The Oil and Gas Journal articles from October 1999

The Oil and Gas Journal archives from October 1999

U.S. INDUSTRY SCOREBOARD10/4.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... U.S. INDUSTRY SCOREBOARD10/4 4 wk. 4 wk. avg. % Year-to-date Latest week 9/24 average year ago [*] change average [*] Demand (1,000 b/d) Motor gasoline 8,633...

An SPR warning shot.(possible withdrawal of crude oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... Oil producers should bristle over the call last week in the US for withdrawal of crude oil from strategic storage. But they should not ignore it. The recommendation came from Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who wrote a letter asking President...

India's power projects drive boom in LNG import schemes.(liquified natural gas)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... In recent years, the international energy industry seems to have awakened to the enormous potential of U power-starved India to consume natural gas. Key to the surge in gas-driven projects is the country's ninth 5-year plan (1997-2002),...

Phillips delineating major find in Bohai Bay.(Phillips Petroleum Co., China)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... Phillips Petroleum Co. unit Phillips China Inc. has drilled and tested its third successful well on Bozhong Block 11/05 in China's Bohai Bay, confirming what appears to be a major oil discovery. The find follows the drilling, of discovery...

Oil price increase spurs CNPC to hike crude production level.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... China National Petroleum Corp. spend 5 billion yuan in the fourth quarter to boost its crude oil production capacity in response to higher oil prices. CNPC intends to add a combined 600,000 tonnes/year (12,000 b/d) of crude production...

Deutag opens 'virtual-reality' trainer in Aberdeen.(drilling contractor Deutag UK Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 4, 1999... Drilling contractor Deutag UK Ltd., Aberdeen, opened a drill-floor training simulator in the city for its own and clients' employees. Deutag said today's drillers work from armchairs in a control cabin rather than standing behind the brake...

Subsea technology growth boom anticipated.(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... The markets for subsea technology companies are set for unprecedented growth, according to analyst Douglas-Westwood Associates, Canterbury, UK. DWA Partner John Westwood told a recent New York conference the company had identified...

Singapore Power secures Indonesia gas supply.
October 4, 1999... Singapore's growing industrial sector has spawned another natural gas supply project aimed at importing Indonesian gas into the small island nation. Indonesian state oil firm Pertamina has signed a letter agreement with Singapore Power Co....

Royalty rancor.
October 4, 1999... The oil industry won a razor-thin but significant victory on oil royalties the other day in the US Senate. But the debate was debased with misinformation and anti-oil bashing not seen here for a decade. For the past 2 years, the US oil...

WAPET group has gas strike off NW Australia.
October 4, 1999... A group led by West Australian Petroleum Pty. Ltd. (WAPET) has made a significant natural gas discovery off the northwestern coast of Western Australia, strengthening prospects for another major gas field development and possible LNG export...

OPEC confirms output agreement rollover.(Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries officially closed its ministerial meeting in Vienna on Sept. 24 and, as expected, confirmed it would adhere to current production targets. The OPEC members--with the exception of Iraq, which...

TransCanada PipeLines Ltd.(company completes construction of natural gas pipeline in Mexico)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... TransCanada PipeLines Ltd., Calgary, completed construction of a $266 million, 700-km natural gas pipeline in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula (OGJ, Mar. 8,1999, p. 62). The 24-in, line, Energia Mayakan, will transport 370 MMcfd of gas from Ciudad...

US Department at Transportation'.(Equilon Pipeline Co. ordered to reduce pressure on Washington state pipeline)(Brief Article)
October 4, 1999... US Department at Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration ordered Olympic Pipeline operator Equilon Pipeline Co. to reduce its maximum operating pressure 20% on its entire Washington state system. The action came after a...

Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.
October 4, 1999... An all spill was caused by a blast and subsequent fire on an oil pipeline--owned by Royal Dutch/Shell's Nigeria unit--in Warri state, southern Nigeria. The 24-in, line extends from Shell's Ughelli quality-control center to its Forcados terminal...

Enran Energy Services.(Brief Article)
October 4, 1999... Enran Energy Services, Houston, signed a $1 billion, 10-year outsourcing agreement with Owens Corning for total energy management services at 20 of Owens Corning's major manufacturing facilities in the US. The firms will jointly implement an...

El Paso Energy.(Brief Article)
October 4, 1999... El Paso Energy signed an agreement with the US Federal Trade Commission to divest certain properties after the conclusion of its merger with Sonat Inc. (OGJ, Mar. 22, 1999, p. 37). Going up for sale are El Paso's wholly owned East Tennessee...

