Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Op-Ed Over At Rigzone Re: Russia-China Gas Deal

Back on June 10, 2014, I wrote a fairly long piece on the implications of the Russia-China natural gas deal. Now, Rigzone has an op-ed on that deal. The US lost this chess match. The "Global Shift" is just one of the "Big Stories" I follow.

Rigzone: Russia-China Gas Deal -- The End of the US-EU Energy Power Play --
All of this means that the leverage enjoyed by the Gulf States such as Qatar – one of the high-profile allies of the United States in the region – will take a beating in a longer timeframe.
The recent European elections also raised a question mark over the mandate enjoyed by the parliament at Brussels wherein the UK, France and Denmark have voted overwhelmingly in favor of Eurosceptic parties.
While the EU is marred by internal bickering, the Russia-China duo are romping away with a great show of unity – at least in inking deals that could diminish the clout of the European heavyweights.
All in all, there is much to ponder and strategize accordingly for the policymakers and statesmen both in Washington and Brussels. For this deal and its ramifications would be felt in the times to come.
There is a common theme running through much of this. It started six to twelve months ago.

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Iraq Imploding -- And There's A Media Blackout On Events?

I don't have cable television, so perhaps the cable news channels are running 24/7 the stories coming out of Iraq, but I doubt it. There is very little even in the print media. My hunch is that "things" in Iraq are much, much worse than any of us can imagine. The bits and pieces I get regarding what is going on in Iraq suggests the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is fairly well organized. My hunch these guys are fresh, well-armed, and very, very "pumped up." On the other hand, the "Iraqi Army" is worn out trying to maintain some semblance of calm over the past several years; is probably quite corrupt from the top down; poorly trained; probably poorly equipped, and, ... scared.

Energy E & P To Increase 6% This Year -- Barclays; Investing In Renewable Energy -- SRE

Energy E & P to rise 6% this year -- Barclays.
There is potential for higher capital deployment in the United States due to geopolitical risks in other oil-producing countries, particularly Iraq, Barclays said. "I think the first place they are going to put that money into is North America," Barclays analyst James West told reporters on a conference call.
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 Add China To the Arctic List of Players

Add China to the list that wants access to oil and gas in the Arctic. Link here. Meanwhile, the US, under this administration, is pretty much sitting this one out, also. Except in passing, in the very last paragraph of the linked story, the United States was not even mentioned.
The Arctic Council agreed in May last year to admit emerging powers China and India as observers, reflecting growing global interest in the trade and energy potential of the planet's Far North.
The organisation, which coordinates Arctic policy, is gaining influence as sea ice thaws to open up trade routes and intensify competition for oil and gas - estimated at 15 percent and 30 percent respectively of undiscovered reserves.
The Defence Policy Research Centre of the Academy of Military Sciences of the People's Liberation Army singled out the Arctic as one of the chapters of an annual strategic assessment.
"The Arctic region has rich oil and gas resources and quick and convenient shipping conditions, which has important meaning for ensuring the sustained development of China's economy," the centre said in its report, according to excerpts published by the official China News Service.
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Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment decisions based on what you read here or what you think you may have read here.
Wow, this is a little nugget for investors.

SRE surged today.

No SRE news today. But there was some SRE news earlier in the week I was going to post and then forgot. Zack's is reporting:
SRE announced that its Mexican unit Infraestructura Energetica Nova SAB (IEnova) has received a loan worth $270 million. The company will utilize the fund for the completion of the first phase of its wind energy generation project called Energia Sierra Juarez. 
I posted more of the story at an earlier post. 

There are at least three ways to make money on renewable energy.
  • tax credits to offset other profitable making ventures (Warren Buffett does this)
  • get the contracts to build out the renewable energy infrastructure (like SRE is doing)
  • invest in publicly traded companies that are making money on renewable energy (BRK, SRE)
However, sometimes the most important "asset" in renewable energy is something that cannot be measured: building political and business relationships.

After years of following SRE and then the past years blogging to include SRE, it certainly appears that SRE is doing some very, very interesting things across the "southern tier," stretching from Tijuana to Louisiana.

On another note: right now it appears the only way to make money "directly" on renewable energy is through tax credits (see Warren Buffett above). An industry dependent on tax credits is not a viable industry. Just my two cents worth.

Seeking Alpha Noted North Dakota's One-Million BOPD Milestone

From Seeking Alpha:
  • North Dakota, home to the Bakken shale formation, is now the fourth state in U.S. history to produce more than 1M bbl/day of oil, as the state's Department of Mineral Resources reports output rose 2.5% in April from March to just above 1M bbl/day.
  • North Dakota now produces more than 12% of all U.S. oil and more than 1% of global production - unimaginable just a decade ago
  • Texas, California and Alaska previously have crossed the million-barrel mark; of the three, only Texas remains above it, at almost 3M bbl/day.
  • Among Bakken producers: CLR, EOG, KOG, WLL, HES, OAS, NOG, EOX, MRO.
Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment decisions based on anything you read here or think you may have read here. 

Nine (9) New Permits -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota; Statoil With Two Huge Wells, One In Todd Oil Field

Wells coming off the confidential list Thursday:
  • 25110, drl, CLR, Bonney 3-3H1, Jim Creek, a Three Forks well, no production data,
  • 26693, drl, CLR, Marlene 2-3H1, Stoneview, a Three Forks B1 well, 2560-acre spacing; no production data,
Active rigs:


6/18/201406/18/201306/18/201206/18/201106/18/2010
Active Rigs189184212173129


Nine (9) new permits --
  • Operators: QEP (3), Hunt (2), Slawson (2), MRO (2)
    Fields: Grail (McKenzie), Zahl (Williams), Big Bend (Mountrail), Murphy Creek (Dunn)
  • Comments:
Wells coming off the confidential list were posted earlier; see sidebar at the right.

