17 new oil & gas exploration blocks await security clearance

ISLAMABAD: The Petroleum Division has forwarded around 17 onshore oil and gas exploration blocks to the quarters concerned in order to get security clearance and subsequently to initiate the activities to discover hydrocarbon reserves in all four provinces of the country. Currently, there are 38 active exploration licences awarded to both local and foreign national oil companies which are undertaking exploration studies and projects in their allocated areas, according to an official data available with APP. The exploration and production (E&P) companies operating in Pakistan have so far drilled 18 offshore…

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Oil Trading Giant Sees Oil Price Recovery Later This Year

Commodity trading major Vitol said it expected oil prices to recover later this year once the effect of the coronavirus epidemic wanes, Bloomberg reported, citing the company’s chief executive.Video Player is loading. Before that, however, the oil market will suffer a 200-million-barrel negative impact on demand during the first quarter, Russell Hardy said, with loss of demand in China at 4 million bpd at the moment, on the back of travel bans and lower economic activity. While this is undoubtedly negative for prices, Vitol’s CEO also said there is a positive…

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Venezuela Declares An Energy Emergency

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has declared emergency for the country’s oil industry, calling for measures to ensure Venezuela’s energy security, Sputnik reports, quoting a tweet by the presidential administration. “I declare an emergency situation in the oil industry by constitutional and presidential decree in order to take urgent and necessary measures to ensure the country’s energy security and protect the industry from imperialist aggression,” Maduro said. “Clause 2 creates a plenipotentiary presidential commission for the protection, restructuring and reorganization of the national oil industry”. Reuters quoted Maduro as saying, “The sanctions, the blockade – I…

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LNG delays push Pakistan towards coal

Pakistan’s hope that the growth of LNG imports would relieve energy-induced constraints on economic growth has been dashed by project delays. Instead, it has turned to the IMF for economic help and coal to relieve energy shortages When Pakistan began importing LNG in March 2015, marking its first imports of natural gas in any form, some hoped that the country would become a 30mn t/yr market as early as 2020. The optimists—notably former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi—thought imports would help the nation escape energy shortages so severe and prolonged…

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Jeff Bezos: World’s richest man pledges $10bn to fight climate change

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos has pledged $10bn (£7.7bn) to help fight climate change. The world’s richest man said the money would finance work by scientists, activists and other groups. He said: “I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change.” Writing on his Instagram account, Mr Bezos said the fund would begin distributing money this summer. Mr Bezos has an estimated net worth of more than $130bn, so the pledge represents almost 8% of his…

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