Following are energy highlights from today’s editions of the European press. Click on the links to see related Argus stories:
Financial Times
Energy will be a central theme of President George Bush’s State of the Union speech this month as it was in last year’s address, but his critics doubt whether he will go much further than to call for more spending on alternative fuels (p6).
The summer heat is placing an almost unbearable burden on Argentina’s power system, with soaring demand for price-capped electricity putting a strain on the national grid (p6).
US dependence on Opec for oil imports has risen to its highest level in 15 years, following Angola’s entry this week as the 12th member of the organisation (p7).
Renewable energy is beginning to pick up speed as an investment, with more than $70bn invested globally in clean technology or renewable energy last year (p17).
Global brokerage Icap Energy is benefitting from its new role as a carbon trader (p17).
French billionaire Francois Pinault said he was keeping his options open regarding a potential bid for Franco-Belgian utility Suez (p21).
WSJ
Shell is attempting to bring production back online at a key Niger delta oil field amid escalating violence in the region (p3).
Chinese entrepreneurs are contributing to strong growth in the country’s oil imports (p3).
French investment holding company Artemis has said it is keeping all options open regarding a possible bid for Franco-Belgian utility Suez (p4).
Editorial: The recent Russian-Belarus gas crisis could have serious implications for European energy security (p11).
Editorial: Increasing business opportunities in the biofuels sector are attracting oil giants (p13).
Lloyd’s List
Indian energy group Aban Offshore is set to make a mandatory offer to buy Norwegian driller Sinvest in an $800mn deal (p2).
Qatar’s International Mercantile Exchange (IME) is searching for a chief executive ahead of the March opening of its energy futures exchange (p2).
France’s Pinault group refused to confirm or deny reports that it was preparing a takeover bid for Suez, a privately owned utilities company (p3).
Bad weather in Turkey has caused week-long delays to tankers attempting to pass through the Dardanelles and Bosporus straits (p8).
Shipowners are employing new methods to cut fuel costs in an effort to reduce bills that can account for as much as 70pc of the cost of a voyage (p10).
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