Energy transition
Market cautious on Brazil’s 2010 oil bloc auction
News that Brazil is looking to auction more oil and gas blocs this year has met with a lukewarm reception from the oil markets as they await more clarity on the timing, production estimates and pending oil regulations, say analysts.
UK to focus on smart grids and nuclear power
Big investments into UK smart grids, offshore wind farms under the Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC) scheme and nuclear power are on the agenda for both the Labour and Conservative parties in the run-up to the UK elections, as the country looks to…
Energy Risk: What's coming next?
Energy Risk brings you a snapshot of what's moving and shaking the markets with a special look at the continuing impact of the financial crisis on utilities.
BP and Devon team up to develop oil sands play
BP and Devon Energy have entered into a joint venture that will use the latter’s in-situ production expertise to develop BP’s Kirby oil sands leases in Alberta, Canada.
IEA revises China oil outlook for 2010
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has revised its global oil demand forecast for the second time this year, following a double digit upwards surge in China’s year-on-year apparent oil demand in January.
CME launches crude palm oil contract
A dollar-denominated, cash-settled crude palm oil futures contract will begin trading on CME Globex on May 23, 2010 under a partnership between CME Group and Bursa Malaysia.
Russia plans pipeline to speed oil feed to China
Russia will start construction on a $1.34 billion oil pipeline link this week, in order to speed up its delivery of crude supplies to China.
CFTC and Ferc continue turf war over transmission rights
Wholesale electricity market participants yesterday called for an exemption for energy end-users from legislation that could see the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) increase its jurisdictional powers over the sector.
EC’s Nabucco pipeline payout a small step in right direction
The European Commission’s announcement of a €200 million payout to the Nabucco pipeline has been welcomed by European utilities, but some experts point out it is only a tiny fraction of the estimated total cost of €7.9 billion.
US coal states rally against EPA’s greenhouse gases plan
US senator John Rockefeller of West Virginia introduced legislation today to suspend potential Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation of greenhouse gases from stationary sources for two years.
Iraq: the new hope for oil supply security?
As international oil companies wade into Iraq, forecasts for Iraqi production now stand as high as 10 million b/d within the decade. However political uncertainty and poor infrastructure leads analysts to caution against relying on Iraq as the next hope…
Tres Amigas could play same role as Henry Hub
Transmission issues continue to dog US green energy revolution. Connecting the three major grids aims to allow renewable energy to be shipped between states, writes Pauline McCallion
Gazprom sates China demand at US expense?
As Gazprom forms closer ties with China for the sale of its gas, Lianna Brinded asks whether the US could soon be forced to pay higher prices for its gas imports
UN seeks alternatives to CDM
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects will not ultimately deliver, so the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) CDM Executive Board is looking at alternative mechanisms to implement beyond 2012, said Martin Hession, who is…
What next for hedge funds in energy?
Hedge funds, which fled the energy markets post-financial crisis, began returning steadily in the second half of 2009. However the influx stopped abruptly at the start of this year. Rachel Morison looks at what’s next for energy hedge funds in the short…
Where to now for the carbon markets?
The Copenhagen climate talks, widely dismissed as a failure, did achieve certain things. Olga Gassan-zade and Kristian Tangen of Point Carbon analyse what the conference means for emissions trading from here
China’s CDM market: Will Shanghai say goodbye to CERs?
With China widely blamed for the failure of Copenhagen, some experts believe CDM investors could now shun the country in favour of India and Brazil, or that the EU may even take action again Chinese CDM certificates, creating a two-tier market. Lianna…
European power: Achieving transparency in Germany
Energy Risk’s series on European power markets focuses this month on Germany, Europe’s biggest power market and one of the best examples of market transparency. Rachel Morison looks at what can be learnt from it
Q&A: Gunvor's Paymon Aliabadi
Privately owned energy trading company Gunvor is the third largest crude oil trader in the world after Glencore and Vitol. It has recently expanded into other energy markets. Paymon Aliabadi, managing director of Gunvor’s global energy group, talks to…
Pass the microphone: Chris Strickland to Ben Preston
This month Chris Strickland of Lacima Group puts his questions to Ben Preston, head of power trading at Macquarie Energy, to gauge his opinions on everything from the impact of financial players on energy markets, to Arsenal football club manager Arsène…
Placing the UK's green energy
The UK’s ambitious renewable energy targets raise questions about how new electricity generators will be connected to the grid and how costs should be spread between system operators and generators. Neil Cornelius and Etienne Gabel look at the latest…
Turning points: John Hattenberger
John Hattenberger, managing director of Gazprom Marketing & Trading USA, speaks to Pauline McCallion about the defining moments of his career within the natural gas sector