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 »Sinochem: Hunts for Assets Overseas
August 8th, 2008
Via Energy Daily, news that China’s Sinochem Corp., a state-owned oil trading conglomerate, has entered into an agreement to explore oil and gas in two blocks in Indonesia. As the article notes: “…Sinochem has bought a 20-percent working interest in Merangin II Block and a 40-percent stake in Belida Block, both in oil-rich south Sumatra, […]
Read more »City of Silk Rail Network to Link Middle East & China
August 4th, 2008
Via Inhabitat, news that Camassive urban masterplan has been approved for Madinat al-Hareer, or City of Silk, in Subiya, Kuwait. With a budget of £66 billion ($132bn USD), the project is an ambitious endeavor that will provide a rail network between major Middle East cities and China. As the article notes: “…Kuwait, Damascus, Baghdad, and […]
Read more »Russia’s Far Eastern Frontier: Energy as a Political Tool
August 1st, 2008
As recently reported in The Japan Focus, Russia’s Far Eastern frontier is now turning into the place where energy export becomes a political tool in shaping the country’s relations with regional neighbors. China, the two Koreas, and Japan are hungry for energy, natural resources and, at the same time, seek economic and political cooperation. In […]
Read more »China & Kyrgyzstan: Closer (But Unbalanced) Ties
August 1st, 2008
From The Asia Times, an interesting examination of China’s efforts to steadily strengthening political and economic ties with small, landlocked Kyrgyzstan, with one eye on the sizeable energy reserves of its neighbors to the north and west. As the article notes, this integration results in Kyrgyzstan’s dependence on Chinese income and infrastructure growing deeper by […]
Read more »China’s (Six Lane) Drive to Become a Leader in African Oil Extraction
July 18th, 2008
Per a recent Energy Daily report, Beijing continues to pursue closer business and political relations in Africa as part of its strategy to become a leader in African oil extraction. As the article notes: “…China has committed $1 billion to the creation of a six-lane highway surrounding Nigeria’s de facto oil capital, Port Harcourt, 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.