July 13th, 2006:

From Globe & Mail (Canada)
DAVE EBNER

Thursday, July 13, 2006

CALGARY — Alberta has smashed another record, increasing its take from the sale of oil and gas exploration rights to $2.31-billion this year, breaking 2005’s $2.26-billion haul barely half way through 2006.

The province raised $151-million its July 12 sale of exploration rights, a process conducted every two weeks with the latest tally announced Wednesday evening.

Spending on oil sands acreage – an increasingly scarce commodity – accounted for two-thirds of the latest sale and has driven the frenzy for exploration rights this year. read more

From Guardian Unlimited
Staff and agencies
Thursday July 13, 2006
 
Oil prices today climbed to new highs amid heightened political tensions in the Middle East and renewed disruptions in Nigeria.

Geopolitical concerns pushed the price of crude oil to nearly $76 a barrel. US crude traded 82 cents higher at $75.77 a barrel by lunchtime, after hitting a record $75.89. London Brent was up $1.12 at $75.51, after reaching a record $75.60.

The latest surge in oil prices came as Israel imposed a land, sea and air blockade of Lebanon after bombing dozens of targets including Beirut airport, a television station and villages in the south of the country. read more

WASHINGTON, July 12 /U.S. Newswire/ — In a little noticed, but extraordinary show of political pressure, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Energy Secretary Bodman, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Agency have all personally intervened with the Alaska Legislature, pushing them to accept an oil company deal that would net the companies hundreds of billions of dollars. The deal is being championed by Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski in a special legislative session that opens today.

In regular session the Republican-controlled Legislature refused to approve the package. Two opponents of Murkowski’s in the GOP gubernatorial primary are opposed to the deal as is the Republican speaker of the House and most Democratic members. read more

From Reuters
Thu Jul 13, 2006

PARIS, July 13 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell will restart its crude distillation unit (CDU) at the French Petit Couronne refinery next Monday or Tuesday, the company said on Thursday.

The company closed the CDU on June 19 after a fire broke out in a furnace at the 142,000 barrels per day (bpd) plant.

“The works are now almost finished and the unit will restart early next week, on Monday or Tuesday,” a Shell spokesman told Reuters.

Petit Couronne, in northwest France, accounts for about seven percent of France’s refinery capacity and is the largest of Shell’s three French plants. read more

From Indymedia.org.uk
peak watch

World production of oil has peaked according to Dr Ali Samsam Bakhtiari, a former executive of the National Iranian Oil Company. He predicts a fall of 32% by 2020 as wells dry up and new discoveries become rarer, smaller and harder to extract…

Speaking at lecture in Sydney, hosted by the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, Dr Bakhtiari told those gathered that global oil production has reached it’s peak. The latest figures put the level of global production at about 81 million barrels per day which is almost 4 million barrels lower than the International Energy Agency’s predictions. read more

A WALL STREET JOURNAL NEWS ROUNDUP
July 13, 2006

Russian state oil company OAO Rosneft is expected to price its initial public offering of stock near the top of its planned price range, thanks to strong demand from international oil companies and Russian investors, according to people close to the deal.

The Kremlin’s grip on the energy sector has fueled demand for Rosneft shares among international oil companies looking to win points with the Russian government. These buyers have indicated interest in buying about $5 billion to $6 billion of the offering, whose overall size could total as much as $11.6 billion, those people said. read more

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE
July 12, 2006 7:08 p.m.

Oil futures surged to nearly $75 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after China and Russia agreed to join major world powers in referring Iran to the United Nations Security Council, and the White House accused Iran and Syria of contributing to a flare-up of violence in Israel. Here’s Wednesday’s roundup of oil and energy news.

* * *
OIL SWELLS TRADE GAP: The U.S. trade deficit bulged in May, thanks largely to the price of imported oil, which rose by $4.92 to $61.74 a barrel, on average, the biggest gain since the build-up to the Gulf War in 1990. The value of crude-oil imports rose to $19.99 billion from $16.70 billion in April, while the value of all energy-related petroleum imports rose to $27.91 billion from $23.40 billion. read more

From The Times
By Joe Bolger
July 13, 2006 
 
Maarten van den Bergh shows no signs of slowing down as he approaches retirement age. Barely two months after stepping down as chairman of Lloyds TSB, the 64-year-old serial director, named last year as the most powerful boardroom figure by The Times, has just taken on another senior role.

BT yesterday promoted the Shell veteran from non-executive director to deputy chairman, raising speculation that he is a contender to succeed Sir Christopher Bland when he steps down as chairman. 
 
Mr Van den Bergh, the grandson of a margarine magnate, is a Dutch national but was born in New York and has spent much of his career abroad. He joined Royal Dutch Shell in 1968, after graduating from the University of Groningen, and spent 32 years with the oil group, including stints in Japan and Venezuela. read more

From The Daily Telegraph

By James Quinn
(Filed: 13/07/2006)

Behind the headlines of stolen assets and jailed oligarchs, Rosneft has considerable potential.

The key to the investment case is the growth potential within the company.

The base case for oil production is two million barrels a day by 2010, implying a 7pc growth rate compared with a Russian average of 3pc. It is among the world’s fastest-growing oil companies, and even before it got its hands on Yukos’s YNG it was seeing growth in production of 13pc a year. read more

From Lloyds List
Published: Jul 13, 2006

SHELL-led Sakhalin Energy has sold more than 80% of its future liquefied natural gas cargoes after Japan’s Chubu Electric Power agreed to take 7.5m tonnes over a 15 year period, writes Martyn Wingrove .

