Nabucco: A Pipe Dream Closer To Reality?
July 13th, 2009
Via The New York Times, an update on Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Turkey’s decision to sign a transit agreement on the Nabucco pipeline, which would stretch 2,000 miles from the Caspian Sea to Austria through Turkey. This project would reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas but, despite this latest agreement, the project’s completion remained […]
Read more »Russia: Attempting to Choke Off Potential Export Routes For Azeri Natural Gas?
June 30th, 2009
Via Stratfor (subscription required & recommended), interesting analysis of the deal signed between Russia and Azerbaijan on June 29, under which Russia will pay Azerbaijan $350 per thousand cubic meters of natural gas — the highest price Russia has paid for natural gas from the Caucasus or Central Asia. As the article notes, Moscow hopes […]
Read more »Azeri Oil Production: More Growth On Tap?
May 27th, 2009
Via Energy Daily, a report on Azerbaijan’s oil production and economic progress. As the article notes: “…Last year Azeri oil production totaled 44.5 million tons of crude, while the government’s original forecast was for 50 million tons. Speaking at a news conference in Baku on May 22, Industry and Energy Minister Natig Aliyev told journalists, […]
Read more »Dividing The Caspian
April 22nd, 2009
Via Energy Daily, an interesting look at the Caspian region which – since 1991 – has emerged as the world’s leading untapped energy source over which numerous nations/interests have been vying. However, as noted in the article below, the biggest roadblock to the full development of these hydrocarbon resources remains the fact that 18 years […]
Read more »The Great Game (Over?): China’s Interest in Caspian Energy Reserves
April 17th, 2009
Via The Asia Times, an interesting summary of China’s keen interest in Central Asia’s energy resources and its efforts to take advantage of the global downturn to lock in such. As the article notes: “…may lead to a marked shift of fortune in the Great Game for control of Caspian energy reserves. On the surface, […]
Read more »Shift In Central Asia?
April 17th, 2009
Via Stratfor (subscription required), interesting analysis of the shifting dynamics in Central Asia as the global financial crisis and declining energy prices have shifted Central Asian regional leader Kazakhstan to an inward focus, and offered Uzbekistan an opportunity to reassert its historic role as regional leader. As the article notes: “…Central Asia had remained stagnant […]
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.