by Jürgen

Last week, BP gave itself – and the rest of the Oil & Energy world – a breath of fresh air by publishing its annual ‘Statistical Review of World Energy’. This highly respected report gives a clear and objective view on the evolution of global resources and yearly evolution of consumption. Nevertheless, both the objective data and the personal conclusions are open to discussions.

by Jürgen

Since several weeks, all Oil related news feeds are spoiled by BP’s struggle to stop the Deepwater oil leak. This highly mediatised spot isn’t the only risky place in the world though, quite the contrary. The last two months, the continent hosting some of the world’s biggest oil projects – Africa – has been faced with incidents or changes that may have a much bigger impact on oil supply and the oil prices in Europe and the US than the leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

by Jürgen

The threat of the Deepwater Horizon disaster remains a hot topic. On top of environmental concerns and worried fishers, the financial markets are becoming increasingly nervous, raising questions about future oil prices and American energy security. On top of making guesstimates, this problem is the perfect moment though to reflect more on the bigger picture of peripheral industries, for oil and other commodities.

by Jürgen

Last week, MM reported on the power battle between Utility Players and regulating authorities that want to reshuffle the European market to regain full control. This week, it is time to look at Oil where a recent report calling for a reform of the oil market has the potential of triggering similar ideas.

by Jürgen

Currently, the energy mantra is ‘moving on’. In the US, Obama received an encouraging pat on the shoulder for his House Star program, while the green support undergoes regular evaluation. On the Old Continent, evaluation is also on the agenda, but officially the EU is especially looking for a guiding direction on climate issues. In parallel, more finance technical reflections on price volatility and financial innovation are coming up, ensuring that discussions on oil and electricity prices will be high on the agenda the coming weeks.

by Jürgen

Crude oil is going up and down and the non-oil alternatives for cars are hot topics. In parallel, debates about peak oil are gaining visibility, especially since Richard Branson expressed his concerns. Given that Virgin is one of the core participants in the development of green fuel for the aviation, the intervention was not only intended to put Peak Oil in the spotlights, but also to stimulate reflection on green fuel. Where does the aviation stand with its green fuel plans? What is the impact of the price for regular oil? And by when can we expect visible changes?

by Jürgen

This week, voices have been raised again in Europe against the dependency on Russian gas, especially for the UK. Is this fear still justified? What are the different factors playing a role? And can Europe/the UK only wait, cry and suffer; or are concrete actions possible? An overview.

by Jürgen

The last weeks, general interest grew towards natural gas from shale formations, so-called ‘shale gas’. If this investment tendency continues, one needs to keep some issues in mind to avoid to get trapped by crooked numbers…With the take-over of key actors specialized in unconventional resources, analysts expect a wave of consolidation in the energy industry coming from cash-rich companies taking over smaller players with attractive assets. Quantifying these assets is not that straightforward though. The elements causing ambiguity are threefold: 1. the definition of what oil/gas exactly is, 2. the definition of what reserves are, and 3. the contextual source from which these numbers are coming from. To fully grasp the impact, the trends noticed in traditional oil reporting during the last decades are a good source of inspiration.