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Oil Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Coast; 1 Worker Injured

2010-09-02 12:31:35 GMT

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Another oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico has erupted into flames following an explosion. Rescue crews from New Orleans and Houston on a fleet of helicopters and boats are headed to the scene.

Ayinde O. Chase - AHN News Editor

New Orleans, LA, United States (AHN) - Another oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico has erupted into flames following an explosion. Rescue crews from New Orleans and Houston on a fleet of helicopters and boats are headed to the scene.

According to early reports at approximately 9:30 a.m. Thursday, a commercial helicopter pilot reported the explosion and fire at the rig located 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay.

The rig is owned by Mariner Energy and is west of the infamous BP Deepwater Horizon site and flashpoint for the recent oil spill disaster.

All 13 workers on board the rig are reported safe and accounted for. Only one person is said to have sustained injuries, although the extent is not known.

The workers are said to be floating in the water, with 12 of them in immersion suits.

It remains unknown at this time if the rig is leaking oil.

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Russian PM Launches Oil Pipeline To China

2010-08-30 06:58:37 GMT

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In what could end Russia\'s long wait in diversifying its oil exports to Asian colonies beyond Europe, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Sunday opened the Russian side of oil pipeline to energy-hungry China in a ceremony in Skovorodino in the Far Eastern Amur region.

AHN News Staff

Moscow, Russian Federation (AHN) - In what could end Russia\'s long wait in diversifying its oil exports to Asia, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Sunday opened the Russian side of an oil pipeline to energy-hungry China in a ceremony in Skovorodino in the Far Eastern Amur region.

Talking to reporters at the opening ceremony, Putin said that the Russian part of the project, which would transport oil through Serbia to northeastern Chinese region Daqing, was completed.

"For us this is an important project because we are beginning to diversify the supply of our energy resources," said Putin in presence of China\'s National Energy Administration\'s head Zhang Guobao.

The Russian leader described the event as a new chapter as one of the world\'s biggest oil exporters has delivered oil mainly to their European partners.

Initially, China will receive 30 million tons of oil annually that will later be increased to 50 million tons. "This is already noticeable competition with the European route," Putin said and added, "These are not just energy-resources supplies to China; this is a comprehensive project that has strengthened our energy cooperation."

Putin stated that the oil would start pumping into China later this year in spite of the fact that China was yet to construct 930km on its soil to link up the pipeline.

Analysts said Russia\'s energy ties with China came after its recent spat with Ukraine, which refused to allow transit of crude oil to Russia\'s European destinations over a dispute on gas payments last winter.

The opening came nearly two years after Russia\'s oil pipeline Transneft agreed to construct 67-kilometre branch line to China in an accord with the Chinese oil group, CNPC.

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Up To 50 Trillion Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas Reserves Could Be Underneath Quebec\'s St. Lawrence River Valley

2010-08-30 06:14:09 GMT

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Geologists estimate Quebec\'s St. Lawrence River Valley may have 50 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves. If their estimates are correct, it would be one of the largest reserves of fuel in Canada.

AHN News Staff

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (AHN) - Geologists estimate Quebec\'s St. Lawrence River Valley may have underneath 50 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves. If their estimates are correct, it would be one of the largest reserves of fuel in Canada.

Quebec residents are divided if there should be any oil exploration activities at all.

Exploration firms have secured 600 permits and have started initial drilling activities at half a dozen test wells, while Quebec officials launched on Sunday the province\'s first oil and gas law to regulate the industry.

Quebec Environment Minister Pierre Arcand and Natural Resources Minister Nathalie Normandeau said the province would start an environmental review and legislative revamp that could establish a new natural gas industry in the province, known for its preference for clean sources of energy.

Environmentalists groups booed the two officials in protest to the plans for the oil and gas regulation. Normandeau said Quebec has the responsibility to exploit the province\'s potential wealth, but stressed the province will place primary emphasis on the environment.

Aside from the general green outlook of Quebeckers, one reason behind the opposition to the oil exploration activities is the use of the hydraulic fracturing technology to drill. The technology combines water, sand and chemicals to blast into rocks and break it up to release the trapped gas underneath.

