About oil and gas exploration

Creating 1 Million Jobs by Oil and Gas Exploration by Kyles Humphrey

2011-10-07T10:19:00.003-07:00

Studies revealed that millions of Americans will get wonderful opportunities to work with oil and gas industry for the next seven years. This will show around $800 reduction in the national debt by 2030. The Scotland-based consulting firm Woods Mackenzie compiled the report that was financed by the American Petroleum Institute, a day before the President Obama demonstrates his long awaited job proposal in front of a joint session of Congress.
The proposal undermines an infrastructure bank, an extension of the payroll tax holiday, oil and gas companies. This will boost hope for job-seekers especially those who are determined to work in forthcoming months. While speaking at an Energy Jobs Summit API President Jack Gerard said that the President Obama believes the industry will show a wide prospectus as well advantageous.
Mr. Gerard pointed out that the President Obama can do lots of things without waiting for energy legislation. He said that the president can look after matters such as an expansion of offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, opening up drilling in the ArcticNational Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), allowing companies to tap reserves in some sections of the Rocky Mountains and embracing the vast natural gas deposits in the Marcellus Shale that stretches from upstate New York as far south as Kentucky. It also comprises trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.
"Supporting a $7 billion the keystone XL pipeline project that will carry crude oil from Canada to states as far south as Texas," Mr. Gerard said. The industry will get ample benefits if it will follow API plan. According to the estimates, more than 1 million jobs in oil would be created by 2018 and it will exceed 1.4 million by 2030. Studies say that at least $36 billion tax revenue will add up into the treasury by 2015 and around $803 billion by 2030.
The report shows that the domestic oil production will jump 35.4 billion barrels of oil by 2030. Hence, it would be a giant step by the United States and the energy security. If such target will be achievable, then all of America's liquid fuels will come from secure North American sources within 15 years.
The liberation in ozone regulations by the President Obama will give freedom in places such as ANWR that is held untouchable by environmentalists. This will offer a wide prospective to investors who are looking for investment in oil.

About the Author

The author is an experienced writer in oil related fields, who frequently writes articles related to oil prices & indexes and crude oil including tips on investment in oil. Please visit oil.com for more details.

Brazil& 39;s state oil plans to expand oil and gas exploration activities in Angola by hi joiney

2011-10-07T10:18:00.002-07:00

angolan state news agency reported today that petrobras (brazil's national / petrobras) plans to expand its and activities in angola. according to angolan news agency said, the brazilian state company in the ceo jiabu li ye li held official talks with angolan president disclosed this during the program to expand and activities. however, angola, brazil's state agency did not disclose the details of the plan. according to the brazilian national site said, the brazilian state present in angola through the and and production activities in the agreement, the company's six offshore blocks in angola owns shares, of which one block has started production of and other district 5 block is still in the exploration phase.angolan state news agency reported today that petrobras (brazil's national / petrobras) plans to expand its and activities in angola. according to angolan news agency said, the brazilian state company in the ceo jiabu li ye li held official talks with angolan president disclosed this during the program to expand and activities. however, angola, brazil's state agency did not disclose the details of the plan. according to the brazilian national site said, the brazilian state present in angola through the and and production activities in the agreement, the company's six offshore blocks in angola owns shares, of which one block has started production of and other district 5 block is still in the exploration phase.angolan state news agency reported today that petrobras (brazil's national / petrobras) plans to expand its and activities in angola. according to angolan news agency said, the brazilian state company in the ceo jiabu li ye li held official talks with angolan president disclosed this during the program to expand and activities. however, angola, brazil's state agency did not disclose the details of the plan. according to the brazilian national site said, the brazilian state present in angola through the and and production activities in the agreement, the company's six offshore blocks in angola owns shares, of which one block has started production of and other district 5 block is still in the exploration phase.angolan state news agency reported today that petrobras (brazil's national / petrobras) plans to expand its and activities in angola. according to angolan news agency said, the brazilian state company in the ceo jiabu li ye li held official talks with angolan president disclosed this during the program to expand and activities. however, angola, brazil's state agency did not disclose the details of the plan. according to the brazilian national site said, the brazilian state present in angola through the and gas exploration and production activities in the agreement, the company's six offshore blocks in angola owns shares, of which one block has started production of oil and other district 5 block is still in the exploration phase.

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Exploration Oil and Gas: An Interestingly High-Risk Investment by Georgette Adanas

2011-10-07T10:18:00.001-07:00

For each oil provider, supplies of gas and oil are their main assets that could possibly be acquired through exploration oil and gas collectively known as hydrocarbons. Such assets are sought in petroleum prospects underneath the surface of the Earth as identified by geologists and geophysicists. The science and technology behind these explorations became sufficiently broad that a discipline known as petroleum geologytook form.

Techniques of exploration

The 1st step of exploration oil and gas includes looking for visible characteristics on the surface such as oil and natural gas seeps. These seeps entail evidence for possibly more hydrocarbons found deeper into this specific area of the Earth. To find out more relevant details regarding this prospect for petroleum, innovative technologies using exploration geophysics are employed.

Studying the geophysical properties of a specified spot would reveal sub-surface geology in which a good part of hydrocarbons is deposited. Devices for gravity, magnetic, and seismic reviews are used so as to characterize the characteristics of interest often known as leads. When a petroleum prospect proficiently passes the criteria for selection founded by the oil provider, funding is released for operations that entail the drilling of an exploration well.

Geological factors important to exploration oil and gas

There are five geological factors that should be existing to ensure that oil firms are assured of the occurrence of oil and gas deposits beneath a specific area. Deficiency of anyone of all these aspects implies that no amount of oil and gas could be found.

A supply rock, which creates the hydrocarbons, ought to initial exist. Supply rocks are described as organic-rich sediments similar to oil shale. Another element that must be investigated is migration, that happens when the source rock expels hydrocarbons. Petroleum geologists also try to find traps. These are traces of hydrocarbon deposits within a structure just like a fault block. A seal or cap-rock ought to also be found covering the hydrocarbon trap. This seal is commonly made of rocks that are impermeable to make sure that hydrocarbons aren't allowed to escape towards the surface. Finally, a porous sandstone known as the reservoir will allow extraction of gas and oil.

Oil reserves and their definitions

Probabilities that stochastically determine the likely existence of oil and gas in a certain geological area are known as oil reserves. Aside from the actual existence of these fuels, manufacturing is also considered a geological risk because it's dependent upon current state of the economy and available technology.

3 categories of oil reserves are known as proven, probable, and possible reserves. With verified reserves, hydrocarbon deposits are fairly sure to be generated. With likely supplies, it's just sensibly probable. Finally, doable reserves are just producible under favorable instances.

Investment risks in oil and gas exploration

Qualified investors who make investments related to exploration gas and oil are normally those who can tolerate high degrees of risk. Considering that it involves a high-risk operation, only national governments or enough large corporations can undertake such big investments amounting to millions of dollars.

About the Author

Georgette Adanas has been writing articles on exploration oil and gas since 2004.

Exploration Potential: Reveal The Truth Buried Oil And Gas by jekky

2011-10-07T10:17:00.002-07:00

Expert voice: "Our pursuit is to approach the maximum ground truth." Exploration and Development Institute, said Chief Expert Mu small water.

"Looking for reserves is to find food." Speaking of the importance of oil and gas exploration, Geophysical Institute, chief expert Liu Zhongliang said.

"As long as the ideology is not aging, old liberated areas have youthful exuberance." Exploration Management Planning Section exploration exploration exploration for old host XU Jun-jie on confidence.

After 30 years of exploration and development of the Depression, becoming more exploration, more and more low single well controlled reserves, increasing reserves blocks of small, broken, deep. But in recent years oil field in eastern sag adhere to the guidance for detailed exploration of the implementation of integrated exploration and development operations, the new block close to the zone proved reserves, proved reserves of high quality, level of reserves available from 65% to the current 93% of the overall efficiency of exploration and development of improved, as reserves to ensure stability Dongpu key factor.

Adhere to deepen the basic research to guide the micro-macro analysis of reservoir distribution, and gradually understand the ground truth

"We are currently facing the main exploration targets in the complex layer structure, fracture zones, under the deep depression, construction plunge end and junction, detailed exploration is the only option." Exploration and Development Institute of Survey and planning director Jia Yan ? said.

However, the precise exploration does not mean "small", the opposite is more necessary for macro strategies and theories for guidance. Jia Yan? That, if not to give priority to basic research, but the blind pursuit of the so-called "small" and "small", the point was kept after the result is often "Mangrenmoxiang" can only get some one-sided.

To basic research objectives, oil has in the "civilized Walled regional fracture reservoir characterization and reservoir prediction," "East sag Salt Lake sedimentary basin, sand 3 sand system and control mechanism", "Western Slope faults on sedimentation and hydrocarbon accumulation in the role of "" Pu Wei Depression vaginal discharge of hydrocarbon accumulation mechanism and distribution "," horse factory area of fault systems and structural transformation "gained a new research.

Particularly in recent years carried out a "complex fault blocks east sag potential oil and gas exploration and objective evaluation" as the subject of basic research, but also played a micro-macro theory to guide the role of technical operations. Oil geologists through the application of the concept of fault blocks and ideas, zoning, zoning, classification based on the depression forming to study law, to establish a suitable complex fault blocks Dongpu depression reservoir real exploration of the theoretical system, the East sag stable resource base of deepening established 8 accumulation model, the basic grasp of the various fault blocks of the reservoir model and various fault blocks the main controlling factors of enrichment and distribution of the effective guidance of the fine old oil field exploration.

Law once mastered, it is precise evaluation of complex fault blocks Dongpu old liberated areas, and actively explore the new area with new layers and new types of oil and gas reservoirs, oil and gas buried underground to find the truth and understanding to provide the theoretical support.

Is complex fault blocks according to established oil and gas reservoir evaluation criteria, in recent years, oil field in East sag implemented 40 fault blocks, 477 block and 128 million tons of trap resource to further strengthen the field to achieve stable growth Dongpu depression storage confidence.

Big problem is complicated further by the simple accumulation of small problems, is a detailed exploration of Dongpu Category exploration, Sidelights for the whole process

"Delicious pomegranate, seeds difficult to peel," the exploration plan in the exploration, director of the Department of Management Xi Li, mind, anatomy is a pomegranate exploration for old separate the "seed" and "skin" of the process. To this end, Li Chun Hei cited three examples of the West Wing set structure. Their original structure that the West Wing Sanchunji relatively far away from the oil source, trap types to the formation of reverse faults dip east block, oil and gas enrichment poor, less exploration, not be evaluated. 2009, oil use target processing seismic data set of three spring structure and sediment 3, 2, 3 sand and sand under the top three lines for the next 4 overall evaluation of the three layers, the implementation of the 13 favorable drilling targets. While drilling the reservoir evaluation in the West Wing Chun 9-50 Well well, spring 16 side of the well were three in the sand, sand three times daily output of 23 tons and was 15 tons of high-yield industrial oil flow, show good exploration of the structure development prospects.

The face of domestic oil fields east of the most complex, technical staff to realize that the complex is not terrible, terrible is not found the means to solve complicated problems.

Category exploration, Sidelights exploration work for the whole idea, no doubt a large oil field exploration and field staff to resolve numerous conflicts Dongpu "weapon."

Hand this "weapon" to complex fault block oil reservoir forming Theory, formulated the "persist in relying on the old liberated areas, to find a good forming conditions; adhere to the hierarchical system evaluation as a means to find enrichment; adhere to the detailed anatomy of the core reservoir, looking for implementation; adhere to the efficiency, look for the shallow; adhere to the three-dimensional seismic data based on quality, take a big look "old liberated areas classification and evaluation of the exploration approach. As a result, oil will seemingly complex scientific Dongpu oil into the relatively simple to conduct a variety of different types of targeted treatment.

Oil has in the central uplift of Dongpu low degree of exploration area in southern New Haw, exploration Sanchunji structure made a breakthrough, vaginal discharge depression in the western slopes made great progress in exploration, in the northern part of the central uplift Wenliu, Castle Construction exploration good results, in Pu Wei, Wen stay, Hu - Qing, Bridge port, New Fok, Ma factory area proved Oil Geological reserves of 28.28 million tons, proved Natural gas Geological reserves of 2.922 billion cubic meters, achieved Dongpu steady growth in proved reserves in old revolutionary bases.

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New 36: private capital into the energy field there are three difficult - new, 36, private capital - by hi joiney

2011-10-07T10:17:00.001-07:00

(625, 'HC Environmental Network quot State Council to encourage and guide private investment Health Development of a number of Opinion quot to encourage private capital participation Oil Natural gas development In this regard the trade figures in an interview with Shanghai Securities News said on private capital this is a big plus But now private capital into Energy There are three main areas of difficulty br br Difficult than is currently the largest available for distribution to a few blocks of private capital Although the quot opinion quot explicitly quot support private capital into the oil and gas exploration and development quot But the industry said quot China blocks for exploration and development a decade ago was registered over not to mention private capital even if like other state owned enterprises involved in oil and gas exploration and development it is difficult to pin inserted quot br br To CITIC Group for example the oil business has long been clear for the company 39 s main business the company has been Dagang oil field and other exploration blocks some blocks but not the oil and some blocks of hard mining eventually the majority of without success br br Industry said quot can not say that the land has no blocks but has not been registered more difficult to block the development economic value is difficult to find quot Onshore oil resources in the Source Increasingly nervous at the same time offshore oil more and more intense competition Thus private capital to enter the offshore oil exploration more difficult br br As a pioneer of offshore oil development the Chinese offshore oil group has most of the offshore blocks of development rights although in recent years PetroChina and Sinopec also recognized the potential of offshore oil but the two giant offshore blocks are approved do not add up and one fifth of CNOOC Insiders believe that quot the two giants 39 sea 39 are so difficult let alone private company quot br br Private capital into the energy field of the second difficulty is that there is no entry point quot Opinions quot in support of private capital quot and the state owned oil companies Cooperation To carry out oil and gas exploration and development quot But for the domestic block a state owned enterprises do not lack technology and no shortage of money no power and private enterprise cooperation As for the international block the host government in order to get more support state owned enterprises are more willing and local energy companies private companies have no advantage br br Private capital into the energy field of the third difficulty is the lack of pricing power and bargaining power quot Opinions quot clear quot to support construction of private capital shares of crude oil natural gas refined oil storage and transportation and pipeline transportation facilities and networks quot In this regard the experts say to natural gas storage device for example to build a natural gas storage tank a one time investment in a lot of money but did not block domestic exploration and development rights gas installation is completed private enterprises will have to purchase natural gas to the state owned enterprises In the monopoly market structure the private enterprises have little bargaining power br br For users the price of natural gas pricing of goods belonging to the Government private companies can not arbitrarily pass through price increases the cost Thus caught in the state owned enterprises and private gas enterprises between users often in a very awkward position br br However Fortunately under the relevant departments including natural gas resource price reform is expected to speed private capital participation in oiland gas development in the quot ceiling quot is about to loose br br Industry said that if the above three problems can be solved step by step quot to encourage private capital participation in oil and gas development quot will be truly implemented ')

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Hurricane Season Has Many Speculating over Potential Oil and Natural Gas Supply Disruptions and Higher Energy Prices by Anne-Marie Fleming

2011-10-07T10:16:00.002-07:00

NaturalGasStocks.com Looks at how Oil and Natural Gas Industry Participants, Chesapeake Energy, Eden Energy, Petrol Oil and Gas and Goodrich Petroleum Prepare for the 2006 Storm Season
Ann-Marie Fleming, http://www.NaturalGasStocks.com
June 2006
With the 2006 hurricane season underway, the potential impacts of what the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts to be a highly active season are being evaluated. "For the 2006 north Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA is predicting 13 to 16 named storms, with eight to 10 becoming hurricanes, of which four to six could become 'major' hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher," described retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. Although NOAA is not forecasting a repeat of last year's season, the potential for hurricanes striking the U.S. is high." (See Figure 1)

With the oil and gas sector, and in particular the Gulf region, still recovering from the devastation caused by Katrina, a damaging 2006 storm season could escalate industry pressures through additional disruptions and shut-ins, leading to higher energy prices. Industry participants Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK), Eden Energy Corp (OTCBB: EDNE), Petrol Oil and Gas (OTCBB: POIG) and Goodrich Petroleum (NYSE: GDP) forge ahead with their pursuit of increased exploration, development and production levels, with a close eye on Gulf coast weather activities.

The risks associated with an intense summer are amplified as the Gulf region is still recovering from the effects of last year's storm season. As Don Sharpe, CEO of Eden Energy Corp. (OTCBB: EDNE), an oil and gas exploration and development company describes, "Deep Gulf of Mexico oil production has been the only area of significant US oil production growth during the past decade compared to Alaska, shallow Gulf production and the lower 48 states where production has been declining. I think almost 20% of Gulf oil production will still be shut in at the start of the season as a result of last year's hurricane activity."

In addition to the highly anticipated activity of storms along the coast, the nation is also facing the challenges of hot temperatures that accompany the summer months ahead. Paul Branagan, President of Petrol Oil and Gas, Inc. (OTCBB: POIG) explains, "Most of the country is already experiencing some pretty high temperatures and given that summer is still about two weeks off this means that the utilities usage of fossil fuels is and will probably continue at high levels throughout the summer. That demand mixed with the potential adverse effects of the hurricane season suggests that the oil and gas market will remain extremely volatile and producers both big and small will have to work hard to maintain supply."

While there is anticipation for an active storm season due to numerous variables, most experts do not anticipate the level of activity we saw last year. Jon Davis, Meteorologist with Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) explains, "Last year was an exceedingly unique situation on many different levels and based on the significant differences in last year's conditions that produced a record number of storms in the Gulf, and what we have going on right now, we do not expect the same level this year. While Chesapeake does not have any operations in the Gulf region, from an overall energy macro standpoint we monitor weather activity in the tropics and risks to the Gulf of Mexico on a daily basis to assess the potential market and supply impacts."

The anxiety that surrounds this season has become a factor when evaluating the potential impacts on the industry. As Ron Gist with Purvin & Gertz, an independent energy industry consulting firm describes, "Based on the issue of hurricanes I absolutely think that there is going to be some strength to the prices. However, people are immediately jumping to the conclusion that the hurricane, if one hits, will damage production, but what happened last season was that despite the production that was knocked out, there was also a considerable reduction in demand. Chemical plants, refineries, power generating plants, etc were shut down balancing the market since we lost approximately the same amount of demand as we lost in production."

Industry Impact

With a pull back on natural gas prices due to a mild winter, weather once again holds the wildcard on price influence as we move forward into the summer months. According to Jeff Mobley, Vice President, of Investor Relations and Research for Chesapeake Energy, "To the extent that you would actually have a hurricane interrupt production it would have material impact. Gas prices have fallen substantially and are well below price parity with crude oil because of excess amount of gas on the market. This disparity is largely caused by one the mildest if not the mildest winter on record in the U.S. so there is a huge overhang of gas. There is a limited amount of storage so one way or the other the market has to work through that and at the moment it appears that it will be doing this through lower prices. To the extent that you take production offline in the Gulf of Mexico that would very quickly fix the short term supply and demand imbalance and gas prices would go up materially."

Goodrich Petroleum's (NYSE: GDP) President, Robert Turnham, expressed unease over this year's predictions and the potential industry impacts that may result if these forecasts prove accurate. "We are very concerned with the potential effects of another active hurricane season. The impact to the supply system for oil and gas depends on the path of the hurricanes. If they take the same path as last year we will once again have a tremendous amount of production shut-in and potentially lost due to wind and storm surge damage and we could also see further destruction of demand for natural gas as we saw last summer when many of the gas fired processing plants and refineries were shut-in for several months."

According to Turnham, Goodrich Petroleum will not be drilling any wells in South Louisiana during the hurricane season, to minimize the risk of downtime costs.

At a time when the nation is working to build energy independence, hurricane activity jeopardizes these efforts, however it may also create a re-prioritization of oil and gas drilling regions. Eden's Don Sharpe explains, "Another year similar to last year will definitely result in increased US dependency on imported oil, add to energy prices and escalate the importance of onshore energy exploration. Many of the nation's refineries are located in the Gulf so I would certainly expect gas prices to increase."

With this in mind, many domestic oil and gas companies are working to increase exploration, development and production to continue to meet the growing energy demands. "Our company continues to acquire and develop a very high quality portfolio of large prospects in the US with the objective of finding and developing major sources of oil and gas for America. Our strategy will remain unchanged. I think our shareholders recognize this and have shown an inspiring level of support," adds Sharpe

Coal Bed Methane producer Petrol Oil and Gas, has moved forward with financing to accelerate development of its gas fields in eastern Kansas in anticipation of a demand driven market this fall resulting from a hot summer and the impact of the hurricane season on supply. Paul Branagan describes, "Given the adversities of any new field development and the complexities of de-watering our coal bed methane reserves production tends to lag a bit defying our best efforts at projecting definitive production rates. This difficulty in projecting supply appears to be systemic in the oil and gas industry given the nature of unconventional oil and gas and the scope and size they now play in supply".

Are We Prepared?

There are differing opinions on the level of preparedness as we move into the 2006 hurricane season. Some believe that with repairs and restoration still occurring in the Gulf as a result of the 2005 season, we have not been in a position to fully prepare for another volatile session. Sharpe explains, "Knowing that so much production is still offline in the Gulf, that is, not even repaired after last year's Hurricane season, it is hard to claim that the industry is prepared for similar weather conditions."

However there are some that feel that last year's damage has resulted in a harsh lesson in securing infrastructure to better combat the destructive powers of costal storms.

As Ron Gist describes, "The industry has learned from last year's season in terms of what needs to be done to help them to be better prepared this season and are reinforcing structures through a variety of means, therefore the damage probably wouldn't be as bad the second time around."

With the level of storms seen last year, even the most prepared are facing extreme challenges in trying to reduce the impacts of high categorized hurricanes. Robert Turnham explains the reality of the situation, "I believe the nation is certainly more prepared this year due to last year's experience, however there is only so much preparation that can be done. There is very little the industry can do to protect against the effects of hurricanes. We cannot build an infrastructure that can withstand category four or five winds, nor can we protect against storm surges that can totally submerge facilities, so the industry will always be susceptible to widespread damage."

The Big Picture

While the final industry picture still remains to be determined, the anxiety and the likelihood of an active hurricane season have many speculating on higher oil and gas prices as our energy infrastructure along the Gulf remains vulnerable. Onshore exploration, development and production increases will help to offset potential disruptions along the coast as the nation prepares for a volatile summer. One thing is certain; this season will be one of the closest watched storm seasons to date.

Figure 1

Source: NOAA

Ann-Marie Fleming

Ann-Marie Fleming completed her MBA in the United States, where she attended Webster University. She also holds an Honors B.A from the University of Toronto. She has over sixteen years of experience within the financial industry to include retail banking and brokerage, investment banking, and mortgage brokerage within the United States and Canada, with a firm background in corporate research.

Disclaimer: http://www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp

�Copyright InvestorIdeas 2006

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Premier Energy Corporation Setting Standards in Oil Exploration by JohnSmiths

2011-10-07T10:16:00.001-07:00

Premier Energy Corporation (PNRC.OB) is one of those companies setting standards in the oil and gas exploration industry, set to make sure oil and gas reserves have been found in the areas of exploration. PNRC.OB engages in the production and exploration of gas and oil reserves and properties within the Russian Federation.

Premier Energy PRNC.OB aptly delves into Oil production through its subsidiary in Russia, Karbon CJSC, a major holder of a license that gives it the mandate to explore and produce gas and oil within the Oilfield in North-Kopanskoye by the Volga-Urals Basin. Premier Energy Corporation is a company with a vision, setting not only its own standards but also international ones in the exploration and production of gas, mostly in Russia. It realizes that to grow a company must focus on tenets that are set to make it rise through the competitive oil and gas production, not only through good relationship with its stakeholders but through the incorporation of other ideals as well.

This includes the use of the latest technology in oil production and exploration while making sure its personnel are well equipped with the emerging technologies and are in tandem with any change in technology and innovation. Premier Energy Corporation realizes that to succeed it must follow the laws of the country of operation, the reason why its international status and regional presence is strengthened through being in good standing with the Florida State's laws in the United States while following the same closely and successfully while operating in Russia through Karbon CJSC.

Premier Energy Corporation has a presence that is vastly becoming international in nature, from having its headquarters in Dallas, Texas, in the United States and operating its stakes across the world in regional operating offices in such places as the Russia Federation. There is a tremendous potential in the oil and gas industry, and as the demand keeps rising, Premier Energy is aptly set and cut out to capture the investment opportunities that are being created through the quick changing energy and fuels markets, not only in the United States and Russia but also across the world.

Premier Energy Corporation has as its initial focus and consideration being natural gas and crude oil production, mostly within the Russian Federation and its distribution to worldwide consumers. This is what the company sees as some of the steps that will see it rise beyond the set standards in the competitive gas and oil industry, while its history and foundation as a major stakeholder in the oil industry already strong due to its experience in the industry running over decades.

In essence, premier Energy Corp has its inherent opportunities having been dully developed through the work of its founders and experienced management team, a circle of influential and gifted persons that has given the company over 75 years experience within the ever-demanding energy sector. Premier Energy realizes that to make it in such a lucrative but demanding industry, a company must have a good base, from its team of workers to the overall company experience, something it has in plenty.

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Premier Energy Corporation engages in Oil and Gas Production and Exploration, mostly within the Russian Federation. For more information, you can visithttp://premieroilco.com.

China& 39;s mining fixed assets increased by 18.2% in 2009 - medical aluminium crutches Manufacturer by hi joiney

2011-10-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Recently, Land and Natural Resources Minister Xu Shaoshi said that in 2009, an increase of 18.2% of mining fixed assets, while oil and gas and solid mineral exploration, the total investment of 83 billion yuan, and made great progress. He believes that by 2010, the global mining industry will be adjusted upward shocks, and our mineral resources prospecting and exploitation will still be a good momentum. Xu Shaoshi said that in 2009, China's oil and gas and solid mineral drilling capacity of 24 million meters, oil and gas exploration in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, northeastern Sichuan, South China Sea, a new breakthrough, coal exploration in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, large fully equipped to find high-quality coal, iron Mineral exploration in Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong goldexploration in a new breakthrough. In addition, the 2009 non-ferrous metal exploration in the different sections of the new progress there, geological prospecting work in Tibet, Qinghai, Yunnan, eastern Inner Mongolia, northern Heilongjiang great resource strategy continuation region has made great progress.Recently, Land and Natural Resources Minister Xu Shaoshi said that in 2009, an increase of 18.2% of mining fixed assets, while oil and gas and solid mineral exploration, the total investment of 83 billion yuan, and made great progress. He believes that by 2010, the global mining industry will be adjusted upward shocks, and our mineral resources prospecting and exploitation will still be a good momentum. Xu Shaoshi said that in 2009, China's oil and gas and solid mineral drilling capacity of 24 million meters, oil and gas exploration in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, northeastern Sichuan, South China Sea, a new breakthrough, coal exploration in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, large fully equipped to find high-quality coal, iron Mineral exploration in Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong gold exploration in a new breakthrough. In addition, the 2009 non-ferrous metal exploration in the different sections of the new progress there, geological prospecting work in Tibet, Qinghai, Yunnan, eastern Inner Mongolia, northern Heilongjiang great resource strategy continuation region has made great progress.

