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Iraq Oil Exports Near 2M B/D After Reopening North Pipe - AFP

Iraq has boosted its oil exports to almost 2 million barrels a day after reopening a pipeline to Turkey and hopes to sharply raise output in 2008, a senior oil official said Wednesday.

Alstom, Orascom Secure $1.98B Contract In Algeria - Report

A consortium led by French energy and transport firm Alstom SA and Egypt's Orascom Construction Industries have secured a $1.98 billion contract to build a power plant in Algeria, La Tribune reported Wednesday.

Greek PPC 9-Mo Net Pft -15.4% On Reduced Hydro Production

Greece's Public Power Corp. SA Wednesday said nine-month net profit fell 15.4% as unusually dry weather cut hydro production, forcing the company to pay more for energy.

Shell Agrees To Buy Stake In Regal's Ukraine Assets

A Royal Dutch Shell PLC unit has signed a preliminary deal to buy a stake in Regal Petroleum Ltd.'s Ukrainian unit for $410 million, Regal said Wednesday. The deal underscores the Anglo-Dutch major's focus on Ukraine as it tries to expand its foothold in the oil and gas-rich former Soviet Union.

Hungary Has Serious Doubts On Iran's Nabucco Role -Official

Hungary is reluctant to see Iran as a potential supplier for the planned Nabucco natural gas pipeline as long as Iranian political and economic reliability remains an issue, an Economics Ministry official said Wednesday.

Iraq Kurds Brush Off Baghdad Warning On Oil Deals - AFP

The Iraqi Kurds brushed off Wednesday threats by the central government in Baghdad to blacklist oil firms which sign contracts with the Kurdish regional government ahead of a new national oil law. The regional government charged the warning issued by Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani last Thursday was reminiscent of the Arab chauvinism of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Gaz de France Mulls Romanian Gas Pipe Projects - Mediafax

Gaz de France is interested in the construction of the gas networks that connect Romania with Bulgaria and Hungary, news agency Mediafax reported Wednesday, citing the president of the French group Jean Francois Carriere.

Total CEO: Oil Prices Are Unlikely To Fall

Oil prices are unlikely to decrease in the near term, French oil major Total SA's chief executive Christophe de Margerie said Wednesday.

EU Court Aide: Criminalization of Maritime Pollution is Legal

A European Union law that criminalizes maritime pollution is legal, an adviser to the EU’s top court said in an opinion that rejects shipping industry complaints that the new rules may cause “chaos.”

Bulgaria Sees Gas Transit up 13.3 percent in 2007

Bulgaria's Bulgargaz said it expects to transport 17.1 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Russian natural gas to Turkey, Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia this year, up 13.3 percent from 2006, a company official said yesterday.

New Greek-Turkish Gas Pipeline is Part of US-Russian Antagonism Concerning Energy Supplies to the West

Greek Eco Record Slammed

Greece is seriously neglecting its commitments to curb global warming, with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions up by 25 percent – one of the worst records among developed countries, the WWF Hellas environmental protection group said yesterday.

Nigeria Seeks Energy Industry Control Amid Rising Oil Prices

For decades, Nigerian governments were content to let international oil companies do the pumping, merely taking taxes, royalties and a cut of profits.