US Awards $40 Million to Develop Next Generation Nuclear Plant
By Xinhua
The U.S. government on Monday announced selections for the award of approximately 40 million dollars in total to two teams led by Westinghouse Electric Co. and General Atomics for conceptual design and planning work for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP).

Three major Oil Companies Cut Iranian Ties
By Yitzhak Benhorin
Three of the world’s largest oil suppliers have clandestinely cut their ties with Iran.

Developed countries Outsource Emissions
By CBC News
Developed countries are "outsourcing" more than a third of their carbon emissions associated with products and services to other countries, researchers say.

India Backs Copenhagen Climate Deal
By AFP
India has decided to formally back a climate change accord struck in Copenhagen last year that includes non-binding limits on global warming, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said Tuesday.

Ethanol Making Comeback as Valero Sees Profit Where Gates Lost
By Mario Parker
Ethanol, the commodity that cost Bill Gates more than $44 million the last time prices collapsed, is poised to rally as much as 20 percent as the fastest drop since 2008 spurs demand.

Israel to Build Nuclear Power Plant
By BBC
Israel is expected to unveil plans this week to build a nuclear power plant, reports say.

Fracking Fluids Controversy
By Keith Schaefer
The controversy surrounding fracking fluids is getting louder. Websites and media savvy organizations are getting more press on this issue, using a very simple and powerful pitch – are the chemicals used in fracking fluids in oil and gas wells contaminating our drinking water?

EPA Examines Shale Gas
By Reuters
The top U.S. environmental regulator said she was "very concerned" about fluids blamed by some for polluting water supplies near sites where drillers use them to extract natural gas from shale deposits.

Algeria Sees Global LNG Recovery in a Few Years
By Reuters
The global slump in demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is temporary and demand will recover within the next two to three years, Algerian Energy Minister Chakib Khelil said in an interview on Monday.

Exxon Buys Assets Previously Deemed Unattractive
By Edward Klump
Exxon Mobil Corp., BP Plc and Total SA are investing in assets that previously weren’t worth their time or money after oil-rich nations reduced access to reserves and exploration drilling faltered.

Help Poor Countries go Nuclear in Energy Crisis: Sarkozy
By Greg Keller
Poor countries should be helped to build their own nuclear power stations to help fight climate change, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday.

2010 Energy Prospects Promising
By Calgary Herald
Oil and gas services company Petrofac said it was confident for 2010 as it expects further investment in oil and gas projects, after it doubled its order backlog and posted net profit above forecasts in 2009.

CERAWeek Offers Wealth of Information
By Houston Chronicle
If you’re into energy, this week is Christmas in March in Houston. It’s CERAWeek, the five-day confab covering all things energy-related. For the cognoscenti, it’s brimful of gifts of information and informed opinion.

Mexico’s Oil Politics Keeps Riches Out of Reach
By Clifford Krauss and Elisabeth Malkin
To the Mexican people, one of the great achievements in their history was the day their president kicked out foreign oil companies in 1938. Thus, they celebrate March 18 as a civic holiday.

2010: The Year Global Warming Froze Florida
By Art Horn, ET guest columnist
Floridians have suffered through the coldest winter in almost 30 years. In some parts of South Florida, it’s been colder than anytime in the last 83 years.

Ultra Efficient Gas Engine Passes Test
By Kevin Bullis
Transonic Combustion, a startup based in Camarillo, CA, has developed a fuel-injection system it says can improve the efficiency of gasoline engines by more than 50 percent

Biden in Israel After Pledging US Support on Iran
By Reuters
Vice President Joe Biden began a visit to Israel and the West Bank on Monday, assuring Israelis in a newspaper interview that Washington would close ranks with them against any threat from a nuclear-armed Iran.

Exxon Must Pay $1.2 Million for Workers’ Radiation Exposure
By Bob Van Voris and Leslie Snadowsky
Exxon Mobil Corp., the largest U.S. energy company, must pay $1.2 million to 16 Louisiana workers who claimed they were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation when they were cleaning used oil drilling pipes, a jury said.

Kairiki Energy Seeks Partners for 600 Million Barrel Oil Field
By Christian Schmollinger
Kairiki Energy Ltd., an Australian oil explorer whose shares have tripled in the past year, is seeking partners to develop a crude field in the Philippines with potential reserves of 600 million barrels.

It Came From the Sea
By Alan Murray
Since mapping the human genome 10 years ago, J. Craig Venter has found plenty of work. The biologist now is burrowing into DNA in as many forms as he can discover, in organisms from the sea and deep underground. His goal: to use the building blocks found in naturally occurring DNA to make synthetic cells.

Diesel Shortage Paralyzes Egypt’s Highways
By Al-Masry Al-Youm
Diesel fuel shortages continued throughout Egypt on Sunday, causing cars and buses to form 500- meter-long queues at some gas stations, as supply quantities were cut by half in many areas of Cairo and the provinces.

Dana Makes Two Gas Discoveries in Egypt
By Reuters
United Arab Emirates’ Dana Gas DANA.AD made two new gas discoveries in Egypt, the company said in a statement on Sunday.

Iran Ready to Export Gas to Bahrain, Oman
By The Peninsula
Iran has said it was prepared to supply gas to Bahrain and Oman after holding negotiations with the officials of the two Arab Gulf states.

Oil Oversupply too Little to Hurt Market
By Money Control
Oil producers are pumping more crude than consumers need but the oversupply is insufficient to have a big impact on the market, Iran''s OPEC governor said on Sunday.

Russia,China Oil Pipeline to be Ready by Yearend
By Tehran Times
The construction of the Russia-China oil pipeline will be finished by the end of this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said on Sunday.

