April 23rd, 2007:

Tuesday, April 24, 2007. Page 11.

There is something very disturbing about the last-minute mass pullout of Russian business leaders from London’s Russian Economic Forum, which started Monday.

Some called the organizers, complaining of late diary changes. Others did not bother with excuses — it was obvious that behind the boycott lay the dread hand of the Kremlin.

Officials have long been unhappy with London hosting the premier annual Russian economic conference and have steadily cut ministerial representation. But businesspeople were free to come until last week, when the top names suddenly cancelled. read more

BY MIKE PFLANZ
The Daily Telegraph, with files from Reuters

LAGOS • Election observers are demanding that Nigeria’s chaotic presidential polls be re-run following the failure to deliver ballot papers in half the country.

Security forces were on full alert ahead of the release of the first results today as widespread outbreaks of violence are feared. Ruling party candidate Umaru Yar’Adua looked set to win, early results showed.

“You cannot use the result from half of the country to announce a new president,” said Innocent Chukwuma, chairman of the respected Transition Monitoring Group. Ballot papers failed to turn up or arrived late in more than half of the country’s 120,000 polling stations, outraging voters who claimed the hitches were part of a ruling party plan to stay in power. read more

By Ben Perry
Mon Apr 23, 1:50 PM ET

LONDON (AFP) – Western business leaders avoided heavy criticism of Moscow here Monday during a showcase event for Russian enterprises that is being clouded by escalating tensions between the Kremlin and European Union.

The 10th annual Russian Economic Forum has been hit by the boycott of top Moscow officials and Russian business chiefs. Non-Russian delegates who did attend expressed shock at the death Monday of the former Russian president, Boris Yeltsin.

Leading businessmen including an executive from Russia’s state-controlled gas giant Gazprom and an economic adviser to President Vladimir Putin, were among those who cancelled their forum attendance at the 11th hour. read more

EXTRACT: Russia, increasingly emboldened by new oil wealth…
 
Apr 23 07:46 AM US/Eastern

Russia rebuffed Monday an attempt by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates to soften opposition to Washington’s plan for a missile defence shield in Europe, saying it threatens global security.

Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told Gates in Moscow that the planned system “is a seriously destabilizing factor that can have a significant influence on regional and global security.”

Gates, who also met with President Vladimir Putin, came to Moscow reiterating Pentagon reassurances that the anti-missile shield would not be aimed at Russia and also holding out offers of cooperation. read more

Mon Apr 23, 2007 7:41 AM BST

(Reuters) – Dutch bank ABN AMRO would not be the first major company to be jointly managed or listed in the Netherlands and Britain.

The following is a list of major Anglo-Dutch corporate alliances:

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC

The global’s second-largest energy company has its roots in the Shell Transport and Trading Company and Royal Dutch Petroleum, which joined forces in 1903 to oppose U.S. oil giant Standard Oil.

The partnership company, which was founded in 1907, had two separate holding companies with Royal Dutch holding 60 percent and Shell Transport 40 percent. read more

April 23, 2007, 10:57 am
Posted by WSJ.com Staff

Here’s a quick roundup of energy news from some other publications:

Dams on the Klamath River in the U.S. Northwest are sources of clean, hydroelectric power, but they also keep endangered salmon from migrating and have damaged commercial fishing and threatened Indian livelihoods. The New York Times takes a look at what happens when one “green” imperative clashes with another.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain will call for a cap on greenhouse-gas emissions in a speech today, calling global warming “a serious and urgent economic, environmental and national security challenge,” the New York Times reports. read more

By Joseph A. KKechichian, Special to Gulf News

Two news reports from Iraq caught attention this week with ominous consequences. First, we learned that American military units were building a three-mile-long wall to separate one of Baghdad’s Sunni enclaves from surrounding Shiite neighbourhoods, ostensibly to provide for sorely needed security. Second, a scientific study concluded that Iraq’s oil reserves could be twice as large as previously estimated, with the new reserves mostly in Al Anbar province. read more

By Laura Petrecca

In an ambitious new marketing campaign, BP (BP) takes on two of the biggest negative perceptions of Big Oil: that gas station service stinks and that oil companies don’t care about the environment.