Ottawa's Competition Bureau.(Brief Article)
October 4, 1999... Ottawa's Competition Bureau began hearings in Calgary on Superior Propane Inc.'s $175 million (Can.) takeover of ICG Propane Inc (OGJ, Aug. 3,1998, p. 30). Competition Bureau wants semijudicial body Competition Tribunal to force Superior to...

Koch Exploration Canada Ltd.(sells assets)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... Koch Exploration Canada Ltd. will sell its conventional heavy oil assets in the Cold Lake region of Alberta and focus on an oilsands project near Fort McMurray in northern Alberta. Koch will sell three processing plants, with capacity of 10,500...

Agip Yemen BV.(oil company signs agreement with Sonatrach)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... Agip Yemen BV, a unit of Italy's ENI SPA, agreed to transfer a 40% interest in the Gardan Block 3 permit in South Yemen to Algerian state oil firm Sonatrach. The agreement will afford Sonatrach the opportunity to participate in exploration...

Petroleum Geo-Services ASA (PGS).(completes seismic surveys in the North Atlantic for BP Amoco)(Brief Article)
October 4, 1999... Petroleum Geo-Services ASA (PGS), Houston, completed two high-technology seismic surveys in the North Atlantic for BP Amoco. PGS seismic vessel Ram-form Vanguard completed a 375 sq km 4D streamer survey over BP Amoco's Schiehallion, Loyal, and...

Japan's Apex (Yapen) Ltd.(Pertamina awards Indonesian oil and gas development contracts)(Brief Article)
October 4, 1999... Indonesian state oil firm Pertamina awarded oil and gas exploration and development contracts covering four blocks in Indonesia. The blocks, which cover a combined area of 22,274 sq kin, were awarded to Japan's Apex (Yapen) Ltd., US-based PT...

Yemeni Oil Ministry.
October 4, 1999... Yemeni Oil Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with UAE's Al Otaiba Oil Co. and Australia's Oil Search NL to explore for oil in Sector 15 in Al Mukalla in the Persian Gulf off Hadramaout, Yemen. The firms are expected to complete and...

Suncor Energy Australia Pty. Ltd.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... Suncor Energy Australia Pty. Ltd. produced 3,000 bbl of raw synthetic crude oil in two test runs, which lasted 30 hr, at its Stuart oil shale project near Gladstone, Queensland. Suncor and its Australian partners, Central Pacific Minerals NL...

Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... Canadian producers replaced 146% of crude oil production and 76% of gas production in 1998 despite low prices, reported the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). Declines in conventional oil and gas reserves were more than...

Wintershall Noordzee BV.(increases production)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... Wintershall Noordzee BV mobilized the Transocean Nordic jack up to Block A6/B4 off Germany. The operator plans to drill two development wells in a gas find there, each about 3,800 m TMD with a horizontal section of 1000 m. The lack up will be...

Pemex project.(Petroleos Mexicanos project postponed)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... Bidding round results for revamps of two of Mexico's refineries--in Tula and Salamanca--were postponed until Oct. 18, Pemex said Sept. 27. The bidding was to be completed by Sept. 28, but because Pemex had received an unexpected number of...

Calpine Corp.
October 4, 1999... Calpine Corp., San Jose, Calif., plans to acquire the 80-Mw Calistoga geothermal power plant from Florida Power & Light unit FPL Energy and Caithness Corp., New York, for $78 million. The plant, in the Geysers region of northern California,...

Program advances oil recovery technology in Brazil.
October 4, 1999... Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has successfully tested different technologies for improving oil recovery from its oil fields in Brazil. Its program, known by its Portuguese acronym "PRAVAP" (Programa de Recupercao Avancada de...

Apparatus investigates geological aspects of gas hydrates.
October 4, 1999... The US Geological Survey (USGS), in response to potential geohazards, energy resource potential, and climate issues associated with marine gas hydrates, has developed a laboratory research system that permits hydrate genesis and dissociation...

New test procedures optimize surfactant blends.
October 4, 1999... A new technique, which makes use of a fluid's capacity to conduct electricity, shows great promise in evaluating the apparent wettability of spacer and preflush fluids. Laboratory evaluation of these fluids, which precondition surfaces...

Low polyester demand hurting feedstock margins.
October 4, 1999... Currently, polyester and its feedstocks are in oversupply, according to the latest analyses of paraxylenes, terephthalates, and polyester from Chemical Market Associates Inc. (CMAI), Houston. And while boding ill for profits or...

Changes in the indexes for nonmetallic building materials.
October 4, 1999... The accompanying table shows how Nelson-Farrar indexes have changed over the period, 1996-1998, for selected basically nonmetallic building materials. Data are included for the overall nonmetallic group, five nonmetallic materials, and...