Iran’s Ace in the Hole, Oil
By Jad Mouawad
Diplomacy and energy are never far apart in the Persian Gulf. So, as American officials seek new international sanctions against Iran this week, it’s probably wise for them to remember how much the world’s global energy map has changed over the past decade.

Shell CEO Talks Future of Fuels
By Convenience Store News
Seeking to manage expectations for new, alternative energy sources, Royal Dutch Shell''s chief executive predicted oil will remain the dominant energy source for decades, not to mention one that will become more difficult to obtain, and hence more expensive.

Scientists Misread Climate Data
By Dan Vergano
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, then, with apologies to Kipling, you might not be a climate scientist.

EU Begins Press on Nuclear Standards
By James Kanter
The head of the European Commission was to begin a push Monday for European safety standards for nuclear power plants to become binding worldwide, a development that might benefit France as it competes to sell its expensive technology and expertise against countries offering cheaper alternatives.

Areva’s High End Bet on Nuclear Power
By Carol Matlack
CEO Anne Lauvergeon says Areva''s bold new reactor design gives the French company an edge over rivals. Now she has to find customers who can afford it.

EPA to Decide Late Summer on Ethanol Fuel Boost
By Tom Doggett
The U.S. Environmental Protection will decide by late summer whether to allow higher levels of ethanol to be blended into gasoline, the head of the agency told Congress on Wednesday.

Oil Pipelines to Bypass Iranian Threats
By Doron Peskin
While Revolutionary Guards threaten to ''freeze'' Europe by cutting off energy supply, UAE plans pipelines to run through areas not under Iranian control .

The Irony of Iowa’s Ethanol Exemption
By Robert Bryce
Oh the irony. This morning, the Des Moines Register is reporting on the death of a piece of legislation known as SF 2359. The bill would have required that all gasoline sold in Iowa contain at least 10% ethanol. But Iowa legislators couldn’t garner enough political support for the bill.

US Quietly Backing Argentina in Falklands Oil Dispute
By Paul Routledge
The US government is quietly backing the Argies in their dispute with Britain over exploitation of oil fields around the Falklands.

$100 Million in Stimulus Funds for Green Tech
By Sindya Bhanoo
The Department of Energy announced this week that $100 million in stimulus funds would be distributed to help accelerate innovation in green technology.

How Long Until Peak Natural Gas?
By Nolan Hart
There are many scientists and even oil company executives who subscribe to the theory of Peak Oil.

Embargo Our Way To Freedom?
By Daniel Fisher
A quartet of Yale-affiliated economic types have published a modest proposal for U.S. energy policy that would eliminate the specter of oil shortages in 10 short years.

Wind Farms Face Fight in Oregon
By Richard Cockle
Quaint little Union, spitting distance from northeast Oregon''s spectacular Eagle Cap Wilderness, hasn''t changed much since horseback desperadoes tried to rob the town bank in 1900.

Mexican Government Waters Down Oil Reforms
By Oil Voice
The Mexican government has inked an agreement with state-run oil firm Petrpleos Mexicanos (Pemex) to revise rules allowing the firm to award cash-based incentive contracts to private overseas oil companies. The deal marks yet another blow to incumbent President Felipe Calderon''s attempts to liberalise Mexico''s energy sector.

Rising Oil Sands Costs a Worry
By Nathan Vanderklippe
As energy giants rush back into the oil sands, surging demand for labour and equipment threatens to drive construction costs skyward once again.

Yukos to Court: Russia Tired to Destroy US
By Deborah Seward
The Russian government deliberately sought to "destroy" the now-defunct oil giant Yukos for political reasons, a lawyer for the company argued Thursday before the European Court of Human Rights.

Scientists: Methane Escaping Arctic Ocean
By Margaret Munro
Large amounts of methane, a potent climate warming gas, are escaping from a remote swath of the Arctic Ocean that holds vast stores of the gas, say scientists, who suspect the seabed is "destabilizing."

Oil Countries Want Bigger Cut of Profits
By Steve Hargreaves
Two of the world''s oil-rich countries may make it harder for oil companies to do business with them.

Oil Price Hangover
By Geoffrey Styles
The price of oil is an odd thing. It''s watched by millions of people every day, especially when it reaches uncomfortable levels, yet no two observers agree on all the details of how it''s determined. Having traded the stuff professionally, I''ve always given a lot more credence to the fundamentals of supply and demand than to the influence of speculators as the main driver of day-to-day price movements, though it''s clear that both supply and demand are pretty complex constructs in their own right these days.

Oil Transit Chokepoints
By Seth Myers
The Singapore Navy is stepping up security efforts after receiving information that terrorists may attempt to attack oil tankers steaming through the Malacca Strait. The shipping lane between Malaysia and Indonesia is among the world’s busiest and is traversed by more than 90,000 vessels every year.

Striking a Blow for Wind Power
By CNN
Wind power provides a fifth of Denmark''s electricity, most of it generated by giant wind farms built on land and in the country''s coastal waters.

Somali Pirates Seize Saudi Tanker
By AFP
Somali pirates have captured a small Saudi tanker and its crew of 14 in the Gulf of Aden, a Kenyan maritime official said Wednesday.

Hydrocarbons Can Superconduct, Too
By John Matson
Potassium atoms interspersed into crystals of the organic compound picene yields superconductivity at relatively high temperatures.

GE wins $1bn Gorgon LNG Contract
By The Australian
General Electric has won more than $US1.1 billion ($1.2bn) in contracts from Chevron''s Gorgon liquefied natural gas project, including a new order to supply gas turbines.

Exxon Urges U.K. to Keep Open Gas Market as EU Trading Expands
By Ben Farey
Exxon Mobil Corp., the largest U.S. energy company, said European natural-gas spot markets are growing and lawmakers in Britain and elsewhere shouldn’t make changes that threaten their progress.

