Politics & Regulation

Flag of Myanmar (copyright by Shutterstock/esfera)
Flag of Myanmar (copyright by Shutterstock/esfera)

Offshore Natural Gas Pipeline In Myanmar Caught In The Country's Geopolitical Thicket

Chevron's recently assembled activist Board of Directors  is moving the oil giant to suspend payments from a gas joint venture involving an offshore gas pipeline in the Yadana fields in southwest Myanmar that would have reached Myanmar's military junta.  French energy major Total has joined Chevron in shutting down the money flows to the junta.

Judge's gavel on the table (copyright by Shutterstock/FabrikaSimf)
Judge's gavel on the table (copyright by Shutterstock/FabrikaSimf)

Oil Giants Reel From Landmark Court Case And Activist Shareholders

In a judgement reverberating through the world of petroleum companies and their suppliers, a court in the Netherlands has ruled that Shell must cut its CO2 emissions by 45% compared to 2019 levels, legally obliging for the first time a company to align its policies with the Paris climate accords.

The flag of Poland in the sky (copyright by Adobe Stock/FOTOWAWA)
The flag of Poland in the sky (copyright by Adobe Stock/FOTOWAWA)

Poland Sees Nord Stream 2 As Geopolitical Threat

In the wake of the Biden administration's decision to waive sanctions on Nord Stream 2's parent company, Nord Stream AG, Poland has come out strongly against the U.S. move, saying the completion of Nord Stream 2 would threaten energy security in central and eastern Europe.

The Pioneering Spirit laying the pipeline in Swedish waters (copyright by Nord Stream 2/Axel Schmidt)
The Pioneering Spirit laying the pipeline in Swedish waters (copyright by Nord Stream 2/Axel Schmidt)

The Biden Administration's Muddle Of Nord Stream 2 Policy

The Biden administration, in a move nobody anticipated, will lift sanctions on Nord Stream AG, the company based in Switzerland and currently building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.  Sanctions will also be waived against Matthias Warnig, CEO of Nord Stream and ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

 Spilled oil around the oil pipeline (copyright by Shutterstock / Leonid Ikan)
Spilled oil around the oil pipeline (copyright by Shutterstock / Leonid Ikan)

New Russian Pipeline Spill Imperils The Komi Region

Rosprirodnadzor, the Russian regulator part of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, has reported a pipeline spill of some 100 tons in Russia's northwestern region of Komi. The leak flowed into Kolva, a local river, creating an oil slick requiring immediate attention.

A man in a business suit offers money (copyright by Shutterstock/Oleksandrum)
A man in a business suit offers money (copyright by Shutterstock/Oleksandrum)

East African Oil Pipeline Compensation Costs Go Up To 65Bn Ugandan Shilling

Robert Kasande of the Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has announced that compensation to those affected by the Ugandan section of the planned East African Crude Oil pipeline could reach the equivalent to $18 million.

Flags of Zambia and Angola (copyright by Shutterstock/esfera)
Flags of Zambia and Angola (copyright by Shutterstock/esfera)

Marathon Talks Concerning Products Pipeline End Between Oil-Rich Angola and Zambia

More than ten years of complex negotiations between Angola and neighboring Zambia have resulted in a $5 billion deal to build a products pipeline between Lobito and Lusaka.

At the signing ceremony in Luanda, the Zambian government was represented by Energy Minister Mathew Nkhuwa, with Angola represented by Petroleum Minister Diamantino Pedro Azevedo.

Flags of Greece and Northern Macedonia (copyright by Shutterstock/alexfan32)
Flags of Greece and Northern Macedonia (copyright by Shutterstock/alexfan32)

Northern Macedonia And Greece To Sign A Treaty To Interconnect Gas Pipelines

Northern Macedonian’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is expected to visit Athens in early May to sign a treaty promoting a pipeline gas interconnection project linking the two Balkan country’s gas networks.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference (copyright by Shutterstock/360b)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference (copyright by Shutterstock/360b)

Construction Of Nord Stream 2 Defended By Merkel

Nord Stream 2 has been the centre of a long-running dispute between the United States and Germany. Washington has criticised Nordstream 2 for potentially increasing Europe’s dependence on Russian gas but at the same time seeing it as reducing opportunities for US liquid natural gas exports to Europe.

The flag of the USA (copyright by Shutterstock/Graeme Dawes)
The flag of the USA (copyright by Shutterstock/Graeme Dawes)

United States Senate Follows Up On Its Nord Stream 2 Threats

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee of the US Congress has acted to put some teeth into its much ballyhooed Nordstream 2 sanctions policy by approving The Ukraine Security Partnership Act.  This measure authorizes $300 million in foreign military financing, of which $150 million would be subject to conditions.

President Biden during a speech in the White House in 2021 (© Shutterstock/Salma Bashir Motiwala)
President Biden during a speech in the White House in 2021 (© Shutterstock/Salma Bashir Motiwala)

Biden's Infrastructure Plan Causes Mixed Reactions From Natural Gas & Oil Industry

It’s not surprising that America’s oil and gas sector is not totally enthusiastic about President Biden’s $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan which incorporates raising corporate taxes and, should it gain Congressional approval, designation of monies to facilitate the country’s transition from fossil fuels towards clean energy.

Satellite image of Gaza taken on April 11, 2019 (copyright by Shutterstock/Intrepix)
Satellite image of Gaza taken on April 11, 2019 (copyright by Shutterstock/Intrepix)

Qatari Diplomatic Breakthrough In Underwriting Gas Pipeline From Israel Into Gaza

A motley coalition of nationalities and supranational organizations have reconciled differences to help construct a natural gas pipeline running from Israel into the Gaza Strip.