On the service issue, TV ads use cartoon characters and a catchy tune to say that BP tries to make customers’ days “a little better” with clean gas stations and friendly service.

One ad shows a cartoon family having a bad road trip until they pull into a spiffy-looking BP for food and gas. read more

Monday, April 23, 2007

Bolivia’s government has lost control of its populace. Demonstrators from rivaling provinces have forced work stoppages and taken to the streets in an ongoing battle over who gets what share of the nation’s oil and gas revenue.

MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: Bolivia is South America’s poorest country. President Evo Morales announced a year ago that he was raising taxes on oil and gas companies to spread the money to the poor. But the Morales government has come across a stumbling block: Two rival provinces are demanding the spoils for themselves. From the Americas Desk at WLRN, Marketplace’s Dan Grech has more. read more

04.23.07, 9:16 AM ET
 
LONDON (Thomson Financial) – Chris Finlayson, head of Royal Dutch Shell PLC’s Russian operations, called for clarity on Russia’s law covering participation of foreign companies in domestic oil projects.

Speaking at the 10th Russian Economic Forum in London, Finlayson reiterated the company’s interest in the region but said ‘what is required is clarity in the law about what forms of participation will be acceptable.’

‘The industry will adapt to work under these forms of participation,’ he said. read more

Unlike its rivals, Exxon Mobil doesn’t much care about alternative fuels and doesn’t try to please the greens. Is CEO Rex Tillerson nuts – or shrewd?

By Geoff Colvin, Fortune senior editor-at-large
April 23 2007: 6:36 AM EDT

(Fortune Magazine) — Rex Tillerson is way out of line, and he knows it. “They want us to join the parade,” he says, referring to assorted environmentalists, scientists, politicians, investors and others who’ve been lambasting him and the company he heads, Exxon Mobil. He knows what they’re saying about him, and he repeats it: “Get in line. You’re outta line right now – get in line.” read more

By Joe Carroll Bloomberg News
Published: April 23, 2007
 
CHICAGO: Whether it is $50 to fill up a Prius or $130 for the Ford Expedition, $4-a-gallon gasoline is expected to become widespread in the United States.

Fuel prices are rising at a pace not seen since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita knocked out a third of the U.S. oil refining industry in 2005. Gasoline consumption is climbing twice as fast as last year and will accelerate when summer travel begins late next month.

“What we’re surprised by is the increased demand,” James Mulva, chief executive at ConocoPhillips, said recently. “Even though the price of gasoline is up, the demand is up.” read more

PARIS (Thomson Financial) – Royal Dutch Shell said it has launched a plan to develop a methane terminal at Fos-sur-Mer in France, with an initial capacity of about 8 bln cubic metres per year.

Shell unit said Shell Energy Europe and the autonomous port of Marseille ‘have agreed the terms of a methane terminal project at Fos-sur-Mer’. The project, which is subject to approval by the authorities, ‘would offer, in the first phase, a capacity of around 8 bln cubic metres of gas per year’, it said. read more

By Alaric Nightingale and Paul Okolo

April 20 (Bloomberg) — Transocean Inc., the world’s largest offshore oil and gas driller, said a ship supporting one of its oil rigs was attacked off the coast of Nigeria by militants.

The vessel was attacked yesterday while supporting the Trident 8 jack-up rig, Guy Cantwell, a spokesman for Transocean Inc., said today by telephone from Houston.

No hostages were taken from the ship, he said. Earlier, Reuters reported three hostages were taken, citing people it didn’t identify. read more

By Stephen Voss and Fred Pals

April 23 (Bloomberg) — BP Plc replaced its chief executive officer, settled claims from a deadly Texas refinery blast and cleaned up leaks in Alaskan oil pipelines during the past year. Reviving profit and gaining investor confidence may take longer.

