First

Canada’s frontier shale drilling hot spot lived up to hopes for a new source of premium-grade oil, according to first results disclosed from 2012-2013 winter exploration in the central Mackenzie Valley region of the Northwest Territories.

Canada’s federal Conservative government has deflected a first stab at obtaining special corporate tax breaks for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, but supporters vow to keep on trying.

As another step forward to use dedicated liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered barges in its maritime transport, Royal Dutch Shell plc recently launched the first dedicated LNG barge from a shipyard in the Netherlands for transporting liquids products on the Rhine River. Shell already has touted similar petroleum product shipping in the United States (see Daily GPI, March 6).

For the first time in “at least” three years, some of the largest North American exploration and production (E&P) operators that are weighted to natural gas expect to see a “significant production decline,” according to an analysis by Barclays Capital.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed that for the first time, Republican voters in New York State have an unfavorable opinion of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who took office two years ago and who is at the forefront of the debate over hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

Following three straight years of production declines after the Macondo well blowout, this year likely will be the first for growth in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) since 2009, but it certainly won’t be the last, said Raymond James & Associates Inc.

Gastar Exploration Ltd. plans to suspend its Marcellus Shale capital program “for a short period” during the second half of the year while it monitors production results and allows time for constraints in midstream services to be worked out, CEO Russ Porter said Tuesday.

Global efforts for the first time are underway to influence a shift toward low-carbon energy sources and to renewables, but the transition would create new challenges unlike any other in history, according to a report by IHS Inc. and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The pecking order of liquefied natural gas (LNG) suppliers to Japan, the world’s largest importer of LNG, has shifted. For the first time, Australia has surpassed Qatar to take the No. 1 slot, according to EnergyQuest, a consultancy based in Australia.