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Suncor Energy Inc. - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profilewebmaster@aarkstore.com by Aarkstore Enterprise

2010-03-01T04:51:00.001-08:00

Suncor Energy Inc. (Suncor) is an integrated energy company, engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, production and marketing of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. It transports and refines crude oil, and markets petroleum and petrochemical products. Suncor also invests in wind power and biofuels. It is focused on developing one of the world's largest petroleum resource basins, Canada's Athabasca oil sands. The company is headquartered at Alberta, Canada. Suncor extracts and upgrades oil sands and markets refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, while the company's operations throughout Western Canada produce natural gas.

Suncor Energy Inc. - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profile is an essential source for company data and information. The profile examines the company's key business structure and operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key revenue lines and strategy as well as highlighting the company's major recent financial deals.

Scope

- Provides key company information for business intelligence needs - Gives information on the company's major recent financial deals including Mergers and Acquisitions, asset transactions, PE/VC deals, equity offerings, debt offerings and partnerships. - Data is supplemented with details on the company's history, key executives, business description, locations and subsidiaries as well as a list of products and services and the latest available company statement. Table of Contents : Table Of Contents 2 List of Tables 3 List of Figures 3 Suncor Energy Inc., Alternative Energy, Deals By Year, 2004 to YTD 2009 4 Suncor Energy Inc., Alternative Energy Deals By Type, 2004 to YTD 2009 5 Suncor Energy Inc., Alternative Energy, Deals By Region, 2004 to YTD 2009 6 Suncor Energy Inc., Alternative Energy, Deals By Sector, 2004 to YTD 2009 7 Suncor Energy Inc., Alternative Energy, Deals Summary, 2004 to YTD 2009 8 Suncor Energy Inc., Alternative Energy, Deal Details 9 Suncor Energy Completes Senior Unsecured Notes Offering Of $1,250 Million 9 Suncor Energy Completes Senior Unsecured Notes Offering Of $750 Million 10 Suncor Energy Completes Public Offering Of $698 Million 11 Suncor Energy Raises $400 Million Of Senior Unsecured Notes 12 Suncor Energy Completes Public offering Of $750 Million Of Senior Unsecured Notes 13 Suncor Energy Completes Offering Of $517 Million 14 Merger 15 Suncor Energy To Merge With Petro-Canada 15 Partnerships 17 Lignol Energy Terminates Joint Venture With Suncor Energy 17 Suncor Energy Forms Joint Venture With Acciona Energy 18 Acciona Wind Energy, Enbridge And Suncor Energy Form Joint Venture 19 Enbridge Partners With Suncor Energy And EHN 20 Venture Financing 21 GreatPoint Energy Raises $100 Million In Series C Financing Round 21 Key Competitors 23 Key Employees 23 Locations And Subsidiaries 24 Head Office 24 Other Locations & Subsidiaries 24 Appendix 26 Methodology 26 About Global Markets Direct 26 Contact Us 26 Disclaimer 26

To know more about this report kindly visit: http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/Suncor-Energy-Inc-Alternative-Energy-Deals-and-Alliances-Profile-15469.html

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We specialize in providing online market business information on market research reports, books, magazines, conference booking at competitive prices, and strive to provide excellent and innovative service to our customers.

JSC Gazprom Neft - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profile--Aarkstore Enterprise Market Research Aggregation by Aarkstore Enterprise

2010-03-01T04:50:00.001-08:00

JSC Gazprom Neft (Gazprom Neft) is a vertically integrated Russian oil and gas company. It is among the top ten oil and gas companies in Russia and is the largest subsidiary of the Gazprom Group. The company's principal activities include the exploration and development of oil and gas fields; production and processing of oil and gas; refining, manufacture and sale of oil and related products. The company's upstream activities in Russia are concentrated in Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous district, Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district, Tomskaya regions, krasnoyarskiy Territory, Anadyrskiy Creek and Chukotka autonomous district.

JSC Gazprom Neft - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profile is an essential source for company data and information. The profile examines the company's key business structure and operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key revenue lines and strategy as well as highlighting the company's major recent financial deals.

Scope

To know more about this report kindly visit: http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/JSC-Gazprom-Neft-Alternative-Energy-Deals-and-Alliances-Profile-15468.html

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Mining Our Own Oil and Gas by Alfonzo Young

2010-03-01T04:47:00.002-08:00

Opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas exploration is more than a first step toward a sound energy policy; it is vital to our national security.

Americans will depend on liquid fossil fuels for transportation for many decades to come. Because of this, the Middle East has a stranglehold on the U.S. that cannot be allowed to continue.

Unfortunately, for now, the U.S. has little choice about being involved in the region-a large fraction of the world's easily accessible oil is found there. And international economic realities mandate that cheaper oil will be used before investments are made to bring more expensive reserves to market.

U.S. security interests in the Middle East revolve around two issues: the free flow of oil from the region at a reasonable price; and the curtailment of funds supporting terrorism as well as the export of Wahhabism, the intolerant form of Islam that had its birth in Saudi Arabia.

A continuing dependence on this region is not in our best interests and is becoming very costly in terms of dollars and blood. Therefore, developing new sources of oil is about national security. Indeed, the Iraq war is about oil in the sense that it is about dealing with Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi regime is facing an increasingly radicalized Sunni majority and a marginalized and restive Shi'ite minority. With the Shi'ites likely to dominate Iraq, the war has served to bring pressure on the Saudi regime to crack down on Islamic radicals and preachers and become serious about curtailing the funding of terrorists.

As oil reserves are depleted in the Middle East, the cost of extracting oil will rise. When this cost roughly equals the cost of extraction elsewhere, the importance of the Gulf as a source of oil to the rest of the world will decline.

There is plenty of oil, but not at today's relatively cheap production costs.

Shale oil, for example, exists in huge quantities in four Western states. But development of techniques for recovery of such oil is years away and likely to be very costly.

Current world oil prices, however, can be moderated by the availability of relatively small amounts of oil. And that is where ANWR comes in.

ANWR is estimated by the Department of Energy to equal as much as 30 years of imports from Saudi Arabia. More important, it is oil that can be brought into production quickly using conventional techniques, thereby being able to moderate prices in the near term.

With modern directional drilling techniques, the oil can be extracted from as little as 2,000 of ANWR's 19,500,000 acres-all of which is contained within land originally set aside for possible future oil and gas production when the refuge was established. Combined with other techniques, hazards to the environment can be virtually eliminated.

In the past, both the U.S. House and Senate have approved opening ANWR to oil and gas production, but have failed to agree on the exact form of the legislation. It would seem that now, with dependency on Middle Eastern oil threatening our safety and our economy, those bodies should find a way to come together on a plan to develop our own natural resources and lessen money flowing into hostile hands.

Gerald E. Marsh is a physicist, retired from Argonne National Laboratory, who has worked and published widely in the areas of science, nuclear power and foreign affairs. He was a consultant to the Department of Defense on strategic nuclear technology and policy in the Reagan, Bush and Clinton administrations, and served with the U.S. START delegation in Geneva.

Many consider opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas exploration a first step toward a sound energy policy.

About the Author

Information on rabbit illnesses can be found at the Types Of Rabbits site.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profile--Aarkstore Enterprise Market Research Aggregation by Aarks

2010-03-01T04:47:00.001-08:00

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) is a vertically integrated energy and chemical company. The company along with its subsidiaries is engaged in the exploration for and development, production and trading of crude oil and natural gas; processing of crude oil into refined oil products; production of refined oil products and trading, transportation, distribution and marketing of refined oil products; and production, distribution and trading of petrochemical products, chemical fibers, chemical fertilizers and other chemical products; and storage and pipeline transportation of crude oil and natural gas.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profile is an essential source for company data and information. The profile examines the company's key business structure and operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key revenue lines and strategy as well as highlighting the company's major recent financial deals.

Scope

Table of Contents : Table Of Contents 2 List of Tables 2 List of Figures 2 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Alternative Energy, Deals By Year, 2004 to YTD 2009 3 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Alternative Energy Deals By Type, 2004 to YTD 2009 4 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Alternative Energy, Deals By Region, 2004 to YTD 2009 5 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Alternative Energy, Deals By Sector, 2004 to YTD 2009 6 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Alternative Energy, Deals Summary, 2004 to YTD 2009 7 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Alternative Energy, Deal Details 8 Partnerships 8 Novozymes And COFCO Enters Into Partnership With Sinopec 8 IndianOil And Sinopec Form Partnership 9 China Petroleum & Chemical And Royal Dutch Shell Forms Sinopec and Shell (Jiangsu) Petroleum Marketing 10 Key Competitors 11 Key Employees 11 Locations And Subsidiaries 12 Head Office 12 Other Locations & Subsidiaries 12 Appendix 14 Methodology 14 About Global Markets Direct 14 Contact Us 14 Disclaimer 14

To know more about this report kindly visit: http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/China-Petroleum-Chemical-Corporation-Alternative-Energy-Deals-and-Alliances-Profile-15477.html

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BP p.l.c. - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profile--Aarkstore Enterprise Market Research Aggregation by Aarkstore Enterprise

2010-03-01T04:46:00.001-08:00

BP p.l.c. (BP) is one of the largest vertically integrated oil and gas companies in the world. Its operations include the exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil; refining of crude oil; manufacturing of petroleum products; marketing of refined products; construction and mining; and transportation of crude oil. It is also involved in the marketing and trading of gas and power, marketing of liquefied natural gas (LNG), natural gas liquids (NGLs) and low-carbon power generation. BP has operations spread over six continents spanning more than 100 countries. The company is headquartered in London, UK.

BP p.l.c. - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profile is an essential source for company data and information. The profile examines the company's key business structure and operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key revenue lines and strategy as well as highlighting the company's major recent financial deals.

Scope

Table of Contents :

Table Of Contents 2 List of Tables 3 List of Figures 4 BP p.l.c., Alternative Energy, Deals By Year, 2004 to YTD 2009 5 BP p.l.c., Alternative Energy, Deals By Year, 2004 to YTD 2009 5 BP p.l.c., Alternative Energy Deals By Type, 2004 to YTD 2009 6 BP p.l.c., Alternative Energy, Deals By Region, 2004 to YTD 2009 7 BP p.l.c., Alternative Energy, Deals By Sector, 2004 to YTD 2009 8 BP p.l.c., Alternative Energy, Deals Summary, 2004 to YTD 2009 9 BP p.l.c., Alternative Energy, Deal Details 11 Asset Purchase 11 BP Alternative Energy Acquires Wind Energy Conversions Assets 11 BP Acquires Whiting Clean Energy Power Plant From NiSource 12 Acquisition 13 BP And Electricite de France Plan To Acquire Stakes In Turkish Companies 13 BP Acquires 50% Stake In Tropical BioEnergia 14 BP Acquires Texaco Raffinaderij Pernis From Chevron 15 Clipper Windpower Sells 85% Interest In Silver Star I Power To BP Alternative 16 BP Alternative Energy North America Acquires Orion Energy 17 BP Alternative Energy Acquires Greenlight Energy 18 BP Canada Energy Acquires NG Energy Trading From Alliant Energy Resources 19 BP Completes 3.13% Senior Notes Offering For $1,500 Million 20 BP Completes 3.88% Senior Notes Offering For $750 Million 21 BP Completes 4.75% Senior Notes Offering For $1,000 Million 22 BP Plans To Sell Bonds For $500 Million 23 BP Completes Senior Notes Offering Of $8,000 Million 24 Divestiture - Assets 25 Dominion Acquires 50% Interest In Fowler Ridge Wind Farm From BP Alternative 25 Divestiture - Company 26 Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera Acquires Stake In BP Malaysia From BP 26 Flaga Plyn spol Acquires BP Czech LPG From BP Czech 27 Partnerships 28 BP Enters Into Joint Venture With Verenium 28 BP To Enter Into Joint Venture With Chinese Academy Of Sciences 29 JA Solar To Enter Into Joint Venture With BP Alternative Energy 30 Clipper Windpower Enters Into Joint Venture With BP Alternative Energy 31 Dominion And BP Alternative Energy North America Enters Into An Agreement To Jointly Develop Wind Farms 32 DuPont Forms Partnership With BP 33 NRG Energy Enters Into A 50-50 Joint Venture With BP Alternative Energy 34 D1 Oils Form A Joint Venture With BP 35 BP And CAS Forge Partnership For Clean Energy Commercialization 36 BP Forms Joint Venture With Associated British Foods And Dupont 37 Synthetic Genomics Forms Joint Venture With BP 38 Mendel Biotechnology And BP Form Partnership 39 GE Energy Forms Joint Venture With BP To Develop And Deploy Hydrogen Power Technologies 40 GE And BP Form Alliance To Develop And Deploy Hydrogen Power Technologies 41 BP And Rio Tinto Enters Into A Joint Venture To Form Hydrogen Energy International 42 Ridgeline Energy And BP Forms Joint Venture 43 BP Solar And Old Country Roofing Form Partnership 44 BP Forms A Joint Venture With DuPont 45 BP Forms Joint Venture With Edison Mission Group 46 BP Solar International And China Xinjiang SunOasis Co. Form BP SunOasis Company 47 BP Solar International And China Xinjiang SunOasis Co. Form BP SunOasis (Prime) 48 BP Enters Into Joint Venture With ConocoPhillips, Shell And Scottish And Southern Energy 49 Venture Financing 50 Qteros Secures $25 Million In Series B Financing 50 BrightSource Energy Secures $115 Million In Series C Financing 51 Synthetic Genomics Completes Second Round Of Financing 53 Key Competitors 54 Key Employees 54 Locations And Subsidiaries 55 Head Office 55 Other Locations & Subsidiaries 55 Appendix 57 Methodology 57 About Global Markets Direct 57 Contact Us 57

To know more about this report kindly visit: http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/BP-p-l-c-Alternative-Energy-Deals-and-Alliances-Profile-15690.html

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Why You Should Invest In the Natural Gas ETF by Jay McGee

2009-11-13T23:53:00.000-08:00

A wise investor knows that in order to succeed and to make money investing, they must diversify their investment portfolio. Take a look at one of the greatest investors ever, Warren Buffet. Look at the number of companies that are under his direction at Berkshire Hathaway.
Owning a Natural Gas ETF can help you diversify your portfolio. You can think of Natural Gas ETF as a Natural Gas Mutual Fund.The world needs energy. Increasing populations and the raising of living standards will create new demands for energy. Natural gas is used to generate electricity at power plants. Do you think energy usage will be going down with today's electronic needs?

You can easily trade the Gas ETFs. These ETFs are traded like stocks. You and enter buy and sell orders, stop and market orders. You can trade the ETF through your stockbroker. There are several Natural Gas ETFs to trade. Some are based on the natural gas futures contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Others are based on various oil and gas exploration and production companies.

Since they trade like stocks, you can use your existing stock account to trade them. You can even trade them in your IRA account and your SEP-IRA account. You can enter orders as you normally do with stocks. You can enter market orders and limits orders. You should also use a what is known as a stop-loss order to automatically get your out of the market when the price goes down and you want to sell it out without having to watch the market minute by minute.
This is a great vehicle to invest in the energy sector of the market. The world is expanding and with the recession seeming to end soon, you know demand will be up again. You won't want to be caught out of this market when it heats up again.

Simply put, to round out your investment portfolio you should include a Natural Gas ETF.

About the Author
Jay McGee has been a writer and investor in the energy markets for over 25 years.

Reliance discovers oil in Cambay Basin by Hardik Patel

2009-11-13T23:48:00.000-08:00

Mukesh Ambani controlled Reliance Industries (RIL) said it has made its first on-land oil discovery in the Cambay basin, around 130 km from Ahmedabad. The company said this is the first on-land oil discovery in the block and its commercial viability is being assessed. Five wells had been drilled in the area, and the fifth well flowed at a rate of 500 barrels of oil per day (bopd), Reliance said on Tuesday. "This discovery is expected to open future potential within the block", Reliance said in a statement. Earlier, Reliance had found crude oil reserves in the predominately gas-rich KG-D6 block off the east coast. The field, which came into production in September last year, was currently producing around 11,000 barrels a day. The company shares have increased by 12.74 per cent in a week after this discovery. "Overall, the company has had a very high strike rate," said Maulik Patel, an oil and gas analyst at K.R. Choksey Shares and Securities. "This shows the company's exploration and production division is doing well," Patel, who has a "hold" rating on Reliance's stock, said. Reliance Group owned 100 per cent of the participating interest in the Cambay basin field.

The oil discovery in Cambay is the second in a row after finding oil in KG-D6 in 2002. The block, which started production in September last year, is now ramping up to the maximum level of 40,000 barrels of oil a day. The Cambay basin is a narrow and elongated rift, extending from Surat in the south to Sanchor in the north, with predicted resources of 2.05 billion tonnes. In the north, the basin narrows, but tectonically continues beyond Sanchor to pass into the Barmer basin of Rajasthan. On the southern side, the basin merges with the Bombay Offshore Basin in the Arabian Sea. The area of entire basin is about 53,500 sq km. The exploration in the basin began in 1956 by ONGC.

Two years after, the state-run company had found gas in the region and later oil in the Ankleshwar field. More than 2,318 exploratory wells have been drilled in Cambay Basin. Out of 244 prospects drilled, 97 are oil and gas bearing, according to Directorate General of Hydrocarbons. "A gross reservoir thickness of about 15 meter was encountered and the well flowed at a rate of 500 bopd through a 6 millimeter bean with a flowing tubing head pressure of 360 pound-force per square inch (psi) on conventional testing," Reliance said about its latest find. The discovery, named 'Dhirubhai-43' has been notified to the government and Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH). The commercial potential of this discovery will ascertained with more data gathering and analysis, RIL added.

About the Author
Mukesh Ambani owned Reliance Group finds oil in Cambay basin around 130 kms from Ahmedabad near Gujarat wherein Reliance is assessing the commercial viability of this discovery.

Mukesh Ambani: India's Value Creator by Ramesh Lotus

2009-11-13T23:35:00.000-08:00

Reliance Industries Ltd of Mukesh Ambani Group with its partner Niko Resources Ltd invested over Rs. 42,000 crore in exploration and development of oil and gas in the deep water basin in Krishna Godavari D6 block. The first ever oil from deep waters in the country came on stream in September 2008 and gas production began in the first quarter this year. The significance of this project is that KG D6 is not only India's first deep water development but represents a high technology mega investment project. Hence it was being watched with keen interest and great expectation not only in India but across the world. Now with its success India enters the select league of deep water developers, a feat that has so far been achieved amongst the developing nations onto by Petronras of Brazil. This mammoth venture first liberates India from perpetual technology dependence upon international oil cartels in the field of development of oil and gas resources and secondly gives a major boost to power and fertilizer sectors, since about 70° o of the gas produced is expected to be earmarked for them. In terms of figures, on full capacity, power generation is expected to surge by 8000 mw and urea output by 10 million tonne per annum! Moreover supply of gas will benefit petrochemical units and refinery and steel sectors, and natural gas being eco-friendly will be beneficial for fuel purposes also. And the import and subsidy bill of fertilizers and LNG will slash, thus saving foreign exchange. In short, Natural Gas will be a boon for our energy security, installation of power stations, public transport (LNG), households (cooking and perhaps heating e.g. gyzers) To sum up in his own words:

"The last growth cycle was really the biggest assets and value creation cycle in our history. It was also the most challenging. The results are we have an SEZ refinery, which demonstrates to the world that India, in spite of having no oil, can import oil, use at its talent and competitiveness in complex technologies to create assets and then export products. This strengthens in India in export terms and it gives us confidence that we can be on par with high-technology companies in the energy sector and even exceed them."

"The other piece is deepwater gas production and we have again set new benchmarks. Where the world takes about 10 years to go from concept to production, we have done it in a much shorter time. The project has created huge value for the economy. Natural gas is a major feedstock to the fertilizer industry and it reduces subsidies and so creates value for the government. Obviously, it also creates value for our farmers in terms of making sure that we are able to give them urea based on indigenous feed-stock and it (helps) the power situation, which overall strengthens energy security.

However when such mighty effort is going on in the interests of our country, certain elements are trying to derail or delay the project. This is inspite of the fact that there is already in place a regulatory framework such as New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP), Production Sharing Contract (PSC), Integrated Energy Policy (IEP), and finally Empowered Group of Ministers (EGOM). The last one, namely, EGOM had, considering all aspects, fixed $4.2 mmBtu (million British Thermal Unit) plus taxes and transport charges, as the price. Inspite of explicit marketing freedom promised under NELP, the EGOM first reduced the price proposed by RIL and then formulated a "Gas Utilization Policy", under which gas would be first made available at a uniform price of $4.2/mmBtu.

Despite all hurdles and impediments just at the beginning of April this year gas from KG D6 started flowing into distribution network. At present prices, the gas will save the country nearly $9 billion or 10% in annual bill when production reaches its peak in a year by which time domestic gas output will double. It is estimated that gas sales will generate $ 42 billion in revenue over the 11-year life of the field and the estimated share of government is likely to be a minimum of $14 billion. It has rightly been said:

"Reliance Group has created history and has once again demonstrated its ability to implement complex projects at par with the best performance benchmarks in the world. The clean energy from the Dhirubhai 1 and 3 discoveries of the KG-D6 block will be a boost for energy security and growth of India." Government has already identified the consumers whom the gas will be allocated. Even ADAG's power plant at Samalkot in Andhra Pradesh will be one of the recipients of KG-D6 gas at government approved rates. In case any of these consumers is unable to use the full quota, the EGOM has already decided to allocate unutilized KG-D6 gas to such sectors as gas-based steel plants. Thereafter allocations will be made to existing gas-fired power plants and then also to other power plants including captive power plants depending upon the availability of unutilized gas. In the allocation, priority has been given to urea-making plants, gas-based power plants, LPG extraction units, city gas projects for retailing CNG to automobiles and piped cooking gas to households. This indicates the contours of distribution and consumer coverage of gas from KG-D6. It needs to be emphasized here that in tins scheme. Reliance which has given the nation its biggest gas discovery has not been given a single cubic metre from its own gas. This is indeed a case of sacrifice and self-denial.

Another achievement of Mukesh Ambani has been the merger of RIL and RPL. The merger has been described as the biggest in the Indian Corporate history. The merger will create the biggest single-location petro refinery in the world at Jamnagar in Gujarat. It is also a shareholder-friendly transaction. This achievement has added another feather in the cap of Mukesh Ambani and earned him a distinct place in the global oil market. For such noble and notable achievements and praise-worthy national contribution to Indian economy should not Mukesh Ambani be rewarded at the National Level? Unfortunately in our country recognition comes, more often than not, too late and too little; sometimes at the fag-end of a person's career or even posthumously. Some are awarded too early even at the prime of their young careers. Some really deserving ones are overlooked. Dhirubhai Ambani was one of them. Shri Pramod Mahajan the then Minister of Communications had, while releasing a postal stamp in honour of the late Dhirubhai, did express the wish about conferment of Padma award on Shri Dhirubhai, but that did not happen.

His illustrious son Mukesh Ambani has now proved to be Asia's greatest gas finder. He has done this to help farmers, fulfill our energy requirements and save huge import bill of India. He has performed his task with a missionary zeal, patriotic fervour and in a spirit of "WE CAN DO IT". He is unflinching in his belief that the twenty-first century will be India's. Like his late father, for Mukesh Ambani, Reliance group means something more than a mere business venture. In running the business he is motivated by the credo that Reliance should be turned into a global brand of an enabled and enabling India and link businesses with the core belief that what is good for India cannot but be good for Reliance. His value judgement and vision is reflected when he once observed, "History has summoned my generation of entrepreneurs to act as die avant-garde of resurgent India." This is the legacy left by late Dhirbhai which Mukesh is carrying. He has also dreamt to lead India on all fronts. The latest historical land-mark of merger of RIL and RPL has earned him a sobriquet of "Indian Shaikh". The KG-D6 gas find has veritably proved that he is "Farmers' Messiah". It is high time that Nation recognises his role as one of the makers of modern India, in this first decade of the twenty-first century.

His vision, as spelt out by him recently is: rather than countries aping Silicon Valley's success, in the next 20 years projects in rural India will be scaled elsewhere in the world. "Peter Drucker said managers are those who do things right, and leaders are those who do the right things." He referred to his father's principle on leadership which was winning the respect of employees, customers, stakeholders and investors. According to his "leadership is about your soul, your values and convictions; your heart in terms of your passion and compassion and your brain in terms of both knowledge and ability to execute your ideas." Truly he is the role model for Indian youth. As a philosopher said: "A man's true wealth here-after is the good he does in tins world."
Mukesh Ambani has been named the world's fifth biggest 'sustainable value creator' in a list of 25 top companies in terms of investor returns over a decade. The petrochemicals giant is the only Indian company on the list.
About the Author
Mukesh Ambani, CMD, Reliance has been named the world's fifth biggest sustainable value creator in a list of top 25 companies with RIL being the only Indian company on the list.

Jatropha Investment Opportunity Offers 345% Cash Returns Over 5 Years by Copyrighte Patricia Ellis 2009, All rights Reserved

2009-08-21T23:00:00.002-07:00

It is quite possible that the best source of renewable energy in the near future will be provided by the Jatropha Curcas plant - a source of quality green bio fuel. For investors, the plant offers an exceptionaly high return on investment.

Three main advantages of Jatropha plants are that they:-

(1) Can provide an oil supply that is renewable and natural

(2) Are developed through Investment Funds that offer investors astonishing returns, such as 93% Annual return on investment.

(3) Don't threaten normal food production because they grow only in soil unproductive for food crops.

Exploration for new oil reserves continues, but discovery rate is lower than current consumption rate. Experts may disagree about how long existing oil reserves may last, but they do all agree that it is being used faster than it is being found. BP's chairman recently indicated that in his opinion, based on today's extraction rates, there remains only forty-two years supply of crude oil left in the ground.

This paints a bleak picture for the future for nations relying on natural underground oil deposits.The chairman of British Petroleum is quoted as suggesting quite clearly that we are on a fast-track to complete depletion of our natural oil reserves. he gave a time span of well under 50 years at present usage rates. Oil experts across the world differ on the timescale but all agree on one thing:- It's going faster than new reserves can be found.

