Leader of the South American petroleum pack by miles is Brazil, its ascendancy largely down to the driving ambition of state-owned Petrobras, the reputation of which is legendary in upstream petroleum, especially deepwater. A measure of that determination is the company's latest five-year investment plan, rolled out early this year. At $174billion through 2013, it is 55% up on the previous $112.4billion five-year plan.
At a time when the world's offshore industry is seeing huge changes in the way it does business, against a background of recession and tight-fisted banks, the need for strategic insight in upstream petroleum has perhaps never been greater, especially offshore where the highest stakes are being played.
After years of waiting for the moment, Faroe Petroleum expects to get two cracks at drilling the UK Atlantic Frontier this summer.
The US Gulf of Mexico is mature and on a slide that can only be reversed through a concerted effort by the industry backed by sufficient fiscal and other incentives to turn the tide.
NORWEGIAN utility Statkraft has decided to plough some £4million into tidal power developer Atlantis Resources.
EUROPE has no choice; it must lessen dependence on fossil fuels and other non-renewables-based power generation, according to the president of the European Wind Energy Association.
World wind-based power-generation capacity will nearly triple in the next five years despite the current global economic downturn, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.
ACCORDING to some, a cowboy is a noble creature: "a hired man, especially in the western United States, who tends cattle and performs many of his duties on horseback".
In the current business climate, it is more important than ever to maximise shareholder value, and with many businesses looking to cut costs and save money, reviewing tax policies and making sure the business is structured to ensure that all available tax reliefs are maximised for the shareholders is vital.
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has reversed the Aberdeen employment tribunal's decision relating to the holiday entitlement of offshore workers.
Graham Meil occupies a corner office at Acergy's splendid new campus at Aberdeen's Surf City. For anyone not familiar with Europe's Energy Capital, this does not mean a view of the North Sea; rather the vista is rural as this complex is located several miles inland at Westhill, a dormitory community.
IT IS some time since Energy flagged up a degree programme overseas. However, a new Batchelor's programme at the University of Houston caught our eye. It starts in the autumn and is said to complement UH's other energy-related degree courses.
Fast-track programmes for smart graduates are fairly commonplace in the upstream side of the oil&gas industry, both within the supply chain and among the operators. Indeed, such programmes are a necessity as, despite its image, this sector acts like a magnet to high-calibre engineers, geologists and other relevant disciplines.
MIGHT coffee grounds one day become a cheap, abundant and environmentally-friendly source of biodiesel fuel for powering cars and trucks? Researchers in the American state of Nevada think it could.
There is a budding generation of potential energy industry recruits out there if we, as adults, manage to push the right buttons and capture their enthusiasm.
TUV NEL is to manage a new multimillion-pound, three-year, UK Government-funded programme for mostly petroleum-related flow metrology.
With Africa assuming even greater importance to the oil&gas industry, including new ventures in areas such as Uganda and offshore Ghana, malaria is a significant hazard for those working there.
High-value long-term contracts are still being awarded despite the impact of the credit crunch on the oil&gas sector. That Vantage Drilling of Houston has just bagged contracts worth $2.56billion is testament to this.
A year ago, UK North Sea drilling was going great guns with exploration and appraisal drilling, and it pretty much stayed that way for 2008, which turned out to be the busiest since 1997. During the first quarter, 20 wells and eight sidetracks were started.
STATOILHYDRO is in the firing line at Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), which found a number of regulatory violations in its investigation of lifeboat incidents on the Veslefrikk B and Kristin platforms in December, 2008, and January, 2009. An order will now be served on the company.
PEMEX has made a significant natural gas and condensates discovery in the Mexican sector of the Gulf of Mexico with its wildcat well, Tsimin-1.
A new seismic acquisition campaign is planned in 2009 over Laggan and Tormore, according to a paper presented at the 7th Petroleum Geology Conference in London.
NORWEGIAN outfits StatoilHydro and Statkraft have joined forces to develop the 315-megawatt Sheringham Shoal offshore windfarm off the coast of Norfolk in the UK.
BP CONTINUES its stunning run of discoveries on Angola's ultra-deepwater block 31 with Leda, the 17th find to date. The latest lies in the north-central part of the concession, some 415km north-west of Luanda and 12km south-west of the Marte field.
Quest Offshore anticipates a reasonably buoyant market for subsea trees during 2009. Indeed, the Houston-based analyst is forecasting a 12.1% compound annual growth rate over the next five years. This compares with 3.6% over the prior five years.
