The Oil and Gas Journal articles from March 1997

The Oil and Gas Journal archives from March 1997

While the U.S. downstream sector copes with the effects of warmer weather, dampening product demand, the U.S. upstream sector continues to exhibit signs of strength.(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... While the U.S. downstream sector copes with the effects of warmer weather, dampening product demand (see related story, p. 39), the U.S. upstream sector--despite recently retreating U.S. spot crude and natural gas prices--continues to exhibit...

Upstream operators are finding more ways to increase production levels, boost profitability, and gain efficiencies.(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Upstream operators are finding more ways to increase production levels, boost profitability, and gain efficiencies. Fort Worth's Cross Timbers Oil reports it replaced 438% of its 1996 production at an equivalent-barrel cost of $3.51. ...

In Alaska, ARCO, BP, and Exxon have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Gov. Tony Knowles, signaling their philosophical support that about 35 tcf of North Slope gas reserves may some day move to market. (Atlantic Richfield Co.; British Petroleum Co. PLC; trillion cubic feet)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... In Alaska, ARCO, BP, and Exxon have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Gov. Tony Knowles, signaling their philosophical support that about 35 tcf of North Slope gas reserves may some day move to market. A second MOU was...

The U.S. Export-Import Bank, facing rechartering by Congress and opponents who claim it should be abolished because its existence constitutes 'corporate welfare,' reports business is booming.(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... The U.S. Export-Import Bank, facing rechartering by Congress and opponents who claim it should be abolished because its existence constitutes "corporate welfare," reports business is booming especially from the energy sector (see editorial...

Industry's no. 1 strategic alliance. (eliminating discrimination)(Column)
March 31, 1997... "Strategic alliances" may be the buzzword du jour in the petroleum industry, but don't let that deter you from reading OGJ's special report on this key trend, beginning on p. 43. There is another kind of "strategic alliance" the...

Corporate welfare tactics. (government aid to export industries)(Editorial)
March 31, 1997... Before they do serious damage, U.S. lawmakers and administration officials should quit slinging around the words "corporate welfare." The very phrase is a reductionist gimmick, a self-convicting allegation designed to fit television news...

Major overcapacity woes loom for oxygenates despite rising demand. (includes related article on environmental aspects of methyl tertiary butyl ether)
March 31, 1997... World oxygenate demand is poised to rise significantly through the end of the decade, boosted by continuing lead phase-outs and the push to control air pollution. But a potentially major overcapacity problem looms in the not-too-distant...

Vehicle fleet growth to sustain oil demand.(Middle East Petroleum & Gas Conference, March 1997)(Panel Discussion)
March 31, 1997... Bob Tippee Managing Editor-Economics and Exploration The size and number of oil-fueled vehicles will sustain growth in worldwide demand for petroleum well into the next century. Top economists of several major oil companies made...

Warning for OPEC LNG producers. (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; liquefied natural gas)(Column)
March 31, 1997... As a journalist, I always enjoy speeches by Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, former Saudi oil minister and now chairman of London's Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES). Yamani is an eloquent speaker. More importantly given my requirement to...

Iraqi oil exports swell OPEC output. (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Total oil production by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members averaged 26.69 million b/d in February, as they cashed in on recent high oil prices. According to Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) estimates, total...

Shell Nigeria staff held as dispute turns ugly. (Shell Petroleum Development Nigeria)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Nigeria continues to hold its reputation in the petroleum industry as a dangerous place to do business. Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria Ltd. was forced to shut down six oil producing stations in Nigeria's Delta state, when...

BP sets production growth targets. (British Petroleum Co. PLC)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... British Petroleum Co. plc aims to hike its total production to 2.5 million b/d of oil equivalent within the next 10 years, a rise of 1 million b/d on current output. BP Chief Executive John Browne said, "As well as maintaining output...

Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corp.; finance for polyester plant at Yanbu, Saudi Arabia)(Petrochemicals)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (Sabic), Riyadh, signed agreements with local, regional, and international banks to borrow $850 million for construction of the $1.9 billion Ibn Rushd (Arabian Industrial Fibers Co.) project at Yanbu, Saudi...

Sabic unit Petrokemya. (Arabian Petrochemical Co. contract with Stone & Webster to build ethylene plant)(Petrochemicals)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Sabic unit Petrokemya (Arabian Petrochemical Co.) signed an agreement with Stone & Webster, Boston, to build an 800,000 metric ton/year flexible-feedstock ethylene plant with a 275,000 ton/year propane cracking unit at its Al-Jubail complex....

Huntsman Corp. (bought Port Neches, TX, unit from Texaco Inc.)(Petrochemicals)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Huntsman Corp., Salt Lake City, completed its $600 million purchase of Texaco Inc.'s propylene oxide/methyl tertiary butyl ether (PO/MTBE) business at Port Neches, Tex. (OGJ, Jan. 13, 1997, p. 28). As part of the deal, Huntsman also acquired...

Van Ommeren Terminals. (constructing terminal in Fujairah)(Terminals)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Van Ommeren Terminals, Netherlands, is mulling an undetermined expansion of capacity at a tank terminal now under construction in Fujairah. The current $82 million project includes 18 tanks with combined storage capacity of 3 million bbl. The...

U.S. Commerce Department's. (Foreign Trade Zones Board exemption from import duties for refineries)(Refining)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... U.S. Commerce Department's Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ) Board approved subzone FTZ status for three refineries, exempting from certain import duties Marathon Oil Co.'s refinery in Wayne County, Mich., Chevron Products Co.'s plant at Perth Amboy,...

Vermilion Resources Ltd. (to purchase oil fields from Esso Rep)(Companies)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Vermilion Resources Ltd., Calgary, will buy 12 oil fields from Esso France unit Esso Rep. Six are in the Aquitaine basin, including Cazaux, Les Arbousiers, Les Pins, and the recent Courbey-Cap find; 9 years remain on the 50-year concession....

Russian. (Chernogorneft AOA finance)(Companies)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Russian oil producer Chernogorneft AOA will obtain a $50 million loan from European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD), London. The loan will fund drilling and replacement of corroded pipelines in Samotlor oil field in western...

DI Industries Inc. (acquires Grey Wolf Drilling Co.)(Companies)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... DI Industries Inc., Houston, will pay $61.6 million for Grey Wolf Drilling Co., Lafayette, La. Terms call for Grey Wolf to merge with DI's unit Drillers Inc. Grey Wolf is an onshore drilling contractor focused in South Louisiana and the upper...

El Paso Energy Corp. (downsizing)(Companies)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... El Paso Energy Corp., Houston, will cut another 329 employees after an earlier cut of 261 and says its post-Tenneco Energy acquisition reorganization is now essentially complete.

Petergaz. (pipeline to Turkey via the Black Sea)(Pipelines)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Petergaz, a joint venture of Russia's Gazprom and Heerema Group of Cos., Geneva, will manage the 400-km offshore section of a planned gas pipeline across the Black Sea from Djubga, Russia, to Samsun, Turkey. The 1.5 bcfd pipeline, slated for...

Gas de France. (pipeline from Norway to Italy)(Pipelines)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Gaz de France (GdF) agreed to spend more than $526.5 million to build the 550-km, 900-1,100 mm diameter French section of a proposed natural Gas pipeline linking Norway to Italy (OGJ, Jan. 8, 1996, p. 16). The pipeline would enable delivery...

Destin Pipeline Co. LLC. (plans pipeline from Gulf of Mexico to Mississippi)(Pipelines)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Destin Pipeline Co. LLC, Houston, a joint venture of Shell Oil Co., Amoco Corp., and Sonat Inc., is holding an open season through Apr. 30 to reserve capacity on its proposed 210-mile, 36-in., 1 bcfd gas pipeline connecting the eastern Gulf...