It's a dire situation, beyond doubt.If we can't uncover more natural deposits of oil than we are using then one thing is inevitable. The oil will run out one day.

While experts do disagree on the time left before 'doomsday', no one disagrees that consumption is far outstripping discovery of new reserves. On the subject of the size of existing reserves, one respected figure, Peter Sutherland of UKs PB group put a time limit of just over forty years on the availability of existing known oil reserves.

A sobering thought indeed.

As if the prospect of running out of oil or at least being dependent upon oil suppliers wasn't a big enough problem, there is also greenhouse gas emissions and global warning posing a threat. Not surprising, then, that there is considerable interest in finding diverse and renewable sources of energy.

That is precisely the opinion of the Indian government, which is years ahead of the rest of the world in developing Jatropha green oil as the renewable energy source of choice. It has committed some 27 million acres to its propagation.

The Jatropha tree has recently emerged from being considered by generations of farmers a nuisance plant only fit for hedging to a valuable oil-bearing plant. The oil is extracted from the crop sometimes twice a year and can be combusted without being refined. After refining it can be used like diesel fuel. The trees grow in tropical and sub-tropical areas, is drought-resistant and thrives on infertile soil.

When crushed and processed, the jatropha plant's seeds produce a sustainable, eco-friendly biofuel that can be used in standard diesel engines without modifications. Within a mere three years, jatropha-based fuel could even be used to power our transatlantic flights, according to Boeing.

A single Jatropha tree can produce around one litre of oil per annum in average conditions i.e. without forced watering - irrigation. Since they are planted at a density of 1000 trees per acre, it follows that one acre can yield 1,000 litres of oil every year. This would be enough to keep a diesel car going for the whole season. Jatropha farming does has characteristics that at first sight may be thought of as disadvantages, but upon closer inspection turn out to be advantageous. These apparent weaknesses in the Jatropha oil model are that the plants only survive in tropical areas and that farming and crop gathering is fairly labour intensive. Now consider the upside of those limitations.

The benefit of this situation is that many farmers in the typical Jatropha plantation areas are living at subsistence level. By providing them with seedling and teaching them to cultivate and tend the crop, they can increase their living standards at a relatively low cost to the investor. The locals become self sufficient without the need for charity or aid.

The private investor, through properly managed investment programmes, could provide these poor counties, quite literally with the 'seed' money they need to grow out of poverty. In return for a modest investment, the investor would see huge returns on his money and have the satisfaction that he is helping third world countries to prosper and also reducing global warming.

If you are interested to investigate what these Jatropha Investment Programmes can offer, then I there is a new company in the United kingdom that can provide information. They offer an annual return of 93% which is quire remarkable. They claim that the they have insured the Fund against risks like Acts of God and civil unrest, so it may be a secure investment.

Jatropha Green Oil Investment's Commercial Director, Patricia Ellis explains, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity with the real potential of delivering an ROI of 345%, which means that an once-off investment of £10,000 would generate £44,500 at the end of a five year investment period. For people experiencing a poor performing pension this is very good news, because they can now enter into a Jatropha Green Oil Investment Programme via a SIPP pension scheme."

If you are type of person who likes to get in on the ground floor then find out more about the Jatropha Green Oil Investment opportunity by:-

Contacting Patricia Ellis in the United kingdom on +44 (0) 845 226 2931

Or Click Here to go to the {a target="_blank" href=" http://jatrophagreenoilinvestment.com/hidden/investment-opportunity"} JatrophaGreenOilInvestment.com website.

Additional Resources:-
http://jatrophainvestment2.wikispaces.com/Jatropha+Investment+Programme+Yields+Exceptionally+High+Annual+Return+On+Investment

Copyrighte Patricia Ellis 2009, All rights Reserved

About the Author

Patricia Ellis from JatrophaGreenOilInvestment.com says, "This is a attractive investment opportunity having a potential of returning 345%. For example, a seed investment of £10,000 would compound to £44,500 in a five year investment span."

Contact Patricia Ellis in the U.K on +44 (0) 845 226 2931 or go to the {a target="_blank" href=" http://jatrophagreenoilinvestment.com/how-to-invest"} website

Are You Searching For Oil Rig Jobs? by John

2009-08-21T23:00:00.001-07:00

Oil rig jobs are very attractive options for young men looking for high paying entry level oil rig jobs that need little in the way of experience and qualifications. A quick search will reveal that there are plenty of websites pointing out how you can find oil rig jobs. The catch is that you will have to pay a small upfront fee to be entered onto their database. With the current round of layoffs though, you will find that the oil rig jobs that you thought where so easy to find are now being pursued by hundreds of unemployed people from around the world.

So what do you need to do to go about getting recruited for work on an oil rig? At first it may seem quite difficult as the companies doing the oil drilling are international, so you can't just arrive with your CV in hand. Honestly? It's actually even easier than you think because most of the oil rig recruitment companies do their oil rig job recruiting online. You just have to sit back at home and take the plunge. Although this appears to be the easiest route, you only have to look through the job forums and you will find that experienced workers who have years of experience are struggling to find oil rig jobs right now.

If you want to successfully secure an oil rig jobs then you are going to have to work much harder to make sure that you get your resume in front of the right people but even then your chances are pretty slim of actually securing an interview. Even if you do secure an interview and pass the physical tests and exams your chance of actually getting a job on an oil rig will still be quite tough.

Your best chance of getting oil rig jobs requires that you must first get all your qualifications together, copies of certificates etc. that may be asked for. You will need the safety courses required for working offshore otherwise you will be wasting your time, they won;t even look at you. Make sure your resume is up to date and begin submitting to as many oil rig recruitment companies as possible. You need to do this to every oil drilling company in the Gogle lists. The reason this is the recommended way is that not every oil drilling company employs every oil rig recruiter. To cut costs, most companies will advertise their oil rig jobs on their own company notice board first and on the free job boards all over the new. You don't want to miss out on a job because you only applied to one agency.

A large number of oil rig recruitment companies as well as the drilling companies have a form on their website where you are required to fill in all your details when applying for oil rig jobs. Don't ignore it and just email your CV off, as they'll very likely just delete it. This form is an automatic way for them to have you load your information onto their database system. Whenever a position becomes available, they query the database and a shortlist is drawn automatically by the computer. Instead of manually going through hundreds of CV's trying to find suitable candidates for the oil rig jobs the computer creates a shortlist. This is the reason that you need to be very careful and enter every bit of relevant information about your skills, qualifications and experience. If you miss some of it, you may find that you miss out on a job you could have got because of a silly oversite. The oil rig recruitment companies also have a process they have to go through. That is the way that they receive their resumes. They can be quite sticky about it. So if you see a form on the website and it says to fill it in...just do it. If there is no form, then send your CV any way you wish and don't forget a motivational letter. Why should the oil rig recruitment agency push your resume forward and not some other guy? That's what the motivational letter is all about!

It is critical that you target both your CV and your motivation letter to each and every oil rig vacancy that you are applying for. The ,ost inefficient thing you can do is send a generic letter with your resume to all the oil rig jobs sites. Your time and effort you take to make contact with a person who can introduce you to someone in the organisation who is hiring will make a huge difference to your chances of securing oil rig jobs. By using the free online services such as LinkedIn to find out who can help you with your job search.

By using networking, you will get an introduction to the person you need to impress to secure the oil rig job you want. It makes sense that you will be taken far more seriously by the recruiter or hiring manager if you are introduced by someone they know and trust.

Currently the oil and gas industry is going through a change of fortune and you are not going to have an easy time finding oil rig jobs. There have been plenty of layoffs just like in the rest of the economy; so finding and securing an offshore job is going to be a challenge. It is not impossible but you are not going to walk into an oil rig job as easily as you could have done in the past. Despite all of that, oilfield jobs are hard and dangerous and the number of people who work in the industry are changing all the time. As more senior employees decide to opt out or are promoted, new positions become available.

It is the norm for a new recruit to start at the bottom as a roustabout or roughneck. These are the dirty dangerous oil rig jobs that are vital to the functioning of an oil rig. You will learn everything you need to know about drilling from the more experienced hands and once you have the experience that you acquire after 3 or 4 years you will be eligible for the more skilful jobs such as driller. There are quite a few driller jobs being advertised right now but unless you have the experience and skills you will not be considered for the job.

Don't forget though, that the big oil companies are still spending billions of dollars every year on drilling and exploration. This means that the industry is still very strong and you will just need to have the guts to go after the job you want, put in the effort and if at first you are not successful then try again.

So apply now for oil rig jobs.

About the Author

To make a success of your job search you are going to have to sell yourself. To become a part of the oil and gas industry will be a life changing experience. If you are successful it can set you up financially for life, and once you've got oil in your blood, you'll never want to work in another industry again. Check out the oil rig jobs available at Hunter Recruitment.

Documenting Visual Quality Controls on the Evaluation of Petroleum Reservoir-rocks through Ontology-based Image Annotation by Felipe I. Victoreti1 ,

2009-08-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

1 Introduction

The most important intrinsic properties of petroleum reservoir rocks are their porosity - the percentage of their total volume occupied by fluids, i.e., oil, natural gas or water - and their permeability - the amount of such fluids that can flow through a rock section in a time unit. The values and distribution of porosity and permeability within reservoir rocks are conditioned by depositional and post-depositional (diagenetic) aspects, such as the depositional structures, grain size and selection, the types, textures and location of diagenetic processes and constituents. These parameters are described during the systematic petrographic analysis of reservoir rocks, in order to provide the essential information for the creation of models for the characterization of the quality and heterogeneity of reservoirs under production, or for the prediction of quality of new reservoirs during exploration. Therefore, the acquisition and documentation of the key textural and compositional petrographic features has an enormous importance for the evaluation of effective or potential reservoir rocks. However, capturing information from images is a natural uncertain process. Image recognition involves previous knowledge and hypothesis about what is being seen, the progressive adjustment of the viewer in order to fit the understanding to the seen features during image scanning and, also, judgments about the significance of this features related to geological interpretation. This paper describes an approach to overcome the difficulty in applying visual knowledge in reservoir evaluation. We formalize a workflow for the systematic description and storage of the key visual petrographic features, as seen in petrographic microscopes, and provide computer support by a system composed by a piece of software and hardware. The treatment of uncertainty provided by the system was conceived to deal with the incomplete collection of information and the partial confidence of the expert interpretation rules. The system tries to offer the best support to overcome the information loose in image recognition. It provides a petrographic ontology to orient the feature recognition and, when it is done, saves the spatial locations of the key features and associates them both to ontological terms as well as to hyperlinks for other objects supporting the description, such as pictures, audio and video files, websites, etc. As a result, it produces a complete documentation of the features, in the form of a virtual map of the thin section, that preserves the evidences for the reservoir evaluation. The reasoning method searches over this description for the required features to prove one or other interpretation hypotheses. The approach was implemented in the PetroGrapher system, an intelligent database application designed to support the detailed petrographic description and interpretation of oil reservoir rocks, and the management of relevant data using resources from both relational databases and knowledge-based expert systems. Systematic description through the system is facilitated by the use of flexible menus with standardized nomenclature and parameters, what radically reduces description time and errors. An integrated electromechanical microscope stage, the StageLedge, allows an optimized quantification, as well as the referencing of every point identified and/or photographed in the thin sections. The collection of qualitative features is driven by a domain ontology [1] that formalize the knowledge related to petrographic description and diagenetic interpretation. The main approaches of PetroGrapher system are described in [2-4]. In this paper, we present the basis for the automation of the process of quantitative petrographic analysis with the support of an electromechanical appliance [5] attached to the microscope and interfaced to the software system. This approach reduces the uncertainty associated to visual interpretation by improving the semantic capturing and allowing a better register for recovering the evidences that support inference. This information is used by the problem-so living method implemented in the system to propose the probable diagenetic environment where the rock where formed...

2 Preliminary Concepts

The structuring and the representation of the knowledge for problem solving in domains that require image pattern matching and then high level of abstract inference is a challenge for knowledge engineering although is essential for many critical tasks, such as automatic surveillance in intensive care units [6], recognition of biological organisms [7], and biochemistry [8]. The uncertainty in the task are related mainly to the follow factors: (1) the collection of information is not complete because the observer does not posses the knowledge to recognize what is being seen providing incomplete or wrong descriptions; (2) even with the adequate capture of the diagnostic features, the level of significance of these features in indicating a particular interpretation may not provide a fully trustful solution. Our system helps in making available the knowledge by supporting the feature recognition through a domain ontology and providing a problem-solving method to deal with significance and confidence factors of the interpretation task.

2.1 Ontology and Image Annotation

Ontologies that formalize the visual concepts of the domain are shown as the alternative to reduce the gap between the knowledge representation and image features, as presented in [9] and also in this paper. The most common definition of ontology asserts that an ontology is a formal, explicit specification of a shared conceptualization [10]. Formal refers to the fact that the ontology should be machinereadable, and shared reflects the notion that an ontology captures consensual knowledge, accepted by a group. Ontologies express the descriptive knowledge and also the way in which the evidences support the conclusions. Usually, they are combined with problem-solving methods [11] to provide reasoning features to expert systems, like we done in our system. There are many approaches to ontology-based content annotation of images, based on a standardized vocabulary defined by a domain ontology that allows further processing [11] [6] [12]. Images must be annotated with keywords and content-based combined queries and refinements [13]. During annotation, a lot of information can be expressed, helping to improve the understanding and to reduce ambiguity. The images can also be annotated with links over the image to any kind of multimedia content like it was done in [14]. It is possible to associate data under analysis to different resources, in order to provide a complete documentation.

2.2 Spatial Referencing

A spatial reference system provides an association of the object with its location related to a specific coordinate system. A coordinate system can reference a particular point in an n-dimensional space defined by an origin, directions of the axis and a distance scale. The quantitative analysis of a thin section in an optical microscope is usually done referring each identified feature to an imaginary net of points along a sequence of evenly-distanced steps, corresponding to successive positions marked by the cross lines of the microscope eyepiece. In some cases, this net is scanned with the help of some equipment, such as performed in [5] and in [15]. However, the complete association of the net of points to a spatial coordinate system with an anchor linked to a real reference of a physical object, as developed in this work, is a new proposition.

3 Petrographic Analysis Using Software Control and the StageLedge Device

...

3.1 Virtual Thin Section

Our approach is based on the creation of a digital version of the thin section, on top of which virtual feature maps can be created. Although it does not completely eliminate the need for the real thin section, it has some significant advantages over the traditional approach that uses the original section both for description and for later verifications. This virtual thin section allows the recording of reference features through an existent ontology. For instance, our electronic version of the section can be sent over the Internet to an arbitrary number of petrographers, who can independently go over the reasoning process previously applied in the original documentation. Besides reducing the risks associated with a possible loss of the physical section, it also eliminates the costs associated to shipping the real thin section. Moreover, the virtual thin section has the potential for unlimited documentation via hyperlinks to images, video, audio, and text provided by expert petrographers, as well as to other resources available on the Internet and related to the contents of the section. This sets the stage for a new level of rich documentation, turning the virtual thin sections into ideal training tools. This situation is illustrated in Fig. 2, which shows an image corresponding to a portion of a thin section containing links to different media formats: audio, video, other images, websites, and other observations...

3.2 Complete Description Process

The analysis of a thin section starts with its positioning in the petrographic microscope, which has a rotating stage that allows the examination of the optical properties of minerals when examined with polarized light. The direction of the transect lines across which the points are quantified during analysis is defined transversally to the structures and fabric of the rock, and the modal size of grains indicates the adequate size of the step to be used with the StageLedge. In the process of creating a digital map of the rock, we digitize a physical thin section using a regular flatbed scanner and use the resulting image as a base map on top of which the additional documental information will be placed. This stage requires the careful correction of the scale, tilt and coordinates of origin of the scanned image, in order to provide a correct association with the origin and scale provided by StageLedge. Once the image has been captured and associated to the actual position in the equipment, the documentation can be referenced to the real spatial coordinates. Since flatbed scanners can capture images at different resolutions, it is necessary to specify the selected resolution in points per inch (ppi), thus relating pixels to real distances in the thin section. According to our experience, the use of 600 ppi provides satisfactory results. In order to support the petrographic description, the PetroGrapher system controls the steps of the StageLedge and allows the user to select constituents and features described in the domain ontology and associates them to the current position under analysis in the thin section. Fig. 3 illustrates the interface of the PetroGrapher system, showing the constituents of a given rock sample and a partial menu providing specific ontology terms. The quantitative petrographic analysis identifies and saves the location of every constituent positioned in each of the coordinates in the virtual net, controlled by StageLedge. The PetroGrapher interface depicts different minerals using colors, as presented in Fig. 4. Thus, with just a quick glance, the geologist can have a good idea of the spatial distribution of the constituents and pores identified in the thin section. The possible constituents and pores that can be found in a thin section are fully described in a domain ontology, as well as the attributes and domain of values of them. The ontology also describes in which way the instances of qualified constituents can indicates the rock-formation environment. This is expressed by knowledge graphs, a one-level tree where the root node represents the interpretation hypothesis and the leaf nodes represent visual chunks identified by the experts in the image of rock as pieces of evidence necessary to support the interpretation. The uncertainty of interpretation is represented in the knowledge-graph by a threshold value that represents the minimum amount of evidence needed to indicate it. Also, the chunks have an influence factor and are combined to increase the influence and the certainty of the interpretation stated. By their side, the chunks represents in an AND-OR tree the several ways in which way an evidence can be recognized in the rock, such as, possible minerals, possible habits, locations, etc. The knowledge model and problem-solving method of the system is extensively described in [3]...

3.3 The interpretation process

The features described are stored in a database, along with the spatial coordinates of their position in the virtual map. The reasoning method loads each knowledge graph and match the chunk representation from the knowledge base against the user descriptions on the database. When the set of features that describes a chunk is found, the reasoning accumulates the related influence factor. When the sum reach the threshold of the graph, the conclusion is stored in the database in the description record and presented to the user. More than a conclusion can be associated to one rock, since more than one environment can act in rock consolidation.

4 Conclusions

The tool described in this paper has been tested by a group of six geologists from the Geosciences Institute at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), who works usually with petrographic analysis. The group has long time experience with the manual method and has migrated recently to PetroGrapher system. The goal was measuring the time expending in the task description and the amount of information that was collected in each method in normal work condition. Each participant received six different rock samples to be described. Each sample was described by four geologists, two using the PetroGrapher system, two using an electronic spreadsheet and a mechanical stage. According to these experiments, the use of the PetroGrapher system with the StageLedge has led to a reduction of 25% in the time required for a full petrographic description. Otherwise, the descriptions are longer and contain more information than those made by manual method. The spontaneous comments from PetroGrapher´s users include: (1) the system guarantees a standard documentation without loosing semantic of feature description; (2) the possibility of recovering the original position of some specific feature provides a better framework for reservoir understanding; and (3) the information can be easily queried and reused. As a result, one can draw further correlations between petrographic data and well logs, seismic profiles and core descriptions. These capabilities are essential for a powerful tool used for advanced reservoir characterization.

About the Author

For the full and illustrated version of this article, visit http://www.endeeper.com

Natural Gas Price Forecast by Chris Nelder

2009-08-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

The market rarely provides buying opportunities where the risk to value proposition is extremely disconnected, but the natural gas market is having one of those moments now.

The news could hardly be more bearish for prices.

The nation's limited gas storage capacity, estimated at roughly 4 trillion cubic feet, is approaching the full line. Consumption has crashed 36% from 2.7 trillion cubic feet in January, to 2.1 trillion in March, to 1.7 trillion cubic feet in April. Stockpiles remain 18% over the five-year average.

Summer temperatures have been remarkably moderate, making for a lower-than-usual demand on gas-fired power plants for air conditioning. Weather forecasts expect temperatures to remain below seasonal levels.

With little other news to drive the trade, everyone is focused on inventories. The Energy Department's weekly inventory report showed that stockpiles had grown by 66 billion cubic feet to 2.95 trillion cubic feet, and that was enough to drive natural gas prices down 6.4% to $3.55 per million Btu on Thursday, giving the popular United States Natural Gas Fund (NYSE: UNG) a 6.7% loss on the day.

Meanwhile, supply continues to grow. An exciting new field called the Granite Wash play in the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma is showing prolific production rates. Newfield Exploration (NYSE: NFX) claimed average initial production rates of 22 million cubic feet per day from its seven horizontal wells this week, giving its stock a nice 11% bump on Thursday. Forest Oil Corporation (NYSE: FST), another driller in the Granite Wash and the Haynesville Shale, saw its stock rise 14% the same day.

Another growing horizontal shale play is the Eagle Ford field in south Texas, where St. Mary Land & Exploration Co. (NYSE: SM) has claimed a 5.6 million cubic feet per day flow rate of oil and gas equivalent from one of its wells.

Horizontal shale gas plays are nothing new to readers of this column, of course. Producers of the Marcellus Shale and Haynesville formations are still drilling profitably, even while producers of the Barnett and Fayetteville formations have been forced to scale back drilling due to their higher production costs. Barnett producers claim they need gas back in the $6-8 range before they'll resume drilling.

To the north, the latest and greatest gas shale story is the Horn River Basin, in northern British Columbia. Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) believes its first four wells will produce between 16 to 18 million cubic feet of gas per day-about five times the flow rate of a typical Barnett shale well. The basin's potential is unknown, but some speculate that recoverable reserves in the basin may run from 10 to 60 trillion cubic feet.

Such a supply glut and anemic demand certainly seems to portend low gas prices for the foreseeable future. Bearish analysts eager to make the early call are even suggesting $2 gas by the end of the year.

I don't believe it for a minute.

Was the 2001 North American "Peak" Wrong?

The explosion of North American shale gas and tight sands gas plays has made a bit of a stir in peak oil circles. These unconventional gas sources pushed the continent's production in 2007 over the 2001 peak of 33.8 trillion cubic feet (EIA data), seemingly putting an end to the notion that North American gas had peaked and gone into terminal decline.

Complete official 2008 data is not yet available for all of North America, but I estimate that its gas production for the year came in at around 35.2 trillion cubic feet, roughly 4.3% gain over the previous 2001 peak.

North American Natural Gas Production. Chart by Chris Nelder using EIA data for 1995-2007. 2008 data from EIA for the U.S., and estimated for Canada and Mexico.

Now, that may be a picture that gets some people excited, but not me. I know that unconventional shale gas wells deplete very rapidly, paying out 60 to 90% of their production in the first year. It takes a great deal of drilling to maintain overall production rates, and in a low-price environment like today's, the prospects for additional drilling are dubious.

For the straight dope on the North American peak question, I turned to David Hughes, the now-retired Canadian geologist who is a bona-fide expert on North American gas.

He pointed out that it has taken 33,000 successful gas wells per year to exceed the 2001 peak, and noted that rig counts are still well down from last year. (According to Baker Hughes, gas rigs operating in the U.S. are now down to 665, the lowest number since May 2002, and off 59% from September of last year.) It's hard to imagine how this will not result in diminishing supply, and Hughes expects we'll feel the effects some time in the next six to nine months.

Canadian gas production fell 11% year over year in April, he said, so these new unconventional plays will have to compensate for a rapid decline. He believes "the jury is still out" on the Haynesville Shale and other shale gas plays outside of the Barnett, as we still lack a detailed understanding of the formations, which ultimately determines the flow rates. The "core" Barnett is twice as productive or more than the non-core, so until we have more detailed information about the newer shale plays, we should take their cost and productivity projections with a large grain of salt.

When considering the North American gas peak, we must also bear in mind that over 50% of natural gas consumed in the U.S. today comes from wells drilled in the last three years, and 25-30% of the gas produced today comes from wells drilled last year, according to data from the IHS Energy Group

This is why Hughes has called unconventional gas a treadmill: because you have to keep drilling like crazy just to stay in one place.

So while we have indeed exceeded the 2001 North American peak, I think it's premature to expect production to keep rising from current levels when gas has spent most of this year at about half the price it needs to be for the lesser plays to be profitable.

There is no doubt that the domestic gas resource is large. According to a new study under the direction of the Colorado School of Mines, the U.S. has about 2,000 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves-enough supply to last for decades, even with increased demand.

But as my readers well know (all together now): It's not the size of the tank which matters, but the size of the tap.

Should drilling over the next three years fail to keep pace with the rapid underlying decline rates, that new 2008 peak will fade into just another bump on the long plateau of North American gas production. We should not be too quick to turn our backs on the supply issue.

Is Demand Really Dead?

Many investing analysts have focused on high inventory numbers and the mild weather as key forces pushing down gas prices. This has contributed to the gas market disconnect, since these are actually fairly marginal drivers.

The lack of demand is the most important factor weighing on prices, with U.S. demand for all uses down 36% from January to April this year.

However, most of the loss in gas demand owes to the industrial sector. As I explained in my April natural gas analysis ("Natural Gas Under $4 Is a Steal"), gas consumption in the US is split roughly in thirds between commercial and residential demand (which is fairly constant), electricity demand (which grows at about 5% each year) and industrial demand. Vehicular demand, while up 6.2% over last year, is still a miniscule component.

Natural Gas Consumption by End Use. Chart by Chris Nelder using EIA data.

Demand outside the industrial sector is actually quite resilient. Gas consumption is off only slightly year-over-year as of April, with residential demand gaining 0.7%, commercial losing 4.1%, and electric power losing 1.8%. (April is a good month to consider for our purposes here, because the mild weather of the equinox months make them the low points of the seasonal demand cycles.)

Industrial sector demand, by contrast, is down a whopping 11.5%. Cutbacks in the production of petrochemicals, plastics, wood products, metals, motor vehicles and fertilizers, as well as lower gas demand for industrial boilers, are primarily responsible for the decline.

In short, we may expect demand to creep up again in concert with an overall recovery in the economy, particularly the manufacturing sector. Depending on whose estimates you believe, that recovery may be less than a year off.

Gas prices could easily double from today's levels when that happens, whereas it's hard to imagine much more downside risk with an unrelentingly bullish overall market sentiment in place since March. More Bullish Factors

Climate change concerns will lend further support to gas demand. As carbon emissions start coming with a price attached, cleaner-burning gas will be increasingly favored over coal for fueling power plants. Many newer plants use dual-fuel designs, enabling them to switch readily to whichever fuel is cheapest. As the hidden subsidy of externalized emissions costs is taken away from coal, gas will be cheaper, and it will stay cheaper.

The vehicle angle is another hugely bullish factor for gas, but so far the markets don't seem to have discounted it at all.

As I have often suggested, the combined virtues of lower emissions, an inexpensive and large domestic supply, and its suitability as a bridge fuel to wean us away from oil will prove irresistible to policymakers, particularly as we begin to feel the effects of peak oil. Accordingly, a raft of new gas legislation is now working its way through Congress.

