The Japanese oil industry and oil policy are undergoing a major transformation due to decreased oil demand and industry rationalization. As recently, as 1997 oil imports in Japan exceeded 5.7 Mb/d making the country the second largest oil consumer in the world. The oil industry itself was highly fragmented and comprised for former national oil […]
This presentation, delivered at Chatham House, looks at the dynamics of investment in the Middle East’s oil and gas upstream sector following the recent fall in oil price. In contrast to most regions in the world that saw sharp cuts in capital expenditure, investment in the upstream oil and gas sector in the Middle East […]
The recent increased Chinese activity in the Platts Dubai window is yet another manifestation of the eastward shift of international oil markets. In light of these changing dynamics, the necessity for a new marker for East of Suez crude oil pricing is commonly taken for granted. But must the benchmark for East of Suez necessarily […]
This presentation analyses the impact of the recent oil market disruption on oil market dynamics and price behaviour. It makes the following observations. In historical perspective, the current oil market disruption has been small so far. However, the main concern for the market is the geopolitical context in which the disruption has occurred. There are […]
The results of a poll of gas industry professionals at the FLAME Conference in Amsterdam reveal far less concern about dependence on gas imports, and specifically dependence on Russian gas supplies, than is found in most political and media commentary. 60% of respondents were either “not at all” or “a little” worried about Europe’s increasing […]
In this comment, Bassam Fattouh re-assesses the prospects of DME’s Oman Crude Oil Futures Contract by focusing on three aspects: retroactive pricing, physical delivery and liquidity. He argues that in terms of providing better tools for risk management, enhancing price transparency and constituting the basis of a new benchmark, the DME’s contract has not made […]
Qatar is positioning itself to take advantage of the worldwide increase in gas demand. The small nation is strategically placed in the Gulf, at the tip of Saudi Arabia, where it straddles Bahrain and the UAE. Although among the leaders in natural gas production, Qatar arrived relatively late on the natural gas scene, in part, […]
In 2006, security of European gas supply became a very topical subject following the cuts in Russian supplies to Ukraine in the first days of the year which had the consequence of restricting the availability of supplies to some European countries. Much of the subsequent discourse has been concerned with ‘the arithmetic of gas security’ […]
Arab countries have 56% and 30% of the world’s conventional oil and gas reserves respectively. In 2003 they accounted for over 30% of world oil and NGL production, 11% of gas production, 16% of gas exports and 37% of LNG trade. This hydrocarbon endowment and rapidly expanding role in oil and gas trade conveys onto […]
This report and presentation were prepared as part of the EUROGULF project carried out under the European Commission’s Synergy Program by a consortium under the coordination of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence.
Natural gas is increasingiy the energy source of choice because of convenience, high thermal efficiency, and dative cleanliness when compared with oil or coal. Because of its gaseous nature transport poses a major obstacle to a more thorough penetration of world-wide energy rn&kets. This obstacle can be overcome by long-term investments in transport infrastructure. This […]
New OIES paper on oil price paths in 2019: In reference scenario, Brent expected to average $68/b in 2019; Brent ri… https://t.co/kxjN8ToXKD
February 16th
Fattouh on Aramco’s overseas energy push: Saudi Aramco, like many energy majors, looks to muscle in on the growing… https://t.co/4Yw4rgjAdg
February 14th
Oil Price Paths in 2019: Navigating Volatile Markets https://t.co/4FLbnPnksb
February 13th