Natural Gas May be Key to Future Energy Consumption

The United States needs more natural gas and Qatar, having the world’s third-largest reserves, would like to be its number one supplier. The potential exists because of the millions of dollars the Persian Gulf nation has invested in facilities to cool and liquefy natural gas so that it can be safely loaded on special, double-hulled […]

Householders to generate own electricity

British Gas has announced plans which will allow homeowners to generate their own free supply of electricity from the wind. The countryPublicSector Executive

Gouge On by Jerry Taylor

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina has shocked the nation, but so has the response to that devastation. Anger is surging over the behavior of governmental relief agencies, local law enforcement, the underclass of New Orleans, the National Guard, and the profiteers who are capitalizing on human misery. Regardless of how we feel about the […]

Oil Demand Already Down As Katrina Cuts Supply – IEA

Hurricane Katrina will further weaken world oil demand, already hit by high prices, but it will also tighten inventories of heating fuels as the U.S. enters its peak winter heating season, the International Energy Agency said Friday. The Paris-based IEA said the U.S. could see losses of 23.6 million barrels of distillate output over the […]

Clean energy on a roll

Much of it was under way before Hurricane Katrina hit, but investors and other experts are saying the oil spikes caused by the hurricane damage — New Orleans is a major oil hub — may push investors to renew their efforts in the sector. It may mean that borderline projects — the ones that VCs were on the fence on — might […]

Sun and Sand: Dirty silicon could supply solar power

Scientists have proposed a way to control the distribution of contaminants in silicon, potentially opening up the use of cheaper, “dirtier” starting materials for making solar cells. In a study published in the September Nature Materials, the researchers predict that the strategy could lower production costs of solar cells. ScienceNewsOnline

Tas researchers on the trail of hydro cars

As petrol prices continue to soar, scientists in Tasmania say they are not far from producing cars that run on nothing more than wind and water. The group says such vehicles will be travelling along the state’s roads within a few years. The hydrogen-powered combustion engine is the technology Tasmanian scientists hope will be the […]

Energy Department Awards $16.5 Million for State Energy Savings Projects

Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman announced today that the Department of Energy (DOE) will provide $16,509,819 for 178 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in 42 states.  The funding for these energy-saving projects is being provided through DOE State Energy Program Special Projects competitive grants, and will be awarded in September. State energy offices […]

Devolving power in Iraq threatens oil development

A federal Iraq is likely to plunge the country’s vital oil sector into disarray and hamper much-needed investment if decision-making is decentralised, oil officials and analysts said. Iraq’s interim constitution … could lead to several autonomous zones under which a central government in Baghdad would not have complete control over oil resources. Multinationals would then […]

House, Senate Pass Measures to Ease Gas Burden

Proposals that provide some relief for drivers and state workers hammered by high gas prices passed separate chambers of the General Assembly on Thursday, with Republicans praising the legislation while Democrats said it didn’t go far enough. The House overwhelmingly approved a suspension of the state gas tax for the month of September, voting 164-6. […]

Scots turn to wave power

Renewable wave and tidal energy could provide up to 10% of Scotland’s electricity production and create around 7,000 new jobs under measures announced this week by the Scottish Executive, the devolved Government for Scotland. The EngineerOnline

France threatens new tax on oil companies

French officials are threatening oil companies with new taxes if they don’t lower prices, despite a EU request not to.IrishSun

Global Warming Lawsuit Gets Go-Ahead

A California federal judge has given the green light to a lawsuit alleging two government agencies illegally used $32 billion from U.S. taxpayers to fund fossil-fuel projects that are causing global warming.FindLaw

The sweet road to energy security

Latin American and Caribbean countries like Brazil, Guatemala, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Jamaica– all low-cost sugar cane producers–could become key to U.S. energy security. This is one reason it is good that the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) was approved by Congress. Among other things CAFTA can be a […]

TOD: CNBC’s Cramer Acknowledges Peak Oil and $100/bbl

Jim Cramer, on CNBC, at 6:10-6:20edt discussed Matt Simmons, oil prices, and even took a call on “Hubbert’s Peak!” He also said oil was way too cheap (compared to a gallon of milk) and was going to $100 way before it sees Steve Forbes’ $35/bbl. It was one of the better lay explanations I have […]