Iraq Unlikely to Meet Oil Target
By Shashank Shekhar
Iraq will not be able to produce 10 to 12 million barrels of oil a day in a foreseeable future, said analysts.

Brazil Rejects Calls for Iran Sanctions
By Tulsa World
Brazil rebuffed a U.S. appeal for new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, vowing during a visit from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton not to "bow down" to gathering international pressure.

Katrina Victims Sue Big Oil on Global Warming
By Telegraph
Victims of Hurricane Katrina are seeking to sue carbon gas emitting multinationals for helping fuel global warming and boosting the 2005 storm.

Energy Department Files to Withdraw Yucca Mountain License Application
By Siobhan Hughes
The Energy Department filed to withdraw an application for a nuclear-waste repository at Yucca Mountain, formally seeking Wednesday to reverse a Bush administration policy.

Libya Warns US Oil Players Over Row
By Upstream
Libya’s top oil official today summoned the local heads of US energy companies to tell them a diplomatic row with Washington could have a negative impact on US businesses in Libya, the state oil company said.

Syria Denies Concealing Nuclear Activities
By George Jahn
Syria on Thursday denied hiding nuclear activities from the world and said Israel was the source of suspicious uranium particles found at a Syrian desert complex bombed two years ago by the Jewish state.

Iraq Opening to BP, Exxon Mobil, Shell for First Time Since 1972
By Anthony DiPaola and Daniel Williams
BP Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp. took the best deal they could get in Iraq last year when they won the largest oil contracts since Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003. Oil companies may wait a long time to get a better one.

Malacca Strait is a Strategic Chokepoint
By Reuters
Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia said on Thursday they are stepping up security in the Strait of Malacca, a key shipping lane for world trade, following warnings of possible attacks on oil tankers in the area.

Terrorist Group Planning Malacca Oil Tanker Attacks
By Yee Kai Pin
A terror alert from the Singapore navy to oil tankers in the Malacca Strait, a shipping lane that’s almost six times busier than the Suez Canal, may be linked to regional groups associated with al-Qaeda.

The Brewing Tempest Over Wind Power
By Robert Bryce, ET managing editor
The Obama administration has made the increased use of wind power to generate electricity a top priority. In 2009 alone, U.S. wind generation capacity increased by 39%. But more wind power means more giant turbines closer to more people. And if current trends continue, that spells trouble.

Saudi Arabia Raises Most April Oil Prices to US
By Anthony DiPaola
Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest state-owned oil company, raised official selling prices for all crude grades, except heavy, for customers in the U.S. for April and lowered prices on all grades to Europe and most for Asia.

Robert Rapier Looks at the Bloom Box
By Robert Rapier
I wasn''t going to write anything on the Bloom Box, but people keep writing to ask what I think. My initial reactions were "What a lot of hype" and "I have seen this all before." I also wondered why it is that people keep falling for these kinds of stories.

N. Korea Presses Direct Nuclear Talks With US
By Stephanie Nebehay
North Korea said on Tuesday the standoff over its nuclear programme should be settled through direct talks with the United States, but first Washington must drop what it called its hostile policies.

China, Russia Reach Initial Gas Agreement
By BusinessWeek
China, the world’s second-largest energy consumer, has reached an initial agreement on pricing and supply for natural gas from Russia, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing energy chief Zhang Guobao.

As Saudis Court Asia, US Thirst for Canada’s Oil Grows Deeper
By Shawn McCarthy
Saudi Arabia is increasingly targeting its oil exports to fast-growing Asian economies, and Canadian producers are picking up the slack as Saudi exports to the U.S. tumble.

Turkey to drill 45 Oil wells in Southern Iraq
By Brunei fm
The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) is holding talks with Iraq to drill 45 oil wells in the southern Al-Rumaila oil field as part of a projected USD 312 million contract.

Iran Sanctions Could Hit Major Oil Firms
By Tehran Times
Earlier this month, Iran’s ambassador to India said that his country continues to import gasoline from a private Indian oil refinery, even though the firm, Reliance Industries Ltd., had promised last year that it would stop gasoline exports to Iran, fearing U.S. sanctions.

Senate Climate Bill May Drop Cap and Trade
By Mark Clayton
A compromise climate bill being developed in the Senate may drop controversial cap and trade legislation passed by the House.

Scientists Taking Steps to Defend Work on Climate
By John Broder
For months, climate scientists have taken a vicious beating in the media and on the Internet, accused of hiding data, covering up errors and suppressing alternate views.

Russia Moves Closer to Iran Sanctions
By George Jahn
Russia''s president said Moscow was ready to consider new sanctions on Iran for its nuclear defiance on Monday and the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that he cannot confirm that all of Tehran''s atomic activities are peaceful.

Shell’s Nigerian Station Attacked by Rebels
By Dulue Mbachu
Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s Kokori oil flow station in Nigeria was attacked yesterday as militants renewed operations against the energy industry in the southern Delta region.

Norway Gets Letter From Argentina on Falkland Drilling
By Josiane Kremer
Norwegian authorities got a letter from Argentina expressing concerns about AGR Group ASA’s involvement in U.K. plans to explore for oil off the Falkland Islands, Dagens Naeringsliv said, citing the Foreign Ministry.

GOP Wants to Block EPA Carbon Rules
By Kim Chipman and Simon Lomax
Top House Republicans introduced a measure to block President Barack Obama from regulating greenhouse gases, as Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller sought a two-year delay on action by the Environmental Protection Agency.

BP: No Return to the Golden Age of Oil
By Angela Jameson
The chief executive of BP painted a gloomy picture for shareholders yesterday of years of weak demand for oil and depressed refining margins.

