EU worries (again) about Russian energy supplies

The issue of energy security has been thrust back on Europe's agenda with the interruption to Russian oil exports to central and eastern Europe. The Russians raised their prices to Belarus at the start of the year by imposing an export duty on their crude oil. Belarus retaliated by charging the Russians more to transport their oil through Belarus to countries further west, prompting the Russians to stop supplying Belarus altogether. The whole episode aroused fears across the EU of a repeat of the argument between Russia and Ukraine that led to a shortfall in gas deliveries to western Europe at the beginning of last year ( see 'Focus', January 2006 ).     

Energy security rises to top of agenda in 2006

A dispute over gas prices between two former Soviet republics has spread alarm across Europe and caused the EU to reassess its energy security. Natural gas supplies are a long term concern for many European countries, but of much more immediate concern is the supply of crude oil and refined products. Last year saw record prices for both ( see 'Oil Price Review', October 2005 ), caused by a combination of high demand in the US and Asia, a shortage of light, sweet crudes worldwide and damage by hurricanes to a large number of refineries along the US Gulf.     

Development and use of fuel additives during 2006-2010

Based on analysis of literature and patent information, the situation pertaining to fuel additives in the period 2006-2010 is reviewed. The major trends in additive development are shown and the main types of additives are characterized. It is noted that imported additives predominate in Russia, but thanks to indigenous developments that occurred over this period, the process of import substitution has begun, which may rid the fuel industry of its dependence on foreign supplies in the future. The demand of the Russian oil refining industry for additives required to produce fuels that meet the current standards is analyzed. The indigenous additive developments are described.     

Ukraine and Russia again at odds

Ukraine and Russia are having their by now annual dispute over gas deliveries. In recent years, the two countries have argued over the price charged to Ukraine for gas supplied by Russia and about the tariff imposed by Ukraine for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to Western Europe ( see 'Focus', January 2006 ).     

Middle East and North Africa take growing share of EU's gas market

The Middle East and North Africa are becoming an increasingly important source of supply for the European Union (EU). The 25 member‐states now import some 17% of all the gas they consume from this region. A decade ago, its share was only 9%. This is perhaps not too surprising given the Middle Eastern and North African share of global gas reserves. It is likely moreover that the EU will seek even more of its gas from this source, despite the fears of some energy planners that Europe is already too dependent on what they regard as a politically unstable region. An even bigger worry, however, might be that Middle East and North Africa may not have sufficient gas to meet the increased needs of both the EU and their own home markets, as the latest study by OET's Global Energy Review suggests (see 'Middle Eastern Gas: An under‐used Resource?' at http://oilandenergytrends.com ).     

Upgrading naphtha fractions from heavy petroleum residues

In the strategic program for growth of energy supplies of the Russian Federation in the years up to 2010, the target for 1997 is an increase of the depth of crude oil processing to 72–75%, and further increases to the level of 82–85% by 2005. Translated fromKhimiya i Tekhnologiya Topliv i Masel, No. 4, pp. 12–13, July–August, 1997.     

Status and challenges of Chinese deepwater oil and gas development

There have been nearly 33 oil and gas fields with billions bbl resources found in deepwater areas all over the world since 1970,so deepwater areas are of prime importance for petroleum exploration and development.With the achievements of a series of deepwater petroleum exploration technology projects in the USA,Europe and Brazil,the GOM,Brazil and West Africa are becoming the focus of deepwater oil and gas exploration.The oil productivity derived from deepwater areas exceeds that of shallow water areas in GOM and Brazil since 2001.Deepwater is becoming very important for petroleum industries and the top area of technology innovations.On the basis of analyses of world deepwater technological innovations,this paper briefly introduces the history of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC),and then presents the status and challenges of Chinese deepwater oil and gas development.     

俄罗斯石油天然气工业发展述评

对俄罗斯近年经济发展、石油天然气资源、年产量和出口规模等资料进行统计分析表明，俄罗斯在经济上已经不再具有“超级大国”的地位，但其石油天然气的年产量、出口量仍然不可忽视，原苏联在石油天然气勘探开发方面的经验仍具有参考和借鉴的意义。另外，由于自然条件和资金、技术方面的原因，对世界上最后的石油天然气后备资源——板具远景的俄罗斯北极海域的全面勘探开发为时尚早。对俄罗斯目前到处结交“能源伙伴”的政策应该关注，并进行深入研究。     

Ukraine gas crisis rumbles on as west again affected

Russian disagreements with Ukraine have continued despite the earlier settlement of a dispute over gas pricing ( see 'Focus', January 2006 ). Deliveries of Russian gas to the west have again been disrupted amid accusations from Moscow that Ukraine has been abstracting more gas from Russia's export pipeline than it is contractually entitled to. The problem, however, appears to originate in Russia, where cold weather has caused domestic demand for gas to soar, leaving less available for export.     