A huge win for the Pickens Plan and other natural gas vehicle boosters came early this week when the House overwhelmingly approved H.R. 1835, its portion of the so-called NAT GAS Act. The bill would authorize $30 million a year for the next five years for research and development, increase and extend tax credits for buying natural gas vehicles, and offer a suite of tax credits and other incentives to expand natural gas refueling capacity and push government vehicle fleets toward alternatives.

Assuming the new incentives become law, which seems a safe assumption, a significant chunk of new gas demand for vehicles could materialize right around the same time as the economy begins to recover. It wouldn't take much increased demand to blow right through the perceived gas "glut" we have today, and cause prices to spike. But it will take many months for drillers to catch up with rising prices.

The longer prices remain too low to sustain increased drilling, the more tension there will be in the price slingshot.

A year from now, I think we'll be looking back on those analysts who predicted $2 natural gas by the end of this year with the same sad regard that we now have for the ones who saw oil trading in the $40s in December and thought it was going to $25.

You may recall that's when I got bullish-because I knew that the price of oil was wrong. I feel exactly the same way about gas now.

Another reason to start getting bullish is the extremely bearish gas sentiment itself. We haven't seen gas prices stay this low in years, and gas continues to trade at an historically low price relative to oil on an energy basis. As Warren Buffett likes to say, "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful."

Natural gas under $4 was a steal in April, and it's even more of a steal now. Ignore the nattering nabobs of natty who worry on about inventory numbers; that's all noise. Lift your eyes from your shoes to the horizon, and you'll see that there's only one direction that gas prices can go over the coming year, and that's up.

Until next time,

Chris Nelder

This article was originally found here: Natural Gas Price Forecast

About the Author

Chris Nelder is a self-taught energy expert who has intensively studied peak oil for five years, and written hundreds of articles on politics, peak oil and energy in general. He also founded and published an online magazine called Better World in the mid '90s, as part of his lifelong interest in sustainability.

Oil Field Equipment by Oil Field equipment

2008-12-05T00:48:00.000-08:00

Oil field equipment can consist of many things. I would like to explain some of the largest oil field equipment. A land rig and an off shore rig and the difference between the two.

PumpJackStore.com A drilling land rig is a equipment which creates holes (usually called boreholes) and/or shafts in the ground. Drilling land rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells. They sample sub-surface mineral deposits, test rock, soil and groundwater physical properties. Drilling land rigs can be mobile equipment mounted on trucks, tracks or trailers, or more permanent land not to be confused with marine-based structures (such as oil platforms, commonly called 'offshore oil rigs').

The term "rig" therefore generally refers to the complex of equipment that is used to penetrate the surface of the earth's crust. A drilling land rig would be used on shore. Drilling land rigs can be: • Small and portable, such as those used in mineral exploration drilling. • Huge, capable of drilling through thousands of meters of the Earth's crust. Large "mud pumps" circulate drilling mud (slurry) through the drill bit and the casing, for cooling and removing the "cuttings" while a well is drilled. Hoists in the rig can lift hundreds of tons of pipe. Other equipment can force acid or sand into reservoirs to facilitate extraction of the oil or mineral sample; and permanent living accommodation and catering for crews which may be more than a hundred.

Marine rigs may operate many hundreds of miles or kilometres offshore with infrequent crew rotation. An offshore platform, often referred to as an oil platform or oil rig, is a large structure used to house workers and machinery needed to drill wells in the ocean bed, extract oil and/or natural gas, process the produced fluids, and ship them to shore. Depending on the circumstances, the platform may be attached to the ocean floor, consist of an artificial island, or be floating. Most offshore rigs are located on the continental shelf, though with advances in technology and increasing crude oil prices, drilling and production in deeper waters has become both feasible and economically viable.

A typical offshore rig may have around thirty wellheads located on the platform and directional drilling allows reservoirs to be accessed at both different depths and at remote positions up to 5 miles (8 kilometres) from the platform. Remote subsea wells may also be connected to a platform by flow lines and by umbilical connections; these subsea solutions may consist of single wells or of a manifold center for multiple wells. For more information on oil field equipment please visit PumpJackStore.com

About the Author
PumpJackStore.com

The Economic Situation of the Oil & Gas Industry by Duncan Freer

2008-12-05T00:47:00.002-08:00

The oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, consists of about 7,000 companies who pull in a combined, estimated revenue of around £450 billon. However, the production and associated revenue are fragmented; around 10% of companies generate approximately 60% of this figure. Demand for oil and gas is caused by economic activity, population growth and the need for energy for residential, industrial and transportation uses. The growth of an individual company is determined by the success rate of new finds, as well as the ability to continue to produce from existing sites.

Larger companies have the upper hand, having greater access to capital and the capacity to buy smaller companies or propagate amalgamations. Smaller companies rely on their abilities to focus on and develop expertise in a few geographical areas. In addition, oil and gas competes with other fuel-types, such as coal, nuclear power and hydro-electricity. In addition, other sources of energy are emerging, such as ethanol and bio-diesel and there are other forms of application arriving on the market, such as the new generation of hybrid-electric car.

Oil and gas are found in huge, underground basins that meet certain geological criteria. As well as creating three-dimensional maps of underground structures and using seismic waves to ascertain a site's potential, exploratory drilling is still a major factor in finding oil and gas. Last year, the number of exploratory drillings that took place exceeded 53,500. Once an area has been designated as having promise, the area is cleared and a drilling rig and crew are brought in to begin the process of extracting the resources that have been found.

Oil and gas jobs generally fall in to one of two categories: upstream and downstream. Upstream jobs are found in the process of obtaining oil and gas from natural resources: drilling jobs are upstream jobs. Other jobs are likely to include those in construction and those involved in production facilities. Not all upstream jobs take place on land; for many, part of the attraction of this industry is its variety. Gas and oil fields are also developed below sea level, such as in the North Sea and the sub-sea sites recently discovered in West Africa. These require specialists to find and extract the resources available.

Downstream jobs involve the transportation of oil and gas in their basic forms, the liquefaction of those substances and their processing. While upstream jobs tend to be comparatively more transitory, being based on exploration and ultimate extraction, it is in the downstream category that gas and oil careers are made; while oil rig jobs, for example, will only last as long as the resource is there, marketing jobs can become life-long opportunities as the team packages the combined products across the globe.

The oil and gas industries are two of the world's biggest and most profitable enterprises. They employ huge numbers of staff that work in an incredible range of department, from those on the 'front-line' to those who design advertising campaigns to those who put it in our vehicles.

About the Author
Oil Rig Jobs Jobs Search is a job site dedicated to the specific needs of candidates who work in the Oil and Gas industry. We also provide recruiters with an online service that is effective in terms of cost and ease of use. Contacts For interviews, images or comments contact: John Roberts Marketing Manager Email: john@thejobsearchgroup.com

Competition Commission Approves Norwegian Firm's Bid for Gas Stations by J Hardy

2008-12-05T00:47:00.001-08:00

The European Commission approved the proposed acquisition of ConocoPhillips' network of 274 Jet fuel stations in Scandinavia by StatoilHydro of Norway.

StatoilHydro is an integrated oil and gas company that is active in the exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil. StatoilHydro also refines and sells gas and other oil derivatives. The company operates networks of gas stations in Scandinavia under the Statoil, Hydro, and Uno-X brands. Jet Scandinavia, the company being acquired, operates stations under the Jet brand.

In March, StatoilHydro notified the Commission of the purchase of Jet Denmark, Jet Sweden and Jet Norway, all part of Jet Scandinavia. Although Norway is not part of the EU, the entire transaction was subject to approval by the Commission under the European Economic Area agreement. Norway is a part of the European Economic Area, which includes the 27 members of the EU, plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

The Commission began an in-depth review of the proposed acquisition in May 2008. The Commission noted concerns that the two companies overlapped in the market for retail motor fuels, and that competition might be affected.

The Commission also had concerns about Jet's disappearance from the market, since Jet was the most efficient low-cost operator in both Norway and Sweden. In addition, Jet had a strong brand and a track record of undercutting competitors' prices.

Following an investigation, the Commission recently released its findings that the proposed transaction as originally planned would raise serious competition concerns in Norway and Sweden, and would reinforce the oligopolistic structure of the Norwegian market. StatoilHydro's position as the largest provider of motor fuels in Norway would be strengthened. In addition, in Sweden StatoilHydro is already the market's largest supplier of motor fuels. By obtaining one of its largest competitors, Jet, the combined company's market share would have been almost double the share of the next largest competitor.

In order to gain approval for the transaction, StatoilHydro agreed to sell 40 stations operating under the Jet brand in Norway, and 158 stations in Sweden operating under the Jet, Hydro, or Uno-X brands. Following this agreement, the Commission found that the transaction would not affect competition in the European Economic Area or any substantial part of it.

About the Author
About the author: Jason Hardy is an avid writer on legal issues, including international writing about many subjects including european antitrust. Eu competition law interests Jason particularly. He resides in Seattle, Washington.

Increase Your Knowledge of the Oil and Gas Industry by avi solutions

2008-12-05T00:43:00.000-08:00

Whether you're an experienced oil and gas industry worker or someone seeking to get your foot in the door, taking some time to do your research on the profession and it's recruitment requirements can help you land that "perfect" job. Among all engineers, those working in the petroleum industry can expect the highest starting salaries. Even those working entry-level jobs on offshore oil rigs as roughnecks enjoy high pay as well as great benefits. Because of this, it is no wonder that more and more job-seeking professionals are turning to this constantly booming industry to find a new financially stable line of work.

Extensive research on the internet covers a wide range of oil career possibilities; from exploration and production to pipeline operations and oil and gas refining. Doing research online to find out more information on this exciting field can be a powerful gateway to help job seekers find oil and gas industry jobs. At any single point in time, there are thousands of oil and gas jobs posted all over the internet. The secret is to know where to look and how to determine if the job listing is right for you can be extracted from your research online.

The oil and gas, or petroleum, industry is truly one that is multinational. One can learn from reading articles on the web that the majority of the world's oil comes from places in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia, Canada, and Iraq. You don't need to do your research, however, to realize that the demand for refined petroleum has never been higher. Gas prices are high and rising, as demand outstrips supply. Oil companies are forced to find ways to extract more oil from known reserves and to find new ways of getting oil. In short, the need for oil and gas job workers is fairly high now and will only increase in the coming years.

Learning the fundamentals of the oil and gas jobs available provides a basic introduction to the industry and can even give a job seeker a peek at "new employee orientation". For example researching your prospective new line of work will provide a non-technical review of upstream (exploration and production), midstream (gas processing and transportation) and downstream (refining and marketing) operations currently available in the oil and gas industry.

Increasing your knowledge of the oil and gas industry, the jobs the industry can provide, as well as the stability of these jobs, will only empower you, the job-seeking individual. With empowerment comes confidence and confidence is key to applying for and getting one of these exciting new careers in the oil and gas industry. With so many positions available and so many prospective job seekers vying for the same position it is imperative to try and put yourself in a position to present yourself as an asset. With knowledge of the industry, you will be one step ahead of the game.

About the Author
Frank Cullen is MD of Oil and gas vacancies. The company is a leading Job Board providing job availability for oil jobs, gas jobs and jobs oil gas.

Asian Coal-Bed Methane Brews As a Potential Hot Energy Play

2008-03-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

Massive stores of methane gas buried deep inside Asia's coal beds could be shaping up as the next hot energy play.

Trillions of cubic meters of clean-burning methane are trapped in Asia's coal deposits. The gas -- which produces lower levels of air pollution and carbon emissions than oil or coal -- could be used to meet some of the region's huge power needs. Merrill Lynch says China alone holds nearly 30 trillion cubic meters of methane gas, about three times the U.S. amount.

Coal-bed methane, already widely used in North America, accounts for about 10% of U.S. natural-gas production. But Asia's methane stores have been largely untapped because of logistics and extraction costs.

Now, high-energy prices are making Asia's methane more attractive. New technology and government incentives in China and India aimed at reducing carbon emissions are also bringing down costs. And concerns about falling supplies of traditional energy sources continue to boost the search for other ones: Last week, both Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell reported declining oil production.

"The basic fact is we're running out of conventional sources of oil and natural gas," says Eric Nuttall, an analyst at Sprott Asset Management of Toronto. "As companies seek out unconventional sources of natural gas, coal-bed methane is the most viable."

The hedge-fund and mutual-fund manager holds more than $5 billion in assets and owns shares of a Canadian-based methane company, Pacific Asia China Energy. The Toronto-traded company has signed two production-sharing contracts with the Chinese government and is negotiating others.

Major oil companies including Chevron and ConcocoPhilips have already locked in exploration rights to methane projects in China. Numerous smaller companies specializing in coal-bed-methane extraction have been forming partnerships in China and India. Since many of these companies don't yet have commercial gas sales, their share prices haven't run up the way those of many companies producing other forms of alternative energy have.

Investing in methane carries plenty of risk. Some of the companies are small, with thinly traded and volatile stocks. Also, China's highly regulated, fragmented energy industry can create uncertainties. To participate in it, foreign companies must partner with state-owned China United Coal Bed Methane.

It is unclear if plans to tap Asia's methane-gas stores will pan out. Companies face fewer exploration risks than those looking for oil, as methane usually is found where it is expected to be. But extracting the gas means overcoming technical challenges that can raise costs and reduce the recoverable volume.

"It's an educated gamble," says Sprott's Mr. Nuttall about companies' efforts. "The question is, will they be able to extract methane at an economical rate?"

Some coal-bed-methane projects will have another revenue stream as the global carbon market matures. Energy produced from methane gas generates lower carbon emissions than coal. Analysts say that means companies may be able to sell carbon credits, boosting revenue by up to 20%. Many European nations place caps on the greenhouse gases companies can produce. Companies can offset their emissions by buying carbon credits from developing-world projects that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

"The carbon credits provide that extra incentive and can make these projects commercially viable," says Shane Spurway, director of Asian carbon markets for Fortis bank in Hong Kong.
Pacific Asia China Energy, or PACE, is still in the pilot phase of its first project in Guizhou. Their geological and petroleum engineering consultant, Sproule International of Calgary, has estimated that the company's first block contains a "most likely case" methane-gas resource of 5.2 trillion cubic feet "We know the gas is there," says Craig Christy, PACE spokesman. "Now we've got to determine whether we can produce it commercially."

Mr. Nuttall estimates PACE could potentially produce about 1.8 trillion cubic feet of methane from its first project. At today's prices, he says, that is a value of close to $1 billion for a company whose market capitalization is about $47 million. He is bullish on the prospects PACE, whose shares trade at about 47 U.S. cents.

PACE also hopes to develop a business to extract methane from coal mines before miners go in. Methane the gas which famously kills canaries -- is the source of dozens of fatal explosions in Chinese coal mines every year.

Hong Kong-based Green Dragon Gas, which listed on London's AIM stock exchange a year ago, is one of the companies closest to commercial production. Merrill Lynch says among foreign companies in China, Green Dragon has the largest coal-bed-methane deposit and it has five production-sharing contracts providing access to 18 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Energy-research firm Netherland, Sewell & Associates estimates the value of Green Dragon's initial recoverable methane deposits at about $4.7 billion. The company's market capitalization is about $600 million. So far in 2007, Green Dragon's shares have been roughly flat, though they have risen about 17% since the end of April. Some analysts think there is room for growth. In London trading yesterday, its stock traded at $6.34. Shares of Green Dragon are "relatively undervalued, because the market hasn't factored what will happen when they start production," says David Yip, a utilities analyst at Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong. "It represents the purest clean-energy play in China."

Last week, London-listed Great Eastern Energy became the first company to extract and sell coal-bed methane commercially in India. It is investing $150 million to drill a total of 103 wells in the state of Bengal. By some estimates, India has the world's fourth-largest coal reserves. Analysts say the Gurgaon, India-based firm has already moved beyond the riskiest phase of exploration and pilot drilling and is moving into production.

Arden Partners, a London securities firm, has a "buy" on the stock. James Elston, a director of the energy research firm Palladian Energy -- who has analyzed Great Eastern Energy on behalf of Arden -- estimates that the company's net asset value is about 218 pence ($4.41) a share, based on analysis of their recoverable methane reserves. The shares traded yesterday around 150 pence.

About GEECL:
Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd(GEECL) is the first Private Sector Company in India that entered this field. It is a part of the YKM Holdings Group. In December 2005, GEECL became the first Indian Company to be listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The company is run by Yogendra Kumar Modi, the Executive Chairman and Managing Director. The senior management of GEECL include Mr. Prashant Modi, President & Chief Operating Officer.

About the Author
For further information please contact
Dolly Tayal, Genesis B-M
dolly.tayal@bm.com - +91 9899101140

What is the Outlook for the Availability of Fossil Fuels?

2008-03-09T22:39:00.000-07:00

I think this article is comparable to the people who slow down on the highway to look at an automobile accident. You are not involved in the accident, yet you surely are curious about what is happening. At the present time we can sense the presence of a disaster, but we do not have enough information to feel that we can get involved.

My push to adopt renewable energies is based on our continued polluting of the environment with the burning of fossil fuels. We know that we must slow down this pollution so that our quality of life will not be severely degraded. There is another piece of information needed to prod us into action, and that is how long do we have before we run out of fossil fuels? As a current member of the earth, I am concerned that we leave future generation's sufficient energy to bridge the gap from fossil to renewable fuels. This, to me, is looking at the car wreck. How long do we have until we are the ones involved in the wreck?

The majority of Americans now think that climate change is a problem and that global warming is real. But there still is not a sense of urgency. Every year the US emits CO2 that equals the equivalent weight of 1.2 billion elephants (2 trillion pounds using average size elephants). It is time to stop ignoring 1.2 billion elephants in the room. It is time to implement a plan that will adopt renewable energies at a pace to stabilize the environment from CO2 pollution and then, hopefully, start to reduce the amount of pollution we must derive this plan with an eye to how long our reserves of fossil fuels will last. Once we derive this plan we then can look at future generations and inform them "Here is the plan".

The development of modern civilization has been dependent on both the availability and the advancement of energy. We have witnessed a progression from animal and steam power to the internal combustion engine and electricity generation and to the harnessing of alternative sources of energy. Because of our reliance on energy sources, it is also important to understand the impact of energy use on the environment. All aspects of energy, the way it is produced, distributed, and consumed, can affect local, regional, and global environments through land use and degradation, air pollution and global climate change via greenhouse gas emissions.

Over the foreseeable future, it is very likely that fossil fuels will remain our largest source of energy. However, fossil fuels are finite resources and there is concern not only about both domestic supply and U.S. reliance on foreign supplies but, also, with the increasing cost of these fuels.

The research on the longevity of fossil fuels is an exciting adventure in itself. I will touch on some of the theories before I conclude this series of articles. Given the slack of a decade or two, the best summation of the longevity of fossil fuels is presented in "Wikipedia, Fossil fuel: Years of production left in the ground with the most optimistic reserve estimates (Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil)".

Oil: = 45 years Gas: = 72 years Coal: = 252 years
With the slack of plus or minus 10 years, most projections are consistent with the Wikipedia numbers. . The popular Hubert peak theory projects that for any given geographical area, from an individual oil-producing region to the planet as a whole, the rate of petroleum oil production tend to follow a bell-shaped curve. "Olduvai revisited 2008" from The Oil Drum blog is an amazing study. This theory was first laid out by Richard Duncan in1989 when he observed that world energy per capita had been declining for a decade. The Olduvai waveform for oil starts in 1950 which is consistent with the Wikipedia projections that the waveform will be completed by 2053.

The energy consumption of a nation is proportional to its Gross National Product (GNP).i.e. (The higher the GNP of a nation, then the higher its consumption.).To maintain our accustomed standard of living, we require the amount of energy that we are burning now to maintain our lifestyles. With the depletion of fossil fuels this will require renewable fuels to fill in the gap.
How do we hammer this information into a plan? A roadmap needs to be derived that utilizes the adoption of solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energies into our energy consumptions needs. Technologies such as stuffing CO2 into caves should not be adopted until they are proven. A plan that incorporates renewable energies with fossils fuels usage would be more realistic for our country to follow.

How do we proceed?
We must continue tax incentives for the renewable energy sectors to incubate their growth. Our House of Representatives in Congress has passed a bill to renew the energy tax incentives that are due to expire December 31, 2008. President Bush threatens to veto this bill because it taxes the Oil Industry $19 billion dollars from multi-billion dollar profits. The president's premise is that the oil companies require these profits to continue exploration of new oil. Politics aside, we desperately need to find new sources of renewable energy.

We need to demand that our local and national leaders produce renewable energy action plans. There are pockets of leadership like Arizona and California. This leadership needs to be at a national level to be successful for the USA. Once this is accomplished we will be well on our way for future generations.

About the Author
have a BS and MS in Metallurgical Engineering. Thirty six years spent in the development of semiconductors. Business experience in start up business plan. Currently, an oyster farmer and interested in helping the environment by deploying solar energy. Visit my Blog, http://environmentalhelp.typepad.com/ for continued information on renewable energy E Mail: p_calhoun@bellsouth.net

Exploring the world of Oil and Gas: Possible Careers

2008-02-21T04:46:00.001-08:00

In today's society, news headlines are fixated on the price of oil and gas, as overseas negotiations and an ongoing battle in the Middle East continue to affect the perception of this vital commodity. However, behind the scenes - there are plenty of employees who make decisions, transport the oil, and facilitate business deals for the United States. When looking to learn more about the careers centered on oil and gas, consider the following employment possibilities:

Exploration Manager

Discovering vital oil and gas deposits is a valuable job in this day and age that will only continue to increase in importance as resources become scarcer. An exploration manager leads and operates the expeditions to discover more oil and gas. While evaluating the possibilities and value of a potential site, knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations is a must. A bachelor's degree (and preferably a master's degree) is required in this field. Those with eight to 10 years of experience are most likely chosen for this position. The average yearly salary for this career choice is between $157,665 and $208,954.

Oilwell Pumper

While you are quite familiar with the employee who may pump your gas at a service station, have you ever stopped to think how oil is manufactured? An oilwell pumper is responsible for the daily maintenance and care of oil wells. They operate the injection equipment and oversee oil production - making sure to keep in line with standard operating procedures. This kind of pumper will keep reports and make assessments of the volume and pressure of gas and oil contained inside of a well. A high school diploma or its equivalent is needed for consideration. Zero to two years of experience within the field is suggested, as you should display a familiarity regarding the concepts, practices, and procedures within this particular field. Usually, a supervisor or manager manages their progress and projects. The typical salary for this job is between $35,348 and $57,176.

Pipeline Engineer

A pipeline engineer may work with natural and/or liquid gases - heading projects; working with operations and marketing; selecting pipeline routes; reviewing construction sketches; conducting financial tracking and reporting; and provide technical training to other members of the staff. The ideal candidate for this type of position has five to 15 years of experience in transmission size pipeline engineering, and a bachelor's degree in engineering. Preference is usually given to those with a PE certification. The salary for this job varies. For instance, in Texas - you can expect to earn up to $105,000, which is usually contingent upon the amount of experience you possess.

Gas Supply Manager

As a gas supply manager, you are responsible for getting a hold of the required supplies of gas for various companies. Contract negotiation with acceptable sources become a major part of this job, as well as making sure that all conditions are fulfilled. You will oversee the appropriate transport and storage of these gas supplies. Over time, you will create a working relationship with suppliers. A bachelor's degree is required for this position - coupled with at least 10 years of experience in the field. Experience in a related area is also accepted. The average yearly salary for a gas supply manager is found between $89,001 and $136,754.

Rate Analyst

Energy operational costs are the focus of this particular job, which has employees analyzing the gathering and transporting rates for gas. Having knowledge of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission policies is a must with this career. Most often, an advanced degree within an area of specialty is expected. The majority of rate analysts have four to six years of experience in the field already under their belt. A variety of different tasks are expected of this job position, which typically earns between $61,482 and $78,854.

Electric and Gas Operations Superintendent

As an electric and gas operations superintendent, your responsibility is to oversee the work crews in charge of constructing, maintaining, and repairing systems associated with electricity and gas. A superintendent creates plans and watches over the process of their employees by managing crew supervisors. A bachelor's degree is sometimes required for this position, as well as at least eight years of experience within the field. The job also centers on a variety of various concepts, practices, and procedures. In this particular career path, extensive experience and judgment truly come in handy when planning and setting goals. Of course, a superintendent is expected to lead and guide the work of other employees. The earning potential for this job is between $71,607 and $106,982.

College Courses

To get an idea of the potential college courses associated with a career in oil and gas - you may face Oil & Gas Field Operations, Hydrocarbons, Oil Field Production, Oil Field Processing, intense labs, field experience, and testing on wastewater treatment, crude oil handling, artificial lift systems, and drilling techniques.

About the Author

Search and post jobs, resume, read job informations, government jobs, online jobs, federal jobs, hot jobs, usa jobs, canada jobs, at Seek4Jobs.net.

Indonesia Petroleum and Gas Mining Industry Market Research

2008-02-21T04:45:00.001-08:00

Copyright & Disclaimer
PT. Dataindo Inti Swakarsa makes no representation to any other person with regard to the completeness or accuracy of the data or information contained herein, and it accepts no responsibility and disclaims all liability (save for liability which cannot be lawfully disclaimed) for loss or damage whatsoever suffered or incurred by any other person resulting from the use of, or reliance upon, the features, functions, tools, data or information contained herein. Information provided is not financial product advice. This report contains general information only. It is not intended as financial product advice and must not be relied upon as such. You should consider obtaining independent advice tailored to your specific circumstances before making any financial decisions. Copyright in this publication is owned by PT. Dataindo Inti Swakarsa. The publication is sold on the basis that the purchaser agrees not to copy the material contained within it for other than the purchasers own purposes. In the event that the purchaser uses or quotes from the material in this publication - in papers, reports, or opinions prepared for any other person - it is agreed that it will be sourced to: PT. Dataindo Inti Swakarsa
Definition
Petroleum and Gas Mining in Indonesia consists of firms mainly engaged in producing crude oil and condensate, and in treating these products on site to produce liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Activities
The primary activities of firms in this industry are :
- Crude oil mining.
- Condensate production.
- Natural gas mining.
- Natural gas purification.
- Liquid natural gas production
- Liquid petroleum gas production

Outlook

The bright economic growth in 2006 and a better forecast in 2007 seem to have little effect on the investment climate in the oil and gas industry, notably for foreign direct investment. The industry seems not conducive yet due to inconsistencies in government regulations and policies. This can be seen from oil and gas investment, which has been declining since 2000 until 2005 while the rest of the world, is enjoying windfall investments and profits. The regulation relating to this industry was not encouraging to new investors. For example, investors are subject to tax and retribution during exploration. They are also subjected to luxury goods tax and high import duty for heavy equipment. In addition, bureaucracy problems since the autonomy regulation has caused investors not only face the central government, but also local government 'fees'. These all bring increasing administration cost.