Abu Dhabi Pursues Plan to Ease Oil Dependence
By Nadim Kawach
Abu Dhabi''s 20-year Vision 2030 economic blueprint involves a massive investment push.

Iraq Ditches Oil Talks with Japan
By Tamsin Carlisle
Iraq has broken off talks with a Japanese consortium led by Nippon Oil over the development of its Nassiriya oilfield, intensifying doubts about the viability of Baghdad’s ambitious plans to boost the country’s oil output.

Venezuela Struggles Wth Energy Emergency
By UPI
Venezuelan plans to cut electricity demand amid a looming energy crisis are not feasible for businesses in Caracas, the chamber of commerce said.

Avoiding Exxon: The Oil Investment Trap
By Keith Kohl
One year ago, it was a buyer''s paradise.

Climate Debate Missing the Point
By Barry Brook
I’m increasingly of the view that the government, and indeed much of the classic ‘environmental movement’, are badly missing the point on climate change and energy security.

BP to Expand US Shale Gas Operations
By Rig Zone
BP PLC is expected to announce Tuesday an expansion of its U.S. shale-gas operations through a joint-venture deal in Texas with privately held Lewis Energy Group worth at least $160 million, people familiar with the situation said.

Senators Seek Change in Alaska’s Energy Structure
By McClatchy Tribune
A two week study of Alaska’s oil and gas tax structure has convinced some state senators that the Legislature needs to act fast to change the system or risk the plundering of state riches.

Losses Wipe Out Equity of Pemex
By Robert Campbell
The equity in Mexico''s state oil monopoly Pemex was wiped out in the final quarter of 2009 as losses on refined product sales, lower crude output and high taxes offset higher crude prices.

Iowa Ethanol Mandate Probably Dead
By Dan Piller
A decision by the Senate Democratic leadership to not schedule for debate a bill to mandate ethanol use in Iowa in the Senate next week means the legislation is likely dead for this session.

Gas Prices to Go Up
By Mark Williams
It may not make much sense, given that the economy remains weak, but the cost of filling up your car is about to go higher.

Obama to Post Energy Efficiency Rebates
By Darlene Superville
Sounding a familiar clean-energy theme, President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced details of a proposed energy rebate program he hopes will spur demand for insulation and water heaters - and jobs for hurting Americans.

Canada’s Ethanol Boom, Minus the Boom
By Shawn McCarthy
Three years ago, a tiny Ottawa biotechnology firm, Iogen Corp., had the very rare privilege of being singled out by the government as a company that would benefit directly from a federal budget measure.

Demand for OPEC Oil May Drop in 2010
By Ayesha Daya
Demand for OPEC crude may drop by 100,000 barrels a day this year as stockpiles are higher than the five-year average and the global economy is weak, the United Arab Emirates oil minister said.

US Plans Dramatic Reductions in Nuclear Weapons
By BBC
US President Barack Obama is planning dramatic reductions in the country’s nuclear arsenal, a senior US administration official has said.

China Global Oil Shopping Spree
By Michael Economides, ET editor in chief, and Xina Xie, ET China correspondent
While China has been praised by some Western politicians and pundits, including Al Gore for the country’s miniscule non-hydrocarbon activities it is China’s global pursuit of oil and gas that has grown to a crescendo. The Chinese refer to their recent purchases as global acquisition and diversification. But amidst the maelstrom of global warming rhetoric, their aggressive moves are getting precious little attention.

The New York Times Opinion Page: The Twilight Zone Of Energy Reality
By Robert Bryce
I used to adore the opinion page of the New York Times. Whatever was printed there had to be the closest thing to the gospel truth handed down since Paul got knocked on his arse while heading to Damascus. I assumed only the smartest people were allowed to preach from the media world’s most hallowed pulpit.

US Ethanol Output Rises in December
By Reuters
U.S. daily ethanol output rose in December for the third month in a row as distillers took advantage of low prices for corn and natural gas, the Energy Information Administration said.

Fracking to Free Natural Gas?
By David Biello
New technique to shatter shale and get the gas within offers promise and peril

Iraq and Shell Still In Gas Deal Talks
By Steel Guru
Reuters reported that talks between Iraq and Royal Dutch Shell on a natural gas deal near the southern oil hub of Basra are taking longer than expected but still ongoing.

Saudi to Double Crude Oil Supply to India
By Business Standard
Saudi Arabia today said it would double the supply of crude oil to India to around 40 million tonnes (mt) a year, a move that would help India meet the growing needs of its refineries.

A Stink in Calif. Over Converting Manure to Electricity
By P.J. Huffstutter
Air-quality rules in the region leave dairy farmers facing costly changes to generators used to burn methane to produce power. Some have put their renewable-energy plans on hold.

Shell to Sell Assets to Fund $28 Billion Spending
By John Duce
Royal Dutch Shell Plc is selling assets including fields in the North Sea and its European liquefied petroleum gas business to help finance its $28 billion capital spending program this year, the Financial Times said, citing unidentified people involved in the proposed transactions.

Aramco Steps Up Gas Chase
By Upstream Online
Drilling for oil in top oil exporter Saudi Arabia in 2010 is expected to remain the same as last year, industry sources said, but state oil giant Aramco would increase gas drilling activities.

Iran, Syria Rebuke US
By VOA News
The presidents of Iran and Syria have rebuked the United States for its policies in the Middle East and for its criticism of both nations. Their remarks came after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continued to call for sanctions against Iran, and called on Syria to distance itself from Iran.

Oil Stored at Sea Could Mean Bigger Problems
By Garry White and Rowena Mason
Another Day and another demon for the market exorcists at the US commodity regulator.

