Is Gazprom’s Position Weakening?
September 5th, 2012
Via STRATFOR (subscription required), a very interesting two-part analysis of the challenges building up against Gazprom both internally in Russia and externally as well: State-owned Gazprom currently accounts for more than 80 percent of Russia’s natural gas production. Moreover, the company has a monopoly on natural gas distribution (via pipeline or liquefied natural gas) and exports […]
Read more »Can PDVSA Recover?
August 9th, 2012
Via The Journal of Energy Security, a look at Venezuela’s PDVSA: The Venezuelan oil industry can be pictured as a toothless tiger resting on its haunches before a huge slice of raw meat. The country sits on significant hydrocarbon resources that remain undeveloped due to severe management, technical and financial constraints driven by the application […]
Read more »Cuba Oil Production: Between A Rock And A Hard Place
August 8th, 2012
Via the Financial Times, a short article on Cuba’s offshore oil ambitions: Cuba has found itself between a rock and a hard place in its quest to find oil in its territorial waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Several rocks and several hard places, in fact. After a discovery that failed to reach commercial proportions […]
Read more »China’s Pipe Dream Turns Into a Public Relations Nightmare
July 22nd, 2012
Via Energy Tribune, an article on China’s oil & gas pipeline project in Myanmar: China’s oil and gas pipeline in Myanmar is making progress and projected for completion by mid 2013. Yet all is not well for the Middle Kingdom with its long-time ally Myanmar. Despite spending billions on the pipeline and trying to appease […]
Read more »China And India Unite On Energy
July 10th, 2012
Via The Diplomat, analysis of the growing energy ties between China and India: On June 19, 2012 India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) and the China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU is intended to strengthen existing exploration and production (E&P) operations in Burma, Sudan, and Syria, and […]
Read more »Angola State Oil Group Plans Production Increase
July 3rd, 2012
Courtesy of The Financial Times, a report that Sonangol, the Angolan state oil group that has amassed assets from Iraq to Cuba, is aiming to raise fivefold its production as an operator. As the article notes: “…Manuel Vicente, whose promotion to minister of state for economic co-ordination in January ended his 12 years at the […]
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.