Policy risk
Seam shifts in central Europe
Gordon Feller looks at the changing coal economies of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia and the effect of electricity sector moves in the region
Climbing the competition Pole
The Polish government hopes to boost competition in the electricity market through a controversial securitisation plan that it will use to buy out long-term contracts between generators and the transmission grid operator. Maria Kielmas reports
US energy prices: in line for a fall?
A combination of concerns in the second half of January 2003 has boosted US oil and natural gas prices to levels not seen since the winter of 2000/2001. Will the higher prices stick? Logical Information Machines examines cause and effect
Judicial stalemate
German natural gas market liberalisation is stalled between the courts and a corporatist business culture, finds Maria Kielmas
Crude oil takes a double hit
Mark Powell of GlobalView Software looks at how crude prices are being affected by the impending war with Iraq and the general strike in Venezuela
Structured finance caught off-balance
Efforts by energy and finance professionals to stress the difference between legitimate off-balance-sheet entities and Enron’s opaque devices have had little impact, as US regulators rush to clean up structured finance. Maria Kielmas reports
Between Kyoto and the caribou
Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change is unlikely to have an effect on the burgeoning Canadian oil and gas sector, as Maria Kielmas discovers
Struggling for integration
Political issues are stalling Mexico’s energy sector reform just as the country is poised to become a major natural gas importer, reports Maria Kielmas
End of an era for GdF
Gaz de France is certain to lose its monopoly position – without it, what strategy can the gas giant adopt in a liberalised European market? Mickael Laurans reports
Weighing up the options
The Brazilian energy market is set for more upheaval as the incoming president seeks a compromise between his campaign promises of greater state control over energy and the goal of attracting foreign investors into the sector. Maria Kielmas reports
A long road to deregulation
Prospex Research’s Ben Tait reports on Spain and Portugal’s progress in integrating their power markets. High ambitions for deregulation are proving difficult to achieve
Looking to the long term
After years of public debate, the European Commission, energy companies and governments of gas-producing countries all seem to agree that long-term gas contracts are here to stay. So why is it still such a big issue, asks Maria Kielmas
Mark-to-market accounting revisited
New risk disclosure and valuation regulations are aiming to revive energy trading in the US, but cumbersome accounting rules may put companies off hedging altogether, finds Catherine Lacoursière
Going short under the SMD
Scott Greene, Mark Niehaus and Pankaj Sahay of PricewaterhouseCoopers look at the effect of settling a short position in the day-ahead market under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proposed standard market design