U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (investigating accusations by Amoco Production Co. against Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America)(Pipelines)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ordered its staff to audit the allocation of capacity by Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America. Amoco Production Co. and Amoco Energy Trading Co. filed a complaint with FERC alleging the pipeline was...

Consolidated Natural Gas Co. (production in Gulf of Mexico)(Drilling-production)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Consolidated Natural Gas Co., Pittsburgh, disclosed that its Neptune project in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico is on stream and producing 4,800 b/d of oil equivalent from the first well. Plans are to step up output to 25,000 b/d of oil and 30...

Nabors Industries Inc. (acquiring Samson Rig Co. and Rig Properties Inc.)(Drilling-production)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Nabors Industries Inc., Houston, signed a definitive agreement to pay $85 million to acquire Samson Rig Co. and Rig Properties Inc. from a unit of Samson Investment Co., Tulsa. The acquired property consists of 25 stacked diesel electric SCR...

Snyder Oil Corp. (will spend $48 million in 1997 to develop properties in Gulf of Mexico)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Snyder 0il Corp, (SOC0), Fort Worth, targeted about $48 million of its 1997 $112 million capital budget-up 120% from 1996 excluding acquisitions-for its development work in the Gulf of Mexico. Significant projects include platform...

Flores & Rucks Inc. (acquired wells in Gulf of Mexico)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Flores & Rucks Inc., Baton Rouge, paid $55.7 million to acquire a 100% working interest in 27 wells on state leases off Plaquemines Parish, La., in Main Pass Block 66 field in the Gulf of Mexico. Current estimated production from the wells is...

Miller Petroleum Inc. (1997-98 drilling plans in Tennessee)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Miller Petroleum Inc., Huntsville, Tenn., plans to drill 20-30 natural gas wells on its Tennessee leases in 1997-98. The company went public this past December after merging with Delaware-based Triple Chips Systems Inc.

BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd. (bought license for catenary well profile from Dailey Petroleum Services Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd. purchased a license from Dailey Petroleum Services Corp., Conroe, Tex., for use of its patented catenary well profile. BP plans to use the profile in a well to be drilled in Wytch Farm oil field on the U.K.'s...

Norway's. (Statoil A/S orders drillship from Astilleros Espanoles S.A.)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Norway's Den norske stats oljeselskap AS (Statoil) ordered a new drillship based on its multipurpose shuttle tanker (MST) hull design from Astilleros Espanoles SA, Madrid. This follows a letter of intent to Statoil and drilling contractor...

Sabine Hub Services. (plan to open gas hub near Edmonton, Alberta, in Apr 1997)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Sabine Hub Services, a unit of Texaco Petroleum Inc., and units of Dominion Energy Inc., Richmond, Va., and Energy Spectrum Partners LP, Dallas, expect a full-service natural gas hub and storage facility they are building about 80 miles west...

Ranger Oil Ltd. (contract with Cote D'Ivoire for offshore block)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Ranger Oil Ltd., Calgary, signed a production-sharing agreement with Cote d'lvoire for offshore Block C1-102. The block lies immediately south of Abidjan in mainly less than 200 m of water. It lies between Espoir oil field to the west and...

Energy Development Corp. (China). (acquires rights to Chinese offshore block from Amoco Orient Petroleum Co.)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Energy Development Corp. (China), a unit of Noble Affiliates Inc., Ardmore, Okla., will acquire all the rights of Amoco Orient Petroleum Co. in the Cheng Dao Xi exploration block in Bohai Bay off China. The block covers about 37,000 acres...

LPG shipments. (Mendez receiving terminal in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, area will begin receiving liquefied petroleum gas shipments on Apr 1, 1997)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... LPG shipments will enter the new Mendez receiving terminal near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Apr. 1 from the newly commissioned Rio Grande LPG pipeline near Odessa, Tex. (OGJ, Nov. 4, 1995, p. 46). The 8-in., 24,000 b/d capacity former refined...