Europe’s second-largest oil company probably will report tomorrow that first-quarter profit dropped and production fell for the seventh consecutive period. Shares of London-based BP slid 20 percent in a year, lagging behind Exxon Mobil Corp.’s 24 percent gain and a 6.4 percent increase in the FTSE 100 Index. read more

Created: 23.04.2007 13:04 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 13:07 MSK,

The 10th annual Russian Economic Forum opened in London on Sunday, April 22, under a cloud of boycott by top Moscow officials. The blow fell after a Russian press report suggested that the Kremlin ordered the no-show because of increasing strains between Moscow and London.

Missing from the forum will be Alexander Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s energy giant Gazprom and the president of the state-controlled oil company Rosneft, Sergei Bogdanchikov. read more

23/04/2007 11:32
 
London – Brent oil climbed above $67 on Monday after Nigeria’s elections drew condemnation from monitors and investors waited for fresh word on oil supplies from the world’s eighth biggest exporter.

Militant attacks have shut about a fifth of Nigeria’s oil production. Energy Minister Edmund Daukoru said last week he expected the country’s biggest foreign operator, Royal Dutch Shell, to restart its Forcados fields in May.

Olivier Jakob of oil consultancy Petromatrix said it was too early to judge the impact of Saturday’s poll on the oil industry. read more

*Text of speech delivered by KorneBari Nwike – President, National Union of Ogoni Students (NUOS INTL,USA), to students of Environmental Concern, University of Illinois, Urbana, Champagne, April 16, 2007

All protocols observed:

The theme of this year’s Earth Week,  “Social and Environmental Injustice” not only poses a monumental challenge to those of us in this hall but it resonates with all of human kind. It imposes on us a great responsibility to reassess, re-evaluate our individual and collective commitment to society and the environment. “The environment is man’s first right” were the words of Nigeria’s slain author and renowned environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, when he received the Goldman Environmental Award in Scotland in 1994.This statement cannot be truer since a denial of equal access to land is the genesis of social injustice. This position will become clearer in the course of our discussion this evening. read more

Monday, April 23, 2007. Issue 3642. Page 8.

Gazprom raised $2 billion in syndicated loans to help pay for a controlling stake in Shell’s Sakhalin-2 project, Interfax reported Friday, citing an unidentified banker.

Two loans of $1 billion each were organized by Societe Generale and ABN Amro Holding, Interfax reported. Gazprom needs the money to pay $7.45 billion for a controlling 50 percent plus one share stake in the Sakhalin-2 project, Interfax said. (Bloomberg)

TNK-BP’s Caspian Checks

TNK-BP may be in violation of environmental legislation at two prospects on the Caspian Sea, the Natural Resources Ministry said Friday. read more

REUTERS: MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2007 
 
SYDNEY: Oil prices were steady on Monday, after weekend elections in OPEC member Nigeria were condemned by monitors but did not appear to have worsened the disruption to the country’s oil exports.

London’s Brent crude rose a marginal 1 cent to $66.50 a barrel by 0126 GMT, pausing from Friday’s 55 cents gain, which came as investors covered short positions ahead of an election they feared could spur more violence against the oil industry.

US crude for June delivery fell 18 cents to $63.93 a barrel after rising a sharper 79 cents on Friday. read more

By Alan Mota   
Published 2007-04-23 11:15 (KST)    
 
Bolivia, the most impoverished country in South America, is a very dependent country. Dependent on foreign investments, on its tiny elite of millionaires, but also dependent on Evo Morales — the current president — and the nation of peasants of native descent he represents. But above all things, Bolivia is heavily dependent on its natural gas reserves, the only reason why the country wasn’t forsaken by Western capitalism after a pro-Hugo Chavez president was elected. read more

Published: April 23 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 23 2007 03:00

There is something very disturbing about the last-minute mass pull-out of Russian business leaders from London’s Russian Economic Forum, which starts today.

Some called the organisers, complaining of late diary changes. Others did not bother with excuses – it was obvious that behind the boycott lay the dread hand of the Kremlin.

