack
Bamako (AFP) Jan 24, 2018

Two Malian customs officers have been killed in a suspected jihadist attack at a market in the small village of Toubakoro, security sources told AFP on Wednesday. "Two customs officers were killed, a terrorist too," according to one source. The attackers arrived in Toubakoro, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital Bamako, on motorcycles and were armed, said another source, ... more

+ Somali forces kill boys in anti-Shabaab operation: US

+ US calls for South Sudan arms embargo after failed truce

+ S.Africa in 'new era', likely next president tells Davos

+ Seven Niger troops killed in Boko Haram attack

+ Search on for kidnapped Americans and Canadians in Nigeria

+ Sahel defence ministers in Paris in push for 'G5' force

+ Former DR Congo army chief accused of coup bid held in Gabon

U.S. Air Force taps general to investigate ongoing oxygen incidents
Washington (UPI) Jan 22, 2018

The U.S. Air Force has created a new team to record and research ongoing cases of oxygen deprivation and other physiological incidents, the service announced Monday. Brig. Gen. Bobbi Jo Doorenbos will lead the Unexplained Physiologic Events Integration Team, which will serve to identify solutions to prevent or minimize such issues. "As part of the integrated effort to address phy ... more

+ Harper awarded $127.9M for F-35 hangar in San Diego

+ Challenges and research for an evolving aviation system

+ NASA Tests New Alloy to Fold Wings in Flight

+ Norway aims for all short-haul flights 100% electric by 2040

+ New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

+ Iran says Trump has thrown Airbus deals into doubt

+ A new family of aerodynamic configurations of hypersonic airplanes

Trump trade crackdown gathering steam, China a target
Washington (AFP) Jan 23, 2018

President Donald Trump begins 2018 making good on his aggressive "America First" trade agenda, with China as a primary target. As he prepares to mingle this week with global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a traditional cheerleader of free trade, Trump has again ruffled feathers from Beijing to Berlin after imposing steep tariffs on imported washing machines and so ... more

+ US 'erred' in supporting WTO membership for China, Russia: USTR

+ Trump angers China, South Korea with new trade tariffs

+ China economy rebounds in 2017 with 6.9% growth

+ China economy beat expectations in 2017: AFP survey

+ Juncker says would like Britain to rejoin EU after Brexit

+ Bangladesh blacklists Chinese firm over alleged bribe

+ Trump tells Xi US trade deficit with China 'not sustainable': W.House

Exiled Maldives leader warns over China, radical Islam
Colombo (AFP) Jan 22, 2018

Exiled Maldives opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed accused China on Monday of seizing land in the politically-troubled Indian Ocean archipelago and undermining its sovereignty. Nasheed, on a visit to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo where his Maldivian Democratic Party activists are based, also warned of the rise of radical Islamists in the holiday paradise. Nasheed said Chinese interests ... more

+ NATO takes Russian meddling in polls 'very seriously'

+ Trump touts 'America First' to sceptical Davos elite

+ Mattis heads to Asia to draw a contrast with assertive China

+ Egypt military accuses Sisi presidential rival of committing crimes

+ South Korea demands Japan close museum on disputed islands

+ Clamour of calls for more UK military funds amid Russia, cyber threat

+ Mattis warns of 'growing threats' from Russia, China

China's waste import ban upends global recycling industry
Beijing (AFP) Jan 21, 2018

For years China was the world's top destination for recyclable trash, but a ban on certain imports has left nations scrambling to find new dumping grounds for growing piles of garbage. The decision was announced in July and came into force on January 1, giving companies from Europe to the United States barely six months to look for other options, and forcing some to store rubbish in parking ... more

+ Global models offer new insights into Great Lakes mercury pollution

+ Temporary 'bathtub drains' in the ocean concentrate flotsam

+ Hong Kong engulfed in smog as fears grow over air

+ Southwest Iran suffocates under dust cloud

+ New research to help reduce number of algae blooms that form annually

+ Trashy literature? No such thing for Turkish refuse collectors

+ Microwaves could be as bad for the environment as cars suggests new research

Climate engineering, once started, would have severe impacts if stopped
New Brunswick NJ (SPX) Jan 24, 2018

Facing a climate crisis, we may someday spray sulfur dioxide into the upper atmosphere to form a cloud that cools the Earth, but suddenly stopping the spraying would have a severe global impact on animals and plants, according to the first study on the potential biological impacts of geoengineering, or climate intervention. The study was published online in Nature Ecology and Evolution. Th ... more

+ Jihadist corpses poison life in Iraq's Mosul

+ Nuclear concerns push 'Doomsday Clock' closer to midnight

+ World Bank signs $300m loan for Nepal quake reconstruction

+ 10 Syrians die of cold trying to flee into Lebanon: officials

+ Assad regime promotes Syria as a 'tourist' destination

+ Fukushima operator releases fresh images of reactor wreckage

+ Astrosat and DroneSAR form partnership to enhance Search and Rescue capabilities

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