Tawanai

A few weeks ago, ExxonMobil announced a commitment to invest $300 million over five to six years in Synthetic Genomics, which the famous scientist Craig Venter founded and now leads as CEO, and to spend an additional $300 million on a complementary internal algae program. Here’s more about this new investment.

The push is to take advantage of algae’s ability to efficiently transform sunlight into lipids that can be relatively easily converted into diesel, gasoline, and possibly even advanced hydrocarbons used to manufacture plastics, chemicals, and other products.

By the barrel, algae fuel provides three to four units of energy for every unit used to make it–a ratio that approaches petroleum’s 5-to-1 level of efficiency. The ratio for making ethanol from corn is a mere 1.2 to 1, according to some studies. Even making ethanol from cellulosic plants like switchgrass, researchers can achieve only a 2.5 to 1 ratio.

Venter’s company has been developing strains of bioengineered algae that ramp up the output of lipids and can in some cases produce hydrocarbons directly. However, Venter and Emil Jacobs, senior vice president for R&D at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, both emphasize that their companies will collaborate to investigate any viable option to push algae into the big time of energy sources.

Since research in algae fuels began in the 1970s at the Department of Energy–as part of President Jimmy Carter’s efforts to develop alternative fuels after the oil shocks of that era–several methods have emerged.

First is an open-pond system that grows algae out in the sun. Another is a closed, sunless system that feeds carbon from feed stock such as sugarcane to algae plants in fermentation tanks. A third type is a closed-system bioreactor that uses sunlight.

Energy, Investment, Oil algae

Fuel cost is one of the most expensive items for many developing and developed countries. In Pakistan we have a lot of waste and inefficient use of our cars and commercial fleets. Perhaps high tech devices can help in this area. Check this out:

In an uncertain economy, organizations are turning to GPS-enabled Service Workforce and Fleet Management solutions to drive efficiencies into their service organizations so as to maintain customer satisfaction levels, drive resource utilization levels while controlling service-related costs. These firms are actively looking to increase visibility into all service resources via GPS, according to a recent research report titled “Service Workforce and Fleet Management: Driving Utilization with Location Intelligence,” published by the Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company.

“Organizations responding to our research indicate that they currently monitor and track the location of 35% of their workers and 47% of their vehicles,” said Sumair Dutta, senior research analyst, Aberdeen Group. “This is up from averages of 23% for workers and 35% for vehicles in 2008 with indications of further investments in 2010. These results are indicative of the value offered by GPS-enabled tracking, navigation and routing solutions in meeting cost containment and customer management pressures faced by today’s service and manufacturing organizations.”

Research findings in the Service Workforce and Fleet Management report indicate responding firms have seen the following average improvements in key service performance indicators since the adoption of GPS-enabled solutions:
– A 25% reduction in idle times
– A 32% increase in fleet utilization
– A 22% decrease in fuel costs and a 31% drop in daily mileage
– A 23% boost in workforce productivity

Via Telematics

Conservation, Fuel, Oil, Petrol fleet, gps

As a part of its drive to secure foreign investments and overcome energy crisis, a two‑day conference on oil and gas exploration in Pakistan is being organized in London (of all the places) next month. The July 23‑24 conference will comprise a series of events and interactive sessions between the various stakeholders for a share in Pakistan’s natural resources. Pakistan Exploration Promotion Conference has been arranged by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources

Similar moots have also been planned during the month of July at Houston in USA and Calgary, Canada, the two important oil cities in the western hemisphere.

Officials at the Pakistan High Commission said these events will provide an excellent platform for the international companies  to be informed about the upstream oil and gas business in Pakistan and highlight potential investment opportunities in the country.

“The agenda of the events will be based around the recently approved Petroleum Policy 2009 which offers attractive incentives to potential foreign and local investors and companies,” Saira Najeeb Ahmed, Commercial Counsellor, told APP Thursday.

The latest Basin Study of April 2009,confirms the rich oil and gas potential of the country where 934 million barrels of oil has been exploited against the potential of 3675 million barrels.

Similarly, the south Asian country has gas potential of 67 trillion cubic feet of which 54 tcf has been exploited so far.

The official noted that there are still abundant reserves in Pakistan that are yet to be explored and to ramp up production from existing wells and tap into the unexplored reserves, the Government has decided to take serious measures.

Furthermore, in light of the current energy crisis, the Government has introduced a flexible and attractive package for onshore and offshore petroleum exploration through the Petroleum Policy 2009.

In last five years, the Petroleum & Natural Resources Ministry has granted 88 licenses to various Exploration and Production (E&P) companies including 16 international groups such as BP of UK, Eni of Italy, MOL of Hungary, OMV of Austria, BHP of Australia, NIKO Resources of Canada, amongst many others.  The E&P industry has also committed an investment of US $ 486 Million US$ in the oil & gas sector.

