BTN PETROLEUM CHANNEL 2006 HEADLINES ONLY

BEHIND THE NEWS PETROLEUM CHANNEL (BTNP) - BACK ISSUES 2006
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P350	Friday, 29 December, 2006 Why Did It Happen?	Removing Rest of Hydro Discount Paramount Driver Necessary to Take Care of Aluminium When and How Did Other Doors Close? What Was the Impact of the Shtokman "Njet"? Merger Talks Started Summer of 2006 Other Options Alive Until Only Short Time Ago Stoltenberg Has Misguided Public for Years Companies Not Much Better Feeble Non-Socialists must Share Responsibility Hydro Failed Its Corporate Social Responsibility
P349	Friday, 29 December, 2006 How Did It Happen?	Hydro Strategy Discussed Since Nineties Vital to Focus on Core Competence Saga, SDFI, Spinnaker, Centrica Efforts to Gain Size Yara Demerger Proved Conglomerate Discount Statoil Restricted, Eyes at Hydro for a Long Time Steensnæs Closed Doors in 2002 2004 Promise: No Merger for a Very Long Time But Statoil Had Secret Hydro Task Force Since 2001
P348	Thursday, 28 December, 2006 Size No Easy Fix	Statoil/Hydro Internationalization Important GoM Most Important, But Assets Expensive Nationalism, Corruption Obstacles in Third World Finance Minister: Stricter Ethical Rules Diversity Some Advantage Abroad As Well Size No Help Against "Escape Cost", Provincialism Size Helps for Attention, Risk Distribution Merger May Help Competing With Capacity Constrained Competitors Better for Growth than Doing Nothing, Bad for Diversity More Efficient Strategies Possible While Retaining Diversity
P347	Thursday, 21 December, 2006 Diversity Lost	Stoltenberg: Diversity Less Relevant Opposition Parties, Researchers Etc. Worried Few Realize How Strongly the Norwegians Dominate
P346	Wednesday, 20 December, 2006 The Giant	Merger Means Dangerous Loss of Diversity Larger International Muscle, Effects May be Overrated Better Strategies for Internationalisation Ignored Authorities Should Require Sales of Assets, Operatorships Vital to Encourage Other Companies Decision-Making Process Ominous Warning about Future State Buy-Up May Cause Fears of More Intervention
P345	Monday, 11 December, 2006 Trap Sprung	Parliament Agrees to New Tax Rules on Financial Items Progress Party, Conservatives Vote Against Industry Rejects MoF Argument on Newcomers Having Been Favoured New Rule Causes Disincentives for all Companies Means Tax System Sooner Will Become Limiting E&P Factor
P344	Tuesday, 28 November, 2006 Knowledge about Knowledge	OLF, Tekna, Present Petroleum Cluster as Growth Model Petroleum Cluster Norway's Largest Onshore Industry Will Evolve and Continue Indefinitely, No Need for Inventing "Something New" Knowledge Base Also Offering Spin-Offs to Other Sectors Key is Learning More about Knowledge as a Production Factor
P343	Wednesday, 22 November, 2006 The New Diversity	Are New Entrants Good for Cluster Development?
P342	Friday, 17 November, 2006 Scared by the Scared	Draft Parliament Report on High North Leaked to Media Not Much New; Useful Summary of Ongoing Projects Government has Invited to Talks with Russians on Industrial Zone Arve Johnsen's Research Agenda Cleansed by Green Filter Nothing on New Technology for Moving Further North Labour's Visions at Rest to Help Left Socialists Lick their Wounds
P341	Monday, 13 November, 2006 Three Suggestions	Some Preparations for the Management Plan Are Not in Progress Better Organization for Oil Spill Contingency Improved System for Covering Fishermen's Risk Creating a Better Upside
P340	Wednesday, 8 November, 2006 Short-Sighted	OLF: Insufficient Funds for Management Plan Preparations Good Example of Limitations with Short-Term State Budgeting Split Sector Interests Make Rational Planning Difficult
P339	Tuesday, 7 November, 2006 Emptying the Drawer	OLF: Investment Could Drop Dangerously in Five Years Lofoten/Vesterålen Acreage Urgently Needed Exploration Continues to Lag Only Three Dry Wells in True Frontier Prospects So Far
P338	Sunday, 15 October, 2006 Back to the Moon	State, Statoil Agree on Mongstad Heat and Gas Power Plant Time Allowed to Develop New Capture Technology New "Man on the Moon" Program From "None Without" to "Many With"
P337	Thursday, 12 October, 2006 Financial Items	Proposal on Financial Items to Parliament Improvements on Several Points Revised Proposal Now Being Studied by Companies MoF Weak on Effects on Incentives, May Still be Damaging
P336	Tuesday, 10 October, 2006 A Back Door Still Open?	Gazprom Turns Down All Foreign Partners Says None Would Offer Sufficiently Good Assets in Return Pipeline Gas to Europe Given Priority Above LNG for the US Large Variety of Speculations Has Gazprom Simply Ended a Chicken Game? Aker Kværner Well Positioned Anyway Could Statoil/Hydro Later Get in as "Technical Assistants"?
