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Posts in December 2006

• Egypt Seeks Energy Ties with Other African States

  Andy Rowell

  Dec15

  Egypt has said it is putting all its effort and expertise in the oil and natural gas sectors to serve African countries. Egyptian Minister Sameh Fahmi made the promise whilst addressing the first conference of oil and energy ministers of the African Union member states.

• Piste Off

  Andy Rowell

  Dec14

  It’s not just Britain that is feeling the heat. Climate change could devastate European ski resorts within decades, forcing lower-altitude resorts to close according to a new report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD report, the first systematic study of the slopes in the Alpine region, has warned that climate…
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• UK: 2006 Hottest on Record

  Andy Rowell

  Dec14

  Britain is on course for the warmest year since records began, according to figures from the Met Office and the University of East Anglia yesterday. Temperatures logged by weather stations across England reveal 2006 to have been unusually mild, with a mean temperature of 10.84C. The record beats the previous two joint hottest years of…
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• ExxonMobil Wins Worst EU Lobby Award

  Andy Rowell

  Dec14

  ExxonMobil was the clear winner of the Annual Worst EU Lobbby Awards for continuing to fund climate skeptics. Over 9400 people took part in an online poll to decide the winners of the awards. Exxon polled nearly half of all votes cast.

• Sakhalin-2 Costs Rise to $25bn

  Andy Rowell

  Dec14

  So far it has been a bad week for Shell with the news that Russia has wrestled a majority controlling stake in its Sakhalin-2 project. Now it turns out the costs of the project have increased by a cool $5 billion to $25 billion. The company is blaming a “campaign of harassment by the Russian…
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• Angola at Risk of Resource Curse

  Andy Rowell

  Dec13

  The World Bank has warned that Angola risked the “resource curse” if it did not manage oil revenues better to promote development. “The oil curse is a possibility here – but it has the opportunity to change the curse into a blessing if it puts good policies in place and improves transparency,” World Bank economist,…
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• Russia Gets Tough on Energy Sales

  Andy Rowell

  Dec13

  Russia seems to be toughening its position on energy sales to Europe. An adviser to President Putin said Moscow had no intention of observing guidelines in the EU’s energy charter that would allow non-Russian companies access to the country’s vast pipeline network. “We will not ratify the energy charter”, the adviser, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, Putin’s special…
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• BP Boss “Showed No Interest In Safety”

  Andy Rowell

  Dec13

  BP’s Chief Executive, Lord Browne, was not interested in safety issues at the oil company’s American plants, according to evidence to an internal investigation into the Texas City refinery explosion, in which 15 people died and 180 were seriously injured. The internal investigation into the Texas City blast included copious notes taken during interviews with…
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• Make Cars in Cities Oil-Free by 2025

  Andy Rowell

  Dec12

  In January Germany takes over the Presidency of the G8 and EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made addressing climate change a high priority on Germany’s agenda for its EU and G8 presidencies that begin in January. Now two German energy experts are pushing a radical solution to climate change and rising oil demand: “simply…
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• Sakhalin: Russia Seizes Control From Shell

  Andy Rowell

  Dec12

  Further to yesterday’s blog, it has now been confirmed that Shell is being forced by the Russian government to hand over its controlling stake Sakhalin-2 after months of pressure by Moscow. The move will provoke fresh fears about the Kremlin’s willingness to use the country’s growing strength in natural resources as a political weapon.