European Union Moves Toward a Bailout of Greece
BY Landon Thomas Jr. and Stephen Castle
Greece, in the midst of a financial crisis, is planning a bond deal this week that depends on a lot of things going right.

Gore Slams Climate Change Skeptics
By Vancouver Sun
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore took aim at skeptics who doubt the reality of human-caused climate change, saying he wished it were an illusion but that the problem is real and urgent.

White House Is Rethinking Nuclear Policy
By David Sanger and Thom Shanker
As President Obama begins making final decisions on a broad new nuclear strategy for the United States, senior aides say he will permanently reduce America’s arsenal by thousands of weapons. But the administration has rejected proposals that the United States declare it would never be the first to use nuclear weapons, aides said.

China Prepares for Arctic Meltdown
By Louise Nordstrom
China is starting to prepare for the commercial and strategic opportunities arising as global warming melts the polar ice cover in the Arctic, an international peace research group said Monday.

Western Oil Companies Feel the Heat in Kazakhstan
By Guy Chazan
Fine Levied on Group Developing Gas Field Stirs Concern Government May Adopt Russian Style Pressure Tactics

Oil Era Not to End for Decades
By Itar-Tass
The oil era will not end in the coming decades, Yuri Shafranik, President of the Council of the Russian Union of Oil and Gas Producers, has said in an exclusive interview with Itar-Tass in London after his report at the British Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House). He believes the “oil peak”, in the form in which it is described by Western analysts, is hardly probable.

Lower Gas Prices Create Competition for Coal
By Brian Swint
Lower natural gas prices are creating competition with coal for U.S. power generation, BP Plc Chief Economist Christof Ruehl said.

Fuel Shortage Brought Out the Best and Worst in People
By Patrick Dewhurst
That the petrol crisis has revealed our over dependence on cars will not surprise many on the island.

Nigerian Refineries Back Online
By UPI
Nigerian petroleum officials said the resumption of activity at two refineries would ease fuel shortages plaguing the oil rich country.

Russia Making Oil Inroads Through Siberian Pipeline
By Jakarta Globe
Refiners across Asia, including Unipec and Exxon Mobil, have warmed up to Russian ESPO crude barely two months after shipments began, raising eyebrows from Riyadh to Rio de Janeiro as producers vie for leadership in the world’s fastest-growing oil market.

A Confucian Mess: Natural Gas Pricing in China
By Xina Xie, ET China correspondent, and Michael J. Economides, ET editor in chief
China has a stated goal of increasing its natural gas consumption. But gas only accounts for less than 3 percent of the country’s primary energy consumption while coal provides more than 70 percent, a share not seen in the West since the nineteenth century.

US Misses Deadline for Offshore Drilling Study
By Siobhan Hughes
The Obama administration failed to meet a deadline for submitting a court ordered analysis of the environmental effects of offering new leases to drill in Alaskan coastal waters, the oil industry said Thursday.

Mexico Oil Output Falls Amid Delay on Reforms
By Catherine Shoichet
Mexico''s oil production continues to fall from year-ago levels as the government struggles to implement hard-fought energy reforms designed to boost exploration.

Oil Industry Booms in N.D.
By Ben Casselman
A massive oil reserve buried two miles underground has put North Dakota at the center of a revolution in the U.S. oil industry, a shift that has radically altered the fortunes of this remote area.

US Won’t Back UK Claims on Falklands Oil
By Ian Drury
U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton is due to meet with Argentina''s president amid accusations of a snub to Britain over America''s refusal to support the UK in the Falklands oil drilling row.

Pickens Expects Approval of Natural Gas Plan
By Brett Clanton
While the U.S. may never achieve energy independence, billionaire Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens predicts Congress will pass key energy legislation by Memorial Day that can “start us back in the right direction.”

BP to Shake Up Refinery Operations
By Robin Pagnamenta
BP is set to announce a shake-up of its global oil refining operation next week as it battles to restore profitability to the division in the face of a steep industry-wide downturn.

OPEC Output at 14 Month High
By Karyn Peterson and Mark Shenk
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries increased crude-oil production to a 14-month high in February, led by a Saudi Arabian gain, a Bloomberg News survey showed.

Gaddafi Calls For Jihad Against Switzerland
By Mark Tran
Libyan leader labels Switzerland an infidel state, escalating vendetta against country whose police once arrested his son.

Ban Welcomes Calm in Falklands Oil Row
By UPI
The United Nations welcomed statements regarding a peaceful resolution to an oil dispute in the Falkland Islands, the U.N. secretary-general said.

Livermore Opens Its Doors to Outsiders
By Benjamin Pimentel
Livermore, home to two major U.S. weapons laboratories, existed as a city of fences and secrets during the Cold War and for years afterward. Now, some of those fences are receding.

Transforming Energy
By Arun Majumdar
How a government funding agency aims to solve the energy problem.

Russia Headed Downhill
By Owen Matthews
Just two years ago, Russia''s energy reserves made it seem like a rising superpower, and a Western bogeyman that could do anything it wanted. That was then.

What Bloom Energy Needs To Prove
By Jonathan Fahey
Bloom Energy has attention, money and customers. Now it needs to show its fuel cells are durable and cheap enough to compete.

Qatar to Capture Flared Gas
By Trade Arabia
Qatar''s two liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers Qatargas and RasGas have approved a $1 billion project to capture gas that is currently burnt off when ships load LNG, they said in a statement.

Iran, Armenia to Construct Oil Pipeline
By Tehran Times
Iran plans to construct an oil pipeline and terminal on its border with Armenia to increase exports of oil products to the country.

China Says No Emissions Cap for Now
By AFP
China’s top climate change negotiator has said the world''s biggest carbon polluter has no intention of capping greenhouse gas emissions for the time being, state media reported Thursday.