Via: APP

Energy, Gas, Investment, Oil, Pakistan

One of the amazing things about energy sector in Pakistan is how payments are managed among government/other departments and agencies. Hubco had a large balance due which was finally paid by Wapda. This payment issue is said to be one of the reasons behind power shortage. After all, cash flow is the blood for every industry.

Associated Press of Pakisan reports:

The Hub Power Company (Hubco) has received a payment of outstanding amount of Rs 35.458 billion from the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) through circular debt settlement arranged by the Federal government. According to Hubco communique despatched to Karachi Stocks Exchange, Rs 30.156 billion were immediately paid to Pakistan State Oil (PSO) in accordance with settlement procedure. After this settlement, the receivables against Wapda are estimated at Rs 27.8 billion, while Hubco has to pay Rs 24 billion to PSO against the supply of furnace oil.

Electricity, Oil, Pakistan

An eye-opener, reported at  karachi metroblog.

Oil, Petrol

Merril Lynch issues regular updates on the macroeconomic conditions in the country. Here is what they wrote about the oil and gas industry situation in the December 24th update.

Drilling activity is slow to pick up in 1HFY09. Only four exploration and two development wells were drilled up to November, according to PPIS, relative to the full-year target of 40 and 50 wells, respectively. The full-year drilling target is likely to be revised down.

Relative to its peers, production surprises are limited for PPL. The expected production growth of 2-3% in
FY09 depends on completion of phase II expansion phase on Tal block.

Gas, Investment, Oil, Pakistan

Pakistan is facing hard time as the shortage of Petroleum and Gasoline has hit the country. From the last couple of weeks there has been an era of difficulty on Industrial, consumer and contractor basis. The economical situation of the country is not stable. With this artifical shortage of petroleum and gas the industries are in trouble. Industrialists fear that they would not be able to meet their orders in time. Many industries are being closed or shut down as a result of these issues. As the price of petrol came down there has been a reverse effect. Petrol stations are closed as government is unable to provide petrol to people. Instead of saving Pakistani government stopped the inflow of petrol into the country. People on the other hand have started making rumours of why there has been such shortage. Some think its going to the military where as some say that its an artificial shortage. On the latest news till now the prime minister has requested Iran to aid Pakistani to meet the oil shortage.

On the other hand Sui Northern Gas Compnay has also limited its supply and then again industries and consumers are paying the price for it. There is a word out these days called “Gas Load Shedding”. The company has failed to provide gas to CNG stations and homes. Shortly after the petrol was available on the filling stations, CNG went out. There was not a single gas station open in Lahore at the day time because of the shortage. The CNG station owners say that out of 15% there is 2% gas available to them which is not a good number. In Lahore CNG stations start there business at the midnight and go till 8 in the morning. Both the domestic consumers and the industrialists have protested heavily against the government.

The oil and gas shortage is a threat to Pakistan’s economic stability. If the industries are shut down there would be no domestic or foreign investment. The stock markets will fall. Government has a limited time barrier to come over these problems or to face heavy damages to the infrastructure of the country.

Consumers, Economics, Energy, Gas, Infrastructure, Investment, Oil, Petrol

In case we needed more evidence that the energy situation in Pakistan is a total mess, there is critical shortage of petrol and fuel in Pakistan. There were long lines at the petrol stations and people had to waste a lot of time and effort to get any feul. The previous shortage happened in the summer when prices were going up. The shortage has led to black marketing and petrol was being sold at prices of up to Rs 75-80 per litre. The prices of liquefied petroleum gas also remained above Rs 80 per kg in most areas of Lahore.

Why did this happen now that the oil prices are going down and who is responsbile?

Petroleum dealers said that the shortage of petrol and diesel is due to non-supply from oil marketing companies (OMCs). Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association Central President Abdul Sami Khan said the oil marketing companies have demanded the government increase their commissions and therefore are not ready to give stocks of petrol in the country until their demand is met. He said the government should take immediate action to provide relief to the citizens. An oil company official said the petroleum prices are likely to fall in the coming days, adding that petrol companies are not ready to lift the fresh stocks.

What is the government doing to fix this?

Consumers, Oil, Petrol

Daily Times article about energy situation in Pakistan. Excerpts below.

Gas and oil have 65% to 67% share in conventional electricity generation. Indigenous reserves of oil and gas are limited and the country heavily depends on imported oil. So once again energy requirements of Pakistan are not up to the demand .At the moment only 55% to 56 % of Pakistan’s population has access to electricity. Now that is a bleak picture

Energy security often hangs in a fragile balance because of oil supply and demand laws and oil volatility. Burning of Fossil fuel also contributes to Air pollution and increase in the Green house effect and robbing us of precious Carbon footprints.

According to the Islamabad own estimates by 2015 power demand in Pakistan will be nearly 22 percent greater than anticipated supply. By 2030, this energy deficit will be 64 percent. Now these are threatning figures and estimations especially when we need a jump start economy as fast as possible.

Energy, Oil, Renewable Energy