Construction. (planned for liquefied petroleum gas terminal in Poti, country of Georgia)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Construction could begin as early as this summer on an LPG storage and export terminal at Poti, Georgia, to receive rail shipments of Russian LPG. Shipments from the terminal are destined for Turkey, where LPG consumption reached 2.6 million...

Norway's Gas Negotiating Committee. (will sign contract in early Apr 1997 to deliver gas to Transgas in Czech Republic)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Norway's Gas Negotiating Committee (GFU) of producing companies expects to sign a sales contract early in April for delivery of gas to the Czech Republic. GFU leader Statoil expects deliveries to start May 1 and last 20 years, with a plateau...

BP Solar. (solar project contract with Philippines)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... 4 BP Solar, a unit of British Petroleum Co. pic, secured the world's largest solar project contract from the Philippines government. The $30 million, 3-year contract calls for design, supply, and installation of more than 1,000 packaged...

CRI International Inc. (will build additional actiCAT presulfiding plants)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... CRI International Inc., Houston, will expand its actiCAT presulfiding capacity by doubling the number of plants. New actiCAT plants of about 10 million lb/year each are being built at Medicine Hat, Alta., and Singapore, with start-up for both...

Greenpeace bids for U.K. frontier acreage. (bids on offshore oil and gas leasing blocks)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Environmental activist group Greenpeace has taken the U.K. offshore industry by surprise through submission of a bid to operate all acreage offered in U.K.'s 17th offshore licensing round. The round was opened at yearend 1995 and includes...

U.K. first choice for new E&P ventures. (Robertson Research International Ltd. survey of exploration and production plans for 1997)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... U.K. is the international oil and gas industry's favorite country for new exploration and production ventures in 1997, according to Robertson Research International Ltd., Llandudno, U.K. Robertson received responses from 111 companies,...

Esso Norge presses Jotun development work. (contracts for floating production, storage, and offloading vessel; wellhead platform)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Esso Norge AS has issued letters of intent for a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel and wellhead platform for development of Jotun oil field in Blocks 25/8 and 25/7 in the Norwegian North Sea. Jotun lies in 126 m...

IPC pressing development in Viet-Malay area. (International Petroleum Corp., Malaysia-Vietnam Commercial Arrangement Area)
March 31, 1997... Operator International Petroleum Corp. (IPC), Vancouver, B.C., is advancing plans to develop oil and gas in a jointly administered area off Malaysia and Viet Nato. IPC's plans call for an early production system for Bunga Kekwa field and...

TransCanada group gets Mexican pipeline nod. (TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. contract with Mexican government)
March 31, 1997... Mexico's government let a 26-year contract to a group of companies led by TransCanada PipeLines Ltd., Calgary, to build, own, and operate a 434-mile, 370 MMcfd capacity pipeline in the Yucatan peninsula. The Merida pipeline project has...

Great Lakes schedules major system expansion. (Great Lakes Gas Transmission L.P.)
March 31, 1997... Great Lakes Gas Transmission Limited Partnership plans a major pipeline expansion along its existing interstate gas pipeline system between Canada and the upper U.S. Midwest. Great Lakes plans to construct about 1,000 miles of pipeline...

PanEnergy slates two gas pipeline projects.
March 31, 1997... PanEnergy Corp., positioning itself for a stronger regional presence in the natural gas-hungry U.S. Northeast, has proposed two new pipeline projects. One project, called Spectrum, will add as much as 500 MMcfd of firm natural gas...

U.K. opens up more areas to gas competition. (deregulation of gas industry)
March 31, 1997... The U.K. government has unveiled plans for opening up remaining areas of the country's residential gas market to competitive supply, with the target date for complete liberalization in April 1998. Remaining areas will be opened to...

Warm weather hits February demand. (Feb 1997 product delivery statistics from American Petroleum Institute)
March 31, 1997... The American Petroleum Institute reports warmer temperatures in much of the U.S. this winter contributed to a decline in the demand for petroleum products in February. Total deliveries of products to the U.S. market were 18,221,000 b/d...