“十四五”我国油气发展路径选择

自20世纪50年代以来,我国油气发展经历了4次重大战略转型,极大地推动了油气工业的发展,使我国由贫油贫气国发展成为油气生产大国,并在海外建成五大油气合作区。我国能源安全的核心在油气,短板也在油气。21世纪以来,我国油气对外依存度大幅攀升,油气安全风险大增,亟需大力提升国内油气勘探开发力度,发挥国内油气供应的“压舱石”作用。系统梳理分析了我国油气发展战略演变历程,认为新形势下实施“稳油增气”战略是保障我国油气安全的现实选择,建议“十四五”期间将“稳油增气”上升为国家能源战略,并就推动我国原油产量2×108t长期稳定、天然气产量持续增长,提出未来我国油气发展战略部署;在用海用地、技术创新、体制机制及财税政策等方面提出保障措施与建议。     

OPEC quotas unchanged, Nigeria won't sell crude and Iran can't

This section summarizes downstream developments of the previous month. Exploration & Production are covered in 'Upstream Review'.
Oil prices approached record levels as fears grew of a cut in production by OPEC. Partly in response to such fears, OPEC's ministers agreed in Vienna on 31st January to leave output quotas unchanged at 28 (for details of individual country quotas, see GER 'Latest Developments', July 2005). Prices fell on OPEC's decision, but futures prices for the outer months of Brent and WTI remained firm on continuing concerns of tight supplies. Market fears were primarily concentrated on Nigeria and Iran. In Nigeria, a series of incidents, including sabotage to oil installations and the killing of oil workers, led to the interruption of exports ( see 'Focus'). There were further fears of an interruption to Iranian oil exports as a result of the growing tension over Iran's nuclear programme. US President, George W Bush increased the tension when, in his State of the Union Message, he called the government there repressive. He also called on the US to make itself less dependent on Middle Eastern oil ( see GER 'Latest Developments'). Iran was reported to have assured the rest of OPEC that there would be no interruption to its oil exports as part of its dispute with the US and others; but many traders remained nervous. Some oil ministers added to market fears by calling for OPEC to cut production in support of oil prices at the cartel's next meeting, which is due on 8th March. For all the fears of oil shortages, Iran was forced to place 19of oil in storage, having failed to sell it on the international market.     

俄罗斯页岩油地质特征及勘探开发进展

俄罗斯主要页岩油资源赋存于西西伯利亚地台的巴热诺夫组和东欧地台的多玛尼克地层，页岩油区可采资源总量大，具备大规模开发利用的基础设施和外部环境，是未来开发利用的重要潜力区。巴热诺夫组主要岩性为硅质泥页岩，分布于上侏罗统-下白垩统，平均厚度为30 m，TOC平均为7%，有机质含量一般大于4%，以Ⅰ-Ⅱ型有机质为主，成熟度介于0.5%~1.1%；多玛尼克页岩油层系为一套泥盆系中弗拉阶-石炭系下杜内阶硅质/含硅的泥质石灰岩，整体厚度在100~600 m，有机碳含量在0.5%~24%，以Ⅰ-Ⅱ型有机质为主，在伏尔加-乌拉尔盆地中北部成熟度介于0.5%~1.5%，南部靠近滨里海地区以生气为主。目前虽然受国际油价影响，俄罗斯页岩油资源的勘探开发探索却未停滞：2016年对巴热诺夫组146口垂直井进行测试，在活跃天数范围内日产油流量10.8 t，对36口水平井进行测试，在活跃天数范围内平均日产流量7.5 t；俄罗斯天然气工业股份有限公司2018年成立的巴热诺夫技术中心，目前已将水力压裂的时间减少50%，单位生产成本减少40%。在俄罗斯开发页岩油资源享受矿产开采零税率，不少油田地质资料充分、相互之间距离不远且基础设施完善，未来俄罗斯页岩油有望实现商业开采。     

Asia looks for new power station fuels

The rapid rise in demand for electricity in Asia is distorting fuel markets. Heavy fuel oil is widely used there as a power station feedstock, unlike in Western Europe and North America, where fuel oil is sometimes a distress product. Here, refiners tend to convert as much as their residues to white products in high demand, such as gasoline and diesel, rather than producing fuel oil. Asia's growing demand for white products ought to dictate a similar policy there, but many refiners prefer instead to keep the production of fuel oil high. The result is often that there are insufficient supplies of both. The answer to the fuel oil shortage is to import from areas of surplus such as Western Europe and the US, but record freight rates in recent months have greatly reduced the trade to Asia ( see 'Focus', January 2005 ).     

