One problem with defining a peak in global oil production is that it is only really evident some time after the event, when one can look in the rearview mirror and see the transition from a growing oil supply to one that is now declining. Before that relatively absolute point, there will likely come a […]
Tag Archives: ENERGY
27
Jun
Jun
There are some ominous signs that we are beginning to reach a point where it is less economic to look for and develop new supplies of oil, as costs rise, return on investment becomes less certain, and alternate opportunities exist for the funds that promise a better return with a lower initial investment. The problem, […]
How a US decision to allow oil exports could change the world's energy balance The Obama Administration has taken a bold step toward loosening the grip of tense geopolitics on oil prices, reports the Wall Street Journal (paywall), giving the first permission in four decades for the export of unrefined American oil. The decision … […]
23
Jun
Jun
A single picture is sufficient to tell the story of the fate of the Baiji Refinery in Iraq. Recently reached by the ISIS forces, it has been the largest refinery in Iraq, with a capacity of 310 kbd, and has been used to provide products for domestic use. Since it would provide fuel for both […]
18
Jun
Jun
Back some forty years odd years ago when Edward Heath was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the coal industry was still nationalized, the miner’s union went on strike, just after the Christmas Season. This followed an overtime ban that had started the previous November. The strike began on January 9, 1972 and lasted […]
16
Jun
Jun
One of the problems, I suspect, with predictions of future energy use and production is that physical reality can become entangled in the politics of the day. Thus news that tends to negate the optimistic views of future American oil and natural gas production is subsumed by the need to keep the level of those […]
31
May
May
Much is made of large schemes to alter the way in which energy is produced in the United States. Large scale wind farms, and great arrays of solar panels attract large interest and funding, yet it is often in the smaller projects, from the individual solar panels to the change in energy sources for individual […]
Wood has been a source of energy globally since time immemorial. Forests which traditionally provided firewood have been “stripped naked” by people who indiscriminately cut down trees and do not bother to replace them. Heavy extraction coupled with the increasing agricultural activities also threaten natural forests, which for long has been the source of firewood. […]
“Winter is coming.” The gloomy tagline of TV show Game of Thrones, promising cold and darkness, was proclaimed by many social media commentators in response to the news that the controversial Tina Joemat-Pettersson is to take up the role of Minister of Energy. Contrary to apparently widespread belief, managing oversight of Eskom does not currently […]
27
May
May
The recent agreement between Russia and China for the sale of some 38 billion cu m of natural gas a year for 30 years, at a reported price of $ 400 billion ends a long-going negotiation between the two countries over the price of that supply. (Which works out at roughly $ 10 a thousand […]