Eight (8) producing wells completed:
  • 23092, 3,106, Statoil, Jarold 25-36 4H, Todd, t5/14; cum --
  • 23355, 58, Bakken Hunter, Pacer 3427-MBH, Ambrose, t1/14; cum 5K 4/14;
  • 25091, 2,902, Statoil, Bill 14-23 3H, Alexander, t5/14; cum --
  • 25092, 1,166, Statoil, Bill 14-23 5TFH, Alexander, t5/14; cum --
  • 25699, 1,253, Hess, AN-Evenson 152-95-0310H-4, Antelope, a Sanish well, t5/14; cum --
  • 26172, 511, Hess, SC-4WX-153-98-3130H-2, Banks, t4/13; cum --
  • 26805, 1,882, MRO, Renn 41-4TFH, Reunion Bay, t5/14; cum --
  • 26842, 1,108, Hess, EN-Leo-154-94-23224H-3, Alkali Creek, t5/14; cum -- 
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Apple Introduces New "Low-End" iMac

Wow. I watch Apple even more closely than the Bakken (not entirely true). I check Apple sites two or three times a day and yet I almost missed this one. Apple introduced a new, lower-priced iMac today with no advance announcement.

For Investors Only; Market Surges After Yellen Speaks -- June 18, 2014; Snow Falls In Idaho; Freezes In Oregon -- In June, 2014; Eighteen Years Of No Warming

The Fed: Generally after Bernanke spoke, the stock market fell; after Yellen talks the stock market surges. The market surged after she spoke, now up about 90 points even with these data points:
  • growth forecast cut;
  • tapering continues;
  • the Fed wouldn't raise interest rates until 2015 
 It was that last point that moved the market -- another year of easy money.

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment decisions based on anything you read here or anything you think you may have read here.

Trading at new 52-week highs: APA, BP, BCEI, CSX, CVX, COP, DVN, ECA, ERF, Floteck, Genesee & Wyoming, KOG, NRG, NFX, SD, SRE, TPLM, WLL. 

SRE: surged. That's a surprise. Oh, that's right. I forgot to post this this other day. Zack's is reporting:
SRE announced that its Mexican unit Infraestructura Energetica Nova SAB (IEnova) has received a loan worth $270 million. The company will utilize the fund for the completion of the first phase of its wind energy generation project called Energia Sierra Juarez.

IEnova is engaged in the construction and operation of energy infrastructure in Mexico. It is the only energy company in the country, which is publicly traded. The company has two segments – Gas and Electricity. In 2013, IEnova invested $2.4 billion in natural gas distribution, transportation and storage and electricity generation projects. Currently, the company is spending around $1.8 billion in new energy infrastructure ventures.

The 155-megawatts ESJ wind project is located in the Municipality of Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. The $300 million project is jointly owned by IEnova and InterGen. It is the first cross-border wind generation project between the U.S. and Mexico. The company has used 47 units of 3.3-MW Vestas turbines in the project, which is expected to start commercial operations in the first half of 2015.

The output from the ESJ project will be purchased by Sempra Energy’s subsidiary San Diego Gas and Electric Company under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Inking long-term contracts will ensure IEnova a steady cash inflow, which will support it to repay its loan on time.
KOG: goes over $14. Up almost 4% today.

The Market: earlier today most everything was red, some green. Everything has turned green. The market surges almost 100 points after Yellen speaks.

Phillips 66 Acquires New Storage Terminal Along The Gulf

I can't recall if I've previously posted this, another exciting energy story, Motley Fool is reporting:
Earlier this month, Phillips 66 announced the acquisition of a Gulf Coast terminal facility to little fanfare. The company didn't even disclose the price of the terminal that it purchased from Chevron.
This is just another quiet step the company is taking to profit from increased American energy exports by following in the footsteps of leading exporters such as Enterprise Products Partners.

Phillips 66 is acquiring Chevron's Beaumont Terminal complex near Beaumont, Texas. The terminal has 7.1 million barrels of storage capacity that encompasses 4.7 million barrels of crude-oil capacity and 2.4 million barrels of refined products capacity.
Most noteworthy, the facility has deepwater access via two marine docks capable of handling Aframax tankers and one large barge dock. It also has rail and truck loading and unloading facilities, as well as access to major crude oil and refined product pipelines.
The company noted that the facility is strategically positioned for the increased movement of North American crude oil into the Gulf Coast, as well as for the growth in refined product exports. Furthermore, Phillips 66 pointed out that the asset has significant expansion potential. Bottom line here is this site is perfectly positioned for the export market.
Much more at the link.

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Meanwhile, President Obama Has Drawn A Red Line Against Global Warming

I can't make this up. Over at IceAgeNow:
On June 14 he gave a commencement speech to graduates of the University of California at Irvine, using it to tell Big Fat Lies, not the least of which was that the Earth’s temperatures were rising when in fact they have been falling for nearly eighteen years.
It is an endless source of wonder to me that no part of the mainstream media disputes him when he says things like this. For years now they have been reporting the evidence of increasingly cold weather worldwide.
On the same day the President was lying about warming, eight inches of snow fell in Rize, Turkey. It has fallen as well in South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia while closer to home snow fell on several cities in Idaho with cold freezes extending into Oregon. In June!
Obama used the speech to demand that politicians take steps to acknowledge climate change which used to be called global warming until it became undeniable to everyone except the charlatans lining their pockets with utterly bogus “research” that underwrites the source of the lies, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
UC Irvine. Really?