Petroleum Review - August 2011
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Perspective – Energy’s looming ‘zone of uncertainty’
BULK STORAGE – GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Bucking the trend
Despite the global recession, operators of independent bulk liquids terminals have enjoyed high utilisation levels, even if throughput has sometimes suffered. More tanks are needed to handle changing trade flows, and operators are responding.
ENERGY – RUSSIA & EUROPE
Blowing hot and cold
Germany’s nuclear phase-out has weakened its power utilities, but energy relations with Russia grow closer, writes Maria Kielmas.
E&P – RUSSIA
Looking East and West
Moscow is chasing new revenue markets, but it is the West that will continue to fund the colossal cost of maintaining Russia’s declining fields, new field development and the delivery grid, reports Nigel Bance.
RUSSIA – DRILLING
A new dawn for Russia
As the largest producer of crude oil in the world, Russia’s economy is dominated by the success of its oil and gas sector. With 6% of proven global oil reserves and the largest gas reserves in the world, there is massive potential for further production growth in Russia, with replacing reserves and investing heavily in greenfield projects major drivers for the industry. Kim Kruschwitz, Vice President – Marketing and Investor Relations, Eurasia Drilling Company (EDC), explains.
WORLD – E&P ANALYSIS
Energy growth rebounds as oil output reaches new record
The 2011 BP Statistical Review of World Energy continues its 60-year tradition of providing reliable and comprehensive data for all those interested in energy production and consumption. The latest issue published in June once again provides a wealth of insights into energy markets in 2010, explains Chris Skrebowski.
Fuelling a loyal customer base
With unleaded petrol hitting the £1.40/l mark in some areas of the UK and oil prices showing no inclination to drop below $112/b, the UK’s fuel retailers are facing a battle for customer loyalty when margins are tight and they can no longer compete on price alone. Paul Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, HTEC, explains.
NORTH SEA – CORROSION MANAGEMENT
Maintaining asset integrity
Much of the current concern in the North Sea over ageing installations revolves around fabric maintenance
and the battle to keep platforms profitable in the face of declining asset integrity. John Bradbury reports.
MEXICO – OIL THEFT
Stealing Mexico’s oil wealth
Vicious drug gangs are behind a surge in the illegal tapping of Mexico’s oil pipelines and there are strong similarities with Nigeria, where such practice has been rampant for the past 40 years, writes Nigel Bance.
E&P – CYBER SECURITY
Focus on digital oil field security
Digital oil field technology – variously called Smart Fields (Shell), i-field (Chevron), Field of the Future (BP) or GeDig (Petrobras) – could prove to be key in the resurgence of the western oil multi-nationals (IOCs), who in recent years have seen their power base eroded by a number of developments, including the growing number of national oil companies (NOCs) that has forced the IOCs to seek their fortune in fields that are difficult to access and expensive to develop, writes Mojgan Djamarani.
OIL & GAS – SECURITY
Smart solutions
Facing risks to the security of their assets and operations, oil and gas companies continue to innovate in multi-application smart card technology. Ian Compton, Regional Director, NEMEA, discusses the benefits of the smart card solution.
EI TECHNICAL – HUMAN FACTORS
New and improved human factors guidance
In 2003, the Energy Institute (EI) published a set of 16 briefing notes on human and organisational factors (HOF).The EI has recently published a new edition with updated and additional content. Here, the briefing notes’ author, Bill Gall, explains.
EUROPE – RENEWABLES
Clean energy boost for eastern Europe
Renewable energy investments may often be low in price, but when there are enough of them, they make a
difference to a region’s energy profile. Such is the case for eastern Europe, where many millions of euros are being invested in green energy projects, reports Mark Rowe.
RESULTS – BG ENERGY CHALLENGE 2011
Energy industry rises to the fundraising challenge
Over 200 participants from across the energy industry took part in the BG Energy Challenge 2011 – UK and helped raise a staggering £236,000 for benefiting charities CARE International, the overseas aid agency, and
Sparks, the children’s medical research charity. Thirty-eight teams, including a team from media partner the Energy Institute (EI), faced orienteering, running, cycling, canoeing and construction stages in and around the Gower Peninsula in South Wales from 7–9 July.
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