P335	Saturday, 30 September, 2006 APA06	43 Companies Apply in APA06 Up 16, Down 2 Since APA05 22 Also Applied in 19th Round 8 Newcomers Still Waiting
P334	Wednesday, 20 September, 2006 Petrophobics?	NHO Protests Negative Attitude in Research Council Plan High North Strategy Plan Deficient on Industrial Development
P333	Wednesday, 20 September, 2006 Barents 2020	Former Statoil CEO Gives Contents to Barents 2020 Proposes Joint Onshore Economic Zone Research Projects Joining Norway, Russia, EU, Others Norwegian Corporations Confirm Roles as Project Leaders Joint Private/Public Financing Greens Say they are Scared
P332	Tuesday, 19 September, 2006 Cluster Ownership Strategy	Hvem Eier Norge? Important for the Petroleum Industry Are We Good Enough at Nurturing New Ideas? Are We Under-Balanced on Cross-Border Knowledge Firm Acquisitions? Questions Raised By Kon-Kraft's Capital Project Still Unanswered New Studies Indicated for a Cluster Ownership Strategy
P331	Tuesday, 22 August, 2006 Northern Spin-Offs	New Barlindhaug Report on Northern Spin-Offs Large Potential, Based on Particular Assumptions An Industrial Strategy for Better Cluster Functions Onshore Facilities Or Pure Offshore Solutions? Local or Imported Labour and Knowledge Resources? Total Activity Level Vital for Critical Mass No Room for Internal Northern Rivalry
P330	Monday, 21 August, 2006 Mousetrap	OLF, Newcomers Protest MoF Proposal On Financial Items Likely to Increase Revenue Considerably Moves Offshore Related Financial Expenses Onshore Particularly Harmful for New Entrants, Pure E&P Incentives Contrary to Policies Too Short Time For Review Process Possible Solution in Modified Standard Formula
P329	Friday, 18 August, 2006 Success Not Enough	Offshore Suppliers Sold For NOK 49 Bn Abroad in 2005 46% of All Upstream Related Sales Approx NOK 32 Bn Direct Exports from Norway Larger Than All Traditional Export Industries Intsok Major Success Much More Still to be Done
P328	Wednesday, 9 August, 2006 New Profiles II	Poor NCS Access For Non-Independents Before 2000 Many Arrived Before Tax Change, Oil Price Increase
P327	Tuesday, 8 August, 2006 New Profiles I	Diverse Group of New Entrants
P326	Friday, 4 August, 2006 Not Upside Down	Dagens Næringsliv: NCS Reality Turned Upside Down "Three Times as Many Oil Companies" Actually, There is Much Less Change, But Promising Potential 16% Growth in Number of Active Companies Since 1993, Not 200% New Entrants Hold 3% of Booked Reserves Partners In 12% of Exploration Wells Since 2000 Add 25% to Global Market Capitalisation
P325	Monday, 24 July, 2006 Home and Away	Shtokman Postponed Again Putin Says Norwegians Among First On List Greenland Announces License Round West of Greenland 15 Top US, European Companies Review Data US Newspaper Believes Statoil is Among Them Biggest Greenland Potential to the Northeast Russia, Perhaps Greenland, Important for Cluster Strategy
P324	Friday, 7 July, 2006 Parking Tickets	The MPE Implements Area Fee Changes Aims to Increase Turnover of Idle Acreage Sharp Progression After Initial Period Exempts Areas With Production, Drilling, Prospects May be Waived If Progress Not Possible Weak Analysis of Socio-Economic Utility Sales Vs Relinquishments Will Help Assessing Success The MPE Ignores NPD Proposals to Avoid Premature PDOs
P323	Tuesday, 20 June, 2006 Selling Forward	Wiborg: Sell Oil in Futures Market for CO2 EOR Requires Achieved Price Accepted for Taxation Balance of Arguments So Far that Futures Market is Hyped Why Not Open For This Opportunity for Sales From All Sources?
P322	Wednesday, 14 June, 2006 Financial Costs Again	New MoF Proposal On Financial Items Said to Represent Simplification Assumed Revenue Reduction May Be Balanced
P321	Tuesday, 13 June, 2006 Whose Knees?	PE Releases Gassco Report Confirms All CO2 Chains Unprofitable State's Petroleum Tax Revenue Already Included Bellona Claims Opposite Other Problems Quota Costs and Sunk Costs
P320	Monday, 12 June, 2006 Politicising Statoil	PM Admits to Sacking Odfjell Says He Responded to MPs' Demands Implication that Red-Greens in Parliament De Facto Should Appoint the Chairman Position has Now Been Explicitly Politicised Large Battle Scars Within Labour Parliament Closes the Case
P319	Friday, 2 June, 2006 Midnight Calls	Odfjell Withdraws As Statoil Chairman PM Confirms Midnight Calls MPE Minister Enoksen Overrun Opposition: LO Runs the Government Lindbæk Stays in Office, Perhaps for a Year
P318	Sunday, 28 May, 2006 Naughty Norway	Financial Times Ties Norway to Bolivia Nationalisation Hints Norwegian Advisers Cause Strict Terms in Third World Suggests Statoil, Hydro May Benefit More Political Interference to be Found Elsewhere But Advisers May be Preoccupied With "Steering and Control" Checking Manuscripts for Balancing Paradigms a Good Idea Should Norway Help Evaluating Nationalised Assets?