Japan’s third largest utility wants to buy 500,000 tonnes per year of LNG from the Sakhalin Energy consortium with deliveries to commence in April 2011.

Shell is pushing to develop two Russian oil and gas fields off Sakhalin Island and start producing LNG by mid-2008. read more

From AFX Europe (Focus)
Published: Jul 13, 2006

SYDNEY (XFN-ASIA) – Chevron Corp said it has made a natural gas discovery within the western reaches of the Greater Gorgon development area off the north-west Australian coast.

It said the Chandon-1 well, 260 kms off north-western Australia in permit WA-268-P, made the discovery in a region which also hosts Australia’s largest developed liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, the North West Shelf Gas venture.

The well was drilled using the semi submersible Transocean “Jack Bates” drilling rig in water depths of 1,200 meters with total depth of drilling of 3,100 meters. read more

By: Janet Street-Porter, The Independent – United Kingdom
Published: Jul 13, 2006

Plans to fast-track planning applications for commercial wind farms unveiled by the Government this week have caused consternation among environmentalists. To launch his plans, Mr Blair decided to take a boat trip from Whitstable in Kent to see the new wind farm which has just been completed of f the coast.

Of course, this was really another photo-opportunity in our two political leaders’ media battle to appear more green and loveable than the other. Shame that Mr Cameron slightly upstaged Blair by getting planning permission for a wind turbine on the roof of his hous in Kensington the very same day. read more

By: Claire Shoesmith, Irish Times
Published: Jul 13, 2006

A Donegal-based start-up, Grianan Energy, has called on the Government not to allocate exploration licences off the northwest coast to a large multinational company that will take its profits out of the country.

Speaking at an Oireachtas Committee meeting yesterday, Mark Turner, Grianan’s operations director, said it was disgraceful that Shell had been allowed to bid for the latest round of exploration licences while the dispute over the Corrib gas field was ongoing. Grianan, which was set up at the end of last year for the sole purpose of bidding for these licences, has pledged to reinvest 10 per cent of its profits in the Donegal region. read more

From The Irish Independent
Published: Jul 13, 2006

CORRIB gas will be at least five years later in arriving on shore even if all local resistance to the project disappeared immediately, it has been warned.

Andy Pyle, managing director of Shell Exploration and Production Ireland Ltd, said that even if long-drawn conciliation talks concluded quickly – a year after the jailing of the Rossport Five reached crisis point – it would still take years from the clearing of all hurdles to bring the Mayo project to fruition. read more

FROM BLOOMBERG

Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Europe’s second-largest oil company, reached agreement with Venezuela’s state oil company to explore a heavy oil block in the South American country.

A memorandum of understanding may be signed as early as today between the two companies, said a spokesman for Caracas-based Petroleos de Venezuela. Shell may be given a block in the Ayacucho field in the Faja, or heavy oil belt, to explore and certify the reserves, the spokesman said.

The companies may release details of the agreement later tonight, said the spokesman. The accord is expected to be signed during a meeting between visiting Shell Chief Executive Officer Jeroen van der Veer and Petroleos de Venezuela President Rafael Ramirez. read more

From The Fiji Times
Thursday, July 13, 2006

PERMANENT staff of Shell Fiji Limited will continue to work when the new owner, Total France SA takes over later in the year.

The contractual terms and conditions of employment offered by the French company will be no less favourable than each employee’s existing contract. This was revealed in a question and answer statement by Shell Fiji general manager Peter Walsh.

The statement stated the new owners would decide appropriate staffing levels after the sale which is expected to be completed late this year or early next year. read more

From Radio New Zealand:
Posted at 9:10am on 13 Jul 2006

Royal Dutch Shell has signed a deal for the sale of its downstream and marketing businesses in selected Pacific nations.

The deals relate to Shell’s aviation, marine, lubricants, commercial fuels, distribution and retail businesses and includes a network of 65 retail service stations and 12 storage and distribution depots.

The sale of its downstream business in PNG to InterOil Products Ltd continues excluding assets at the Port Moresby Jackson International Airport. read more

From www.theroyalgazette.com

French oil company Rubis SA has entered into negotiations with Royal Dutch Shell to purchase from the Shell Company of Bermuda all of its marketing and distribution operations.

Yesterday Phil Burton, country chairman Royal Dutch/Shell Companies Bermuda said: “Royal Dutch Shell received the offer from the Rubis Group to buy a network of 12 retail service stations, distribution assets and facilities, lubricants and liquefied petroleum gas businesses.” The value of the transaction was not disclosed by Shell. read more

From The Associated Press
 
CARACAS (AP)–Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA) says it is interested in more investments in Venezuela to extract heavy oil despite moves by President Hugo Chavez’s government to impose tighter terms on major oil companies operating here.

Shell CEO Chief Executive Jeroen van der Veer, who was in the Venezuelan capital this week seeking to expand opportunities for the Anglo-Dutch company, met with Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez on Wednesday.

Van der Veer told Rodriguez that Shell was interested in extracting and upgrading heavy crude in the Orinoco River belt, identifying it as an area with “long-term investment possibilities,” the government quoted him as saying in a statement. read more