Yesterday Shell waded into the Deepwater fall-out by defending deep-water drilling. Peter Voser, Shell chief executive, argued that deep-water drilling still had an important role to play in global energy supply. “We have got growth potential there”. But what cost is this growth? Even the industry’s own trade magazines are questioning the business as usual … Read More
BP
100 Days That Changed the Industry .. Or Did it?
So we are 100 days into this disaster and what has changed? Well we have a new CEO of BP. The straight talking American Bob Dudley argues that the Gulf of Mexico spill has been “wake-up call not only for BP, but the oil and gas industry overall”. But will this wake-up call change the … Read More
Why not donate your pension to the Gulf residents, Tony?
Dear Tony, So I thought I would say goodbye. Except that it is not really goodbye today is it. You are hanging on until October, but what you are going to do for another couple of months, I am not sure? Even then you aren’t really leaving are you? Not content with $1 million / … Read More
A $20 Million Reward for Failure
The details are still being worked out. The BP Board meets this afternoon. But if the press reports are anything to go by, the company’s embattled CEO, Tony Hayward will walk away with anything from at least ÂŁ11 million to ÂŁ12 million plus. That’s about $18.5 million. And that’s the low estimate. The huge amount … Read More
US Government “Sock-Puppet” for BP Over Dispersants
The dispersant row continues. If people are worried about the legacy of what BP is doing in the Gulf of Mexico, they should watch the latest Democracy Now. In it EPA scientist Hugh Kaufman accuses the Obama Administration, including his own agency, the EPA, of being “sock-puppets for BP in the cover up” over the … Read More
75 Per Cent of Oil Lobbyists Worked for Government
Talking to people about the Deepwater Horizon, often a response has been “how can something like that happen in the US.” Exactly that question is being forensically picked over by lawyers and Congressional investigators and the answers are increasingly looking unpalatable. But one thing for sure it could not happen without the raw power of … Read More
Despite “Deepwater” BP Bets on More Deepwater
British Prime Minister David Cameron came out batting for BP in Washington yesterday as he tried to “shield” the company over the allegations that BP lobbied for the release of the Lockerbie bomber. But more importantly, he warned US Senators not to “single out” BP over legislation that might ban BP from drilling in the … Read More
Now for the Static Kill…
If Plan A doesn’t work, try Plan B or C or D or… BP is quite happily chewing through the alphabet of options, with the latest being what is called a “static kill,” in which heavy mud would be pumped into the recently capped well, to try and finally block the oil. So we have … Read More
Still Leaking?
The weekend’s euphoria that BP may have stopped the oil leaking into the Gulf has been replaced by the cold reality that the well head may still be leaking. The US government has now ordered the beleaguered oil company to produce a report on a “detected seep” near the well-head, that could include leaking methane … Read More
The end of the beginning not the end
Anyone listening to the news reports this morning would be forgiven for thinking that the Deepwater disaster is somehow “over” now that that the cap seems to be holding. So nearly ninety days in to this disaster we may be reaching the end of the beginning, but no more. In the short-term we do not … Read More