Posted in Guyana, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Esequiba, Essequibo, Guyana, Maduro, venezuela on December 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »
How can the US be relaxing sanctions on this thug?
Venezuela’s state-run companies will “immediately… proceed to give operating licenses for the exploration and exploitation of oil, gas and mines in our Guayana Esequiba,” Maduro said.
Any other firms operating in the area will have three months to withdraw from the territory, he explained, adding that a zone of integral defense of ‘Guayana Esequiba’ would be created.
lianglj0.hott.es
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Posted in energy policy, tagged DOE, SPR refill, Strategic Petroleum Reserve on December 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Huh? Since 9/1/2023, the SPR has increased from 350.34 million bbls to 351.9 million bbs, a total of only 1.56 million bbls. From the historic low of 346.76 bbls on 7/7/2023, the SPR has increased by just 5.14 million bbls, and remains at only 48% full. The total refill since the 2023 low amounts to only 0.7% of capacity.
DOE knew that refilling the SPR would be a very slow process given the significant acquisition, operational, and maintenance challenges. Nonetheless, political concerns about oil prices were prioritized and the reserve was recklessly depleted.
Prediction: The SPR will still be <400 million bbls at the end of 2024.
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged Gulf of Mexico, Hogan and Houchin, IG report, safety violations on December 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Below is a report summary that was referenced in the Office of the Inspector General, Dept. of the Interior, Semiannual Report to Congress (9/30/2023). The summary does not identify the company that committed the violations.
Failing to identify the responsible company is not in the best interest of the OCS program or the many operators and contractors that are committed to safe operations and compliance with the regulations.
The subject violations were on the Federal OCS and were serious enough to be investigated by the IG. The public has a right to see the full report. (See also the discussion about the failure to release the IG report on the misuse of the decommissioning account for Platforms Hogan and Houchin.)
Presumably, BSEE has issued civil penalties, so we may be able to piece this case together when those penalties have finally been paid.
Summary: Offshore Servicing Company Failed to Conduct Mandated Safety Tests and Submitted False Information to BSEE
Report Date: August 29, 2023 Report Number: 20-0425
The OIG investigated allegations that an offshore oil and gas servicing company bypassed safety valves and falsified mandated safety tests associated with an oil and gas production platform located in the Gulf of Mexico. The safety tests are required by Federal regulations enforced by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to ensure that equipment aboard the platform functions properly and prevents the discharge of hydrocarbons into Federal waters.
We found that the servicing company did not perform the mandated safety tests but submitted documentation to BSEE that falsely represented that the safety tests had been conducted. We also determined that multiple safety valves aboard the offshore platform were bypassed and remained in that condition for at least 59 days but potentially as long as 223 days. We presented our findings to the U.S. Department of Justice, which declined prosecution.
This is a summary of an investigative report we issued to the Director of BSEE for action as deemed appropriate.
Posted in climate, energy policy, Uncategorized, Wind Energy, tagged COP 28, Denmark, fossil fuel, Jens Christiansen, renewable energy on December 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The quote and graphic are from Jens Christiansen, a Danish physicist and nuclear power advocate.
Energy reality on display (vs. COP theater):
Posted in Guyana, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Essequibo, Guyana, oil theft, venezuela on December 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Per AP, The National Electoral Council claimed to have counted more than 10.5 million votes even though few voters could be seen at polling sites throughout the voting period for the five-question referendum.
This claim sees like a joke, but President Maduro’s intentions are not:
“It has been a total success for our country, for our democracy,” Maduro told supporters gathered in Caracas, the capital, after results were announced.
AP News
Posted in Guyana, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Essequibo, Guyana, oil theft, referendum, venezuela on December 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged court order, deep sea mining, Georges Bank, Greenpeace, TMC, Zapata Saratoga on December 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »
TMC
- The District Court of Amsterdam has ordered Greenpeace International to immediately disembark from the research vessel commissioned by TMC subsidiary Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI) to conduct legally-mandated environmental impact assessments requested by the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority (ISA)
- Since November 23rd, Greenpeace’s unsafe and unlawful activities have hindered independent scientists in conducting environmental and scientific studies to assess ecosystem function and recovery one year on from NORI’s pilot nodule collection system test
A bit of history: We experienced Greenpeace protesters on Georges Bank way back in 1981. They were dispatched from the Rainbow Warrior which visited the Zapata Saratoga, 155 miles SE of Nantucket. Given the remote location, the protest was unexpected. However, the drilling operation was not disrupted and no action was taken against Greenpeace. Four years later, the Rainbow Warrior was bombed by French commandos while in port in Auckland, NZ prior to planned protests against French nuclear testing in the South Pacific. Sadly, one crew member was killed during this incident.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 