Flow sensor brochure.
October 4, 1999... The new Verabar, a velocity averaging insert flow sensor designed for gas, liquid, and steam applications, is displayed in a free 6 page foldout brochure. Color photos and drawings illustrate the sensor, a unit that senses the natural...

New subsea sealing technology.
October 4, 1999... The new Optima subsea connector promises first time connection every time and operational efficiency because of its enhanced angular and axial tolerance and seal ring technology. The connector can engage around a hub with an angular...

Layer wound slick lines.
October 4, 1999... New spooling equipment is designed specifically for complete layer winding of slick lines. Spools are guaranteed with no crossovers so that wire lines will payoff smoothly from the first to the last layer. The firm's agent will be winding...

MOVES AND PROMOTIONS.
October 4, 1999... Earthmoves Ltd. Structural and Petroleum Geology Consultants, Virginia Water, Surrey, U.K., has named Ian Davison director. He will specialize in salt tectonics, South Atlantic tectonics and hydrocarbon prospectivity, with special emphasis on...

Portugal.
October 4, 1999... TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co., Houston, plans to acquire new 2D seismic surveys west and south of existing surveyed areas on the continental shelf. The company obtained from the government the right to acquire and sell multiclient and...

Wyoming.
October 4, 1999... Infinity Inc., Chanute, Kan., acquired a working interest in a coalbed methane property covering 15,820 gross acres in the Green River basin. The property contains 40-90 ft of high volatile coal at 1,500-3,200 ft and lies along a low...

API IMPORTS OF CRUDE ANDPRODUCTS.
October 4, 1999... API IMPORTS OF CRUDE ANDPRODUCTS Districts 1-4 District 5 Total U.S. 9-24 9-17 [*] 9-24 9-17 [*] 9-24 ...

API REFINERY REPORT--SEPTEMBER 24, 1999.(Statistical Data Included)(Illustration)
October 4, 1999... API REFINERY REPORT--SEPTEMBER 24, 1999 REFINERY OPERATIONS Total Input refinery Crude to crude Operable %...

OGJ CRACK SPREAD.(Statistical Data Included)(Illustration)
October 4, 1999... OGJ CRACK SPREAD 9-24-99 [*] 9-25-98 [*] Change % $/bbl Change SPOT PRICES Product value 27.83 18.45 9.38...

BAKER HUGHES RIG COUNT.
October 4, 1999... BAKER HUGHES RIG COUNT 9-24-99 9-25-98 Alabama 7 7 Alaska 5 12 Arkansas 3 2 California 22 30 ...

OGJ PRODUCTION REPORT.
October 4, 1999... OGJ PRODUCTION REPORT 9-24-99 [*] 9-25-98 [+] (1,000 b/d) Alabama 34 32 Alaska 1,030 1,093 California 880 892 Colorado...

SMITH RIG COUNT.
October 4, 1999... SMITH RIG COUNT 9-24-99 9-25-98 Proposed depth Rig % Rig % (ft) count footage [*] count footage [*] 0-2,500 22 27.2 ...

U.S. CRUDE PRICES.
October 4, 1999... U.S. CRUDE PRICES ($/bbl) [*] 9-24-99 Alaska-North Slope 27[degrees] 14.26 Southern Louisiana Light 23.75 California-Kern River 13[degrees] 19.00 Lost Hills...

AGA NATURAL GAS STORAGE [*].(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... AGA NATURAL GAS STORAGE [*] 9-17-99 9-10-99 Change (bcf) Producing region 806 782 24 Consuming region east 1,528 1,482 46 Consuming region...

PACE REFINING MARGINS.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 1999... PACE REFINING MARGINS July Aug. Sept. Sept. % 1999 1999 1999 1998 Change change $/bbl U.S. Gulf Coast West Texas Sour...

U.S. COOLING DEGREE DAYS [*].(Statistical Data Included)(Illustration)
October 4, 1999... U.S. COOLING DEGREE DAYS [*] 1999 % change Total degree days July July from Jan. 1 through July 31 ...

WORLDWIDE NGL PRODUCTION.(Statistical Data Included)(Illustration)
October 4, 1999... WORLDWIDE NGL PRODUCTION 6 month Chg. vs. average previous June May Production ...

Newsletter.
October 4, 1999... Progress in Latin America's petroleum sector has taken two steps forward and one backward. Brazil will be one of the most sizzling hot spots for exploration in the coming decade. Underscoring that prediction--and an end to the upstream...