The same technology has been used in Wyoming and Pennsylvania, where there are numerous of water contamination. New York temporarily banned the use of fracking to drill for oil in the state.

Among the oil firms that had started exploration activities in Quebec are Talisman Energy, Forest Oil Corporation and Questerre Energy Corporation.

If the gas estimate is confirmed, production may start by 2015, while the peak production of up to 500 million cubic feet of gas a day from the Utica Shale could be reached by 2020.

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Egyptian Energy Crisis Sends Protesters To Streets

2010-08-24 09:56:20 GMT

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The Egyptian government has announced its intention to continue decreasing electric output pending the end of a heat wave that has seen temperatures climb to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

The Media Line Staff

Cairo, Egypt David E. Miller - The Egyptian government has announced its intention to continue decreasing electric output pending the end of a heat wave that has seen temperatures climb to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Government spokesman Magdi Radi announced that an "emergency plan" prepared by the government would ensure the addition of 550 megawatts to the national grid within two weeks, as well as 700 megawatts before the end of this year.

On Monday the Egyptian High Energy Commission, headed by Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif, discussed long term solutions for the energy crisis, including the use of solar energy to produce electricity and improving the capacity of lighting in government buildings.

Meanwhile, Egyptian citizens have appealed to President Mubarak to dismiss Electricity Minister Hassan Younis from his position for his failure to provide power to citizens during the month of Ramadan.

"The government failures are political, economic and social, and they all stem from lack of planning," Ahmad, a 29 year-old activist in the protest "April 6 Youth Movement" told The Media Line. "Today we will hold a silent vigil across the government buildings in Cairo and Alexandria."

Osama Hussein, spokesman for "the Free Popular Front," another protest group, said demonstrations were scheduled to take place in other governorates of Egypt including Alminya, Luxor, Al-Mansoura and Al-Beheira.

"We are protesting the failed government policy, and the deterioration of the economic situation," Hussein told The Media Line. "We demand the government stop exporting gas to Israel, and cut all ties with it."

Hussein said his group also demanded the dismissal of Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmi and Electricity Undersecretary Hassan Hasaneen. He added that harsh police intervention during the protests prevented higher attendance by the public.

Egyptian independent daily Al-Masri Al-Yom reported receiving 200 letters of complaint from citizens of 16 different Egyptian provinces. Some claimed that power cuts occurred in their homes as the daily fast of Ramadan came to an end, while others complained that lowered power currents damaged their electrical appliances.

David Butter, regional director of the Middle East for the Economist Intelligence Unit, said the public outcry in Egypt was a result of the rarity of such problems in the country.

"The Egyptians are quite efficient in the energy sector," Butter told The Media Line. "Other countries in the area such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia have suffered much worse and more chronic energy crises. The Egyptian reaction reflects the novelty of the situation."

Butter added that a lack of availability of natural gas was one reason for the current crisis, caused by delays in development of new gas fields in Egypt. He said Egypt\'s export of gas to Israel accounted only for 9 percent of its total exports, and therefore was not a real issue.

"The needs of the local market are growing rapidly, and there\'s a struggle to match supply with this growing demand," he said.

Similar to previous popular upheavals in Egypt following the increase in bread prices, Butter opined that the social unrest will be short lived.

"We may see sporadic expressions of discontentment, but this won\'t end up as a major display of opposition to the government," he said.

Recurring power shortages in Iraq in June evoked widespread demonstrations in the southern city of Basra, leading energy minister Karim Waheed to resign.

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Cairn Energy Strikes Oil Off Greenland

2010-08-24 07:24:21 GMT

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British firm Cairn Energy struck oil off Greenland. The company will announce the oil find Tuesday to the London stock market in its semi-annual report.

AHN News Staff

London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) - British firm Cairn Energy struck oil off Greenland. The company will announce the oil find Tuesday to the London stock market in its semi-annual report.

Cairns declined to provide more details on the find, but reports said hydrocarbons were found at its drilling operations on the Alpha prospect in the Sigguk Block. The block is 175 kilometers offshore Disko Island in west Greenland.

