November 2008 Vol. 235 No. 11

Access to natural gas will be a vital part of the world’s energy strategy in the years to come. Because the regions of greatest new supplies are distant from sources, demand for liquefied natural gas is forecast to more than double by 2020.

How best will the growing volumes of ethanol being produced to comply with federal laws be safely transported from producing plants in regions where there are few fuel transportation assets to consumers?

Current tightness in U.S. natural gas supply-demand fundamentals has generated a tremendous interest among developers, marketers/traders and the financial community to develop, contract for, and finance storage projects in the U.S. - particularly high deliverability salt dome storage in the U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC).

Early in January 2008 Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska approved an application from TransCanada Alaska Co., LLC/Foothills Pipeline, Ltd to build a gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It remains to be seen whether the line, as envisioned, will be built.

Together with major industry partners, Det Norske Veritas (DNV) is developing new guidelines for design and operation of onshore and offshore pipelines for the transmission of CO2.

Five Eastern European nations have signed an agreement that could facilitate transportation of Caspian oil to Poland and the Baltic States without traversing Russian territory.

Russia has formally decided to start work next year on a gas pipeline to China’s western Xinjiang province.

The New York Times reported on Oct. 15 that a high-level delegation from Gazprom met in Anchorage with state officials to discuss investments in energy projects.