To anticipate an investment slowdown the government has applied new splits to attract new investors. Prior, the composition was divided into 85 percent for the government and 15 percent for investors. Currently, with the new regulation, it splits to 75 percent for the government and 25 percent for investors.

These splits in regulations are expected to attract investors and hopefully in the near future oil and gas exploration investment will increase. The other obstacle faced by this industry is lack of technology, which has resulted in less oil production.

Exports of crude oil are expected to continue declining due to lower production and increasing domestic demand. As a result, crude oil imports are expected to increase. At the same time gas exports are expected to remain strong but decline overall. Japan, Korea and China still dominate the market for crude oil and gas exports, while the imports are still dominated by Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Malaysia. From 2005 to 2008, Pertamina (which operates Arun) must defer 6 cargoes to Japanese and Korean buyers due to the GOI requirement to provide low-cost natural gas to national fertilizer plants. The GOI has a policy to support fertilizer plants with subsidized gas.

The cost of the GOI policy to support the national fertilizer industry is high. Arun's six-cargo deferment last year cost Indonesia about $ 130 million in LNG revenues. The GOI wants Arun to supply gas instead to two Aceh fertilizer plants at a subsidized price of $ 2.30/mmbtu, about one-third its LNG value. The combined effect of declining production and support to the fertilizer industry could lead Indonesia to defer, or spot purchase, as many as 14 Arun cargoes in 2006 and 28 Arun cargoes in 2007.

At Bontang, the costs of GOI support to the fertilizer industry are even higher. Although there is no gas supply agreement between Pertamina and the petroleum companies (Unocal, Total and VICO), it diverts 400-450 mmcfd of gas from LNG production for sale to the fertilizer industry. That gas volume is the equivalent to 40-45 LNG cargoes, or the same number of Bontang cargoes that Indonesia will cancel to its Asian buyers this year. The value of the cancelled cargoes is estimated at $800-900 million, of which the GOI would have netted half. Instead, Pertamina will sell the gas domestically to the fertilizer industry for under than $2.50/mmbtu, less than half the average Bontang LNG contract price.

Producers from the manufacturing industry, of which the natural oil and gas industry is a part of, are expected to maximise their production capacity to satisfy an expectation of demand growth internationally. Additionally, this growth is encouraged by the fact that the world demand for natural oil and gas products will remain strong and exporters' accesses in financing and other essential infrastructures will remain open.

In Indonesia, oil-mining companies mainly consist of Pertamina and its subsidiaries. Private companies with production sharing contract projects (either domestic or foreign company) play a lesser role.

Most contracts signed are production-sharing contracts. At present, there are 72 PSCs covering 105 work areas on land and offshore in Indonesia. Of the 105 works areas, 60 are still in the exploration stage and 45 are already in the production stage, with the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique being applied in eight work areas.

Today, more than 100 companies have signed oil contracts with Pertamina, of which only 27 have been productive. This totals 22 companies operating under production sharing contracts, 4 companies under technical assistance contracts and one under a joint-operation contract.

More information of this report visit: http://www.disb2b.com/front/industryintelligencereport.php?klui=K2210

About the Author

PT. Dataindo Inti Swakarsa, Email: info@disb2b.com, Web: http://www.disb2b.com

KFG Resources Prepares for Seismic to Redevelop Salt Dome

2008-02-21T04:44:00.001-08:00

In Mississippi, just a few kilometres from the town of Natchez, KFG Resources (TSX.V: KFG) is about to try something that CEO Bob Kadane believes will create significant value for his company's shareholders.

Buried beneath the Fayette field is the Fayette salt dome - the last hydrocarbon-bearing salt dome of its kind in the region that has not been redeveloped. In February 2008, KFG will carry out the first 3D seismic imaging survey on the Fayette salt dome in which it holds a 100% working interest. The data from the seismic survey will be analysed with existing data from more than 100 well logs to determine the best fifteen or more targets for a drill program to be started this summer. The goal will be to drill through multiple oil and gas formations in the shallow Wilcox Formation (from 3,500 to 3,900) and the Lower Tuscaloosa (9,600 feet).

Salt domes like the Fayette were deposited millions of years ago when the shores of the Gulf of Mexico were located far inland from their current position. As waters evaporated, they left thick pockets of salt in layers. Over the millennia, these were buried by sand, soil and sediment. Over time, the thick layers of salt bowed in the centre and penetrated upward through the existing strata of rock - hence the "dome" shape of the structures. The salt is hard and impenetrable; the upward bending of the salt formed traps or pockets where oil and gas collected, often in large quantities.

There are numerous salt features located in the area surrounding Natchez. While most have been thoroughly explored and exploited from the 1930s until the present, the Fayette Salt Dome has seen only limited exploration.

Of the 4,000 acres that comprise the Fayette field and salt dome, only a fraction has been explored. Historically, exploration companies have drilled 29 deep holes on the east side of the dome. The west side, however, has only seen eight deep drill holes - which makes the west side a priority target.

The problem with mapping on the west side of the dome, Kadane says, "has been that the drill holes are too far apart to make any logical conclusions from the surface mapping (well logs). Some of them had small quantities of oil and gas production, so they could be the edge of a larger untapped reservoir. These old wells are 1,000 to 2,000 feet apart and you could have a reservoir easily run right between them and not even know it. And that's what the seismic will tell us."

3-D seismic surveys, or "seismics" as they are commonly called, use sound waves to locate rock formations in the earth that are associated with oil and gas. Acoustic vibrations are created either by a controlled explosion, or more often, by use of a vibration truck, which thumps the ground creating waves that radiate into the earth. The sound waves are reflected off subterranean rock, sediment, salt and other layers. The length of time required for the waves to travel through layers of varying densities is used to create a profile of the structure. With the use of computers, 3-D seismics have becomes incredibly detailed and complex. Billions of data points are compiled to create a three dimensional image of the underground structures thus dramatically reducing the element of chance in drilling wells.

Then there are the well logs from more than fifty previously drilled wells in the Fayette field. These well logs are like electric cardiogram images depicting a foot by foot image of the types of hydrocarbons present down a well hole. With the log data, the presence of hydrocarbons is measured up and down the drill hole and outward about 20 feet in all directions.

In addition, Kadane says, 3D seismic survey signatures will show areas of undepleted shallow gas as well as the undepleted oil reserves. In all, this adds up to a potentially huge amount of hydrocarbons.

Although KFG's earlier plans to recomplete its existing three Lower Tuscaloosa gas condensate wells were successful, they represented only the initial phase of hydrocarbon recovery from the Fayette field. With those online, the Fayette Field is presently producing 20 barrels of oil and 250 MCF of gas per day. Kadane says these were just a fraction of what could be underground here.

"If I walk away from this with just five successful wells, I'm going to be disappointed, Kadane says."

He points out that every other similar salt feature in the Gulf Region that has seen 3D seismic survey data used in conjunction with down-hole well log data has been successful in finding new oil and gas reservoirs in just about every producing horizon.

The Fayette field is structurally similar to oil company Denbury's (NYSE: DNR) numerous projects in Louisiana and Mississippi, including other salt domes that Denbury has drilled for primary recovery or pumped CO2 into for secondary recovery. Denbury is one of the largest oil and natural gas operator in Mississippi and owns the largest reserves of CO2 used for secondary oil recovery east of the Mississippi River. In recent years, Denbury has systematically acquired many of the known salt formations throughout Mississippi and Louisiana.

"These old producing fields with salt features have been redeveloped by Denbury and others by doing exactly what we're doing - 3D seismics and well logs - and then redrilling the areas and finding new reservoir traps, new fault traps, deeper beds, shallower beds. The reason there are still untapped resources down there is that using well logs alone didn't give enough indication for the zones to be successfully tested for hydrocarbons."

Historically, more than two million barrels of oil and 8 billion cubic feet of gas were produced from the Lower Tuscaloosa formation at Fayette. Kadane emphasises that most of the historical production was from the east side of the Fayette salt dome, which has seen most of the drilling.

"There no reason I can think of why the same or similar won't be possible to find on the west side, where only eight holes have been drilled," he points out.

While KFG focuses on drilling the untapped side of the salt dome, there remains another value-opportunity to consider as well. The Denbury model of secondary recovery using CO2 requires substantial capital to initiate, but is a very profitable model for that company. Kadane says the secondary model is one he is considering - once the company has the seismic data.

"It has been every economic for companies like Denbury to revisit these older depleted reservoirs throughout Louisiana and Mississippi," Kadane says. "Another object of the 3D then is to figure out exactly where the old depleted reservoirs are so you'll know where to put your injection wells for a secondary recovery project.

"We've already been approached by Denbury to sell Fayette and we would have done a JV, but I wasn't about to sell it. They've done their homework - they know what's there."

KFG Resources has 42,147,311 net shares outstanding and presently trades at $0.09 per share.

This article is intended for information purposes only, and is not a recommendation to buy or sell the equities of any company mentioned herein. It is based on sources believed to be reliable, but no warranty as to accuracy is expressed or implied. The opinions expressed in the article are those of the author except where statements are attributed to individuals other than the author, in which case the opinions are those of the individual to whom they are attributed.

About the Author

Resourcex Investor is an internationally distributed newsletter about emerging junior resource companies. Sign up for a free 1-month trial to our newsletter and get instant access to news and investing tips that have helped many of our readers make more money. http://www.resourcex.com

Chukchi Sea Lease Sale 193 Announces Feb 6, 2008

2008-02-21T04:37:00.000-08:00

The Alaskan wilderness and surrounding seas have long been coveted by oil and mining companies for their richness in natural resources, but strict regulations and controversial environmental issues have prevented widespread efforts from taking place.

Currently debated is the Chukchi Sea lease sale 193. The Chukchi Sea area in question lies 25 miles off the north-western coast of Alaska. Reservoirs below are thought to contain 15 million barrels of recoverable oil and 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The sea bed, lying between 95ft and 262ft, could be easily accessed by off shore drilling rigs. This icy sea is also one of two environmentally sensitive habitats of arctic polar bears, a species whose endangerment is also currently in debate. Impending decisions on the protection of their habitat could significantly limit development by the oil industry in the Chukchi Sea.

The Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service has proposed the sale of 29.4 million acres for oil and gas exploration to be held on Feb 6, 2008. This would be the first sale in this region in fifteen years. Oil and gas exploration and extraction companies will bid for the rights of 5355 blocks of territory and the MMS would collect a 12.5% royalty on revenue from all parcels. Advocates for the sale believe this could help bolster the faltering U.S. economy by providing a security that comes from reduced reliance on foreign oil supply.

Politicians, including Senator John Kerry, are advocates for delaying the sale until a decision can be made about the Polar Bears endangermenet. Delaying the sale by as much as three years would allow scientists more time to conduct studies on how further commercial activity may cause imbalance in this region. Scientists also seek to develop an understanding of how global warming is impacting habitat. Polar bears are carnivores and scavengers that live and hunt for food off the ice floes of the Chukchi Sea. When the ice melts the bears either drown or are forced inland, which limits their access to their staple food sources: seal, walruses, and narwhal and beluga whale carcasses.

Some have questioned why the proposed sale is to take place before the decisions about the polar bear habitat, however it seems there is little that can be done to stop the sale now. The Alaska Wilderness League expects companies like Exxon, Shell, and Statoil to be bidding on the sale. Companies like Triple Diamond Energy Corp could also benefit from further oil developments in the region.

About the Author

About the Author: Robert Jent is President & CEO of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy is an independent producer of oil and natural gas. Located in the Dallas area, the company specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties

KFG Resources in Search of the Wilcox Formation's Riches

2008-01-21T06:06:00.001-08:00

High oil prices have a habit of creating winners and losers. It's a complex equation, to be sure, since price hikes are the result of multiple causes, including the fact that "easy" oil reserves are increasingly difficult to come by.

For oilmen with the correct experience and some faith in serendipity, high oil prices indicate the opening - or reopening - of giant swathes of land for drilling and production, and the potential for big profits.

I spoke with Bob Kadane, the president of KFG Resources (TSX.V:KFG) about how oil prices have had an effect on one formation in particular - the Wilcox Oil and Gas Formation - and learned a lot about the true story behind petroleum exploration in the US that every investor should know. It's a fascinating story.

First off, the stakes are huge. While proponents of the peak oil theory may be correct in stating that oil reserves worldwide are increasingly depleted, there is still room for substantial oil production from the Wilcox Formation.

For example, using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey in 2007 estimated 110 million barrels of undiscovered oil, approximately 3 trillion cubic feet of gas and over 500 million barrels of natural gas liquids throughout the Wilcox Formation. Much of that would be contained in Mississippi and Louisiana, where KFG Resources is will soon be drilling.

The Wilcox Formation is located some 6,500 feet below sea level in Mississippi and Louisiana, inland from the Gulf of Mexico. It is just one of many strata of the earth buried underground by millions of years of erosion and land movement caused by wind, water and tectonic motion.

The last time the sand, silt and clay that comprise the Wilcox Formation were exposed to air was about 50 million years ago, during the early Eocene period, when the earth's poles were covered by forests and the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico lay many kilometers inland from where it is found today.

Huge pockets of oil formed by decomposing plant matter from distant epochs populate the Wilcox Formation, which can be harder to find than other oil reserves due to the fact that the oils are not kept in place by thick shale beds or other rock that are relatively easy to spot using seismic. Instead, the formation is up to 2,500 feet thick, and mostly sand. As such, other, more traditional methods are used to find deposits in the oil rich formation.

Just how rich? Well, as mentioned earlier, USGS has reported more than 100 million barrels of oil plus gas and natural gas liquids geologically proven in the area. But what about the standard petroleum measure of "barrels per acre foot"?

According to Kadane, the standard oil reservoir in the Rocky Mountains might yield from 75 to 250 barrels of oil per acre foot - meaning that one foot of sand over one acre of land would yield between 75 and 250 barrels, depending on such factors as porosity and oil content.

I did my own homework, too: A search of other companies producing oil reveals a high of 400 barrels per acre foot in Nevada, 350 in Texas, 300 in Oklahoma and so on. The numbers vary, of course, and in oil rich areas such as Alberta and the Middle East, they are much higher.

But the Wilcox Formation yields an average of 600 barrels per acre foot, Kadane says.

"I have been associated with some reservoirs that have recovered in excess of 1,000 per acre foot - it's a high porosity sand," he noted.

Simply put, Kadane says, "It makes the Wilcox Formation - if you can find it - probably the most profitable return on your investment on shore in the United States. It's elusive but it makes a very lucrative target once you're able to pin it down and find it."

Kadane was born and raised in communities that lay on the earth above the Wilcox Formation. Starting in the 1940s, Kadane's father drilled the same formation to great success. Kadane recalls his father putting dynamite into a well to get the oil flowing in about 1942 - when he opened the valve, a huge geyser of oil shot some 150 feet into the sky. Kadane still has a 16-millimeter film of the event, he says.

The Wilcox Formation lost favor due to its low success ratio and the fact that modern technology, such as seismic, doesn't help much in finding its reserves. To find Wilcox oil and gas, oilmen like Kadane use traditional methods and wisdom gained through experience to improve chances of success. To profit from them, you have to know everyone working the Wilcox Formation, where they are drilling, and where they have succeeded and failed.

"The last Wilcox well we found that amounted to anything was 1989. We haven't done a lot there since then, and that field still produces and is part of our main reserve and is almost 20 years old. It's just three wells and it's produced about 1.3 million barrels, I think."

Now that peak oil has emerged to be a law rather than a theory, and with prices up and American supply diminished, the math is right again to make a success of the Wilcox Formation.

"In the Wilcox Formation, the success rate on wildcat drilling - which means no production within a mile or so, or virgin, undrilled land - is between 10 and 15 percent," explains Kadane. "The success rate of offset is in the 50 percent range in terms of success." That indicates that in many cases it will be most prudent to drill next to where other teams have already drilled, but failed to find the goods.

"With the price of oil and gas above $70 per barrel, suddenly new exploration companies are down in the Louisiana Salt Basin area. The higher price of oil makes the lower success rate more profitable.

"You see, when more players are in the field drilling, it helps to eliminate where oil is not, and tells you where it may be. Lot of people do one or two holes where there should be oil. Sometimes, if they come up dry, they give up. You go in there and drill a third or fourth hole, because you know it's there - and bingo, you hit paydirt. So the other guys have in essence done the work already.

"By going in and completing more holes you know your chances of hitting oil have improved without spending a dime."

The other players at KFG add the other essential ingredients to the brew that Kadane predicts will see success in 2008. President of Operations Stephen Guido owns a drilling rig good to below 10,000 feet. Geologist Dave Easom has 25 years experience in the area and has worked closely with seismologist Pitman Calhoun, who is said to be one of the best lower Tuscaloosa and Wilcox seismologists in that whole part of the country. Kadane says that Calhoun and Easom have completed three 3D seismology shoots in the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation in the region, all of them successful.

"I've got a network of guys who know what they're doing," he emphasizes. "They've been there and done that here since they were kids. They know every player on the scene and every dip in every field in the state of Louisiana."

Coming Up: In the next piece, I'll talk about how KFG Resources plans to use 3D seismic data with subsurface well log data to create a drilling plan to hit both the Wilcox Formation and the Lower Tuscaloosa - simultaneously.

About the Author

Exploring the world of Oil and Gas: Possible Careers

2008-01-21T06:05:00.000-08:00

Exploration Manager

Oilwell Pumper

Pipeline Engineer

Gas Supply Manager

Rate Analyst

Electric and Gas Operations Superintendent

College Courses

About the Author

Search and post jobs, resume, read job informations, government jobs, online jobs, federal jobs, hot jobs, usa jobs, canada jobs, at Seek4Jobs.net.

Palestineâ€™s Natural Gas Confusion

2008-01-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

alestinian officials secured a deal with British Gas in the late 1990s allowing the exploration and drilling for natural gas and oil reserves in the Mediterranean Sea. In September of 2000, President Yasser Arafat himself watched anxiously as their hopes were rewarded with a huge flame shooting into the sky from a British Gas well 22 miles off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Arafat called the impressive showing of anticipated wealth a â€œgift to God to us, to our people, to our children,â€ stating further that the reserves would â€œprovide a solid foundation for our economy, for establishing an independent state with holy Jerusalem as its capital.â€ In the eight years since this discovery, political jockeying and grappling has much stymied the exportation efforts of Palestine, hindering their ability to truly maximize their reserves and boost economic growth.

In July 2005, Palestinianâ€™s chief export hope, Israel, signed a deal to import natural gas not from its gas-rich neighbor, Palestine, but instead circumventing them to import their natural gas fuel needs from Egypt. Purely a move motivated by politics, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon opposed any financial agreement made with the Palestinian Authority fearing that any monies exchanged would be used to support terrorist operations against Israel. This Israeli deal squashed initial Palestinian hopes that the gas trade would motivate the formation of new jobs in Gaza and earn $40 million to $45 million in taxes annually to help assist in bolstering their government towards eventual statehood.

The Gaza Marine field promises a yield of approximately 1.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in its ample reserve. This large reserve of gas has the ability to provide much more than Palestineâ€™s energy needs, which are minimal. British Gas entered into the last stages of talks, nearly reaching an agreement with Egypt as recently as 2006 to export a minimum of 1.5 billion cubic yards of natural gas annually for 50 years through a proposed Gaza-E Arish pipeline. This proposed deal was thrown a major road block by then British Prime Minister Tony Blair who decided that British Gas should give Israel one more chance at making the gas deal with Palestine, insisting that the gas could provide a large part of the energy needs of Israelâ€™s rapidly growing economy. Though Israeli leaders recognized this growing need for gas, their opposition to trade with Palestine once again hobbled the hopeful bridging of gaps between the two. This has resulted in British Gas and Palestine resuming talks with Egypt, hoping to finalize a deal in early 2008, putting an end to the confusion which began with hope and anticipation of wealth nearly a decade earlier.

About the Author

About the Author: Robert Jent is the president of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.

KFG Resources in Search of the Wilcox Formation's Riches

2008-01-13T20:24:00.000-08:00

But the Wilcox Formation yields an average of 600 barrels per acre foot, Kadane says.

"I have been associated with some reservoirs that have recovered in excess of 1,000 per acre foot - it's a high porosity sand," he noted.

Now that peak oil has emerged to be a law rather than a theory, and with prices up and American supply diminished, the math is right again to make a success of the Wilcox Formation.

"By going in and completing more holes you know your chances of hitting oil have improved without spending a dime."

About the Author

Mexicoâ€™s Oil Output

2008-01-07T00:14:00.001-08:00

Oil was not discovered in Mexico until after the turn of the twentieth century. Commercial production of crude oil started in 1901 and by 1911 Mexico began to export oil.

In 1923 Bucarelli Agreements committed the United States and Mexico to regard titles held by foreign oil companies as concessions by the Mexican government rather than as outright ownership claims. And in 1925 President Plutarco ElÃas Calles decreed that foreign oil companies must register their titles in Mexico and limited their concessions.

Largely as a result of increased international demand generated by World War I, Mexico's oil production peaked in 1921 at 193 million barrels (25 percent of world production). Mexico was second only to the United States in petroleum output and led the world in oil exports during much of the 1920s.

Giving the Mexican government a monopoly in the exploration, production, refining, and distribution of oil and natural gas, and in the manufacture and sale of basic petrochemicals, President LÃ¡zaro CÃ¡rdenas nationalized the petroleum industry in 1938. This left the oil companies uncomfortable. The United States government soon pressured the oil companies to come to terms with Mexico as a result of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor Policy. In 1943 Mexico and the oil companies reached a final settlement under which the companies received US$24 million (a fraction of the book value) as compensation.

Mexico's oil output expanded at an average annual rate of 6 percent between 1938 and 1971. And production increased from 44 million barrels in 1938 to 78 million barrels in 1951 alone. Domestic demand progressively exceeded output, and in 1957 Mexico became a net importer of petroleum products. Production then rose to 177 million barrels by 1971 with the exploitation of new oil fields.

Extensive oil discoveries in the 1970s increased Mexico's domestic output and export revenues. Almost every drilling operation conducted after 1972 struck oil. In 1973 oil production surpassed the peak of 190 million barrels achieved in the early 1920s.

However, by early 1993, both crude oil production and exports had begun to decline. Down from almost 80 percent in 1982, in 1995 the oil sector generated slightly more than 10 percent of Mexico's export income. In 1995 Mexico was the world's sixth-largest producer of crude oil. In the Western Hemisphere, only the United States produced more oil than Mexico. Directly behind Mexico was Venezuela.

The Mexican government invested heavily to increase the capacity of existing refineries and construct new ones so that, by the early 1990s, some 40 percent of Mexico's crude petroleum output was refined domestically. In 1993 Mexico had the world's eighth largest crude petroleum reserves, amounting to some 5 percent of the world's total. Mexico's reserves are sufficient to guarantee the current production levels for fifty years.

Since the nationalization of the oil industry in 1938, the state-owned Pemex has monopolized the production and marketing of hydrocarbons. In August 1993, it became known that the government was considering proposals to allow private companies to buy, sell, and distribute imported gasoline, natural gas, and petrochemicals, and to invest in new pipelines.

In early 1996, the government unveiled its Program for the Development and Restructuring of the Energy Sector. The plan is intended to increase Mexico's petroleum exports, improve its competitiveness in the international energy market, and contribute to more balanced regional development, which it has.

Companies in the United Statesâ€™ oil sector, like {a href=â€œhttp://tdecorp.blogspot.com/2007/12/Mexicoâ€™s-oil- output.html"}Triple Diamond Energy Corporation continue to look at Mexicoâ€™s oil output and assess any potential business dealings.

About the Author

Chris Jent is the Chief Marketing Officer of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.

Russian Arctic Claims

2008-01-07T00:13:00.000-08:00

Russia continues to be the country possessing the largest proven natural gas reserves on the planet as well as the largest exporter of oil after Saudi Arabia. The mismanagement of their resources combined with limited technology has rendered may of their vast resources unsalvageable with their continued denial of foreign intervention further limiting successful extraction efforts. Current projected estimates show that Russia's large reserves, with no expansion or increased operations are dwindling, and will be nearly tapped by 2030. Instead of asking for assistance from highly experienced and specialized foreign oil outfits, Russia has instead opted for increasing their range by laying claim to a disputed 460,800 square mile swath of ice-covered Arctic seabed estimated to hold billions of unproven hydrocarbon reserves.

In 2001, Russia issued documents before the United Nations claiming that the Lomonosov Ridge, making up a large portion of the Arctic Ocean's seafloor, was actually an extension of the Siberian continental shelf and should be recognized as part of Russia, theirs to explore and exploit. The 1982 International Convention on the Law of the Sea established a zone of twelve miles off of all coastal countries and an even further reaching 200 mile economic zone for each country to have exclusive rights for drilling and exploration. Russia's claim to the Lomonosov Ridge extends far beyond this 200 mile economic zone however, and the United Nations has thus far denied their claims.

Russia continues their exploration of the Arctic in hopes to show the United Nations that they deserve to explore and begin drilling, for the rewards could be immense. In order to extend their 200 mile economic zone, Russia must prove the structure of the continental shelf of the ridge is similar to the geological structure of the underwater landmass extension within their territory. The lure of the ridge has to be its estimated 10 billion tons of untapped reserves. These reserves would provide Russia with the boom necessary to continue to flex its might as one of the world's most powerful natural resource holders. Not only would the petroleum and natural gas extracted help provide the energy needs of their citizenry, but the monies collected from exports would be tremendous as worldwide supplies continue to diminish and the price of oil continues to increase.

The United States and Canada are watching ever so closely, hoping Russia's claims are denied once again. Perhaps the United Nations will equally divide the Arctic giving drilling rights to all bordering countries. Until then, large natural gas and oil companies like Triple Diamond Energy Corp. will continue to develop new techniques for drilling deep beneath snow and ice in order to extract the bounty beneath.

About the Author

Oil & Gas Industry

2008-01-07T00:09:00.000-08:00

The Oil and Gas Industry is one of the most important and dramatically changing global industries there is.

Obtained naturally from beneath the surface of the earth, crude oil or petroleum is an inflammable liquid that is collected beneath the seas in the form of oil reservoirs through years of plant and animal decomposition as well as deposition of layers of silt and mud materials. From time immemorial, crude oil has been put to several uses and today, Oil accounts for a major portion of the world's energy consumption.