Officials have long been unhappy with London hosting the premier annual Russian economic conference and have steadily cut ministerial representation. But business people were free to come until last week when the top names suddenly cancelled. read more

Sector-by-sector analysis, with full tables
By Andrew Baxter

Published: April 23 2007 02:52 | Last updated: April 23 2007 02:52

The increasing importance of brands in a competitive global economy, and their growing contribution to the value of the companies that own them, is illustrated in the detailed sector rankings produced by Millward Brown Optimor for today’s special report.

As Joanna Seddon, the company’s New York-based executive vice-president, points out, a new product or invention may end up copied by competitors very soon after its introduction, but what remains is the value added to the brand. read more

Published: April 23 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 23 2007 03:00

Individuals

Aug ’06, Philippe Jabre: £750,000 (market abuse)
Dec ’04, Robert Bonnier: £290,000 (market abuse); Indigo Capital: £65,000 (market abuse)

Firms

Aug ’04, Shell: £17m (market abuse) Jun ’05, Citigroup: £13.9m (principles breaches)Apr ’06, Deutsche Bank: £6.35m (principles breaches)Dec ’02, CSFI: £4m (misleading Japanese tax authorities)Dec ’03 Abbey National: £2.32m (money laundering)Nov ’03 Lloyds TSB: £1.9m (unsuitable high income product sales)Aug ’02 RSA: £1.35m (pension review failings) read more

EXTRACT: In 2004, Mr Knight successfully urged Royal Dutch Shell to abandon its dual British-Dutch corporate structure – in spite of owning a stake of just 0.03 per cent. One senior UK-based investor recalls: “Eric was unknown at the time but Shell put him on the map.”

THE ARTICLE

By Sundeep Tucker
Published: April 23 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 23 2007 03:00

The Eric Knights who wrote Lassie, Come Home and invented low-cost rocket travel are better known – at least according to Google. read more

EXTRACT: Branford has led the opposition against a proposal by Broadwater Energy, a partnership of Shell Oil and TransCanada, to build a floating liquefied natural gas terminal about 10 miles south of Branford in New York State waters.
 
By JAN ELLEN SPIEGEL

JENNIFER ZAMBRANO explains the psyche of her town this way: “What’s right is right, and what’s wrong, Branford will fight.”

The list of wrongs is long these days in this shoreline town of 29,000 about six miles east of New Haven. Issues range from the kind of development pains that many towns feel to two precedent-setting energy projects — Islander East and Broadwater — that Branford has led the charge against. read more

Farmer rallied town and nation to halt Shell’s gas pipeline
Veronique Mistiaen, Chronicle Foreign Service

(04-22) 04:00 PDT Rossport, Ireland — Willie Corduff is a quiet man who hates arguments. But when Shell E&P Ireland said it would build a $1.1 billion pipeline and refinery near his front yard in this small Irish village in County Mayo, the father of six fought back.

The 52-year-old farmer rallied his neighbors, spent three months in jail for denying the oil company access to his land and eventually halted the largest energy project in Irish history while raising the question on a national scale about economic development versus community consent and environmental concerns. read more

Martin Ayankola, Lagos – 23.04.2007

There are strong indications that Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria would reopen its Forcados oil fields shut in the wake of violent attacks by miltants in the Niger Delta by June.

Traders suggested in the international oil market that they have received news that the fields with a production capacity of about 380,000 barrels per day would come on stream by the end of May or June.

Shell had been the worst hit by the violent activities of the Niger Delta militants with losses of over 500,000 barrels of daily production to the crisis, which had heightened since February last year. read more

Monday, April 23, 2007. Issue 3642. Page 7.
Reuters

Small gas firm Volga Gas on Friday raised $125 million in its initial public offering in London, pricing its shares at $6, at the bottom of the range.

The offering on London’s AIM alternative market valued the company at $310 million after the issue and at $195 million before it.

Market sources said Volga Gas, which placed 20.83 million shares to have around 40 percent of its stock freely traded, was seeking a valuation of $180 million to $240 million prior to the new share issue. read more