Vermont Senate Votes to Close Nuclear Plant
By Matthew Wald
In an unusual state foray into nuclear regulation, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 Wednesday to block operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant after 2012, citing radioactive leaks, misstatements in testimony by plant officials and other problems.

European Fuel Oil Shipments to Asia Increasing
By Yee Kai Pin
European fuel oil shipments to Singapore will increase 33 percent in March as traders take advantage of prices in Asia that have been driven higher by the region’s accelerating economic growth.

China Passes US as Top Saudi Oil Importer
By W.G. Dunlop
China has surpassed the United States, long the top importer of Saudi oil, in short-term average daily imports from the petroleum-rich Gulf kingdom, US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.

Another Take On Peak Oil: Exports, Not Production, Indicate Crisis
By Zoe Macintosh
President Obama pledges to attain national energy independence, only to be publicly rebuked days later by the Saudi oil minister for his lack of practicality

French Refineries End Strike
By Greg Keller
A nearly weeklong strike by French refinery workers that had threatened the country with a gasoline shortage ended Wednesday after workers at all but one of the oil refining plants voted to halt their walkout.

Iran: US Stay Out of Middle East Affairs
By Albert Aji and Elizabeth Kennedy
Syrian President Bashar Assad defied U.S. calls to loosen ties with Iran on Thursday, saying his long-standing alliance with Tehran remains strong despite overtures from Washington intended to shift his loyalties.

Spain Eyes New Nuclear Waste Disposal Plan
By Andres Cala, European correspondent
With a global nuclear renaissance in the works, the quagmire of what to do with waste is back with a bite. And Madrid’s decisions on the matter could point to a trend.

Putin Warns Utilities Owned by Prokhorov, Potanin
By Ilya Khrennikov and Anastasia Ustinova
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned power utilities controlled by four billionaires they face fines unless they meet commitments to invest in capacity made when the assets were acquired from the state.

Aramco Finds New Gas Field
By Gulf News
Saudi Aramco, the world''s biggest oil company, discovered natural gas in a northern area of the kingdom, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency said.

Iran Can Deal with Gasoline Sanctions
By Hossein Jaseb
Iran is prepared to deal with any sanctions on its gasoline imports that world powers might impose over the country''s disputed nuclear activities, a senior oil official was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Chu Says US Must Decrease Energy Use
By Nour Malas
U.S. energy secretary Steven Chu said Wednesday that the U.S. must decrease its energy use to allow developing nations the room to grow, while emphasizing that prosperity doesn''t have to come with a large carbon footprint.

Uranium Mining Begins Near Grand Canyon
By Klee Benally
In defiance of legal challenges and a U.S. Government moratorium, Canadian company Denison Mines has started mining uranium on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. According to the Arizona Daily Sun the mine has been operating since December 2009.

Steep Rise in Coal Imports Required to Power India
By Money Life
The power ministry has estimated coal imports of 48 million tonnes in FY10, 11, sharply higher than the expected imports of 28mt in the current fiscal, as domestic supply shrinks due to issues like environmental clearance and Naxalite threats.

Canadian Oil Sands Plans Expansion
By Upstream Online
Canadian Oil Sands Trust said today it is formulating plans to boost production at Syncrude Canada by more than expected by 2020.

Is Oil Refinement All Dried Up?
By France 24
French oil refineries are becoming increasingly unprofitable. Could the ongoing strike at French petrol giant Total threaten to reduce the availability of cheap fuel in France?

Iran Repeats Nuclear Swap Terms
By Alan Cowell
Iran offered a formal, written response Tuesday to a Western-backed plan to defuse the crisis surrounding its nuclear ambitions, but Tehran’s reply was couched in terms the United States and its allies have already dismissed, according to Iranian accounts and diplomats.

Insults Fly at Latin American Summit
By British Telegraph
The Venezuelan and Colombian presidents traded insults at a summit with Hugo Chavez telling Alvaro Uribe to ''Go to hell!'' after he was called a ''coward''.

EPA Taking Heat on Climate Rule
By Lisa Lerer
Republicans, major business groups and a handful of coal-state Democrats are launching a barrage of attacks against the Environmental Protection Agency, hoping to stop new rules that would regulate greenhouse gas emissions across the economy.

EPA to Take the Lead on Greenhouse Gases
By Bryan Walsh
From the moment President Barack Obama took office, he has emphasized the importance of dealing with climate change.

North Sea Oil Could Last a Decade
By Simon Bowers
Britain''s offshore oil and gas fields could still be delivering 1.5m barrels a day by 2020, enough to satisfy 35% of UK energy demand, according to industry trade body Oil & Gas UK, but only if high fuel prices and tax breaks combine to make viable a growing backlog of exploration and development projects in the North Sea.

Robert Rapier Catalogs the Many Broken Promises From Range Fuels
By Robert Rapier
When I first began my career, a wise old-timer gave me a piece of advice that I took to heart. He said ''When you are planning and executing a project, it is important for you to do what you say you are going to do. People are going to make investment decisions on the basis of the numbers you project. So don''t over promise and under deliver.''

Modular Reactors Getting Jump Start
By Robert Bryce, ET managing editor
Modular nuclear reactors are gaining momentum. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Babcock & Wilcox, a division of Houston-based McDermott International, had signed agreements with a trio of companies that could help Babcock & Wilcox get federal approval for its proposed modular reactor, a unit that would generate up to 140 megawatts.

Big Traders Face Landmine in CFTC Energy Rule
By Matt Robinson
Buried deep in the proposal to set position limits on oil and gas futures is a possible ''land mine'' that could force the industry''s biggest traders to make a stark choice: Keep your hedging exemptions, or keep your speculative book. But you can''t keep both.