History If we were to trace the history of oil and gas, we would have to look way back to historical references of oil usage in Persia, Egypt and Mesopotamia. During the 8th century, tar (which is derived from petroleum) was being used for paving roads. By the 9th and 10th century, the discovery and exploration of oil reserves became eminent. Drilling below the sea beds for crude oil paved the path for the entrance and the rise in importance of the oil and gas industry in the overall world economy. The discovery and use of oil & gas by the 20th century led to an increase in the demand for commodities such as petroleum, now heavily traded among nations. In the UK, it is the Department of Trade and Industry that regulates the activities and development of the oil and gas industry.

Majors Players A number of entities together constitute the oil and gas industry.

1) Those involved in the exploration, overall development and production of natural gas or crude oil.

2) Those taking care of the transportation, retailing, and end users.

3) Other contracted drilling agencies and service companies. Some of the major Oil Companies operating in the world market today include BP, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil (Esso), ConocoPhillips, and Total S.A.

Oil Usage Developed countries use the maximum amount of oil and there is a growing demand for oil and natural gas by most developing countries as well. Though it is difficult to give an exact estimate, it has been stated that the world consumes over 30 billion barrels of oil per year. Oil Production Some of the biggest producers of oil in the world include

Russia Saudi Arabia USA Iran China

There has been a continuous rise in demand for oil and gas throughout the world leading to a rise in its prices. This was inevitable since petroleum is a non renewable resource and it is hard to match supplies with such a drastic increase in its demand year after year. Moreover, there are signs of negative effects on sea life as well as the overall environment through discharge of chemicals.

What Lies Ahead? Industry experts predict that in the future, such increasing demands on the supply reserves of oil will eventually lead to a decline in the overall global oil production as well as sky rocketing oil prices.

It is high time that the nation looks towards alternative sources of energy such as wave and tidal power, wind power, solar power and bio fuels to reduce such frightening pressures on oil and gas in the world.

About the Author

David Pritchard is webmaster for www.crest-enviro.com

Finding Oil

2007-11-26T03:20:00.002-08:00

The United States, in 2005 alone, consumed per day an estimate of 9 million barrels of crude oil and 13.21 million barrels of imported oil. This oil is refined into gasoline, kerosene, heating oil and other essential products. To keep up with this demand, oil companies must constantly look for new sources of petroleum, as well as improve the production of existing wells.

The fossil fuel oil can be found in countries all over the world. It was formed from the remains of tiny plants and animals (plankton) that died in ancient seas millions of years ago. After the organisms died, they sank into the sand at the sea's bottom. Over the years, the organisms decayed in the sedimentary layers. Because there was little oxygen there, the organisms broke down into carbon-rich compounds. This material mixed with the sediments, forming fine-grained shale which known as the source rock. As new sedimentary layers were deposited, they put intense pressure and heat on the source rock which distilled the organic material into crude oil and natural gas. The oil flowed from the source rock and accumulated in thicker, more porous limestone or sandstone, called reservoir rock.

Movements and shifts in the Earth's surface trapped oil and natural gas in the reservoir rocks between layers of impermeable rock, or cap rock, such as granite and marble. These movements of the earth included folding when the rock moved horizontally inward creating a fold or anticline; faulting where the layers of rock cracked with one side shifting upward and the other downward, and pinching out when a layer of impermeable rock squeezed upward into the reservoir rock.

Oil companies like {a href=" http://tdecorp.blogspot.com/2007/11/finding-oil.html"}Triple Diamond Energy Corporation employ directly or under contract from a private firm, geologists who actually find the oil. Their task is to find the right conditions for an oil trap--the right source rock, reservoir rock and entrapment. They interprete surface features, surface rock, soil types, and small core samples obtained by shallow drilling and, nowadays, with the additional help of satellite images. They also can use sensitive gravity meters to measure tiny changes in the Earth's gravitational field that indicate flowing oil, as well as sensitive magnetometers to measure tiny changes in the Earth's magnetic field caused by flowing oil. They can detect the smell of hydrocarbons using sensitive electronic noses called sniffers. And they also most commonly use seismology, creating shock waves passing through hidden rock layers. In seismic surveys, a shock wave is created by a compressed-air gun which shoots pulses of air into the water for exploration over water, a thumper truck which slams heavy plates into the ground for exploration over land, and explosives drilled into the ground for exploration over both land and water.

Although modern oil exploration methods have made it easier for finding oil, geologists still only have a 10-percent success rate for finding new oil fields. Once a prospective oil strike is found, the location is marked.

About the Author

Chris Jent is the Chief Marketing Officer of {a href=" http://tdecorp.blogspot.com/2007/11/finding-oil.html"} Triple Diamond Energy Corp. {a href=" http://tdecorp.blogspot.com/2007/11/finding-oil.html"} Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit htttp://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com

Pennant Energy Proves a Profitable Producer

2007-11-26T03:20:00.001-08:00

Instead of running with risk in view of huge oil findings, the company maintains a conservative approach based on guaranteed opportunities and diversification on drill-ready or existing wells within Canada.

An August article in Canadian Business magazine titled â€œWhatâ€™s Next for the Oil Patch?â€ included a brief discussion that portrayed a not-so-bright future of junior energy companies in Alberta. Intrigued by the news, ResourcexInvestor talked with Thomas Yingling, president of Pennant Energy Inc. [TSXV: PEN] a junior company successfully venturing into oil and gas. Yinglingâ€™s opinion is clear: Alberta has an excellent, unmatched environment for oil and gas exploration and production (E&P).

Contrary to the fragile environment the article presents, E&P opportunities in Alberta are better than ever before, he says. Rigs are available at realistic prices, the price of the oil mix is up, the legislation works, and the number of experienced workers, technicians and managers outnumbers most of the other producing locations in the world. Moreover, Yingling said that the current Canadian taxation scheme for income trusts benefits the junior companies because it freed up lots of Crown Land allowing juniors to access more projects. Under the new taxation law, many income trusts are pulling back from the arena.

At the time trusts restructured their assets bringing down the oil rig count, they released lots of the pressure on production costs too, due to availability of resources, both human and machinery. It is said that a steep decline in oil rig count has helped push the costs of drilling down 10% since last year. Venture capital may be the main vehicle junior resource companies use to finance their operations, but good financial and operations management are key in keeping a junior resource company afloat. These savings in production costs can translate into increased shareholder value.

For Yingling, profit strategies involve low cost growth but also industrious growth â€" â€œgrowth through drillingâ€ as Yingling says, and it is paying off. As a venture capitalist and former president of an investment-consulting firm, Yingling decided to steer Pennant Energy towards strong financials rather than risk. He has taken this Canadian junior with a background in mining exploration for zinc in BC and turned it into a modest Canadian oil producer. His successes almost immediately brought revenues into the financial statements. By June 2007, Pennant reported a yearly production of approximately 3,019 bbl of oil.

Pennant earned 15-45% interest in nine wells from the Willinston Basin in southwestern Manitoba from Rideau Petroleum Ltd., which operates over 90 wells within the Daly field. In 2002, Rideau ranked sixth out of the top 25 operators in the province and reported a cumulative oil production from the operated wells of 1.88 million barrels by the end of 2003.

The Willinston Basin holds most of the oil produced in Manitoba. Discovered in the 50s, commercial light oil production commenced in 1985 with the discovery of the Bakken A Pool in the Daly Field. Exploration since then has extended the productive area to the north and south. Over 6,000 wells have been drilled at the basin by operators including Tundra Oil and Gas, Rideau Petroleum, Grand Banks Energy Corp. and Kiwi Resources.

Pennantâ€™s light sweet oil pours from the Lodgepole and Bakken formations at an API gravity of 39Â° - 40Â° warranting a net back price that averaged $60.07 bopd for most of 2007. Initial production from the first well was recorded at 42.8 bopd while production from the second well drilled averaged 35.5 bopd. Production from the Bakken makes up 4% of the provincial total, which is estimated to be close to 18,000 bbl/d. The light sweet crude oil is easy to process and once refined is sold to local buyers or exported into the USA. Wells in this oil field are expected to produce for another 20 years paralleling the producing life of older neighbor wells.

Pennantâ€™s investment in Manitoba proved to be low-risk and, more importantly, had a payback period of only six months, giving the company producer status, something rarely found after one deal. Pennant has no debt. Current cash-flow from its Manitoba operations allows the team to work with its own resources preventing share dilution and giving investors stronger potential for capital gains from future ventures. Although the company believes that Manitoba is a province with excellent conditions to find untapped oil and gas resources, it is also considering low-risk, quick-return opportunities in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

On March 1, 2005 Pennant announced test results of the Meekwap Well in Northern Alberta. During the first days of production, the oil free flowed on its own at rates of 400 to 1,100 barrels of oil per day and solution gas flowed at up to 350 mcf per day. By September 2005, the production rate stabilized at 100 bopd. The company earned the 8% to 4% (after payout) of the working interest to participate in this and another three additional wells on the Meekwap prospect by contributing with 8% of the costs to drill and test the field.

The E&P team at Pennant Energy integrates the joint efforts of leading exploration geologist James Britton, P. Geol. P. Eng., Alan Carswell, David Finn and Rod Morris. Brittonâ€™s experience spans over forty-five years and four hundred and thirty oil and gas wells, some of which are still abundant producers. He engineered Dynamic Oil & Gas Incâ€™s growth from 25 boepd to over 5,000 boepd. David Finn has been active in the oil & gas business for over 30 years. His experience in western Canadian sedimentary basins comes from working at the geological and engineering departments of Amoco Canada. From Amoco he moved to the British Columbia Petroleum Corporation where he was responsible for monitoring the development of northeastern British Columbia gas fields. Allan Carswell is an accomplished and well-renowned geophysicist with a multi-disciplinary geological background in the oil & gas business. He has also been involved in a number of important oil pool discoveries across North America and has earned various academic awards including being the beneficiary of a three-time Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists Scholarship and two-time holder of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) graduate scholarship.

About the Author

Natural Gas-A Viable Answer

2007-11-14T04:20:00.002-08:00

At a time when conflicts are raging all around the Middle East, the birthplace of civilization as well as the center of the richest oil fields in the world, the United States should take the time to look within. There is a fossil fuel that North America contains in abundance, a clean burning fuel that could answer all the problems faced by a nation dependent upon foreign oil. That plentiful fuel is natural gas.

There exist three different estimates by reputable sources concerning the amount of natural gas that still lies untapped in North America. The first estimate, compiled by the Energy Information Administration, a source of official energy statistics from the U.S. government itself, maintains that there exists 1190.62 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas in the United States alone. The second estimate by the National Petroleum Council is even higher, stating that 1779 trillion cubic feet of natural gas remains to be recovered and used in the United States. The lowest estimate was given by the Potential Gas Committee, but still maintains that there are over 1090 trillion cubic feet of natural gas remaining to be found.

Concerning the world, the U.S. maintains only 3% of known (proved) natural gas reserves. Proved reserves are reserves that have been located and are currently producing natural gas for consumption by the populace.

Natural gas companies like Triple Diamond Energy Corp continue to search the land for more of this ultra-clean harvestable energy. Nationwide there are currently 1801 rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the United States. This number is up from the official count of a year ago at 1693. Of these rigs, 1459 are actively exploring for natural gas. It seems that the nation is catching on. In order to compete in the world market as the United States is accustomed to, the nation must continue this exploration within its borders. There is so much more natural gas to be located than is being tapped for use currently.

Research has shown the potential; companies must use all the technology, equipment, and resources they have to explore and develop this wealth lying dormant beneath the surface in order that the future of the country can be more secure, more self sufficient, always progressing and moving forward. This movement and progression can be traced back to the idea of â€œmanifest destinyâ€ that still holds its place at the very roots of American history. Perhaps the time has come to take up this optimistic endeavor once again.

About the Author
About the Author: Bob Jent is the president of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy
specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http:

The Costs of Natural Gas and Oil

2007-11-14T04:20:00.001-08:00

Most Americans use is either oil or natural gas for energy. A supply and demand imbalance is currently driving up the costs of both oil and natural gas. Americans are demanding more energy and as this demand increases, our supply of oil and natural gas hasn't increased especially from domestically available resources. Actually, this production is on the decline. It is time to start exploring and tapping new supplies of oil and natural gas here in America. Oil is a worldwide commodity. Prices are bound to rise worldwide with the increased competition/demand and the present stagnant production. Higher prices are also a result of supply disruption "fears" from potential hot spots in the Middle East, Venezuela, and Russia. Worldwide spare capacity has reduced dramatically from 10 million barrels per day a decade ago to about 2 million barrels per day today. The natural gas used in the United States is primarily from North American resources. Importing natural gas in a liquefied state from overseas hasn't yet been fully developed. Natural gas is a preferred fuel choice that powers most new homes and buildings, as well as power plants mainly because it is clean-burning. Inconsistent government policies and regulations have discouraged the exploration and production of new domestic gas supplies. This creates another supply-demand imbalance. Because the increase in natural gas demand isn't being met with new supplies, prices for natural gas rise too. Some other reasons for the rising costs of natural gas and oil include: weather (cold weather will increase demand), hurricanes (can stop production in the Gulf of Mexico), litigation and regulations, lack of public support and government encouragement for new oil and gas wells, Geopolitical unrest around the world, and market speculation. The consequences of no new domestic production makes for fluctuation in consumer prices. Some of our factories are moving their businesses overseas to take advantage of cheaper energy costs meaning lost jobs and lost tax and royalty revenue. Today, 63% of our oil is imported today which is a high reliance on foreign countries, taking on a national and economic security risk. Having the supply controlled by other countries, of course, is not ideal. Plus the extremely high national trade deficit (one-third of which is represented in oil imports) has to stop soaring. The fuel industry needs to re-look at the federal policy recognizing the importance of domestic oil and natural gas. Some suggested changes are: allowing access to non-park, non-wilderness federal lands where abundant, lower cost domestic oil and gas is located, providing for more offshore oil and gas exploration, stopping unnecessary law suits and regulations, providing full federal funding for government agencies that have industry oversight and for oil and gas technology programs to do research, encouraging students to get involved in order to develop a new workforce for the coming years, and offering credits for unconventional resources to be used instead. Currently, in the United States, there are about 5,000 independent oil and natural gas producers. Independents can be small family companies or publicly traded companies. They operate in 33 states and the offshore. Companies like Triple Diamond Energy Corporation drill 90 percent of the wells here and produce 68 percent of America's oil and 82 percent of domestic natural gas.

About the Author
Chris Jent is the Chief Marketing Officer of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.

Gas Discovery in Alberta Drives Montello toward 12-Month High

2007-11-06T04:20:00.000-08:00

With oil prices over $80 per barrel, storm activity in the Gulf of Mexico and a cold winter predicted ahead elsewhere, not to mention worldwide demand for crude oil poised to rise again during the fourth quarter of 2007, now is a great time to be an oil and gas junior.

One company taking full advantage of the sector's upswing with successes of their own is Montello Resources (TSX-V: MEO). This emerging oil and gas company is engaged in drilling and exploration activities on their properties in Canada and the United States - with potential for blue sky payloads in both zones, particularly in Tennessee. Recent successes have garnered Montello a little increased investor attention in the past few weeks, with positive re-completion in Alberta and drilling approaching depth in Tennessee.

The company has a broad investor base, with approximately 150 million shares outstanding, and with new investors piling on, current trading volume is well up over one million shares a day. This increased volume is not surprising, considering that share prices in Montello have gained over 25% in the last month, not to mention the fact that Montello has now surpassed its 12-month high. Last Friday, more than 19 million shares MEO shares changed hands. On that day, the company was the leading volume trader on the TSX Venture exchange. On Monday, Montello was still trading exceptionally high at over 10 million shares.

Some of this success can be attributed to Montello recently announcing (October 4th 2007) positive re-completion results for its jointly owned Pincher Creek project - Montello owns a 25% interest with Paramount Resources holding 25%, a private company owning 12.5%, and the remaining 37.5% being retained by the operator, Pennine Petroleum Corp (TSX-V:PNN). The project, which covers over 4,800 acres, is located approximately 175 kilometres south of Calgary, in the prolific Pincher Creek Field. Since 1947, the field has produced approximately one million bbls of oil and 600 BCF (billion cubic feet) of gas, with estimates of over 220 BCF of gas still remaining to be produced. The region itself, which includes such fields as: Lookout Butte, Turner Valley, and Jumping Pound, have produced more than one trillion cubic feet gas and over 100 million bbls of associated liquids.

Montello's JV partner Pennine recently completed (September 27th 2007) two 60-tonne fracture simulations on the Brown Sand and Cadomin/Kootenay section of the Pincher Creek project, with results uncovering two condensate zones. Both tested between 40 and 46 degrees, plus associated gas, with initial extended flow test results of over 330 boepd where none were pumping before.
The Brown Sand zone yielded an average production of 140 barrels of fluid a day with an initial water cut of 60% for a net 56 boepd and is expected to increase as frac fluid further drains. Montello is planning further exploration in the Brown Sand zone to assess feasibility.

Preliminary swab and flow results for the Cadomin/ Kootenay formation were more promising, having returned an average of 225 barrels of fluid a day with no water cut, and as much as 500 mcf of gas per day which can potentially translate to an additional equivalent of over 70 boepd. Pennine has announced that they intend to install pumping equipment and the required production facilities to test the Cadomin/ Kootenay zone, and following positive results, may submit a Commingling Application to the Alberta Energy Utility Board, in order to take full advantage of the well. An existing pipe line is accessible to transport the gas, with plans for liquids to be taken out by truck to a processing facility. Pennine plans to announce the stabilized liquid and gas production rates following stabilized production.

With the success of recent drilling activities in Alberta, Montello and Pennine plan to follow sand development across the Pincher Creek structure and access hydrocarbon-baring sand via existing well-bores.

Montello is also involved in exploration and drilling activities (with JV partners Great Northern Oil Sands Inc. and Austin Developments Corp.) on its Morgan Highpoint project, located in the Tennessee Appalachians. The project is situated in a precarious but prolific region, near the spot where in 2002 Pryor Oil suffered a massive blow-out on its Howard-White #1 well when its drill penetrated an area containing highly pressurized oil. Incredibly, hydrocarbon fluids spewed up and out of the ground at a rate of 12,000 bbls a day and caught fire. The government stepped in and halted work on the project - permanently.

On its neighbouring property, Montello is using advanced techniques to literally "dig deep", in an attempt to find the source of the Pryor Oil blow out or similar pockets. Montello recently announced that drilling at its John Bowen # 2 well had passed 7,780 feet in the Rogersville Formation and entered the Rome formation at 7,850. The location of the monster payload that caused the blow-out at the nearby Howard-White #1 remains illusive, but a possibility as the company continues toward basement, which is a first for the area - and is believed to be between 8,500 and 9,500 feet deep.

Resourcex Investor asked Marc Davis, a director for Montello, if he was happy with the rate of progress for the Tennessee project, and why no one else had ever tried or been able to drill this deep in this area before.

"It has been tough going, you know. This is a difficult environment to work; the rock is very dense. At the same time, we've seen very encouraging results and believe ourselves to be a few days away from hitting basement."

Davis continued, "As for how we have been able to drill deeper than anyone before in this part of Tennessee, it has everything to do with money. Other companies in Tennessee simply have not had the opportunity to go that deep. But we think we could be close to a sizable pay off here."

The cost of the well, initially estimated at $3 million US, (Montello paid 10% of this) has escalated to US $5 million, to date. Early in October, the company announced, "A Supplementary Authorization For Expenditure ("AFE") of USD $1.7 million has been issued to the partners based on their earned interests in the Test Well being Montello as to 55%, Austin as to 40% and Great Northern as to 5%. All partners have paid their proportionate share of the cash call associated with the Supplementary AFE."

When asked which property he thinks is most important to Montello at the moment, Davis replied, "Tennessee as it has the greatest potential, but Pincher Creek [in Alberta] is money in the bag."

With the recent activity at both their Tennessee and Alberta projects, Montello seems to be garnering more investor interest than ever before. On October 12, volume trading surged past 13 million shares, pushing the stock price past $0.20 for the first time in 12 months. And the volume has continued to be very heavy. Whether this activity is due to speculation of success in Tennessee or Alberta (or both) is hard to say. But the excitement in MEO's stock charts is palpable.

This article is intended for information purposes only, and is not a recommendation to buy or sell the equities of any company mentioned herein. It is based on sources believed to be reliable, but no warranty as to accuracy is expressed or implied. The opinions expressed in the article are those of the author except where statements are attributed to individuals other than the author, in which case the opinions are those of the individual to whom they are attributed.

About the Author
Resourcex Investor is an internationally distributed newsletter about emerging junior resource companies. Sign up for a free 1-month trial to our newsletter and get instant access to news and investing tips that have helped many of our readers make more money. http://www.resourcex.com

Pennant Energy Boasts Solid Performance, Considers New Prospects

2007-11-05T00:38:00.000-08:00

Investors looking for Alberta energy stocks would do well to notice Pennant Energy Inc. [TSXV: PEN] a promising oil and gas firm that trades on the TSX Venture Exchange. This company enjoys good cash flow from 15- 45 % interest in eight oil wells in Manitoba's Daly Field, producing medium grade crude from the Lodgepole and Bakken formations.

These wells come on strong and then plateau for decades - all are in the plateau stage now and only 4 years old. Pennant's Manitoba Properties provide the cash fuel that helps propel this company's Alberta explorations, and that's a good business model in any oil patch.

On paper, Pennant Energy is a solid performer. The company has no debt and approx $1,500,000 in the bank. The $0.40 cent share price seems compacted - with only 16,164,809 shares outstanding and only 21,255,938 fully diluted, it's a tightly packed structure. This firm has $900,000 in flow through funds to spend before the end of the year, and they need to spend that money in the ground.

When I spoke to President Thomas Yingling on the phone recently, he confirmed that both his team and his land positions are growing. Pennant is looking to acquire more oil production in Alberta, and is presently considering which of three large-scale drilling it will commence in the short term. Yingling categorized all three of these options as, "drill-ready, farm-in opportunities for us to drill before year end. Each of these projects is between one and half and three million dollars which we consider to be low risk, high-return, drill-ready projects. So we're about to move on one of them.'

Another encouraging aspect about Pennant Energy is the strong share position held by management. Yingling, for example, personally holds 1.3 million shares of the company and can therefore be expected to energetically pursue growth. These include "increasing shareholder wealth by targeting opportunities that offer the promise of accelerated oil production with a fast payback," and simultaneously expanding "participation in low-risk developmental drilling projects that provide enough cash flow to mitigate the need to seriously dilute the company's much-envied share structure.

" A seasoned venture capitalist, Thomas Yingling was appointed President of Pennant Energy on June 25, 2003. Mr. Yingling has also served for over a decade as the President of Brahma Communications Corp., an investment-consulting firm that specializes in corporate finance, investor relations and strategic corporate planning for publicly traded companies. In restructuring Pennant Energy, he brought James Britton, P. Geol. P. Eng. out of a comfortable retirement to serve as the firm's Senior Geologist / Engineer and sit on the board as one of the Company Directors.

Britton's wealth of experience spans over forty-five years in the oil and gas exploration and development business. During his notable career, he has been instrumental in successfully commercializing over four hundred and thirty oil and gas wells, some of which are still abundant producers.

Jim Britton has a remarkable track record of drilling 86% commercially successful wells. He was the man who engineered Dynamic Oil & Gas, Inc's growth from 25 barrels of oil equivalent a day (boepd) to over 5,000 boepd.

But drilling for oil is risky business. In the spring of 2007, the company's share price rose to a record $1.07 in on anticipation of the results of testing on Pennant's Kaybob S#1 Project. The company's stock dropped again two months later when Yingling announced "the absence of hydrocarbons in commercial quantities led to the abandonment of this technically challenging $3-million-plus well." There was an upside, however. Pennant's business model works: All of Pennant's financial risk was absorbed by Austin Developments Corp., which paid 100% of the costs of the drilling in return to earn a 50% interest in the venture.

By adhering to a finely balanced risk/reward model, and refueling from their Manitoba wells, Pennant managed to keep its treasury of over $1,500,000 relatively intact and still remains debt free. Just last month, together with Austin Developments Corp. (TSX: AUL), Pennant Energy expanded its Bronson Property land holdings by successful bidding at a September 19th, 2007 Alberta Crown Land Sale. The Bronson Property is now sub-divided as Bronson East and Bronson West with the east portion being the newly acquired 640 acre contiguous property located south east of the existing Bronson West. Positive results from a Geochem survey and a 3D seismic survey have identified several potential drill targets on the 640 acre Bronson East site.

Yingling says the team has everything in place to potentially drill a company-maker in Alberta this winter. With a $0.40 share price, undiluted share structure and record oil prices, Pennant offers a rare opportunity to participate in a ground-floor opportunity of a well-managed and highly ambitious (producing!) oil & gas junior.

This article is intended for information purposes only, and is not a recommendation to buy or sell the equities of any company mentioned herein. It is based on sources believed to be reliable, but no warranty as to accuracy is expressed or implied. The opinions expressed in the article are those of the author except where statements are attributed to individuals other than the author, in which case the opinions are those of the individual to whom they are attributed.

About the Author
Resourcex Investor is an internationally distributed newsletter about emerging junior resource companies. Sign up for a free 1-month trial to our newsletter and get instant access to news and investing tips that have helped many of our readers make more money. http://www.resourcex.com

Global oil and gas industry has generally favourable ratings ...

2007-10-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

S&P said it expects the scope of oil exploration projects in China to widen, including expanding into fields previously considered uneconomical, ...

Brazil plans oil and gas exploration in Amazon

2007-10-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

Sao Paulo, Oct 22 - Brazil plans to spend some $35.5 million on oil and gas exploration in the northern Amazonian state of Acre, on the border with Bolivia, ...

Best energy ideas: Drilling for value in oil services

2007-10-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

Even if oil and gas prices drop sharply, which seems unlikely given supply and demand forecasts -- capital spending should remain robust. ...

Crude Oil: Political Fodder?

2007-10-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

With all the publicity nowadays surrounding the price of Crude Oil, I resolved to write an enlightening article on the backdrop of the so-called "Black Gold." I'll briefly go over history, environmental effects, pricing and the future of the thick black sludge that is coveted by every major economy in the world. Hopefully you can reach a better point of view on the subject.

The history of Crude Oil is too immense to discuss in this brief editorial so I will limit it to a general overview. The first oil wells were drilled in China in the 4th century. They where as much as 243 meters deep and were drilled utilizing drill bits attached to bamboo poles. The contemporary history of crude began in 1846, with the breakthrough of the process of refining kerosene from coal by Atlantic Canada's Abraham Pineo Gesner. The first rock oil mine was built in Bobrka, Poland the following year. These breakthroughs rapidly spread around the world, and Meerzoeff built the first Russian refinery in the mature oil fields at Baku in 1861.