Defending R&D. (government-funded oil and gas industry research and development programs)(Column)
March 31, 1997... The movement in Congress to stem "corporate welfare" has the Energy Department on the defensive to protect its oil and gas research programs (see editorial, p. 19). Patricia Fry Godley, assistant secretary for fossil energy, recently...

Strategic alliance, multidisciplinary teamwork enhance field development in Cotton Valley trend. (oil field in East Texas)(How Are Strategic Alliances Working?)
March 31, 1997... A strategic alliance and multidisciplinary teamwork improved economic performance of a field in the East Texas basin's Cotton Valley trend. Optimizing the development phase, and thus improving the profitability, of Amoco Exploration &...

Partners assume risks, lower finance costs of delayed coker-cogeneration project in Chile.(How Are Strategic Alliances Working?)
March 31, 1997... When partners in major debt-projects assume essentially all the risk elements themselves--thereby relieving lenders of these risks--and the financed project represents a strategically valuable asset, overall project costs can be sharply...

Strategic Alliances fit pattern of industry innovation. (oil and gas industry)(How Are Strategic Alliances Working?)
March 31, 1997... The strategic alliance, vitally important as an isolated practice in the oil and gas business, also fits a broad pattern of innovation by which the industry is redefining itself for prosperity in a new energy age. The industry is...

Coiled tubing facilitates deep underbalanced workover.(gas well cleaning)(includes related article on coiled tubing drill-out procedure)
March 31, 1997... A recent workover shows the technical capability and cost effectiveness of coiled tubing for cleaning out scale in a 22,611-ft, low pressure, high-temperature gas well. The well, operated by Chevron USA Production Co., is in the Fort...

California refinery meets seismic codes using new wrapping technique.(Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp. uses composite wrapping to reinforce support columns at its Wilmington, CA, refinery)
March 31, 1997... Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp. used a new technique called composite wrapping to strengthen support columns at its 68,000 Wilmington, Calif., refinery. The process was completed without shutting down the units involved. Installed costs...

Asset management installed on Mapco system.(Mapco Inc. installs TSW International's client/server application called Enterprise MPAC at two refineries and NGL pipeline system)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Mapco Inc., Tulsa, has installed this year the first phase of a client/server application for its two refineries and more than 10,000-mile NGL pipeline system. Enterprise MPAC, supplied by TSW International, Atlanta, includes modules for...

Argentina's TGN changes to increase supply, ensure delivery.(Transportadora de Gas del Norte S.A.)
March 31, 1997... Privatization of Argentina's natural-gas industry in late 1992 has transformed the country's pipeline network. Transportadora de Gas del Norte S.A. (TGN; Fig. 1) owns and operates gas transportation mostly in the northern areas of the...

Bettis Corp.(appointed Norman D. Quam president)(Brief Article)
March 31, 1997... Bettis Corp., Waller Tex., has named Norman D. Quam president. Formerly senior vice president, Quam has been with the company for 18 years, with valve actuator and control industry experience spanning more than 36 years. Quam replaces W....

U.S. resource estimates give insights to key oil, gas plays. (study of US conventional hydrocarbon resource to indicate production potential of oil and gas plays)(U.S. Conventional Resources, part 1)
March 31, 1997... Federal U.S. oil and gas resource data provide an abundance of detail for characterizing the exploration and production potential of over 500 oil and gas plays. Analysis of the data and results provides insights into future U.S....

An Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (Iogcc) study indicates states have been successful in promoting energy resource recovery.(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... An Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (Iogcc) study indicates states have been successful in promoting energy resource recovery. The report said programs in Texas, North Dakota, Kansas, and Montana have used tax incentives or...

