Drilling & production

A roundup of news from the two Middle Eastern downstream industries.

EXCO and BG Group have announced the closure of the Appalachian JV.

The transition from a reactive maintenance culture to a proactive one can be beset by pitfalls.

The coming Atlantic storm season may bring the most destructive hurricanes in years, according to US NOAA predictions.

LNG as a fuel offers many benefits to the shipping industry and could be price competitive with a little development in infrastructure.

With ‘top kill’ operations failing to overcome the flow from the well, the next strategy is to deploy a lower marine riser package cap containment system.

The association has revealed the long-term economic effects of the drilling moratorium.

The three companies plan to get the plant running by 2011 to test if cellulosic biofuel can be successfully commercialised and be competitive with conventional gasoline fuels.

As Asia rushes to meet excessive power demand, its power companies are targeting coal producing countries worldwide to secure supplies. This has lead to domestic supply concerns in at least two countries, as well as fears for the export market as China increases its interest in Mongolian coal; a move that threatens to reshape world coal trade.

Canada is positioning its coal sector to take advantage of the next upturn, with the inevitable return to domestic and international demand for energy looming. The county’s prime focus is on expanding capacity.

Round up of recent downstream news from Asia and the Pacific Rim.

According to the ACCCE, clean coal technology could potentially provide thousands of jobs and make a major contribution to the US economy.

New energy bill announced: green focus plus help for North Sea production.

Hollywood actor Kevin Costner has announced that he intends to implement a machine that he has been developing for 15 years in the massive oil clear up efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hitachi and TOYO are to conduct a feasibility study for an electric motor driven LNG plant for Eastern Star Gas Ltd in Newcastle.