Natural Gas Daily

• UK needs to reduce red tape to kickstart shale – report
  22 May 2013 14:01 GMT
  

  The UK government needs to ensure shale explorers do not get bogged down by red tape if the country is to make the most of its unconventional gas reserves, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Institute of Directors.

• BP delivers gas to UK’s Isle of Grain
  22 May 2013 11:59 GMT
  

  BP will make its first delivery to the UK in more than two years on 30 May, when the LNG Jupiter arrives at the Isle of Grain regasification plant.

• TAP and Nabucco announce latest agreements
  22 May 2013 10:17 GMT
  

  The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline and Nabucco consortiums have each made a strategic announcement over recent days as a decision looms over which of the schemes will receive first gas offtake from the Shah Deniz 2 project in Azerbaijan.

• Is Ireland giving away its oil and gas too cheaply?
  21 May 2013 15:09 GMT
  
  
  Irish Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte’s pledge last week to review the tax system has been welcomed by campaign groups, but industry insiders fear potential investors could be frightened away.
• Minor outages arrest spot contracts’ decline
  20 May 2013 13:14 GMT
  

  European prompt gas contracts firmed over the week as a number of minor transportation issues caused temporary supply concerns at the continent’s largest hubs.

• Commodity price transparency under threat
  17 May 2013 15:15 GMT
  
  
  Price reporting agencies are under intense scrutiny after allegations of price manipulation. However, heightened regulation is not necessarily the solution for improved market transparency
• Gas price arbitrations: beware the outlier
  17 May 2013 14:51 GMT
  
  
  Buyers appear to have been the main beneficiaries of recent gas pricing disputes in Europe, but both buyers and sellers are at risk of an ‘outlier’ ruling that could severely hurt their bottom lines.
• Market sounding launched for Bulgaria/Greece link
  17 May 2013 14:33 GMT
  

  The sponsors behind the Bulgarian and Greek joint venture interconnector project IGB launched a two-phase market test for the allocation of capacity this week.

• Legislation set to approve fracking for ‘86%’ of Germany
  17 May 2013 14:26 GMT
  

  A deal to push legislation governing Germany’s shale gas sector through the Cabinet Office in Berlin has been reached between the ruling CDU and FDP parties, a Bundestag source told Interfax on Friday.

• Sceptics shatter European shale gas hopes
  16 May 2013 12:39 GMT
  
  
  Shale gas in the US may not be as economic as once thought, meaning its potential in Europe could be limited.
• Lithuanian presidency to favour Estonian LNG project
  16 May 2013 12:24 GMT
  
  
  Lithuania will favour a new LNG terminal on the Estonian coast for EU priority status and possible funding when it takes over the presidency of the EU in July,Interfax has learned.
• Romanian shale gas policy U-turn
  15 May 2013 14:45 GMT
  
  
  The Romanian government has allowed Chevron to start unconventional gas exploratory work at two coastal sites, in a move that completes an about-turn in national policy over the past 12 months.
• BG looks to prioritise ‘value over volume’
  14 May 2013 15:29 GMT
  
  
  BG Group appears to be following the lead of other European oil and gas companies by shifting the focus of its business away from production targets towards value creation.
• PGNiG posts net profit rise to $334 mln in Q1
  14 May 2013 14:21 GMT
  

  Polish gas monopoly PGNiG posted a rise in profits for Q1 2013 to PLN 1.07 billion ($334 million) on Tuesday…

• OMV earnings helping to fund upstream investment – CEO
  14 May 2013 14:20 GMT
  

  Austria’s OMV has said its earnings for Q1 2013 rose year on year as the company shifts its strategic focus from downstream activities to higher-stake upstream projects in the Black Sea and beyond.