Growth in world LPG supply through 2005 will barely outpace demand, said Purvin & Gertz last week at its international LPG seminar at The Woodlands, near Houston. (liquified petroleum gas, Mar 1997 seminar near Houston, TX)(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... Growth in world LPG supply through 2005 will barely outpace demand, said Purvin & Gertz last week at its international LPG seminar at The Woodlands, near Houston. World LPG supply will grow at 3.5%/year, to about 240 million metric tons...

Preliminary results of a survey of U.S. refiners addressing the quality of crude entering their plants reveal 37% have no formal crude-quality programs at any level of their operating or corporate structure. (survey sponsored by Refiners Crude Oil Quality working group)(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... Preliminary results of a survey of U.S. refiners addressing the quality of crude entering their plants reveal 37% have no formal crude-quality program at any level of their operating or corporate structures. Findings were released at the...

Globally correct. (minor issue of global warming distracts attention from major issue of population explosion)(Editorial)
March 24, 1997... Global warming is now a leading politically--or better said--scientifically "correct" issue. There are those who truly believe that it is occurring primarily as a result of carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. But...

Archer's ethanol assault. (Rep. Bill Archer releases report critical of federal subsidies for ethanol industry)(Editorial)
March 24, 1997... There's only thing wrong with the new congressional assault on U.S. subsidies for fuel ethanol: It took too long to begin. Since 1978, the U.S. has sustained with generous tax breaks an industry that wouldn't otherwise exist. The industry...

U.S. electricity decontrol tops energy agenda for 105th Congress. (1997 energy industry legislation forecast)(includes related articles)
March 24, 1997... Decontrol of retail electricity markets is the major energy issue facing the U.S. Congress this year, and oil and gas firms are very interested bystanders. The 105th Congress is now working at full speed but has relatively few oil and...

Valero to acquire Basis Petroleum in downstream push. (Valero Energy Corp.)
March 24, 1997... Valero to acquire Basis Petroleum in downstream push Valero Energy Corp., San Antonio, carrying out its mission to expand its core downstream business, has agreed to acquire Gulf Coast refiner Basis Petroleum Inc. from its parent Salomon...

Doubt looms over U.S. refining upturn. (forecasts, deals announced at 1997 National Petroleum Refiners Association meeting)
March 24, 1997... There is a fundamental, cyclic recovery under way in the U.S. refining industry. The recovery is 4-5 quarters old and will reach midcycle in 1998-99, when financial returns will meet or exceed previous mid-cycle averages. These are...

Murphy breaks from U.K. R&M merger. (Murphy Oil Corp. refining and marketing merger with Gulf Oil Great Britain Ltd. and Elf Oil U.K. Ltd.)
March 24, 1997... Murco Petroleum Ltd., U.K. refining and marketing unit of Murphy Oil Corp., has pulled out of a planned merger of British R&M assets with Elf Oil U.K. Ltd. and Gulf Oil (Great Britain) Ltd. When the merger was first disclosed, it was...

BTU convergence action gathering momentum. (natural gas and electric utility merger and acquisition activities in early 1997)
March 24, 1997... Activity has accelerated rapidly in recent weeks in the converging natural gas and electric industries, as companies jockey for position within regional U.S. and non-U.S. markets. Among key developments: * Energy Group plc--a new...

Mixed outlook for Middle East gas projects. (reports at Mar 17, 1997, conference on natural gas in Doha, Qatar)
March 24, 1997... Weak oil prices are the main barrier to furthering liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects in the Middle East, and two of the regions' three existing schemes have been exposed to price-related risk. Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, chairman...

Prospects brightening for LNG-fired power. (liquefied natural gas)
March 24, 1997... Liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers are under increasing pressure to compete on a cost basis with other fuels, but new technologies and new approaches to sales contracts could support further LNG market growth. Electricity generation...

Texaco starts production in Captain field. (Texaco North Sea U.K. Ltd. offshore petroleum production in North Sea Captain field)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... Texaco North Sea U.K. Ltd. produced first oil from U.K. North Sea Captain field this month, following a 500 million pounds ($800 million) development. Block 13/22a Captain was developed with a wellhead protector platform and oil...