Calif. Solar Project Gets $1.4 Billion US Guarantee
By CBS
The United States on Monday gave its biggest backing yet to a renewable energy project, guaranteeing $1.37 billion in loans for a California development by BrightSource Energy that uses the sun''s heat to power a steam turbine.

Copenhagen: Billions in Aid Seen as Key to Climate Talks Success
By David Fogarty
The allure of $30 billion in climate aid for poor nations holds the key to helping restore confidence in U.N. talks on fighting global warming and stopping them from unraveling. But there''s only months to figure out a way to start deploying the cash, say the world body, negotiators and greens.

Richard Branson’s War On Carbon
By Karl Burkart
The billionaire says the private sector, not government, will offer real solutions for global warming.

Nuclear Power’s Time Has Come
By CNN
For decades, pioneering environmentalist Stewart Brand, the founder and editor of the Whole Earth Catalog, opposed the use of nuclear power. Now he sees it as vital to efforts to combat climate change.

IAEA Heaps Pressure on Tehran
By Asia Times
In a new report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suggests for the first time that Iran is actively pursuing a nuclear-weapons capability.

Don’t cosy up to Russia, Europe
By Garry Kasparov
Stifling free media, arresting journalists, bullying its neighbours, Moscow is stamping on freedoms and the EU turns a blind eye.

DOE Expects Egypt Oil Production to Drop
By Egypt.com
The United States Department of Energy predicted a decrease in the production of oil in Egypt, which is not a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), according to Bikya Masr.

Total Meets Unions to End French Refinery Strike
By Tara Patel and Helene Fouquet
Total SA is meeting with unions in Paris today to resolve a strike at its French refineries that threatens nationwide fuel shortages.

Oil Majors Warn Nigeria on Planned Industry Reforms
By Joe Brock and Nick Tattersall
Nigeria''s proposed oil industry reforms could drive away billions in investment, slow development of deep water reserves, and help Angola eclipse it as Africa''s biggest oil producer, oil majors said on Tuesday.

Chavez: Give Falklands Back to Argentina
By Tom Leonard
President Hugo Chavez delivered a bizarre attack on the Queen when the firebrand Venezuelan leader demanded Britain return the Falkland Islands to Argentina.

E.P.A. Plans to Phase in Regulation of Emissions
By John Broder
Facing wide criticism over their recent finding that greenhouse gases endanger the public welfare, top Environmental Protection Agency officials said Monday that any regulation of such gases would be phased in gradually and would not impose expensive new rules on most American businesses.

US Arrives to Do Business in Libya
By Vivienne Walt
Six months after the Lockerbie bomber flew home from a Scottish jail to a rapturous Tripoli welcome, a very different reception is taking place in the Libyan capital this week: the first U.S. government-sponsored trade mission to this country in some 37 years.

Karzai in Another Naked Power Grab
By BBC
Western diplomats have expressed deep concern at a decree from Afghan President Hamid Karzai granting him total control over a key election body.

Robert Rapier Spanks The Ethanol Boosters Again
By Robert Rapier
Mandating ethanol while also subsidizing it is like paying people to obey speed limits.

ENI Doubles Investments in Nigeria
By Elisha Bala Gbogbo
Italian oil giant, Eni, says it is committed to its Nigerian operations and has promised to double its investments in the oil and gas industry, even as many multinationals consider divesting their assets in the wake of renewed reprisals from Niger Delta militants.

G7 Gains Most From Oil Hikes
By Nadim Kawach
Developed countries are the main beneficiaries of high oil prices as their earnings from tax on hydrocarbon sales to end users sharply surpass revenues of Arab crude producers, according to official data.

Russia Gas Price Hike Shocks Armenians
By Naira Melkumyan
The company that has a monopoly on selling Russian gas to Armenia has warned it will raise prices for ordinary consumers by 40% in April, sparking anger in the country.

Israel Urges Iran Oil Embargo
By New York Times
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Monday for an immediate embargo on Iran''s energy sector, saying the U.N. Security Council should be sidestepped if it cannot agree on the move.

EPA Might Try Cap and Trade Plan Without New Law
By Simon Lomax
The Environmental Protection Agency might act alone to set up a U.S. carbon market if legislation that would establish a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases fails to pass Congress, CantorCO2e, the emission markets unit of Cantor Fitzgerald LP, said.

Fla. Legislators Consider Lifting Offshore Drilling Ban
By Josh Hafenbrack
By now, the arguments are well rehearsed. Offshore oil drilling is either a dangerous gamble with Florida''s beach-driven tourism industry, or a potential job creation and tax windfall.

Chu says Price Swing Biggest Concern
By Upstream Online
Big oil price swings are more of a worry for top consumer in the US than the outright price, US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said today a visit to top exporter Saudi Arabia.

The Fallacy of the Manufacturing Model in Shale Plays
By The Oil Drum
Most analysts believe that the ExxonMobil acquisition of XTO Energy (XTO) represents a dramatic shift in strategy by the premier exploration and production (E&P) company, and a validation of shale plays. It is neither.

Nat. Gas Boom Shifts Energy Balance Of Power To US
By Mark Perry
A new technique being used to drill through a type of rock known as shale has led to a surge in domestic natural gas production over the last three years and enabled the United States to overtake Russia recently as the world''s No. 1 producer of natural gas.

France: Total Strike Won’t Cause Fuel Shortage
By BBC
The French government has pledged to prevent any shortages of petrol and diesel supplies, as a strike by Total workers shows no signs of ending.

Obama’s Climate Change Policy in Crisis
By Philip Sherwell
President Barack Obama''s climate change policy is in crisis amid a barrage of US lawsuits challenging goverment directives and the defection of major corporate backers for his ambitious green programmes.