Newsletter.(world oil prices begin to decline)
October 11, 1999... The elation that followed the September OPEC meeting--a result of OPEC's assurances that oil markets would not soon be laden with excess supplies--was short-lived. As OGJ went to press, oil prices were continuing a decline that had lasted...

U.S. INDUSTRY SCOREBOARD 10/11.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 11, 1999... U.S. INDUSTRY SCOREBOARD 10/11 4 wk. 4 wk. avg. % Year-to-date YTD avg. Latest week 10/1 average year ago [*] change average year ago [*] Demand (1,000 b/d) Motor...

LETTERS.
October 11, 1999... Oil demand Oil is the fuel of choice, in part, because the alternatives are unacceptable. Burning more coal would increase air pollution of smog-choked cities to hazardous levels, and since nuclear power plants also produce huge amounts of...

20 questions.(about the world oil industry)(Brief Article)
October 11, 1999... We're all energy professionals, right? And unlike the general public, our understanding of the oil industry goes a lot deeper than naming the three fuel grades that are available at the gasoline pump. Or does it? See if you can answer...

EDITORIAL.(oil and gas companies' environmental record)
October 11, 1999... The environmental record Oil and gas companies have said it. Industry trade groups have said it. The record supports them. In much of public consciousness and government policy-making, however, this message somehow remains obscure: It...

Outlook improving for South Korean refining, petrochemical firms in wake of restructuring.
October 11, 1999... The restructuring of South Korea's oil refining and petrochemicals industries continues apace, lending a brightening outlook to the country's downstream sector. This process got under way in earnest since the Asian economic crisis erupted...

Australian retail market reform stalls.
October 11, 1999... The Australian government has withdrawn its proposed downstream petroleum industry deregulation plan, following the failure of the Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) to accept a key element in the package. The MTAA refuses to...

Koch refinery hit with fines.
October 11, 1999... The US Department of Justice said Koch Industries Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to environmental charges in Minnesota federal court and pay $8 million in fines. Koch Petroleum Group will pay a $6 million criminal fine to the federal...

Fuel expectations.
October 11, 1999... Leaded gasoline will no longer be on sale in European Union countries beginning Jan. 1, 2000, as Brussels continues to tighten legislation in pursuit of cleaner air in big cities. BP Amoco PLC has developed a high-octane, lead-free fuel to...

Shell unveils gas biodesulfurization process.
October 11, 1999... Shell International Oil Products is looking to convince gas processors that a new bacteria-based sulfur removal process is as reliable as conventional methods. The Shell-Paques Gas Desulfurization Process was conceived by small Dutch firm...

Tanker owners fearful of Y2K liability.
October 11, 1999... The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) warned members to offer no guarantees when insuring their operations against Year 2000 software problems. Intertanko said that owners have to exercise due diligence to...

First-half US oil, gas asset sales a record.
October 11, 1999... Sales of US oil and gas properties during second quarter 1999 reached $28.2 billion with 148 transactions, bringing the first-half total to a record $43.2 billion, according to Randall & Dewey Inc., Houston. That's the key finding from a recent...

BTU convergence deals top latest M&A action.
October 11, 1999... Merger and acquisition action continues to gather momentum among energy companies worldwide. In another example of the continuing US trend toward "BTU convergence," Detroit energy firms DTE Energy Co. and MCN Energy Group Inc. have signed...

Change in Brazil.
October 11, 1999... The Brazilian government is breathing new life into the nation's energy industry. Petroleo Brasileiro SA recently announced it would invest $20 billion over 4 years in a drive to make the country self-sufficient in oil production by 2003....

DOE to fund 10 new E&P research projects.
October 11, 1999... Bill Richardson, US Secretary of Energy, has announced 10 new demonstration projects for helping US independent producers acquire new tools for recovering oil that might otherwise be left in the ground. He made the announcement at the Society...

Nigeria okays West African Gas Pipeline.
October 11, 1999... Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., Royal Dutch/Shell, and Chevron Corp. signed a $20 million joint venture agreement in late September to join in construction of the West African Gas Pipeline. At a ceremony the previous week in Cotonou,...

Nigerian independents push E&P projects.
October 11, 1999... Six of Nigeria's indigenous oil companies plan to begin exploration and production operations by yearend in projects assisted by foreign partners. Four operators plan to drill new-pool wildcats and two plan to begin oil production on their...

US-Mexico interconnect commissioned.
October 11, 1999... A new natural gas pipeline interconnect, linking Mexico's pipeline system with the US network of Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., was inaugurated on Sept. 27 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, along Mexico's border with Texas. The 9.5-mile, 24-in.,...

