May 11 2008
Region: Oil & Gas / In Depth Interviews
South America's dream of integrating its natural gas markets is over. Net importers such as Chile and Brazil are looking abroad for LNG supplies and countries like Argentina and Colombia are increasingly concerned about their ability to import gas from neighbors.
Argentina: El mercado de energía, en alta tensión
Figures for 2007 show the trend of an Argentine energy market in distress. Although the production of electricity climbed by 4.1 percent compared to 2006, natural gas fell by 1.4 percent and stood 2 per cent below 2004, which shows the virtual stagnation in production and oil production also decreased, with a 2.5 percent drop.
Argentina: En Formosa falta diésel e interviene la Defensoría
The fuel shortage in the province of Formosa and the entire region of northeast Argentina begins to have serious impacts on the local and regional economic activity, as well as the thousands of daily users who are unable to obtain sufficient fuel because of sales restrictions ...
Argentina: Un camión debe perder seis horas para llenar el tanque
Each vehicle must travel to several service stations in order to load diesel, which translates into losses.
Greece: Fuel shortage looms due to strike
The prospect of widespread fuel shortages due to an ongoing strike by the owners of private fuel tanker trucks is looking increasingly likely, as petrol stations around the country began to "run dry" on Sunday. Shortages of unleaded petrol and diesel used in motor vehicles were particularly acute, and drivers both in Attica and elsewhere around Greece faced the prospect of ending up with empty fuel tanks.
Honduras: No hubo “castigo” por escasez de combustible
Amid the shortages, rationing and high fuel prices, the government yesterday did not offer any specific solutions to consumers.
Honduras: Transnacionales se comprometen a normalizar abastecimiento de combustibles
The Presidential House said in a statement that the commitment it made at a meeting convened by the president, Manuel Zelaya, who demanded explanations for the shortage of fuel in the domestic market, lack of a strategic reserve for 15 days, and adjusting temperature to 60 degrees Fahrenheit in deliveries to the domestic market.
India: NTPC looking to buy coal blocks
UPI reported that National Thermal Power Corp is looking to buy coal blocks in Indonesia, Mozambique and South Africa to bridge the fuel supply shortfall.
Nigeria: FG traces instability in oil price to Niger Delta
THE Federal Government on Saturday attributed the instability in the oil price at the International market to the security situation in the Niger Delta region.
Nigeria: Niger-Delta crises --- ominous Yar-Adua
''There is a growing energy situation in the world and the energy demand is becoming worrisome. The situation has started driving upward the price of crude oil. When the world press talks about it, they said it is due to the lack of peace in Iran, Iraq and now the Niger Delta region. This assertion is becoming true. It is because we provide the world with the opportunity to do so. It is painful for me because we have the potentials to become the petro-chemical hub of the continent,” he lamented.
Northern Marianas: Contingent load shedding schedule begins Tuesday
Some changes to the current schedule will be made by rotating various timeslots to accommodate customer power demand, schools and other essential government facilities.
Pakistan: Govt to invite businessmen to discuss power crisis
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Northern and Information Technology Qamar uz Zaman Qaira has said the government has decided to convene a special Cabinet meeting to cope with ongoing energy crisis.
Pakistan: Competing firms complete feasibility reports
Pakistan is facing an electricity shortfall of 3000MW per day, and spends billions of rupees annually to import fuel oil to run its thermal power plants.
The decision to generate power using imported coal was based on assumptions that not only will it help in meeting demand, the cost of coal will always be lower than oil's.
South Africa: Looming diesel shortage could mean trouble
“There is a looming diesel shortage,” says CoM’s assistant adviser for techno economics, Dick Kruger, who goes on to explain how a shortage of diesel in South Africa could indirectly lead to problems in other sectors through the effect it would have on opencast coal mines. “More than 50% of the coal delivered to Eskom comes from opencast mines, where diesel is the primary energy source.”
South Africa: Load-shedding not over yet
"The system is still tight and we will have to continue to reduce energy use by 3 000mw until at least 2012," he said.
One developer who had been affected is Henk Viljoen. He had to put a 362 unit retirement village on hold because power could not be guaranteed.