James Miller Williams in Oil Springs, Ontario, Canada in 1858, excavated the first commercial oil well drilled in North America. The American petroleum industry commenced with Edwin Drake's discovery of oil in 1859, near Titusville, Pennsylvania. The industry matured slowly in the 1800s, driven by the demand for kerosene and oil lamps. It became a major national business in the early part of the 20th century. With the introduction of the internal combustion engine came a need that has largely sustained the industry to this day.
While we all need to get to work in some way or another, rarely does anyone consider the environmental effects of the fuel that powers our mode of transportation. Yes we know that the emissions from are cars, buses and trains have a green house effect on our delicate environment; but what about the rest of our ecology?

Oil extraction is costly and occasionally environmentally detrimental, although Dr. John Hunt from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution revealed in a 1981 paper that over 70% of the reserves in the world are associated with visible macroseepages, and numerous oil fields are found due to natural leaks. Offshore exploration and extraction of oil agitates the encompassing marine environment. Exploration could call for dredging, which stirs up the sea bottom, stamping out the ocean plants that nautical creatures need to survive. Not to mention the typical Crude Oil and refined fuel spills from tanker ship accidents. All of these factors have tainted frail ecosystems all over the world.
Petroleum products are priced like most commodities: supply and demand. While this may sound simple, the actual start to finish process can be a lot more complex subject. References to oil prices are generally related to the spot price of either WTI/Light Crude as traded on New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). Priced by the barrel, Crude Oil is rapidly becoming the most costly commodity on the market (second only to Gold).

Oil pricing is extremely reliant on both its grade and location. The vast majority of oil will not be traded on an exchange but on an over-the-counter basis, typically with reference to a standard crude oil grade that is quoted via a pricing agency such as Argus Media Ltd or Platts. It is often claimed that OPEC arranges the oil price and the real monetary value of a barrel of oil is in the area of $2, which is equivalent to the cost of extraction of a barrel in the Middle East. These appraisals of costs disregard the cost of finding and developing oil reserves.

You can't talk about the future of oil without talking about the "Hubbert Peak" oil theory. This hypothesis depicts the long-term rate of production of conventional oil and other fuels. It assumes that oil reserves are not replenishable. It also predicts that future world oil production must unavoidably reach a crest and then decline as these reserves are exhausted. Like every other theory of any importance it is highly controversial. "When will the Oil actually start to run out?" is the big question.

No matter how you look at it, our society needs to concentrate more efforts on either alternative fuels or more fuel-efficient modes of transportation. While I'm sure that the oil won't peter out in my life time I would like to think we can leave this world a better place for future generations.

In closing, I hope this article has given you a better understanding of the topic and made you a more informed consumer. So the next time your grumbling at the price of gas, at least you'll understand what you're complaining about. If you would like to read more on the topic of Crude Oil, you can visit http://www.crudeoilrefinerysite.com/ or you can read any of the quality resources at the end of this article.

Books about the petroleum industry:

James Howard Kunstler (2005). The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century. Atlantic Monthly Press.
C.J. Campbell (2004). The Coming Oil Crisis.

Peter Odell (2004). Why Carbon Fuels Will Dominate the 21st Century's Global Energy Economy. Multi Science.

About the Author
Stephen Nelson is a professional commodoties trader that specializes in the energy markets. His background is in computers and diagnostiv imaging. You can find more information at http://www.crudeoilrefinerysite.com/

Storage of Natural Gas in Depleted Natural Gas and Oil Fields

2007-10-17T05:38:00.000-07:00

Natural gas is put in storage during the summer months when demand is lower for the upcoming winter season. Most of the natural gas is stored underground. In the United States most of the natural gas is stored in depleted oil and natural gas fields. There are a lot of these fields and they already have the infrastructure in place to accumulate the natural gas and the pipeline connections to distribute it. The most popular depleted fields are ones close to high usage areas. Not all fields are ideal for this natural gas storage.

Natural gas storage companies use depleted fields that are well sealed without a lot of compartments that can hold and release the gas efficiently. These fields are rock formations and despite the use of the latest technologies to inspect the formation gas can still escape into unforeseen areas where it can't be extracted. Advanced reservoir modeling, visualization and simulation techniques used in natural gas exploration and production are being used by some companies to better understand the field prior to storage.

One focus of research in natural gas storage management is on installing horizontal wells in existing storage fields. These horizontal wells increase the speed in which the natural gas can be injected and withdrawn from the field. This increased speed really helps on the delivery end as the gas can be delivered faster during high demand periods. The horizontal wells also reduce the number of wells needed to operate in a storage field.

About 13% of the natural gas used in the United States comes from storage facilities. There are around 400 storage reservoirs located predominantly near the major Eastern markets and middle of the country markets. There is almost 4 trillion cubic feet of storage capacity. There are three types of storage used for natural gas: depleted oil and gas reservoirs, salt caverns and aquifers. Depleted oil and gas reservoirs account for 87% of the total storage capacity, salt caverns 3% and aquifers 10%.

Pipeline companies are the main owners and operators of these storage facilities. These pipeline companies don't necessarily own the natural gas in storage. Most of this gas is leased by the distribution companies or the end users. The pipeline companies purchase the natural gas from oil companies like, Western Pipeline Corporation, and sell it to distribution companies or end users. Their storage facilities are used to hold this natural gas that has been sold or leased to these companies.

About the Author
Mickey Horn is the Executive VP of Investor Relations of Western Pipeline Corporation. Western Pipeline Corp specializes in identifying, acquiring and developing existing, producing reserves on behalf of its individual clients.

How Do Seismic Surveys Locate Oil?

2007-10-04T00:39:00.000-07:00

The first oil was found simply by looking at an oil seep on the surface of the earth. Today, oil prospectors have extensive knowledge of the earth's geology and can see where oil might be located underground. The first underground oil was extracted by accident while drilling for water in West Virginia during the beginning of the nineteenth century. Since then, we have learned to look for geological features, such as buckles and domes, which suggest there may be oil pushing up against the layers of earth.

Prospectors also know that oil is most likely to be found in sedimentary rock basins. What used to be a never-ending exploration from the ground is now a technologically advanced operation consisting of satellite scans and radar images. Once a likely place is found, a geophysical analysis is conducted. These surveys can give us clues as to where the oil might be. Clues encompass things like gravitational fields and the earth's magnetism that may be created or altered by the presence of oil beneath the surface.

A seismic survey is another way that we can try to predict where an oil trap may be. Vibrations are sent into the ground. Different frequencies reflect differently from each unique type of rock. This data is used to draw a computer model of what the layers of earth look like beneath the ground being surveyed. Traps and bubbles can usually be seen and some of these actually contain oil and gas. The only way to really know is to drill down and see if there is anything there. Seismic survey is a lot like an ultra-sound of the earth's surface.

Seismic surveys are conducted by setting off vibrations from explosive charges or by special trucks designed to shake the ground by hitting it with a giant hydraulic pad. The hydraulic pad hits the ground with tremendous force and speed sending vibrations very deep into the ground. Geophones record and amplify the sounds that are reflected back to the earth's surface. These recordings are translated into pictures that we can see and analyze.
We can also hunt for oil under the sea by using seismic surveys. Powerful air guns are towed on cables behind the boat. The air gun releases a blast of compressed air towards the sea floor. Echoes come back and are collected by sound-detecting hydrophones. This gives us a clear picture of what the surface of the sea bed looks like. We use many tow lines behind multiple boats to collect enough data to give us a three dimensional view of the bottom of the sea. Then oil prospectors can analyze the data, compare it to similar features found on the surface of the earth and determine where oil might be found. We used to use dynamite to create the seismic sound, but the use of air guns has greatly reduced the amount of pollution and marine-life death that the dynamite once caused. Specific guidelines are followed to keep the disturbance of marine animals to a minimum.

About the Author
About the Author: Mickey Horn is the Executive VP of Investor Relations of Western Pipeline Corporation. Western Pipeline Corp specializes in identifying, acquiring and developing existing, producing reserves on behalf of its individual clients.

Good Things To Know About Oil And Gas Engineer Jobs

2007-09-28T02:33:00.001-07:00

Good Things To Know About Oil And Gas Engineer Jobs by Dalvin Rumsey

People who get to work as engineers in the oil and gas production are usually very well trained professionals. There are many things an engineer can be responsible for. For instance, a drilling engineer has to make sure the drilling of wells goes well, and also provide engineering support for all stages of oil and gas extraction. This includes planning and drawing up the drilling program, monitoring safety and providing on-site support. The drilling engineer must analyze the performance of the drilling and the factors that may sometimes influence the cost and the efficiency of the process as a whole.

The reservoir engineers are the ones to estimate the amounts of oil and gas that could be taken from the rock of the reservoir. They are asked to draw up plans in order to be able to extract as much as possible, as you might have already guessed by now!

Oil and gas engineers work in offices that are usually situated onshore. There, they must spend some 40 hours each week. This is not like working offshore, where the working schedule is usually 12 hours on and 12 hours off for two weeks. The rest of the month, they are being left onshore. The salaries are quite good in this particular field. The work of an oil and gas engineer requires that the person has skills for solving any problem that might occur and work well in a team or being able to lead one. Oil and gas engineers must have a scientific approach to their work and be prepared to work away from home from time to time. These persons must also be responsible and safety-conscious. The most important thing is that they are interested in protecting natural resources and the environment while meeting the demand for oil and gas.

There are many types of employers that may be able to offer jobs in this field. Should it be an operating company or a drilling company, the jobs keep on flowing. There are many other companies that can provide jobs in the oil and gas field. Some of them are engineering consultancies and service companies, for instance the seismic exploration firms or the well service firms.

So, an oil and gas engineer must have a postgraduate qualification, and most of all, he must be rather young of age, as it is very difficult to start working in this field when you are in fact close to 50.

About the Author

HirednotFired - Oil And Gas Job Search - Free Job & Resume Posting - Engineer Recruitment and Procurement. Your one stop for Oil Jobs .

When Will The World Run Out Of Gas?

2007-09-28T02:32:00.005-07:00

When Will the World Run Out Of Gas? By William Cate

When it takes a barrel of oil to produce a barrel of oil, our Civilization will have run out of gas. It's too simplistic to estimate the known oil reserves and divided that figure by annual oil consumption and project that in about thirty years, we'll be out of gas.

In January 1901, the Texas Spindletop Field was brought into production. Initially, this one oil field produced more oil than Russian produces yearly, now. This discovery lead to the end of the Rockefeller Oil Monopoly. It introduced a century of global oil exploration. We have probably found all the cheap oil available to us. American's oil production peaked in 1969. World oil production is expected to peak around 2015. Meanwhile, oil consumption has risen by over fourfold since 1960. It is expected to continue to rise during the next decade. When demand exceeds dwindling supplies, the result is higher prices. It doesn't necessarily mean the end of the gas-guzzler. There are folks willing to pay fifty or one hundred dollars a gallon for gas.

There are no doubt undiscovered oil fields. Odds are these fields are small, deep and far more costly to develop than those of the 20th Century. It's impossible to project how much oil we haven't found. Whatever the amount of undiscovered petroleum, we will no doubt find it in the next thirty years. That oil may add a few weeks or years to our cheap oil needs.

The popular concept of profit oriented oil companies doesn't fit with the facts. The goal of the oil companies seems to be to maximum revenues, not maximum profits. In 1953, the U.S. Postal Service postcard cost one cent. In the same year, a gallon of regular gas in the San Francisco Bay Area cost thirty-four cents a gallon. Today, a USPS postcard costs twenty-four cents. Using the same price move on regular gas, I should be paying about $8.16/gal at the pump. It's evident that gas prices are agreed upon among the oil companies. However, the goal has always been maximum consumption, not maximum profit. It's a policy that will cost us dearly in this Century.

A better measure of the cost of oil, or any energy source, is the amount of energy required to produce it. Economists, geologists and physicists call this quantity the "energy return on investment" or E.R.O.I. As the average E.R.O.I. of an economy's energy sources drops toward 1 to 1, an ever-larger fraction of the economy's wealth must go to finding and producing energy. The energy return on investment for conventional oil, which provides about 40 percent of the world's commercial energy and more than 95 percent of America's transportation energy, has been falling for decades. United States production leads this trend. America is where petroleum resources have been exploited the longest. In the United States, from the early 1970s to today the return on investment of oil and natural gas extraction has fallen from about 25 to 1 to about 15 to 1. It will continue to fall toward 1 to 1 over the next three decades.

Without a doubt, mankind can find ways to push back these constraints on the global energy supply. But we probably can't push them back indefinitely, because our species' capacity to innovate, and to deliver the fruits of that innovation when and where they're needed, isn't infinite and our resources are finite. We will lose the energy race in this Century.

America is the Saudi Arabia of coal. Unfortunately, burning coal currently creates more pollution than using oil. We have built dams everywhere they should have been built and many places where they should never have been built. More dams in unworkable locations won't solve our oil problems. There is nuclear energy, but what do you do with all that radioactive waste? It's a question that Dr. Edward Teller and all those who have followed him haven't answer. At present, solar power is uneconomic. There should be a Manhattan Project to make solar costs and efficiency competitive with the current price of oil. There are only so many windy hills and thus wind-powered energy production is limited. None of these alternatives will meet the world's growing need for cheap oil.

We live in a finite world. Our capacity to consume nonrenewable resources appears to be infinite. The two paths will cross in this Century. The finite world path will be the only one that continues into the 22nd Century.

About the Author

He is the Managing Director of Beowulf Investments [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/]. He's the Executive Director of the Global Village Investment Club [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/globalvillageinvestmentclubwelcome/] He's a Venture Capital & Equity Finance Consultant [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/williamcateventurecapitalampequityfinanceconsultant/]

How Much Natural Gas is Left?

2007-09-28T02:32:00.003-07:00

Although oil gets the media attention, natural gas also plays a major role in the energy needs of the world. So, how much natural gas is left in the world? The answer may surprise you.

How Much Natural Gas is Left?

Natural gas is a fossil fuel that is non-renewable. Although called "natural gas", it could also be called methane for all intents and purposes since methane comprises the vast majority of the gas. Natural gas is found in oil fields, coal minds and its own unique locations.

Natural gas is more of a direct use energy in our daily lives. By direct use, I am referring to actually seeing it. You see it in action when you turn on your gas stove. You also see it when you spend 20 minutes burning your fingers while trying to light the pilot light on a heater. Beside residential use, natural gas is also used by industries for a wide variety of manufacturing applications. A less known use is as an ingredient in the production of ammonia.

Interestingly, and perhaps unfortunately, the countries with major natural gas resources are mostly those that also have significant oil reserves. Iran and Russia have some of the largest fields, as do many other Mideast countries. Fortunately, natural gas is also found in oil-deficient countries such as Australia, Argentina and Mexico.

So, how much natural gas do we currently have to fill our energy needs? The most current estimates put the reserves at roughly six thousand trillion cubic feet. My, that certain sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Given our current rate of use, however, it equate to between 60 and 65 years worth of supply.

As with oil, there are two issues that can throw the estimate of the number of years completely off. The issues are economic growth and further reserves.

The first is the emerging economies of China and India to mention to of the bigger ones. The economies of these countries are expanding like crazy and natural gas is one of the energy sources they live off of. In the next 10 to 20 years, the amount of natural gas needed by these countries should multiply, putting strain on the supply.

The second issue is more positive. Simply put, we should find more natural gas fields in future years. The prospects for finding more are, in fact, much better than those for oil. The reason has to do with transportation. Simply put, oil is easy to transport while natural gas is not. Recent innovations have solved many of the transportation issues, so exploration efforts are picking up.

Natural gas plays a fundamental role in the overall energy supplies of most economies, particularly first world ones. While natural gas supplies seem strong for the foreseeable future, it is important to understand it is not a renewable resource, to wit, it will run out one day.

About the Author

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com - a directory of solar companies.

Killer Coalbed Methane Gas Powers Chinese Taxis

2007-09-28T02:32:00.001-07:00

Successful investors can predict where the market is going years before the rest of us. Like the clichés of selling ice to Eskimos (or the British version of selling coal to Newcastle), Richmond, Virginia-based Coal Baron E. Morgan Massey was five years ahead of the markets when he raised $75 million to develop coal mines in China's Shanxi province in 2001.

As early as 1994, the seventies-something founder and chairman of A.T. Massey Coal, which has since evolved into Massey Energy (MEE), began planning to bring American-invented Longwall mining technology to China's coal mines in Shanxi province. With his Chinese partners, Massey and Asian American Coal control about two billion tons of coal reserves.

It is Massey's spin off coalbed methane (CBM) company Asian American Gas, which caught our eye. According to Shanxi News, the CBM output of a pilot well set a new national record, continuously producing 40,000 SCM per day (standard cubic meters). The new technology which created the new national record is something called "Multi-Lateral Drilling (MLD)."

Asian American Gas Chief Executive Zou Xiang Dong claimed the MLD technology helped the methane gas output for his wells on his company's Panzhuang CBM block in Shanxi province jump by more than 40 times that of conventional vertical wells. Obviously the company is excited as four other MLD wells installed in the latter half of 2006. The company believes those wells might also have the potential to match the record production.The previous daily output record stood at 16,000 cubic meters.

China Celebrates Coalbed Methane

An inside look at China's rapidly blossoming CBM industry is nothing if not electrifying. The world's energy entrepreneurs have been rushing to China to take up the country's state-owned methane gas company - China United Coalbed Methane Co (CUCBM) - on production-sharing contracts offered to foreign energy companies. Since its inception, CUCBM has signed 27 production-sharing contracts with CBM developers from the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia.

The largest publicly traded company, and among the first to participate, was Chevron Corp (CVX). But smaller firms have also joined in the hunt to develop China's vast natural gas reserves. Far East Energy (FEEC) and Pacific Asia China Energy (PCEEF), have been awarded massive land concessions - on the order of the size of the state of Delaware. Many of these are home to rich coalbed methane reserves with thick, multi-level coal beds with high methane content. For example, U.S.-based Orion Energy was awarded a production-sharing contract on more than 460 square kilometers in the Sanjiao region of coal-rich Shanxi province. Volume is estimated at 60 billion cubic meters.

Typically, the foreign company assumes all the operational risk to verify the quantity of coalbed methane gas. Costs from exploration through to commercial production are borne by the foreign company. Pacific Asia China Energy vice president of exploration Dr. Marchioni told us that the positive side of this arrangement is that CUCBM would provide all of the coal exploration work, which he called quite satisfactory, and that his company's main work was to confirm the Chinese coal exploration. In a previous article we discovered that the gas content both Far East Energy and Pacific Asia China Energy confirmed, during their drilling programs, compared well against the top coalbed methane producing regions in the U.S. and Canada.

The Chinese are not giving away their CBM reserves without taxation. The Chinese-foreign joint ventures are subject to five-percent value-added tax when they begin to exploit the coalbed methane gas. However, for the first two years such joint ventures show a profit, the companies will be exempt from the business income tax. For the third through fifth year, the tax rate will be cut by half. In order to encourage new technology, such as the Multi-Lateral Drilling Technology or Mitchell Drilling Services' Dymaxion® drill rigs, the imported materials used for prospecting and development work are exempt from customs duties and the import regulation tax.

According to Yang Jian, an executive at China United Coalbed Methane, "The state encourages the development of this new energy, and there's no restriction on foreign companies entering this field. With the good prospects, the expanded production of coalbed methane can be expected to happen soon." Foreign companies have spent about $160 million exploring the concessions they were awarded. Yang pointed out that large Chinese companies, such as China National Petroleum Corp, were now entering CBM exploration. Shanxi province's Eleventh 5-Year Plan is forecast to exceed $15 billion for CBM exploration, development and utilization.

China's Killer Coal Gas Fuels Taxi Cabs

Holding the world's record for coal mining deaths annually, the Chinese have looked upon coal gas as a dangerous nuisance. During coal mining, methane gas can cause explosions resulting in death and injury to the miners. China United Coalbed Methane Corp general manager Sun Maoyuan pointed out, "About 80 percent of casualties are attributed to these gas explosions, causing direct losses of $93 million each year."

By extracting the gas - simply de-gasifying the coal mine before producing from it, deaths can be avoided and China can help power its economy with a 'new' energy source. One Chinese newspaper beat the drum for coal gas, writing, "As a 'green' energy source of good quality and high efficiency, coalbed methane has a promising future."

Fuxin City in China's Liaoning province is China's first city to replace coal-made-gas with CBM. Coalbed methane now supplies more than 80,000 households and 1,000 taxis. Twenty-three year-old taxi driver Li Gang is happy about using compressed coal-bed methane in his cab. "I can save on half of my expenses for fuel each day," he told Xinhua news service. One cubic meter of compressed CBM is the equivalent of 1.13 liters of gasoline, but retails for less than one-half the price of gasoline.

Starting in January, Jincheng City refitted about 90 percent of the city's 1300 taxis to use both compressed CBM and gasoline. At China's largest CBM exploitation base, Quinshui Basin, wells are operating at full capacity to help fuel factories, households and most importantly the city's growing dependency on automobiles.

China hosts more than 30 trillion cubic meters of CBM reserves, according to the China Coal Information Research Institute, and ranks behind Russia and Canada for the world's largest reserves. This much CBM is tantamount of 45 billion tons of standard coal. Some sixty percent of the methane gas is stored in coal beds below 1500 meters, which can easily be developed.

In 2004, China's coal mines polluted the atmosphere by pumping out 14 billion cubic meters of coal gas. By accelerating coal mine development in China, the emissions problem will worsen. Some experts estimate more than 17 billion cubic meters will be released by 2020. Because of the global shortage of energy sources, the Chinese are now turning to CBM as a reliable substitute for conventional natural gas.

Following the extraordinary publicity about deaths from methane gas explosions in China's coal mines, China's State Council, introduced measures in 2005, to harness gas by developing CBM projects and de-gasifying mines. To intensify CBM exploitation, the State Council issued a 16-clause guideline, this past June, offering a number of preferential policies on land use and access of methane-generated electricity to local power grids. Because of the urgency to get CBM in broader use, two months later, the National Development and Reform Commission began measures to put the guidelines into practice.

New CBM Drilling Technologies Move China Forward

In the mid 1990s, China began exploring some of its vast CBM reserves. Inadequate investment and technology led to the formation of CUCBM. The state-owned CBM company began attracting foreign partners to invest in developing China's CBM reserves and to bring with them new drilling technologies.

In 2005, China consumed 1 billion cubic meters of coalbed methane gas and was expected to use 1.4 billion cubic meters this past year. To date, more than 600 CBM wells have been sunk across China. Most remain in the exploration and pilot stages. New technologies brought to China through joint ventures with CUCBM could help accelerate development and dramatically increase the number of CBM wells

As we mentioned earlier, new CBM drilling technologies have arrived in China to advance many CBM projects more efficiently into production. With an eye to reduce cost and maximize efficiency, drilling technologies from the U.S. and Australia are being brought to China to expedite the emerging CBM sector.

Multi-Lateral Drilling Technology (MLT) offers solutions to tough economic climates and rough operating conditions. MLT has been used to recover 'heavy oil' deposits, such as those found in Canada or Venezuela. This technology has also found its way to the hostile North Sea to increase recoverable reserves from those oil fields.

Partly to reduce well construction costs, another advantage is to add incremental reserves and production rates to a project. Uneconomic projects could suddenly be made to work. When we spoke to Nathan Mitchell of Mitchell Drilling (Brisbane, Australia), he told us many previously sub-economic projects could become profitable by using his Dymaxion® drilling technology. Mitchell told us CBM extraction could drop to as low as $1.10/mcf, whereas others were struggling to extract for more than three or four times the cost.

Mitchell was quite excited to import his drilling technology to China through the company's joint venture with Pacific Asia China Energy. The joint venture would have an exclusive to utilize the Dymaxion® technology in China for all CBM drilling and coal mine de-gasification projects. At a coal symposium in Guizhou province this past spring, Mitchell spoke of the numerous coal companies which expressed a high level of interest in his company's drilling technology. From what we understand, the first such drill rig should shortly arrive in China.

Most MLT has been used for oil exploration projects. Noted, however, is that MTL may significantly impact reservoir spacing in deep, tight gas wells by helping to achieve optimal drainage spacing, which is impeded when drilling to deep reservoirs. By contrast, Mitchell has drilled more than 250 CBM wells in Australia and had moved forward with CBM drilling in India. This is the company's first entry to China, where rugged terrain could test the efficiency of his system.

CBM Timing Coincident with China's Red Hot Stock Market

China's Shanghai stock exchange is now among the world's best performing bourses. The Shanghai Composite Index now approaches 3,000, having hit a record high last week. Millions of Chinese have exited the frothy real estate market to trade stocks - more than triple the number of investment accounts were opened last year compared to 2005.

In July, commodities guru and best-selling author Jim Rogers told StockInterview he had cashed out of every other emerging market in the world and had invested heavily in China. China's financial markets collapsed two years ago and have now returned with a vengeance. Remember 1999? That's China today. According to the New York Times, one mutual fund raised $5 billion in a single day and some mutual fund managers are annually making more than $600,000 - in China!

What's that have to do with CBM? At some point, and we have already heard of interest of such, Chinese investors could very well flock into the CBM companies we've written about. There is an irrational exuberance vibrating across China's financial markets. But, this is also a country now attracting foreign investment. Asian Development Bank has injected $117 million into CBM development projects, Japanese banks have invested $20 million and National Investment Company of China has announced it would invest more than $300 million over the next seven years.

As more foreign capital comes to China for CBM projects, a scarcity of the best CBM projects could come about. As we have noted in previous articles, China's race for energy security has become a global challenge for its economic growth. We expect many of the local industries and prefecture level cities could plan to deal directly with the Chinese-foreign joint ventures in securing their own gas supplies by direct investment in the foreign-owned companies. By partnering with the foreign-owned, publicly traded companies, their communities would ensure a reliable energy source.

Nearly half of China's coal mines are rich in gas, but CBM remains undeveloped and still in its infancy in the world's largest coal market. Last May, China's National Development and Reform Commission approved a five-year plan to exploit coalbed methane. They plan to dramatically boost CBM output to 10 billion cubic meters by 2010.

In the back of our minds, we wonder what would happen should the aggressive Chinese investment community rush into CBM in the same way many North Americans and Australians have embraced the shares of uranium mining companies.

About the Author

James Finch contributes to StockInterview.com and other publications. His focus on the uranium mining and nuclear fuel sector resulted in the widely popular "Investing in the Great Uranium Bull Market," which is now available on http://www.stockinterview.com and on http://www.amazon.com

Online pipeline maps - details about the exploration gas sector

2007-09-28T02:31:00.005-07:00

The natural gas industry has gone through a lot of changes in the last couple of years. Various techniques were discovered, particularly in the exploration gas field. The online presence of specialized companies proved out to be very helpful and the industry grew really powerful.

