China’s Growing Influence in Kazakhstan
December 6th, 2007
As noted in the Eurasia Daily Monitor, Kazakhstan – despite its efforts to symbolically broaden its foreign policy with recent Presidential visits to places such as Syria, UAE, and the Balkans – and investments such as KazMunayGaz’s recent acquisition of a 75% stake in Romania’s Rompetrol Group, the Balkan pipeline route and East European markets […]
Read more »OAO Gazprom’s Unexpected Dow(ry)?
November 29th, 2007
Via Todd Sullivan’s Value Plays, an interesting review of a recent MOU signed between Russian natural gas monopoly OAO Gazprom and Dow Chemical outlining potential cooperation on refining gas from Russia’s Yamalo-Nemets autonomous district and the possibility of creating a joint venture based on Dow’s new petrochemical facilities in Germany. While I am not sure […]
Read more »Iran’s Planned Nabucco Pipeline
November 29th, 2007
From Der Spiegel, an interesting look at Iran’s desires to use its massive gas reserves and construction of its planned Nabucco pipeline to wield influence over Europe. As the article notes: “Iran is planning to leverage its massive gas reserves to increase its influence in Western Europe — by fair means or foul. If selling […]
Read more »The Not-So-Empty Quarter
November 28th, 2007
From Energy Daily, news that Saudi Arabia is upgrading the Shaybah oil production facility in the country’s barren southeastern Rub’ al Khali desert, as part of an agenda to bolster its already dominant role supplying more oil to the world than any other country. As the article notes: “…barrel for barrel, there’s more oil below […]
Read more »Afghanistan “Cops Out” to China
November 28th, 2007
From Radio Free Europe, news that Afghanistan has awarded China’s state-owned China Metallurgical Group with the right to develop a large copper field to the south of Kabul, following two years of bidding. According to the article, CMG agreed to invest billions of dollars in the project and related infrastructure development — including the construction […]
Read more »No Occident: Increased Interest in Libya
November 28th, 2007
Via Stratfor (subscription required), news that U.S. energy company Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Australian oil and gas firm OMV have agreed to jointly explore for oil in five areas in Libya. According to the article: “…the firms will spend $2.5 billion altogether over the next five years to redevelop oil fields in the Sirte Basin, […]
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.