Myanmar Pipelines on Schedule Despite Attack

A deadly attack this week by Myanmar rebels won't delay the launch of two pipelines scheduled to begin pumping oil and natural gas into China later this year, a senior Myanmar government official said. 

Two Myanmar nationals working as subcontractors for China National Petroleum Corp. were killed on Monday after rebels opened fire at a compound near the Chinese border, said Htay Aung, head of office for the ministry of energy. 

"The incident will have no impact on the timeline," said Mr. Htay Aung. Construction is near completion, allowing for the first gas to be supplied in July, while no exact date has been set for first delivery of crude oil under the "flexible supply contract," he said. "We will try to deliver the first oil this year," he said. 

The pipelines are majority-owned by CNPC and stretch from the Bay of Bengal to China's Yunnan province. When completed, they will be able to supply up to 440,000 barrels of Middle Eastern and African crude oil a day and 12 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year from Myanmar offshore fields. 

However, following this week's deadly attack, analysts and human rights groups say escalating violence in Myanmar is threatening to delay the $2.5 billion project, which passes through the Shan state, and comes within 12 miles of the border with the Kachin state, where the heaviest fighting between minorities seeking greater independence and the government has taken place. 

"I think it is unavoidable," said Mr. Wong Aung, a spokesman for the Shwe Gas Movement, a human rights group. He estimates that because of the fighting, the launch of the pipelines "may take a few months longer." 

Ethnic minority groups in Myanmar have for decades fought the government, seeking greater independence. Myanmar's government, which took power in 2011 after five decades of military rule, has reached ceasefires with most groups. But fighting has picked up in recent months near the Chinese border. 

12

View Full Article

Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Total Boosts Security Spend after Algeria Attack

DUBAI - French oil and gas major Total SA has increased its security spending in the Middle East following a deadly attack in January on an Algerian natural-gas plant that rekindled fears of raids on energy facilities across the region, a senior executive said Wednesday. 

Asked if the company has raised its security measures and spending in the Middle East, Arnaud Breuillac, Total's president for Middle East exploration and production, told Dow Jones Newswires that the company had done so and he said "but it is not only about the money it's about the people, the risk, and the work." 

The firm is "taking extra care (now)," he said, but declined to say how much it was investing on its security plans. 

Last month, Total said it is planning to drill two exploration wells in Libya in May, in a move that shows that recent security concerns haven't stopped international companies from moving forward with their North African oil-development plans. 

The attack on an Algerian gas plant is forcing global oil giants to rethink protection of oil fields in the Middle East and Africa, a new reality that could potentially boost the cost of crude production. Major oil companies have long been a target of kidnappings and low-level sabotage, but the unprecedented scale of the Algeria attack will likely result in new levels of protection. 

It took Algerian forces several days to retake the In Amenas plant, which is jointly operated by Statoil, BP PLC and Algerian energy company Sonatrach. Forty people were killed.

Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

BP Names Final Victim of In Amenas Attack

BP confirmed in London Tuesday the identity of the fourth of its employees who were killed in the terrorist attack on the In Amenas gas plant in southeastern Algeria in mid-January.

Stephen Green, who was from Fleet, England, was an HSSE specialist, who had more than 23 years of experience working on major international projects.

The announcement means that BP has now confirmed the identities of all four of its employees who were unaccounted for after the attack. Sebastian John, Carlos Estrada and Gordon Rowan were also among the 40 people at In Amenas who were killed.

"These men were murdered while carrying out their jobs on a normal working day. It was a calculated and evil act," BP Group Chief Executive Bob Dudley said in a company statement.

"As BP mourns the loss of our colleagues, our thoughts are also with the families and friends of all of those who lost their lives in this terrible incident."

At the end of January Statoil, BP's partner in the In Amenas joint venture, confirmed that the last of its missing employees – Victor Sneberg – had been found dead. Statoil lost five of its staff in the attack.

A former engineer, Jon is an award-winning editor who has covered the technology, engineering and energy sectors since the mid-1990s. Email Jon at jmainwaring@rigzone.com.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

BP Names Final Victim of In Amenas Attack

BP confirmed in London Tuesday the identity of the fourth of its employees who were killed in the terrorist attack on the In Amenas gas plant in southeastern Algeria in mid-January.

Stephen Green, who was from Fleet, England, was an HSSE specialist, who had more than 23 years of experience working on major international projects.

The announcement means that BP has now confirmed the identities of all four of its employees who were unaccounted for after the attack. Sebastian John, Carlos Estrada and Gordon Rowan were also among the 40 people at In Amenas who were killed.

"These men were murdered while carrying out their jobs on a normal working day. It was a calculated and evil act," BP Group Chief Executive Bob Dudley said in a company statement.

"As BP mourns the loss of our colleagues, our thoughts are also with the families and friends of all of those who lost their lives in this terrible incident."

At the end of January Statoil, BP's partner in the In Amenas joint venture, confirmed that the last of its missing employees – Victor Sneberg – had been found dead. Statoil lost five of its staff in the attack.

A former engineer, Jon is an award-winning editor who has covered the technology, engineering and energy sectors since the mid-1990s. Email Jon at jmainwaring@rigzone.com.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Evans man guilty in attempted attack of a 10-year-old girl

Mark Garza (Weld County Sheriff's Office)

An Evans man pleaded guilty Thursday to a sex crime involving a child.

Mark Garza, 39, pleaded guilty in Weld County District Court to kidnapping and attempted sexual assault on a child, prosecutors said.

Garza was arrested by Evans police on June 4 after a 10-year-old girl, who had visited his house, said that he had "forcefully touched her in a sexual manner," according to a media release from the Weld County District Attorney's Office.

The girl, according to court records, said Garza forced her into his bedroom and tried to assault her but she was able to "fight him off."

Garza is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20.

Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, knicholson

View the Original article

Four people set afire in attack at Denver apartment Thursday night

Font ResizeBy Joey Bunch
The Denver Postdenverpost.comPosted: 12/13/2012 08:34:06 PM MSTDecember 14, 2012 12:56 PM GMTUpdated: 12/14/2012 05:56:22 AM MST


View the Original article