Individual pipeline companies started to use the Internet in order to offer a better view of the industry. Pipeline maps were created for them and many specialists in the field considered them as one of the best invention ever.

The exploration gas field can be very well linked with the transportation of this precious resource. Exploration, extraction, storage and transportation are vital steps in the natural gas industry and all of them require advanced techniques. As gas can be found in oil or natural gas fields, including coal it is mandatory for the exploration gas procedures to be thorough and extensive.

Experts in the field work very close together in order to obtain the most benefits from the natural gas resources. After the natural gas undergoes various stages of exploration and extraction, it needs to be transported along the pipelines. Many people are interested in discovering the whole network of interstate pipeline and understanding the diverse elements presented, including the ones about the exploration gas sector.

Mapping has been considered a very interesting technique, especially by the people working in the oil and gas industry. They need pipeline maps and the information presented on them in order to be able to do their job as best as they can. For them, mapping services, with data gathering and analysis are vital in helping them take important decisions. Technical drawings of pipeline maps are made by applying graphic design and other procedures, including cartographic principles.

The system for representing important details of the pipeline network has been welcomed by a lot of experts in the field. Nowadays, the Internet is the first place people think of to find the information needed and this thing is valid for pipeline maps also. Pipelines are finely represented along with their characteristics, meaning diameter, capacity and owners. These elements are crucial to the success of any project in the business and they must be well-known.

Pipeline maps are made with the aid of geodatabases and they are presented online by reliable websites. These people are trying to meet the demands of the industry and they use diverse techniques in order to create such maps. They offer significant information linked with this industry, meaning pipeline routes, data about gas production and storage.

A wide range of data is analyzed so as to make this pipeline maps as accurate as possible. Along with the info presented above, come details about mainline throughputs, operators and horsepower. The maps are designed only by specialists, being easy to comprehend and put in use.

The natural gas sector is a big part of the United States industry. There are many esteemed companies out there, meeting the demands of the industry and using the Internet to such purposes. Pipeline maps are created for these companies, offering the needed information and presenting the natural gas system in an appealing manner.

Rockies Express Pipeline is one of the top companies in the market. They have a well-designed natural gas system, stretching from Colorado to Ohio. They have three segments of pipeline: Entrega, West and East. They fulfill the nation's requirements for natural gas and thus for energy. Rockies Express Pipeline maps include pipeline capacity, compressor facilities and lateral pipelines (to and from the mainline).

These pipeline maps for companies such as Rockies Express Pipeline include also extra mechanical devices, made especially for compression and also the natural gas deposits. An exact representation of important elements is required in this industry and there are many companies, including Rockies Express Pipeline, who desire to gain from them.
About the Author

Pipeline maps are indeed useful for specialists in the gas industry, mainly the ones of the exploration gas sector. They are made using unique skills and they present up-to-date information about powerful companies, such as Rockies Express pipeline.

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The petroleum industry: fuel oil, gas oil, transportation and mapping solutions

2007-09-28T02:31:00.003-07:00

As modern society consumes larger amounts of fuel every day, the energy industry has become a very important part of the development and infrastructure of every country, and so has the petroleum industry, which includes oil companies, refiners and so on. Fuel oil is essential to land, sea and air transportation or heating and nowadays it is required in greater quantities than ever.

A commonly used type of fuel oil is gas oil, generally used for industrial heating, off-road diesel vehicles and for some cars and ships. Diesel gas oil can also be used to produce small amounts of electricity, but it's really polluting and expensive. In Europe, diesel gas oil is most commonly used to fuel about 40% of the cars, 90% of the SUVs and most of the trucks. Many people prefer diesel gas oil-powered cars because they have lower fuel consumption and produce only about 69% of the polluting gasses. On the other hand, burning diesel gas oil produces greater quantities of sulfur than gasoline.

The transportation of oil plays an essential part in the logistics and economy of the oil companies, as well as in the effectiveness of the use of oil. Pipeline transport provides the most economical method to transport great amounts of gas and it was pioneered in the late 19th century by a company in Azerbaijan. The pipelines are made from steel or plastic tubes with diameters ranging from 30 centimeters to 1.20 meters and they're usually built over land. Given the fact that building pipeline systems under the sea is very expensive and demanding, most of the oil at sea is transported with the help of special ships, called "tanker ships".

The mechanism is simple: the oil is pumped through the pipes by a system of pump stations built along de pipeline. The oil usually flows through the pipes at a speed ranging between 1 and 6 meters per second.

Let's take for example the Williams' Company Transco pipeline system, which has been functioning for over 50 years now. The Transco pipeline moves natural gas through its approximately 11.000 mile system, stretching across the United States from South Texas to New York City and is a great provider to the northeastern and southeastern states. Transco pipeline delivers natural gas from the Gulf Coast to areas like New York and New Jersey.

The Transco pipeline has a system design capacity of 7.8 billion cubic feet per day and a seasonal storage of 203.4 billion cubic feet. It supplies the Gulf Coast and it has market areas such as the Southeast, mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states. Also, the Transco pipeline system has about 11.000 miles of pipeline with 43 compressor stations built along the way to keep the gas moving. One must admit that the numbers are quite impressive!

Along with the great amounts of oil to be transported and the thousands of miles long pipeline systems came the need to preserve the accuracy of the drilling and exploration as well as the transportation of oil. And so came to life specialized companies to do that.

Rextag Strategies is one of the leaders in this field of expertise. Using GIS (Geographic Information Systems), mapping and cartographic capabilities and high quality graphic design, the company provides all that is needed for the effectiveness and success of all projects. The company has a competitive advantage compared to others in the same field of expertise, providing very useful information that cannot be found anywhere else. Recently, Rextag Strategies has released the "Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Map Book", the first of its kind, offering valuable information about the top 40 US natural gas pipeline systems.

The energy and petroleum industries have both reached high levels of performance and efficiency during the last two decades and many companies have developed methods of exploiting and making good use of the planet's resources. Still, there is a constant threat to the environment that each and every company should consider, no matter the financial damage to their budget.

About the Author

By visiting our website you will not only be able to find out everything there is to know about gas oil, fuel oil or the Transco pipeline system, but you will also be able to purchase The Interstate Natural Pipelines Map Book - a complete, updated, professional and very valuable resource you will most lik

Oil and Gas Rig Expansion Creates Exciting Employment Opportunities b

2007-09-28T02:31:00.001-07:00

Oil and Gas Rig Expansion Creates Exciting Employment Opportunities

Work offshore for just half a year and get paid for the whole year? Sounds too good to be true, but that's on offer now in offshore locations worldwide.

The problem for new entrants to the industry is that these jobs are rarely advertised. You'll be hard-pushed to find them listed on Oil Company websites or in search engines. Why? Because now the growth is so fast that they are now recruiting by use of "The Walk-in Interview". It saves time and keeps rigs fully manned.

Walk-In Interviews: Don't get caught out by recruitment agency offers of "Guaranteed Work on Oil Rigs" that's nonsense because those agents will never know where the next "Walk-in Interview" is going to take place. It's almost like "speed dating" except that you only get one chance to bring along your passport and a copy of a recent payslip.

There is only one publication that I have seen that lists most of the current venues where you can simply "Walk-in" and get yourself an Oil Rig Job. [ see: http://www.offshore-jobs.co.uk ]. Even entry-level jobs are available, but you should have some similar shore-based skill or experience that can be adapted.

The Opportunities: Opportunities to work offshore worldwide have never been greater. The demand for new crews is almost at a peak. The major players in Gas and Oil exploration such as Shell, Aramco and UMW in South East Asia, and even China, have recently launched their expansion plans to drive earnings growth in 2007-2008 and beyond.

The Unseen Opportunity: For the Oil Rig worker, the unseen opportunity is the time off. Where else can you go to work and get two weeks out of the month off? The time off presents a truly wonderful opportunity.

Free Living and all found: Rig workers get four hot meals a day, all you care to eat. Seafood and steaks are on the menu often. Snacks, cold drinks, and fruit juices are provided 24 hours a day. Between working hours there are plenty of satellite programs and videos to watch, served with snacks and cold drinks.

The bigger companies, such as Esso and Shell go out of their way to provide all the comforts of home. Some even have Gym rooms and Saunas. Another perk is that you can call home anytime you like via satellite phones.

New Entrants: For the new entrant, previous offshore experience is not a requirement, but it helps. All applicants are considered on an individual basis, and once you get some basic offshore experience, you have the key which will open many doors for you. It's getting that initial bit of experience which sometimes presents the biggest problem. The website mentioned earlier includes several tips to show you how to get your first bit of experience.

Military Service If you have prior military service or you still are in the military, you will be able to use your military training to your own advantage. The military offers a great deal of excellent training, and some of it is transferable to the offshore industry.

For example, if you are a mechanic in the military, you will probably have diesel and hydraulic experience. Many things offshore operate hydraulically, pneumatically, and are diesel powered. If you worked on jet aircraft or helicopters, then you have some excellent experience to offer. Turbine engines are becoming more common all the time as power plants offshore.

About the Author

Harry S Richards is currently based in South East Asia and reports on many worthwhile careers in which he has personal knowledge or experience both at home and overseas. He runs several websites including http://www.themartuk.com and http://www.beauforts.com . His motto is "If you must have a career why not choose an Action Career". Such as you may find at http://www.offshore-jobs.co.uk . This article may be reprinted as long

Oil Rigs and Offshore Gas Exploration Careers

2007-09-28T02:30:00.000-07:00

The Opportunities:-

Opportunities to work offshore worldwide have never been greater. The demand for new crews is almost at a peak. The major players in Gas and Oil exploration in Europe, the USA, South East Asia, and even China, have recently launched their expansion plans to drive earnings growth in 2007-2008 and beyond.

Rig Crews get Two Weeks off every Month:-

Work offshore for just half a year and get paid for the whole year? Sounds too good to be true, but that's on offer now in offshore locations worldwide. The problem for new entrants to the industry is that these jobs are rarely advertised. You'll be hard-pushed to find them listed on Oil Company websites or in search engines. Why? Because now the growth is so fast that employers recruit crews via the "Walk-in Interview". It saves time and keeps rigs fully manned.

Walk-In Interviews:-

Most offshore job-seekers may never know where the next "Walk-in Interview" is going to take place. It's almost like "speed dating" except that you only get one chance to bring along your passport and a copy of a recent payslip. There is only one publication that I have seen that lists most of the current venues where you can simply "Walk-in" and get yourself an Oil Rig Job. Take a look at www.offshore-jobs.co.uk . Even entry-level jobs are available, but you should have some similar shore-based skill or experience that can be adapted.

Free Living:-

Rig workers get four hot meals a day, all you care to eat. Seafood and steaks are on the menu often. Snacks, cold drinks, and fruit juices are provided 24 hours a day. Between working hours there are plenty of satellite programs and videos to watch, served with snacks and cold drinks. The bigger companies, such as Esso and Shell go out of their way to provide all the comforts of home. Some even have Gym rooms and Saunas. Another perk is that you can call home anytime you like via satellite phones.

New Entrants:-

For the new entrant, previous offshore experience is not a requirement, but it helps. All applicants are considered on an individual basis, and once you get some basic offshore experience, you have the key which will open many doors for you. It's getting that initial bit of experience which sometimes presents the biggest problem. The website mentioned earlier includes several tips to show you how to get your first bit of experience.

Military Service:-

If you have prior military service or you still are in the military, you will be able to use your military training to your own advantage. The military offers a great deal of excellent training, and some of it is transferable to the offshore industry.

Know How to Meet the Hurdles:-

The opportunities for a worthwhile career in the offshore Oil and Gas industry could be waiting for you - if you have the motivation to follow those who already know how to meet the hurdles. Now you can get all that valuable knowledge in a single downloadable volume from www.offshore-jobs.co.uk

For the Oil Rig worker, the greatest benefit is the time off. Where else can you go to work and get two weeks off every month? The time off presents a truly wonderful opportunity. Could this be the career for you?

About the Author

Harry S Richards reports on many worthwhile careers in which he has personal knowledge or experience both at home and overseas. He runs several websites including http://www.offshore-jobs.co.uk and http://www.themartuk.com . His motto is "If you must have a career why not choose an Action Career". This article may be reprinted as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.

Untapped: The Scramble For Africa's Oil

2007-09-28T02:27:00.004-07:00

Since 1990 alone, the petroleum industry has invested more than $20 billion in exploration and production activity in Africa . A further $50 billion will be spent between now and the end of the decade, the largest investment in the continent's history -- and around one-third of it will come from the United States . Three of the world's largest oil companies -- the British-Dutch consortium Shell, France's Total, and America's Chevron -- are spending 15 percent, 30 percent, and 35 percent respectively of their global exploration and production budgets in Africa. Chevron alone is in the process of rolling out $20 billion in African projects over a five-year period.

The overwhelming majority of this new drilling activity has taken place in the so-called "deep water" and the "ultradeep" of the Gulf of Guinea , the roughly 90-degree bend along the west coast of Africa that can best be visualized as the continent's "armpit." Its littoral zone passes through the territorial waters of a dozen countries, from Ivory Coast in the northwest down to Angola in the south, and a good deal of its geology shares the characteristics that have made Nigeria a prolific producer for decades. Indeed, a number of unexpectedly productive fields have been discovered in the Gulf over the past decade. But although the Gulf of Guinea has lately been sub-Saharan Africa 's most exciting region for the oil industry, it is hardly the only "prospective" part of the continent (to borrow the industry term). The parched semideserts of southern Chad and southern Sudan have recently added hundreds of thousands of barrels a day to global markets, and a growing chorus of voices is now touting the East African margin as the industry's "next big thing."

But be it east or west, jungle or desert, it is a safe bet that where the drillers go, the politicians, strategists, and lobbyists are not far behind. Washington in particular has taken a keen interest in Africa 's growing significance as an oil-producing region since the headline discoveries of the late 1990s. In December 2000 the National Intelligence Council, an internal CIA think tank, published a report in which it declared unambiguously that sub-Saharan Africa "will play an increasing role in global energy markets," and predicted that the region would provide 25 percent of North American oil imports by 2015, up from the 15 percent or so at the time. (This would put Africa well ahead of Saudi Arabia as a source of oil for the United States .) In May 2001 a controversial and fairly secretive energy task force put together by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney declared in its report: " West Africa is expected to be one of the fastest-growing sources of oil and gas for the American market."

In the following months, a group of congressmen, lobbyists, and defense strategists came together under the umbrella of the African Oil Policy Initiative Group, and began preaching the message that the Gulf of Guinea was the new Persian Gulf, and that it should become a strategic priority for the United States, even to the point of requiring an expanded military presence. A series of well-placed articles in the American media followed, some breathlessly announcing the inauguration of a new Middle East off the shores of Africa . Before long, the influential Center for Strategic and International Studies had chimed in with a couple of reports, its most recent, in July 2005, claiming that "an exceptional mix of U.S. interests is at play in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea ."

During these years, a number of prominent lawmakers in Washington began getting excited about the possibility of shifting some of America 's oil dependence from the Middle East to Africa . One former senior official charged with African affairs recalls Kansas Senator Sam Brownback rushing up to him one afternoon in October 2002, positively glowing with excitement. "What do you think about bases in Africa ?" Brownback asked. "Wouldn't that be great?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But does Africa measure up to the hype? After all, the entire continent is believed to contain, at best, 10 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, making it a minnow swimming in an ocean of seasoned sharks. Africa is unlikely ever to "replace" the Middle East or any other major oil-producing region. So why the song and dance? Why all the goose bumps? Why do so many influential people in Washington let themselves get so carried away when they talk about African oil?

The answer has very little to do with geology. Africa 's significance as an oil "play," to borrow the industry lingo, lies beyond the number of barrels that may or may not be buried under its cretaceous rock. Instead, what makes the African oil boom interesting to energy security strategists in both Washington and Europe (and, increasingly, Beijing ) is a series of serendipitous and unrelated factors that, together, tell a story of unfolding opportunity.

To begin with, one of the more attractive attributes of Africa 's oil boom is the quality of the oil itself. The variety of crude found in the Gulf of Guinea is known in industry parlance as "light" and "sweet," meaning it is viscous and low in sulfur, and therefore easier and cheaper to refine than, say, Middle Eastern crude, which tends to be lacking in lower hydrocarbons and is therefore very "sticky." This is particularly appealing to American and European refineries, which have to contend with strict environmental regulations that make it difficult to refine heavier and sourer varieties of crude without running up costs that make the entire proposition worthless.

Then there is the geographic accident of Africa 's being almost entirely surrounded by water, which significantly cuts transport-related costs and risks. The Gulf of Guinea , in particular, is well positioned to allow speedy transport to the major trading ports of Europe and North America . Existing sea-lanes can be used for quick, cheap delivery, so there is no need to worry about the Suez Canal , for instance, or to build expensive pipelines through unpredictable countries. This may seem a minor point, until you look at Central Asia, where the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, stretching from Azerbaijan through Georgia and into Turkey , and intended to deliver Caspian crude into the Mediterranean, had to navigate a minefield of Middle East politics, antiglobalization protests, and red tape before it could be opened. African oil faces none of those issues. It is simply loaded onto a tanker at the point of production and begins its smooth, unmolested journey on the high seas, arriving just days later in Shreveport , Southampton, or Le Havre .

A third advantage, from the perspective of the oil companies, is that Africa offers a tremendously favorable contractual environment. Unlike in, say, Saudi Arabia, where the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco has a monopoly on the exploration, production, and distribution of the country's crude oil, most sub-Saharan African countries operate on the basis of so-called production-sharing agreements, or PSAs. In these arrangements, a foreign oil company is awarded a license to look for petroleum on the condition that it assume the up-front costs of exploration and production. If oil is discovered in that block, the oil company will share the revenues with the host government, but only after its initial costs have been recouped. PSAs are generally offered to impoverished countries that would never be able to amass either the technical expertise or the billions in capital investment required to drill for oil themselves. For the oil company, a relatively small up-front investment can quickly turn into untold billions in profits.

Yet another strategic benefit, particularly from the perspective of American politicians, is that, until recently, with the exception of Nigeria , none of the oil-producing countries of sub-Saharan Africa had belonged to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Thus they have not been subject to the strict limits on output OPEC imposes on its members in an attempt to keep the price of oil artificially high. The more non-OPEC oil that comes onto the global market, the more difficult it becomes for OPEC countries to sell their crude at high prices, and the lower the overall price of oil. Put more simply, if new reserves are discovered in Venezuela , they have very little effect on the price of oil because Venezuela 's OPEC commitments will not allow it to increase its output very much. But if new reserves are discovered in Gabon , it means more cheap oil for everybody.

But probably the most attractive of all the attributes of Africa's oil boom, for Western governments and oil companies alike, is that virtually all the big discoveries of recent years have been made offshore, in deepwater reserves that are often many miles from populated land. This means that even if a civil war or violent insurrection breaks out onshore (always a concern in Africa ), the oil companies can continue to pump out oil with little likelihood of sabotage, banditry, or nationalist fervor getting in the way. Given the hundreds of thousands of barrels of Nigerian crude that are lost every year as a result of fighting, community protests, and organized crime, this is something the industry gets rather excited about.

Finally, there is the sheer speed of growth in African oil production, and the fact that Africa is one of the world's last underexplored regions. In a world used to hearing that there are no more big oil discoveries out there, and few truly untapped reserves to look forward to, the ferocious pace and scale of Africa 's oil boom has proved a bracing tonic. One-third of the world's new oil discoveries since the year 2000 have taken place in Africa . Of the 8 billion barrels of new oil reserves discovered in 2001, 7 billion were found there. In the years between 2005 and 2010, 20 percent of the world's new production capacity is expected to come from Africa . And there is now an almost contagious feeling in the oil industry that no one really knows just how much oil might be there, since no one's ever really bothered to check.

All these factors add up to a convincing value proposition: African oil is cheaper, safer, and more accessible than its competitors, and there seems to be more of it every day. And, though Africa may not be able to compete with the Persian Gulf at the level of proven reserves, it has just enough up its sleeve to make it a potential "swing" region -- an oil province that can kick in just enough production to keep markets calm when supplies elsewhere in the world are unpredictable. Diversification of the oil supply has been a goal -- even an obsession -- in the United States since the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s. Successive U.S. administrations have understood that if the world is overly reliant on two or three hot spots for its energy security, there is a greater risk of supply disruptions and price volatility. And for obvious reasons, the effort to distribute America 's energy-security portfolio across multiple nodes has taken on a new urgency since September 11, 2001. In his State of the Union address in January 2006, President Bush said he wanted to reduce America 's dependence on Middle East crude by 75 percent by 2025.

About the Author

John Ghazvinian has a doctorate in history from Oxford. He has written for Newsweek, the Nation, Time Out New York, and other publications. Born in Iran and raised in London and Los Angeles, he currently lives in Philadelphia, where he is a visiting fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.

Opportunities In The Gas Industry

2007-09-28T02:27:00.003-07:00

Oil is a natural fuel that is formed from buried, decayed plants and animals, under extreme heat and pressure over a time span of millions of years. Similarly, natural gas is the result of these deposits and sometimes even gets mixed with the oil. The primary function of an oil and gas extraction company is to locate, extract and refine these natural resources. Big oil companies carry out large-scale extractions, while private contractors support the mining sub-sector.

A job in the gas industry is very rewarding. You simply need to identify the sphere of work that interests you the most. The gas industry has a number of job opportunities. Depending on the qualifications and placements available, companies hire employees for diverse onshore and offshore operations.

The jobs available in the oil and natural gas industry is divided into three categories:

-Upstream- Operations in oil production come under this category. The requirement is for contractors who specialize in seismic testing, engineering, service rig operations, drilling and identifying the manufacturers of the special equipment and supply.

-Midstream- This involves the refining and transportation of oil after drilling and extraction. Besides this, making and managing of oil pipelines helps the pipeline operators earn billions of dollars.

-Downstream- This involves effective sale and wholesale operations carried out by gas distributors.

The big companies are involved in all the three spheres. This means that they extract, purify, transport and sell oil and natural gas. Small-scale companies focus on any one particular area - it could be either drilling or the laying of pipelines.

Upstream sector jobs are the most sought-after, since jobs are often international and involve extensive travel. Personnel are employed in Alaska, the Arctic, Canada and Iraq and the Middle East. Once you gain the required experience and skill, you can find a position with any large company and enjoy traveling to different places.

You need not limit your job hunt to oil and gas companies only. Multinational and big companies very often outsource work to oil service companies that lease and install facilities or equipment. Service companies send their employees to the operations bases of the companies, whenever and wherever needed.

Entry-level positions in the oil and natural gas industry are mostly in the production, purifying and transportation divisions. Jobs such as oil engineering and exploration require hands-on experience and training.

Some Of The Jobs Available:

Petroleum Geologist: Required to analyze and interpret gathered information. This position usually heads the exploration operations. Another job in this stream is that of a paleontologist, who studies fossil remains.

Rotary Drillers: They supervise the operations of the machinery and control the drilling speed and pressure.

Pump operators: They maintain the pump motors and other similar surface equipment that is used to extract oil from wells. The production supervisors and engineering team supervises their work.

In addition to the positions mentioned, there are openings for electricians, welders, laborers and instrument repairers. In the non-automated plants, maintenance personnel and operators are often needed.

About the Author

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Gas pipelines and the natural gas industry

2007-09-28T02:27:00.001-07:00

Gas pipelines are essentially an elaborate and highly complex network of pipelines that transport natural gas and crude oil from the gathering system or well-head to the refinery. These pipelines are constructed from plastic or steel tubes that have a 30 cm-120 cm inner diameter. These gas pipelines run above ground wherever possible but are buried underground in potentially dangerous, more developed or environmentally sensitive areas. Natural gas travels through the pipelines at great pressure, which is maintained by a system of pump stations. These Oil and gas pipelines are the most economical transportation method for enormous quantities of natural gas or oil over land. However transportation of oil and gas at sea is done by tanker ships as the process of building oil and gas pipelines under the sea is technically as well as economically demanding. Natural gas transmission

Natural gas is supplied by gas pipeline companies to more than 175 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across the United States using an estimated 1.4 million miles of natural gas pipelines. This network of pipelines comprises of interstate as well as intrastate pipelines. The interstate natural pipelines transport gas across states clear across the country and intrastate pipelines transport natural gas within the state though the operational and technical details are the same for inter-state and intra-state pipelines. A gas pipeline company is usually a huge conglomerate.

Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines The three major kinds of pipelines that are used to transport natural gas include the gathering system, the inter-state and intra-state pipelines and the distribution system Interstate pipelines are considered the 'highways' of gas and oil transmission. Natural gas travels great distances through the interstate gas pipelines at high pressures, which range from 200 pounds per square inch to as much as 1500 pounds per square inch. This high pressure serves to decrease the volume of the transported natural gas by as much as 600 times and acts as a propellant forcing the natural gas to move faster through the pipeline. The network of the interstate natural gas pipeline is used for natural gas transportation from processing plants to areas that have high requirements of natural gas.

Professional interested in buying or using natural gas for various applications can do a natural gas pipeline map search on the Internet to ascertain locations of various kinds of pipelines across the world. Natural gas industry

The natural gas industry is only a part of the overall energy industry and is defined by the many different aspects of getting natural gas- right from drilling deep underground to get natural gas to delivering it to the end user. Some of the aspects of the natural gas industry include:

*Exploration and Extraction *Production and Processing * Transportation *Storage *Distribution *Marketing

Some giant gas and oil companies are involved in all the processes involved, however others specialize in specific aspects. Most oil and gas pipeline companies and professionals can subscribe to a variety of pipeline gas journals to keep abreast of the latest news in the natural gas and oil industry.

Natural pipeline safety Some of the important safety precautions related to natural gas pipelines include:

*Aerial Patrols - Planes are commonly employed to ensure that no unauthorized construction or digging is carried out anywhere the pipeline route as this is a major threat to the safety of the pipeline. *Gas sampling: Natural gas that is present in the pipelines is routinely sampled for contaminants and also for any indication of interior corrosion in the pipeline. * Pipeline markers: The presence of underground pipelines is indicated by signs marked above ground so as to reduce inadvertent interference. *Leak Detection: Pipeline personnel periodically check the surface for leaks using equipment for detecting natural gas. This has special significance if the natural gas is odorless. *Preventive Maintenance: Pipelines and pipeline valves are routinely tested and surface impediments removed.

About the Author

Thomas H. Lindblom is a freelance article writer looking for interesting and unusual topics to write about. Gas pipelines are of major importance in today's world, and natural gas is supplied by gas pipeline companies to more than 175 million people.