P317	Saturday, 6 May, 2006 Thorium	Professors Propose Thorium-Based Nuclear Power Process Norway Has the World's Third Largest Thorium Deposits No Short/Middle Run Option, But Interesting Long-Run Possibility Among Possible Bridge-Builders for Long-Term Petroleum Cluster
P316	Wednesday, 19 April, 2006 Cluster Test	Integrated Operations Could Increase Field NPV by NOK 250 bn 60% Could Be Lost in Case of Three Year Delay Experts Do Not See Full Effect from Likely Efforts Aggressive, Concerted Effort Required New Technology Must be Implemented Quickly Authorities Must Contribute With R&D Statoil in Cooperation With Global Technology Leaders
P315	Wednesday, 5 April, 2006 All is Not Well	13 Licenses Awarded in 19th Round Four Firm Wells Hard to Describe as a Success BG Group Saves the Day Hydro-Led Group in Near-Coast Finnmark License Møre Near-Coast Blocks Not Awarded
P314	Monday, 3 April, 2006 Compromise and Rematch	Management Plan to Be Reconsidered in 2010 Seismic Surveys Allowed in Nordland VII, Troms II, Egga Edge 35/50 km Protection Zone in Barents Sea No Consistent Risk Management Approach Precautionary Principle Only "One of Several Possible" Going Slow Risky for Foreign Policy, Technology Edge
P313	Friday, 24 March, 2006 Exploration and Oil Price	Researchers Estimate Oil Price Impact on Exploration Long-Term Elasticity 0.2-0.4 Could Suggest USD50 Not Enough to Reach NPD Target Elasticity Lower in Regulated Regions With High Taxation Model Doesn't Explain Low Exploration Level Up to 2005 Could Tax/Materiality Explain Variable Elasticity?
P312	Friday, 10 March, 2006 Not Worst Case	Statoil/Shell Propose CO2 "Value Chain" Politicians Queue to Sign Blank Check Better Than Uncontrolled Run for Subsidies
P311	Monday, 21 February. 2006 APA06	192 Blocks Offered in APA06 APA Area Extended With 11 Blocks Greens Complain, As Usual
P310	Monday, 20 February, 2006 The Battle of the XXXs	Draft Management Plan Leaked Salient Points Shown as "XXX" Discussion Reasonably Balanced Financial Risk/Reward Estimates Missing Left Socialists Formally Give Up Permanent Protection.. .. But Arrive There Anyway! Labour Said to Prioritise Re-Opening of Finnmark Near Shore Appearances Most Important for the Left Socialists?
P309	Friday, 3 February, 2006 Drilling Cycles	Rig Market Expected to be Tight For Many Years How Much Drilling Is Lost Over the Oil Price Cycle? How to Correct Possible Major Market Failure?
P308	Thursday, 2 February, 2006 The Productivity Mystery	Industry Minister Speaks on Innovation Little Change From Bondevik Remarkable Omission of Petroleum Industry Major Clusters Still Undiscovered Productivity Mystery Still Unsolved May Cause Over-Spending on Programs for Other Sectors Aker Should Show its TV Commercial for the MTI
P307	Friday, 19 Januar, 2006 Closing and Un-Closing Minor changes made since e-mail version.	Enoksen: Goliat Solution Up to Industry Technology Likely to Open for E&P Also Outside Lofoten/Vesterålen Top-Level Nordland Group Says Nordland VII Process Should Start Now Nordland VII Could Be Part of the 21th Round
P306	Friday, 13 January, 2006 War of the Words	PM: Business As Usual for Goliat Environment Minister: Not Necessarily Development NPD CEO: Shock Waves in Milano Industry Minister: Socialist Left Party Will Come Along Impossible for Labour to Deny Development Mostly a War of Words, but Casualties Possible Risk of Trade-Offs to Left Socialists
P305	Friday, 6 January, 2006 Total Acquittal	MoF Decides Fund is Not to Divest From Total Important Guidelines in Council's Recommendations Fund to Pull Out From Seven Nuclear Weapons Equipment Producers
P304	Sunday, 1 January, 2006 Regulation	New Rules for Use of Facilities by Others Still Discussions About Area Fee
P303	Sunday, 1 January, 2006 Saving Politicians From Themselves	Gassco, Petoro, Gassnova, MPE to Study "CO2 Value Chain" Gassco Chairs Industry Group to Study Gas Pipeline to Grenland, Sweden Tails Wagging Dogs