Cairn started drilling in the Alpha and T8 explorer prospects on July 1. The company planned to drill wells of 4,200 and 3,250 meters and expects the drilling to be completed in 55 and 38 days.

Aside from Cairn Energy, the Greenland government will benefit from the oil find. Greenland is dependent on fishing and tourism industries, and financial assistance from Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the island.

However, the oil find is expected to be criticized by Greenpeace and other environmental activists opposed to oil exploration activities. Since the Gulf of Mexico blowout, global opposition against oil explorations had been growing.

Greenpeace deployed its ship Esperanza in the area, but the vessel was stopped by the Danish navy, which threatened to board the ship if Esperanza enters the 500-meter exclusion zone around two Cairn wells.

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Iran Invites Bangladesh To Get On Board Its Gas Pipeline Project

2010-08-17 10:02:07 GMT

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After signing a multi-billion dollar deal with Pakistan, Iran is planning to take Bangladesh on board its proposed gas pipeline project, and sources say Dhaka has shown keen interest in the proposal.

AHN News Staff

Tehran, Iran (AHN) - After signing a multi-billion dollar deal with Pakistan, Iran is planning to take Bangladesh on board its proposed gas pipeline project, and sources say Dhaka has shown keen interest in the proposal.

In a letter written to the Finance Ministry\'s Economic Relations Division (ERD), the Iranian envoy in Dhaka has extended his country\'s helping hand and said Bangladesh could "join the IPI pipeline project" to augment its energy requirements.

A top ERD official said on condition of anonymity that the letter had been forwarded to the energy division. "The division will now chart its own course," the official was quoted as telling a Bangla newspaper. The Iranian envoy has reportedly said in his letter that since the pipeline would stretch as far as the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, Bangladesh could be easily linked to the grid.

The \'Peace Pipeline\', as it is being formally called, will traverse over 1 724 miles (2,775 km) from Iran\'s South Pars gas fields to the Pakistani city of Khuzdar. From the Pakistani border area, one branch will go to Karachi, while the other will reach India via Multan.

Iran has vast untapped oil and gas resources with experts estimating the natural gas reserves at around 1,045 trillion cubic feet, which is second only to Russia.

A top Bangladesh government official said Iran had assured that if Dhaka gave its approval to the project, the pipeline would be extended till Kolkata. "It is really a great opportunity for Bangladesh as the country\'s recoverable gas reserve would start drying up from 2013," the official said.

Nearly 87 per cent of the country\'s electricity needs are met by natural gas generation, and Bangladesh\'s national oil company, Petrobangla, has said resources could dry up by 2015.

"Kolkata is very close to Bangladesh. It will be easier for the government to bring the pipeline to our border," the official said.

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UN Sanctions On Iran Not To Affect Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline Project: Abbasi

2010-08-16 07:53:14 GMT

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A planned fourth round of United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran will not affect the multi-billion dollar gas pipeline deal Islamabad has inked with Tehran recently. Speaking to the media Monday, the Pakistani envoy to Tehran, Mohammad Bakhsh Abbasi, said Iranian and Pakistani engineers would continue to work on the project together regardless of the sanctions.

AHN News Staff

Tehran, Iran (AHN) - A planned fourth round of United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran will not affect the multi-billion dollar gas pipeline deal Islamabad has inked with Tehran recently.

Speaking to the media Monday, the Pakistani envoy to Tehran, Mohammad Bakhsh Abbasi, said Iranian and Pakistani engineers would continue to work on the project together regardless of the sanctions. "This is an ongoing project," said Abbasi.

The two countries had inked a deal on June 12, under which Iran had agreed to deliver 21.2 million cubic meters of natural gas every day to Pakistan from 2014.

The $7.6 billion project --- to extend from the South Pars gas field in Iran to the southern Baluchistan and Sindh Provinces in Pakistan --- will ensure that the energy-starved Pakistan continues to get Iranian gas without any strings attached.

Earlier, the US had tried to build pressure on Islamabad not to sign the deal, but Pakistan somehow convinced Washington that the pipeline would be a lifeline for the energy-starved country.

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