Global

Chevron Corp.’s global head of exploration and production told reporters Wednesday that the company is attempting to complete its acquisition of Unocal Corp. as soon as August. However, the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) said late Wednesday that it is willing to offer US$67 in cash per Unocal share, or about US$18.5 billion, which represents a premium for Unocal’s shareholders of US$1.5 billion over the value of Chevron’s offer based on Chevron’s closing price on June 21.

Canada’s Irving Oil and Spain’s Repsol, a major player in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) business, have signed definitive partnership agreements on development of the 1 Bcf/d Canaport LNG terminal in St. John, NB, which would be connected to Irving Oil’s refinery and the eastern Canadian pipeline grid. The terminal is expected to be operational, delivering regasified LNG into the marketplace, in 2008.

Canada’s Irving Oil and Spain’s Repsol, a major player in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) business, have signed definitive partnership agreements on development of the 1 Bcf/d Canaport LNG terminal in St. John, NB, which would be connected to Irving Oil’s refinery and the eastern Canadian pipeline grid. The terminal is expected to be operational, delivering regasified LNG into the marketplace, in 2008.

Duke Energy is outsourcing its human resources (HR) operations and information technology to Hewitt Associates, a global human resources services firm, under a new seven-and-a-half-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. About 100 Duke Energy employees, out of a total of 21,500 in the U.S. and Canada, will lose their jobs because of the move, but Duke said some may still be retained by Hewitt. Most of the affected employees are located at Duke’s Charlotte headquarters. Hewitt will provide comprehensive back-office administrative human resources services, including payroll, active employee and retiree health and insurance enrollment and status, retirement plan administration, staffing and training enrollment and status, work force event and salary administration, and performance management administration, to the company’s U.S. and Canadian employees and retirees. The company said that all of its U.S. and Canadian employees and benefit plan participants will see changes in the manner in which they access some HR information and/or how they perform certain HR-related functions.

Given current global wholesale energy price volatility, Japan is avoiding traditional 20-year contracts for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, and that likely will set the model for the rest of the world since Japan is such a dominant importer of the fuel, according to Tom Giles, COO for Mitsubishi’s U.S.-based Sound Energy Solutions (SES).

Given current global wholesale energy price volatility, Japan is avoiding traditional 20-year contracts for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, and that likely will set the model for the rest of the world since Japan is such a dominant importer of the fuel, according to Tom Giles, COO for Mitsubishi’s U.S.-based Sound Energy Solutions (SES).

Duke Energy said Monday that it is outsourcing its human resources (HR) operations and information technology to Hewitt Associates, a global human resources services firm, under a new seven-and-a-half-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Looking for an experienced global industry player and perhaps indicating a shift of potential gas supply sources, Houston-based Crystal Energy, LLC, announced last week that it has an “in-principle agreement” with Australian-based Woodside (USA) Energy Inc. to develop Crystal’s proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal off the coast of Oxnard along the part of Southern California’s coast dotted with offshore oil platforms. Crystal originally proposed bringing Alaskan gas supplies through its terminal.

Looking for an experienced global industry player and perhaps indicating a shift of potential gas supply sources, Houston-based Crystal Energy, LLC, announced last week that it has an “in-principle agreement” with Australian-based Woodside (USA) Energy Inc. to develop Crystal’s proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal off the coast of Oxnard along the part of Southern California’s coast dotted with offshore oil platforms. Crystal originally proposed bringing Alaskan gas supplies through its terminal.