GEI Index tracks investments in select countries.
October 11, 1999... Industry and government leaders, energy buyers and sellers, investors, and consultants have a new measure by which to check progress and monitor changes in energy investability among countries over a relatively short time. The Global...

National Petroleum Refiners (Pty.) Ltd. (NATREF).
October 11, 1999... South Africa's National Petroleum Refiners (Pty.) Ltd. (NATREF) is not a state refining company, as incorrectly reported in the first paragraph of an article about its planned Sasolburg refinery upgrade (OGJ, Aug. 30, 1999, p. 48). NATREF...

Foster Wheeler South Africa (Pty.) Ltd.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 11, 1999... NATREF let contract to Foster Wheeler South Africa (Pty.) Ltd. to undertake basic engineering for the expansion of its Sasolburg refinery, 60 miles from Johannesburg. NATREF aims to boost products output to 105,000 b/d from 86,000 b/d. The...

Apache Canada Ltd.
October 11, 1999... Apache Canada Ltd., a unit of Apache Corp., Houston, acquired producing properties and other assets in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan from Shell Canada Ltd. for $770 million (Can.). The assets, which hold 87.5 million boe of proved...

Talisman Energy Inc.
October 11, 1999... Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, agreed to acquire equity interests in several North Sea oil fields from Elf Aquitaine SA for an undisclosed sum. The sale would include Elf's interests in Piper, Claymore, Saltire, Scapa, and Chanter fields, which...

Rigel Energy Corp.
October 11, 1999... Talisman Energy tendered about 55 million shares in response to its offer to acquire all of the common shares of Rigel Energy Corp. (OGJ, Aug. 30, 1999, p. 36). The amount represents more than 95% of Rigel's shares on a fully diluted basis.

Enron North America Corp.(contract to serve Chicago)
October 11, 1999... Enron North America Corp., Houston, and Peoples Energy Corp., Chicago, entered into three agreements to serve Chicago's energy market. The firms will form a joint venture based in Chicago that is expected to begin operations in early 2000; the...

Oil & Natural Gas Corp.
October 11, 1999... India's Oil & Natural Gas Corp. will work over wells in the offshore Bombay High field in a bid to boost production. ONGC appointed Gaffney, Cline & Associates to develop a plan to reverse the field's production decline. The work is expected to...

International Petroleum Exchange.
October 11, 1999... International Petroleum Exchange, London, extended the contract periods of its gas oil and natural gas futures trading mechanisms, bringing them in line with Brent crude oil futures contracts. Gas oil and natural gas futures now can be traded...

Anadarko Algeria Corp.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 11, 1999... Anadarko Algeria Corp., a unit of Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Houston, and Algerian state oil firm Sonatrach let a $331 million contract to Brown & Root-Condor (BRC), a joint venture of Halliburton Co. unit Brown & Root and Condor Engineering...

In Salah Gas.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 11, 1999... The In Salah Gas joint venture of BP Amoco PLC and Sonatrach let three contracts for development of the In Salah gas fields in Algeria's Sahara desert. The fields are being developed under a $3.5 billion program to produce and deliver 9-11...

Petroleo Brasileiro SA.
October 11, 1999... Petroleo Brasileiro SA let a 2-year contract to R&B Falcon Corp. unit R&B Falcon Drilling (International & Deepwater) Inc. for use of the drillship Deepwater Frontier off Brazil in 8,900 ft of water. Deepwater Frontier is owned by R&B Falcon,...

TotalFina SA.
October 11, 1999... TotalFina SA announced first oil from two new horizons in Khariaga field in Russia's Timan-Pechora basin. TotalFina said Khariaga Horizons 2 and 3 comprise the first onshore field to come on stream in Russia within the framework of a...

BP Amoco.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 11, 1999... BP Amoco and partners completed a well that appraised the Skarv discovery on Block 6507/5 in the Norwegian Sea. Well 6507/5-2 was drilled in 347 m of water with the West Alpha semisubmersible to 3,877 m true vertical depth, terminating in an...

Chevron Corp.
October 11, 1999... Chevron Corp. and China's Daqing Petrochemical Works started up a 200,000 tonne/year base oil unit in Daqing, China, Oct. 1. The unit was completed late last year, but sluggish demand for base oil products delayed the start-up of operations....

Pinnacle West Capital Corp.
October 11, 1999... Pinnacle West Capital Corp., Phoenix, will develop a 2,120-Mw, combined-cycle, natural gas-fired electric power plant about 50 miles west of Phoenix near the Palo Verde nuclear generating station switchyard. The plant, to be operated by...