Elf lets contracts for Elgin/Franklin jack-up platform. (Elf Exploration U.K. Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... Elf Exploration U.K. plc has chosen a jack up production, utilities, and quarters (PUQ) platform for its Elgin/Franklin development in the U.K. North Sea, in a bid to minimize costs and eliminate offshore commissioning. Elf let a 400...

Deepwater success spurs leasing competition. (international deepwater oil and gas leasing developments)
March 24, 1997... Successful development of deepwater fields off Brazil, the U.K., and in the Gulf of Mexico has prompted governments--particularly in Asia and West Africa--to open vast offshore acreage for leasing. Yet governments vary widely in the...

New Zealand E&D percolating. (oil and gas exploration and development in Taranaki basin in New Zealand)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... Exploration and development action is percolating in New Zealand's Taranaki basin. Offshore, on West of Maui petroleum exploration permit 38460, New Zealand Oil & Gas Ltd. (NZOG) is processing 1,017 km of new 3D seismic data along with...

Premier takes a fresh look at old plays. (Premier Oil PLC)
March 24, 1997... Premier Oil plc, London, has adopted what it feels is a unique exploration strategy following a restructuring the past 2 years. A change of management in 1995 led to adoption of a new strategy with three main threads: to look for low-cost...

A report. (correction to article on p.34 of Mar 10, 1997, issue)(Correction Notice)
March 24, 1997... A report on the Cotton Valley pinnacle reef play incorrectly stated the ownership of Delhi Gas Pipeline Corp. (OGJ, Mar. 10, 1997, p. 34). Delhi is a wholly owned unit of USX Corp., not USX/Marathon Group. USX-Delhi, USX-Marathon, and...

Sudan.(contracts for export pipeline)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... Sudan signed a crude oil pipeline and lease agreement with Petronas Carigali Overseas Sdn. Bhd., China National Petroleum Corp., State Petroleum Corp., and the National Oil Co. of Sudan for construction and operation of an export pipeline to...

Brittania Operator Ltd.(contract with Real Time Engineering Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... Britannia Operator Ltd., a joint venture of Chevron U.K. Ltd. and Conoco (U.K.) Ltd. that is developing North Sea Britannia field, let an $800,000 contract to Real Time Engineering Ltd., Glasgow, to develop and install pipeline integrity...

U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.(will have jurisdiction of proposed Green Canyon Gathering Co. pipeline in Gulf of Mexico)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asserted jurisdiction over Green Canyon Gathering Co.'s proposed 133-mile gas pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico. FERC normally does not have jurisdiction over gathering lines, but it said the line was...

Yemen's.(Parliament approves liquefied natural gas project)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... Yemen's Parliament flashed a green light to the planned $5 billion Yemen liquefied natural gas export project backed by a Total-led group (OGJ, Jan. 27, 1997, Newsletter). Dallas' Hunt 0il is operator of the upstream portion of the project....

Sable Offshore Energy Project.(contract with Lloyds Register)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... Sable Offshore Energy Project (SOEP) partners let contract to Lloyds Register, London, to certify and conduct design appraisal for the proposed gas field development project off Nova Scotia. SOEP, consisting of units of Mobil Oil Canada,...

Saudi Arabian Oil Co.(contract with Stolt Comex Seaway A/S)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... (Aramco) let contract for an undisclosed sum to Stolt Comex Seaway AS, Aberdeen, for installation work in Berri, Madan, and Zuluf oil fields off Saudi Arabia. Beginning in June, Pacific Constructor construction ship will install flexible...

Enterprise Oil PLC.(increases estimate of oil reserves in Nelson field in North Sea)(Brief Article)
March 24, 1997... Enterprise Oil plc, London, boosted its estimate of oil reserves in U.K. North Sea Nelson field, following completion of a delineation well. The well, drilled to the oil/water contact on the western edge of the field in an area previously...