Senate Weighs Final Push on Climate Bill
By Richard Cowan
A last ditch attempt at passing a climate change bill begins in the Senate this week with senators mindful that time is running short and that approaches to the legislation still vary widely, according to sources.

$2.50 a Gallon Tax and We Save the Planet?
By Henry Blodget
True, it is not certain that global warming will destroy the earth. But nothing is certain when you''re talking about climate change.

UAE Taps Blix to Head Nuclear Body
By Summer Said
The United Arab Emirates said Monday it had appointed former United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix as the head of a new nuclear advisory board of experts.

A Response to “New Research Questions Haynesville Shale Economics”
By Michael Economides, ET editor in chief
Allen Brooks is to be complimented for writing this piece to stimulate discussion on the gas capacity and economics of one of the most important new reservoirs, the Haynesville Shale.

Oil Price Volatility and How to Avoid It
By David Jacoby, ET guest columnist
From 1949 until 1973, the average annual price of oil fluctuated within a 7% band, but from 1981 through 2009 the variation leapt to almost 10 times that amount.

Iraq Reassures Oilmen: No Security Risk
By UPI
Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani assured foreign companies contracted to develop Iraq''s major oilfields and restore its economy that security is not a problem any more.

Two New Oil Finds Off Angola
By Sindh Today
Brazilian state-controlled oil giant Petrobras has announced the discovery of two new oil deposits in deep waters off the coast of Angola.

The Only Way to Play Energy
By Austin Edwards
Despite a shaky economy and despite the Obama administration''s likely crackdown on speculators that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission now blames for 2008''s historic run-up.

The Paradox of Peak Oil
By Saliem Fakir
The paradox is simply: the lesser something gets, the more there will be of it. An oil peak implies that the production peak will occur when about half of the total oil in the reservoir has been extracted.

Saudi Arabia Hosts US Energy Czar but Woos China
By Calgary Herald
Saudi Arabia''s oil affair with top consumer the United States is being redefined as contracting demand in the West means the kingdom competes more fiercely for dominance in the growing Asia market, especially China.

Fort Hills Latest Oil Sands Casualty
By Tyler Hamilton
Alberta''s $24 billion Fort Hills oil-sands project has been put on hold until next year so Petro-Canada and its partners can get a better handle on costs.

House Panel Probes Natural Gas Hydrofracking Process
By Ian Talley
The House Energy and Commerce Committee said Thursday it had begun an investigation into the potential impacts of a natural gas production process called "hydrofracking" on the environment and human health.

Core Inflation Drops for First Time since 1982
By MSNBC
Consumer prices rose less than expected in January while prices excluding food and energy actually fell, something that hasn''t happened in more than a quarter century.

Inspectors Say Iran Worked on Warhead
By David Sanger and William Broad
The United Nations’ nuclear inspectors declared for the first time on Thursday that they had extensive evidence of “past or current undisclosed activities” by Iran’s military to develop a nuclear warhead, an unusually strongly worded conclusion that seems certain to accelerate Iran’s confrontation with the United States and other Western countries.

Barclays, BofA See Looming Oil Crunch
By Ambrose Evans Pritchard
For oil markets, it as if the Great Recession never happened. Surging demand in China, India and the Middle East is making up for decline in the debt-crippled West, ensuring another global crunch within three or four years.

China Finds New Ways to Buy US Debt
By Brian Milner
Anonymous purchases made through unconventional channels would allow Chinese to remain biggest holders of American bonds.

Oil, Gas Rights Fuel New UK, Argentina Feud
By Gregory Katz
Argentina''s demand for direct control of shipping from the South American mainland to the Falkland Islands has raised fears about conflict over energy resources in the south Atlantic.

EPA Should Rethink Greenhouse Gases
By Deirdre Fernandes
The Environmental Protection Agency should reconsider its conclusion that greenhouse gases are a danger to public health and global warming because it relied on flawed and "doctored" research, Virginia''s attorney general said Wednesday.

Fuel Shortages Now Slams Greece
By Globe and Mail
Greek drivers queued for gas at the few stations still open Friday as a nearly weeklong customs strike protesting government austerity measures left many pumps running dry, while taxi drivers stayed off the streets in a 24-hour walkout.

New Research Questions Haynesville Shale Economics
By Allen Brooks, ET guest columnist
Conventional wisdom says the United States is blessed with 100 years of natural gas supplies due to the success in applying horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies to gas shale formations that underlie many of the oil and gas producing formations throughout the country.

The Melting Case For Carbon Legislation
By Robert Bryce
What a difference 12 months makes. Almost exactly one year ago, the popular, newly minted president, Barack Obama, was telling Congress that he wanted “legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America.”

Oil Falls, Anadarko Finds Gas Off Africa
By Amanda Jordan
Crude oil fell for the first time in three days as the dollar strengthened and an industry report showed an increase in U.S. fuel supplies, fanning concern demand in the world’s biggest energy user is slow to recover.

Iran Rejects US, Russian, French Nuclear Proposal
By Tehran Times
Iran has announced it will not study the nuclear proposal presented by the United States, France, and Russia since it regards it as worthless and illogical.

Oil Giants to Quit Climate Lobby
By Chris Stanton
Two of the world’s biggest oil companies are to quit a prominent climate-change lobby group in Washington, in the latest blow to global efforts to reach a consensus on climate change this year.

Saudi Oil Exports to US Lowest in 21 Years
By Nadim Kawach
Oil giant Saudi Arabia is gradually reducing crude oil exports to its largest trading partner the United States as it is pushing deeper into China and other fast-growing Asian markets, according to official data.

Overpopulation and Climate Change
By Arthur Westing
With the continuing failure of governments to reach agreements on combating climate change, the outlook for both humans and nature remains bleak.