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The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that Europe consumed 18.7 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas in 2013; Russia supplied 30% (5.7 Tcf) of this volume, and 16% (3.0 Tcf) of the total natural gas consumed in Europe passed through Ukraine’s pipeline network; Slovakia gets 80 percent of its gas, and Bulgaria gets 90 percent of its gas from Russia via pipeline through Ukraine.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recently published a series of reports assessing how rapid growth in U.S., and possibly global, oil and gas production from shales may impact various net-energy exporting or importing countries.
This is Energy Week in the House, bringing a flurry of hearings and votes. But, topics in the news may not be on the agenda; for example, induced seismicity is an area of public concern, but Congress will not be considering the topic.
And, it is more complicated than we first thought! It is not just a shortage of workers that the industry is facing, it is going to be a shortage of managers. In a recent analysis, Russell Reynolds Associates, a global recruiting firm, pointed out that 61 percent of senior energy leaders are over 52 and nearing retirement. The next generation is much smaller: 27 percent of senior leaders are 44 to 52.
1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity, let alone safe electricity.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grants natural gas export authorizations to non-Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries unless the proposed exports will “not be consistent with the public interest.”
Popular bills are often held hostage to contentious legislation that otherwise might not get into the legislative spotlight.
You probably paid a spectacularly large bill for home heating this winter and are now wondering how much gasoline prices will rise before you start on the family vacation.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Venezuela, Algeria, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria and Qatar) seems less of a menace now that the United States oil and natural gas production is booming. But OPEC continues to be a major exporter that can influence global oil supply and prices. However, OPEC countries are very dependent on export revenues to provide the jobs and services demanded by their populations, so a major shift in production volumes and prices is unlikely.
As Arctic ice thins and retreats, growing commercial access–from cruise ships to oil and gas drilling–will increase the risk of an oil spill. A recent National Research Council report found that resources, technology, research, manpower, funding and logistics are inadequate to respond to an Arctic oil spill.
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