Original Seven Sisters: Old & Struggling
August 10th, 2008
From Newsweek, a timely reminder of the struggles facing the original Seven Sisters and the rise of the new oil majors. As the article notes: “…The escalating [BP] dispute is emblematic of the problems facing Big Oil—shrinking access, falling profit margins, underinvestment in equipment and technology and a business model that’s increasingly questioned. Major Western […]
Read more »Gazprom: Turning Western Partners into EU Lobbyists
July 25th, 2008
As reported by The International Herald Tribune, Gazprom is working to turn its Western partners into a lobbying network to try to overcome the European Union’s worries about its aggressive expansion plans. As the article notes: “…Companies working with Gazprom in its Siberian fields may be happy to oblige, analysts say, eager to strengthen their […]
Read more »Gazprom: Aiming To Be A Natural Gas Cartel On Its Own?
July 12th, 2008
From Robert Amsterdam’s highly insightful blog, a post asking if – after the news that Russia has offered to purchase every cubic inch available of Libya’s natural gas (this follows upon a similar, less publicized offer to Azerbaijan) – it is even possible to identify any difference between Gazprom and the future natural gas OPEC […]
Read more »Gazprom, Libya, and Possibility of a Gas OPEC
May 7th, 2008
Via Robert Amsterdam, a very insightful look into recent activities by Gazprom, Libya, and possibility of a Gas OPEC. While some analysts have been skeptical about a possible gas cartel given the regional markets aspect of natural gas (which means that prices on the spot market could never be manipulated by production quotas as they […]
Read more »Big Oil Beaten In Kazakhstan
January 15th, 2008
Two interesting articles (among many) on the conclusion of months of protracted negotiations that have landed Kazakhstan with double its previous stake in the lucrative Kashagan oil fields, at the expense of the world’s leading oil companies. In a piece entitled “Big Oil Beaten in Kazakhstan”, Forbes notes: “…KazMunaiGaz, Kazakhstan’s state-owned energy company, is paying […]
Read more »Big Goals for Iran’s First Private Oil Producer
January 14th, 2008
Via Shana, news that Arvandan Oil and Gas Co. was busy setting up the first private oil producing company in Iran. What struck me most about the report was the rather audacious production goals this new venture is reported to have set, namely to “…produce seven percent of the world’s oil, to be the world’s […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.