Demand For Fuel Seems To Be Falling

Hello, tipping point? Drivers’ demand for gasoline appears to have downshifted since Hurricane Katrina sent pump prices soaring above $3 a gallon across much of the nation. Katrina initially sparked panic buying, sporadic shortages and televised images of long lines at some service stations. Then consumers pulled back as prices hit record highs, analysts said […]

OPEC Output Increases Just 10,000 Barrels Per Day in August, According to Platts

OPEC’s 11 members pumped a total 30.26 million barrels per day (mil b/d) of crude in August, just 10,000 b/d more than their collective output in July, a Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials showed September 9. Excluding Iraq, the ten members with quotas produced an average 28.37-mil b/d in August, 80,000 b/d […]

Backpack generates its own electricity

New design may offer way for relief workers to power crucial equipment In the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina, radio and phone communication suffered, in part, when rechargeable batteries died and could not be recharged due to widespread power outages. A new backpack design may offer a way for first responders and disaster relief workers […]

Where do gas prices go next?

A few critical factors will govern how far gas prices fall from last week’s record levels. Gasoline prices have begun to ease, but even when all Gulf Coast refineries are running again later this year, consumers may not see a full retreat to pre-Katrina levels. That conclusion, analysts say, stems from a simple equation involving […]

France Hints at Tax on Oil Firms

France today raised the prospect of a tax on oil companies to ease the pressure on consumers and businesses from higher energy prices. Thierry Breton, the French finance minister, put forward the idea as EU finance ministers met in Manchester to discuss the impact of higher oil prices.The Guardian

Hurricane Recovery: What Refiners Face and How Long It Might Take

Just how long will badly damaged or flooded Louisiana and Mississippi refineries be down? There’s no shortage of rhetoric on what needs to be done, how long it will take, and the obstacles to be overcome in restoring a sense of normalcy to Katrina-impacted refineries. But the commentary emanating from regulatory press offices or refinery […]

Indonesian output to crash

INDONESIAN oil output will plummet, dropping 50% from current levels within a decade unless government makes it easier for companies to invest, the Indonesian Petroleum Association has warned. Government must scrap regulations that discourage investors, said the association, whose members comprise local and international oil and gas companies operating in the country. These include taxing […]

EU faces Katrina economic effect

Limiting the economic impact of soaring fuel costs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is top of the agenda for European Union talks. Finance ministers and central bankers are meeting in Manchester in their first talks since Katrina pushed crude oil prices to record levels. The EU policy-makers are expected to look at how to […]

Oil rises amid winter price alert

Oil prices rose for the second day running amid predictions from the US that this winter would bring the highest energy costs for a decade. The US Energy Department forecast that petrol would cost 34% more than a year ago this winter. It said natural gas would be 52% more expensive and electricity would cost […]

British Gas prices to rise 14%

British Gas customers are facing higher fuel bills after the company said gas and electricity prices would rise 14%. The firm will increase residential charges across the UK from 19 September, blaming rising oil prices and shrinking domestic gas reserves.BBC

The Oil Drum: MMS Update and Discussion

Today’s shut-in statistics are interesting. It seems that there’s actually more oil shut-in today than there was yesterday; 60.12% as opposed to 57.37% yesterday.Also, they’ve stopped reporting the ‘good news’ of production improvement. No surprise there. More after the jump at The Oil Drum.

Hike has customers fuming

Newburgh For the Petersons, the current bill stands at $420.38 for two months, up from $282.56. Their neighbor, Kelly McDermott, will pay $540.78, up from $276.49. Another neighbor, Roy Arteta, paid $544.73; his last bill was $272.76. “I cried when I wrote the check today,” Arteta said Tuesday. Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record

Putin, Schroeder hail gas pipeline

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) — The leaders of Russia and Germany gave their blessing on Thursday to a gas pipeline deal that cements Berlin’s energy ties to Moscow but which Poland and others fear leaves them vulnerable to the whims of the Kremlin. The deal on the pipeline, which will ship Siberian gas from Russia to […]

Too Much Money

Rising oil prices have filled Russia’s coffers with cash. What to do with the windfall? Some want to save it for a rainy day, others to spend itOil has transformed Russia, or at least Moscow. From its zooming stock market to the new plethora of glitzy restaurants and advertising billboards, evidence of boom times abounds. […]

Malawi appeal gets ‘not a penny’

The United Nation’s $88m food appeal for Malawi has received not a single penny, the organisation has said. Jan Egeland, the UN relief coordinator, called on donors particularly those in the Gulf states benefiting from high oil prices to help out.

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