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January 10, 2008 by Cyril Widdershoven

Opec weakened by internal turmoil

The future of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has become unclear. The oil cartel is suffering from growing internal strains which may threaten its future. In particular the crash of the dollar is undermining the dominant position of ‘moderate’ member Saudi Arabia and strengthening the lobby of ‘price haw...
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January 10, 2008 by Karel Beckman

Energy on the radar: NATO increasingly concerned with energy security

Does NATO have a role to play when it comes to ensuring energy security for its member states? It is a question that has been hotly debated in NATO and security circles since in March 2006 the Polish Foreign Ministry proposed an “energy Article V” to the NATO Treaty which would pledge all signatories to assist a country in the event o...
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January 10, 2008 by Alex Forbes

NOCs spread their wings

With the global energy economy set to remain overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels, concern is mounting over access to reserves, particularly of oil and gas. These concerns are fuelled by the resurgence of ‘resource nationalism’ as national oil companies (NOCs), holders of most such reserves, challenge the positions of internationa...
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January 10, 2008 by Rudolf ten Hoedt

Private oil companies face bleak prospects in Ecuador

Ecuador returned to OPEC after 15 years of absence. The country was accepted as an active member during a rare Heads of State Summit of last November in Riyadh. Measured by its oil production of 540 thousand barrels a day, no big deal. However, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, who leads the pack of price-hawks within OPEC, had good reasons ...
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January 10, 2008 by Sjak Lomme

The Netherlands wavers between protection and market

The modern European gas market has its origins in the discovery of the enormous Groningen field in the Netherlands in 1959. The Dutch market structure set up in the 1960s, characterized by close public-private cooperation, a linkage between the gas and oil price, and the creation of a fine-meshed infrastructure, served as an example for Europe. N...
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January 10, 2008 by Jérôme Guillet

How to build a pipeline

There are regularly stories in the media about pipeline projects that are announced with much publicity, and are seen to have major strategic consequences, or conversely about projects that are more discreet but are seen as the "real" justification for various military or diplomatic acts. These analyses, however, usually ignore the economic dynamic...
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January 10, 2008 by Ioannis Michaletos

Solar frenzy in Greece

Greece has embarked on an ambitious project of exploring its immense solarenergy potential. Investors have applied en masse to take advantage of the many opportunities provided by a new energy law. However, the state apparatus is unable to keep pace with the private initiatives....
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January 10, 2008 by Anke Truijen

Croatia explores renewable energy

Since a few months the Croatian electricity market has been opened up to private producers. With the prospect of EU membership, abundant natural energy sources and the restructuring of the national energy market that is taking place, investing in renewables in Croatia looks to be an increasingly interesting option. But what are the real possibili...
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January 10, 2008 by Marc Guillet

Turkey goes nuclear

The Turkish parliament has passed a bill approving the building the country’s first nuclear power plants. ‘Nuclear energy is Turkey’s top priority,’ said Turkey’s minister of Energy and Natural Resources Hilmi Güler. Turkey needs $100 billion of investment in the electricity generation industry, he added. The mini...
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January 10, 2008 by Hans van Koningsbrugge

Démocratie à la Russe

Russian president Vladimir Putin managed to consolidate his power in - heavily criticized - parliamentary elections in December. On March 2, he will most likely manage to repeat this act in the presidential elections. If both elections have something in common, it is that they cannot escape strict Kremlin control. No doubt Putin will also keep a ...
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