Sweden’s Prime Minister, Goran Persson, has attacked an ambitious project to build a 750-mile gas pipeline beneath the Baltic Sea as a potential ecological disaster. Despite his comments the ÂŁ3.4bn pipeline project –called the North European Gas Pipeline or NEPG – is going ahead.
Author: Andy Rowell
From Wales to Oz by Bus, Boat and Train
In just over a week’s time Barbara Haddrill will set off on a journey to attend her best friend’s wedding as a bridesmaid. But she is not going to fly the 10,000 miles from her home in Wales to Brisbane in Australia. She is going to go by bus, train and boat. After spending two … Read More
Russian Oil Production Overtakes Saudi Arabia
The populist Russian newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda, ran the headline yesterday: “Russia takes first place in oil output rankings”. The story was based on OPEC figures showing that Russia is now extracting more oil than Saudi Arabia. The figures reflect a trend stretching back as far as 2002, but are being hailed by Russia as evidence … Read More
The Electric Car Faster Than a Ferrari
Costing a mere $100,000, built by Lotus in England using components from around the world, and designed in Silicon Valley, the Tesla Roadster is ripping up preconceptions that electric vehicles are as slow and boring as golf carts. This one accelerates from 0-60 mph in four seconds – quicker than a Ferrari Spider – and … Read More
Could BP’s Problems Lead to $300 a Barrel?
Matthew Simmons is well known within the industry for his predictions on peak oil. He first shot to prominence by arguing that Saudi Arabia was running out of oil and had inflated its reserves figures. His findings were published in the controversial book, Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World … Read More
America Starts to Wean Itself off Oil
George W might have admitted that America is addicted to oil, but there have been two recent indicators showing the USA’s growing desire for alternative technologies. The American Wind Energy Association has announced that wind energy capacity in the US now exceeds 10,000MW for the first time. This growth has been driven partly by concerns … Read More
BP: Three Congressional Hearings into Prudhoe Bay
As well as facing a lawsuit from its shareholders, it has emerged that BP now faces three Congressional hearings into its problems at Prudhoe Bay. Republican Don Young, has scheduled a hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, for Sept. 13.
Exxon: Oil is the Only Game in Town
Anyone out there who was hoping that new Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson would steer the company in a different strategic direction from his predecessor Lee “the dinosaur” Raymond, should think again. We are not going to see a sudden greening of Exxon. We are not going to see the oil and gas giant rapidly disinvest … Read More
UN Finally Acts on Lebanese Oil Spill
At a conference in Greece yesterday, UN officials finally drew up an action plan to tackle the huge oil spill that is spreading along the Lebanese and Syrian coastline. The 15,000 tonne spill could be the Mediterranean’s worst ever maritime disaster and was caused by Israel’s bombing of a Lebanese power station. The officials believe … Read More
BP: Beyond Propaganda
I know I am in danger of becoming a BP-bore, but I am not the only one with an unhealthy obsession with oil companies and the way they operate. There was a fascinating piece earlier this week in the New York Times (reprinted in Truthout) by John Kenney who worked on the BP advertising campaign … Read More