Energy Intelligence Briefing articles from October 2005

Energy Intelligence Briefing archives from October 2005

Dynegy feels devastation from hurricanes far inland.
October 3, 2005... HOUSTON -- The ripple effects from the assaults of two major hurricanes along the central Gulf Coast are spreading far inland, affecting operations as distant from the Louisiana shores as North Texas and the Permian Basin in West Texas....

Upstream hurricane damage clouds oil, gas outlook.
October 3, 2005... NEW YORK -- Hurricane Rita will make the history books for its severe impact on the US refining sector and its immediate upstream consequences for natural gas production. Rita delivered a bone crushing body blow to the US refining midsection...

A voice of optimism on exports from Iraq's Morass.
October 6, 2005... NEW YORK -- There might be a political stalemate ahead of the constitutional referendum next week, but Iraqi oil officials say they are planning to export more crude oil in October than in September thanks to an additional 150,000 barrels per...

North Sea futures and physicals having a family tiff.
October 18, 2005... LONDON -- Crude oil futures and physical prices are enduring one of their periodical family tiffs. Futures--and most physical crudes--seem to feel the heat of southern bears while North Sea wet prices appear to have veered off on their own to...

Hurricanes distort data and slow, not destroy, demand.
October 19, 2005... NEW YORK -- The October oil price correction may be justified as undoing an overreaction to hurricane damage in the US Gulf, but not as a result of any meaningful "demand destruction," notes EIB's sister publication Oil Market Intelligence in...

Returning refineries tip balance in Gulf crude market.
October 24, 2005... NEW YORK -- The restart of the Motiva refinery in Port Arthur reduces the aggregate refinery outage due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to less than 1 million barrels per day, and, for the first time since Rita struck, to less than the shut-in...

Volcker takes aim at big oil traders in Iraq scandal.
October 26, 2005... NEW YORK -- The final Volcker report, investigating oil trading deals under the UN's oil-for-food program in Iraq, will put the spotlight on four big oil traders, telling a story of how the international trading community set up front companies...

Oil traders shift focus from UN panel to prosecutors.
October 27, 2005... NEW YORK -- A UN-appointed committee investigating the handling of the Iraqi oil-for-food program formally issued its fifth and final report at the UN Thursday, as expected singled out large oil traders Bayoil, Vitol, Taurus and Glencore (EIB...

Taxation boosts refining, as exports ease in November.
October 28, 2005... MOSCOW -- Moscow's current taxation policy is encouraging oil companies to divert more crude volumes to their domestic refineries, and away from exports. This explains part of a small drop in November crude exports, and the other is weather....

Picky West African buyers preparing for the holidays.
October 31, 2005... LONDON -- West African crudes face mixed fates, as the market begins ordering up seasonal Christmas and New Year fare. Buying by Chinese and other Asian refiners and traders has strengthened heavier, sweet December loaders, with low-sulfur...