An Empirical Study of Asian Crude Oil Premiums

Middle East is the major world region producing and exporting crude oil. However, the same Middle East crude oil has different prices when it is sold to different countries. The price① to Asian countries might be higher than that to European and America countries. This kind of difference is termed the Asian crude oil premium. Owing to the premium, Asian countries have to pay more to import Middle East crude oil than European and America countries. Japan depends heavily on Middle East cr…     

新形势下石油工程行业发展趋势及油服公司应对策略

2020年，新冠肺炎疫情导致全球经济陷入衰退，能源需求下降，特别是油气需求下降明显，原油供应过剩加剧导致油价跳崖式下跌，全球油气行业面临巨大挑战。预计中长期油气供需总体宽松，原油价格难以回升高位。新形势下油服公司立足风险防控，加强成本管控，注重长期核心竞争力提升。具体应对策略包括：调整行业发展预期，转变发展方式和管理重点；优化市场布局，多管齐下深耕重点区域；瞄准数字化蓝海，布局关键价值点；顺应能源技术发展潮流，积极布局非油气领域。     

Russia ties-up more oil and gas

An agreement signed in January between Russia and Bulgaria for a gas pipeline between the two countries marks one more step in Moscow's attempts to tie-up as much of the oil and gas trade between Europe and the Former Soviet Union. Complain as it might about growing dependence on Russian energy, the EU is failing to find any realistic alternative as Moscow outmanoeuvres it at every stage.     

迎接页岩油时代

1859年,美国人爱得温·德雷克,在宾夕法尼亚州打出世界上第一口油井,从此,人类进入了“石油时代”。然而,石油是不可再生能源,终会有枯竭的一天。“石油峰值论”的出现和印证,更让人类不得不思考这样一个问题：“后石油时代”谁会成为能源的主宰？当页岩油以其巨大的储量和成功的开发与利用成为世人关注的焦点时,惊异之后的欣喜点燃了人类对非常规能源的渴望。有专家预测,页岩油最有可能成为替代石油和天然气的产品。更有人高呼,页岩油的出现将使世界重回低油价时代。     

理顺能源价格与可持续发展之间的关系——能源价格改革对于中国经济实现可持续的、具有竞争性的增长具有重要意义——专访摩根士丹翻亚洲有限公司，摩根士丹利亚太区首席经济学家王庆

中国经济在21世纪已经不可能在低价的能源供应下获得发展，在观念上进行转变及在此前提下研究应对策略是当务之急。让“价格理性回归”是解决能源、经济、环境问题的一种可行的途径，能源资源价格机制的市场化改革导向同时也符合社会主义市场经济体制改革的内在要求。     

大连石化公司优化能源系统的技术改造

大连石化公司炼油厂是一个千万吨级的燃料-润滑油-石蜡型炼油厂,2002年以来从以加工大庆原油为主逐步转向掺炼各种进口原油,使各装置的运行发生了变化,能耗增加,为此在动力、生产系统中全面开展资源优化,采用新的节能和节水措施,从而提高了能源利用效率,大幅度降低了企业综合能耗,增加了企业经济效益.     

PETROLEUM GEOLOGY: TWO DECADES OF CHANGE

SOME TWENTY YEARS AGO, Dr E.N. Tiratsoo (whom I had known since the mid-1930s) visited me at the Royal School of Mines, and told me of his plans to set up a new "journal of petroleum geology".The Journal has now reached its twentieth volume.
Thinking especially about the United Kingdom, the past twenty years have also seen the publication of the proceedings of four major conferences held in London, on the geological results of North Sea oil exploration, as well as other similarly-based books from Norwegian sources. Somewhat earlier, the European Branch of the Organic Geochemistry Group of the Geochemical Society was formed. A European geophysics-based society has also appeared, and a vigorous petroleum group was formed in the Geological Society in 1980. There has been a proliferation in literature (both books and journals) dealing with the geology of oil and gas. It is against this background that the Journal of Petroleum Geology has succeeded.