Pipelines: Carrying Oil and A New Balance of Power from Kazakhstan Towards China
December 11th, 2007
Via Stratfor (subscription required), an excellent analysis of how the balance of power between China, Russia and the United States will change now that ground has been broken on the final portion of a pipeline linking the massive energy reserves of the Caspian Sea directly to China (namely the pipeline connecting the Kazakh cities of […]
Read more »Astana’s Brinksmanship: MangistauMunayGaz’s Lessons of Petrocracy
December 11th, 2007
As noted in Energy Daily, Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov recently disclosed that he had sanctioned KazMunayGaz’s planned purchase of a major stake of MangistauMunayGaz, a move that would give the state-owned oil company shareholder veto power over company decisions, further diluting the power of Western investors. What this consolidation will mean both for the […]
Read more »More Pipe(line) Dreams? Nabucco’s Future
December 11th, 2007
Via Energy Daily, an excellent review of the proposed Nabucco natural gas pipeline, a 2,050-mile-long, $7.3 billion project connecting the Caspian region, Middle East and Egypt via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary with Austria and further on with the Central and Western European gas markets. As the analysis concludes, the success of the pipeline project rests […]
Read more »SOCAR, So Good: Azeri-Kazakh Energy Cooperation
December 9th, 2007
As noted by Energy Daily, the Azeri government is actively reaching out to Kazakhstan and Russia as the Caspian’s ongoing hydrocarbon development produces a financial windfall for all. SOCAR, The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, is beginning to export its services to Kazakhstan’s oil and gas sector by conducting onshore surveys, while Baku is also […]
Read more »Gazprom’s New Field and Enduring Supply Problems
December 9th, 2007
Via Stratfor (subscription required), an very insightful analysis of Gazprom’s new Yuzhno-Russkoye oil and natural gas field, due to come on line Dec. 18. However, as the report points out, even this 805 billion cubic meter field will not stem the overall decline in Gazprom’s natural gas production, highlighting the seriousness of the supply crunch […]
Read more »Turkmenistan’s High Stakes Poker Game Upon Which Many Promises Have Been Made
December 6th, 2007
From Eurasianet.org, a terrific look at Turkmenistan’s delicate balance of making promises to various regional hydrocarbon players, all without the benefit of a published, independent audit of the nation’s petroleum reserves. As the article notes: “…Turkmenistan is believed to be one of the top five nations in the world, in terms of natural gas reserves. […]
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.