China To Lend $10B To Kazakhstan In Return For Oil Stake
April 12th, 2009
Via Bloomberg, a report that China, the world’s second-biggest energy consumer, may agree next week on lending $10 billion to Kazakhstan in return for the right to take a stake in an oil producer in the Central Asian country. As the article notes: “…China National Petroleum Corp. plans to buy a minority holding in AO […]
Read more »Kazakhstan’s ‘Multi-Vector’ Foreign Policy & Increased Economic Ties With Iran
April 10th, 2009
Via The Foreign Policy Association, a report that Iran and Kazakhstan are working towards improved economic ties. As the article notes: “…The Iranian and Kazakh presidents met Monday in the Kazakh capital of Astana and signed a series of mutually beneficial deals that will also pay dividends to other countries. President Nazarbayev said he supports […]
Read more »Re-Energizing Nabucco
January 27th, 2009
Via Stratfor (subscription required), an analysis of the recent summit in Hungary for officials from countries interested in, or part of, the Nabucco natural gas pipeline project including Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Iraq, Romania and Turkey. As the article notes: “…Nabucco is a planned 2,000 mile pipeline between Turkey and Austria to transport […]
Read more »The New Great Game: Russia vs. The West over Caspian & Central Asian Energy Resources
January 21st, 2009
Via World Politics Review, an in-depth summary of the new geostrategic “Great Game” between Russia and the West over the future of Caspian and Central Asian energy resources. As the article notes, the prize resembles a set of traditional matreshka Russian dolls: the outermost doll represents the three nations bordering the Caspian itself — Azerbaijan, […]
Read more »Caspian Sea Energy Reserves and Geopolitical Intrigue
January 5th, 2009
Via Seeking Alpha, an interesting post which is centered on a review of a book entitled The New Great Game. However, I am noting it here as it provides a nice summary of issues related to the Caspian (with handy maps, no less). As the article notes “…The investigative journalist delves deeply into the geopolitical […]
Read more »Caspian Energy in 2008: “The Best of Times, The Worst of Times”
December 30th, 2008
Via Energy Daily, a summary of 2008 for the five petro-states ringing the Caspian. As the article notes “…Three of these are the former Soviet republics of Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Iran, subject to nearly three decades of U.S.-led sanctions, has longstanding problems as a result that have stymied foreign investment there, while Turkmenistan’s fiscal […]
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.