WEBSITES OF INTEREST:
Summaries of WebPages of interest related to oil and gas exploration in Aotearoa and related info.
…
Peace Movement Aotearoa summary of recent events:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/peace-movement-aotearoa/updated-act-now-iwi-fishing-skipper-detained-on-navy-warship/183477711699606
- – - -
Guyon Espiner interviews Chris Finlayson, Q+A programme on TV 1, Sunday June 20. Features interesting responses from Finlayson over Customary Title vs. RMA vs. Petrobras permit. Ownership rights will rest with iwi holding customary title, but regulatory powers still rest with RMA and local councils. Customary title/ownership will still mean though that iwi can possibly veto developments within its customary title area.
…
http://topnews.net.nz/content/2246-new-zealand-oil-acquire-10-stake-petroleum-exploration
9 July 2009. NZ Oil and Gas (independent, Wellington-based, exploration and production company) look to acquire a 10% stake in Petroleum Exploration Permit (PEP) 38401, which contains the large Hoki oil prospect, which is scheduled to be drilled this year. Hoki is the largest untested prospect in the western margin of the Taranaki basin. NZ Oil and Gas’ financial commitment including the drilling of the exploration well could be around $10 million.
At present Oil and Gas has interests in 5 permits in the Taranaki basin and 1 in the Canterbury basin. With this latest development, NZ Oil and Gas will be involved in the drilling of at least 3 wells in Spring/early Summer
…
20 June, 2010. [Petrobras] plans to raise as much as $25 billion from minority investors next month in a share sale to finance up to $220 billion in investments through 2014, the largest spending plan of any oil company.
How much of that is planned for expenditure in NZ in the next 5 years???
I’m sure Gerry Brownlee and co are rubbing their hands together at the prospect…
…
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2010/06/02/1248093edd5c
2 June 2010. Meng Foon, Mayor of Gisborne, hopes there will be flow-on benefits for locals and the local economy of the Petrobras exploration.
The Tauranga Chamber of Commerce welcomes the announcement as good news for the whole region, but Petroleum Exploration and Production Association says any benefits may take years to flow into the local economy.
Other industry specialists say Petrobras is taking a huge risk as oil has never been found commercially outside Taranaki.
The Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa (ECO) says Petrobras could not cope with a spill like the one in the Gulf; for even though it is experienced in deep water it lacks the resources of the biggest oil companies.
Co-Chair Cath Wallace says BP itself cannot cope with the Gulf leak even though its relatively close to the shoreline and Petrobras could not possibly deal with a spill in deep waters off the NZ shoreline.
…
http://www.eco.org.nz/news_item.asp?sID=206
Page from the ECO (Environmental and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa) website commenting on the govt’s proposal to establish an EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).
“The key problem with the Government’s EPA proposal is the conflict between its role of fast tracking projects and establishing and implementing national standards, policies and rules and other regulations under which activities will be managed.” Mr. Weeber said to establish an agency with such serious conflicts of interest will hamstring its effectiveness. Mr. Weeber said there is no equivalent of the Resource Management Act to control oil and gas mining and other activities outside of the territorial sea (12 nautical miles offshore).
Interesting (and of concern) as well to see on this page how many International Maritime laws NZ is still to ratify.
Good page (and website), worth an explore and saving to your Favourites list. Kind of like Greenpeace but more of a collective of environmental and conservation organisations putting the planet first. Choice one. Aside from Greenpeace, they are the only environmental outfit so far to have commented with concerns about the Petrobras news.
…
News report re NZ Oil and Gas Conference, 18 November 2009.
Governments ‘Action Plan’ for unlocking and maximizing New Zealand’s petroleum potential with a specific focus on New Zealand’s offshore, deepwater basins.
“The immediate focus must be on increasing exploration activity and improving the knowledge of our petroleum basins. The Government must be seen as pro-development of petroleum resources to attract major investments of global capital to support exploration activity”, said Mr Brownlee.
This page is worth having a look at (plus the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association website: www.pepanz.org.nz the news item came from) as they are oil industry ‘advocates’ who seem to place a lot of submissions before Parliament re energy policies. The site is worthwhile for a sniff around to get an inside look into the industry.
The govt has been indicating the path it intended to take for some time, we just weren’t awake to the fact it was going to occur in our backyard….
…
http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/Page____42249.aspx
The ‘Action Plan’ from the Ministry of Economic Development website that explains and clearly shows how the Crown is building a vision for developing and utilising New Zealand’s offshore oil and gas resources.
See list of reports (on left hand side of page) commissioned by the Crown as its focus on exploring (exploiting) our mineral resources shifts into top gear.
Interestingly the Crown claimed it wanted to work with all stakeholders in its formulation of the Action Plan but no mention is made at all of Maori participation.
Important reading.
…
http://topnews.net.nz/content/22928-shell-new-zealand-s-sale-and-purchase-agreement-executed
April 1, 2010. Greenstone Energy (a 50/50 consortium of Infratil and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund) buy Shell’s entire distribution and retail business’ as well as its 17% interest in New Zealand’s only Refining Company (Marsden Point) for $696.5 million.
Exclusive negotiations had been conducted since November 2009 when Shell advised it was looking at a review of it’s downstream business after a recent 2.8 billion dollar loss as oil prices dropped.
The business’ acquired had been built up over almost a century by Shell.
(The New Zealand Refining Company is New Zealand’s only oil refinery and the leading supplier of refined petroleum products to the New Zealand market, including petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and other products.
Many kiwis could well find that they are now, through their contributions to the NZ Super fund, shareholders in a huge new oil distribution and retail company… gulp.
…
http://topnews.net.nz/content/21391-shell-sell-its-new-zealand-assets
21 December 2009. Shell sale will include 229 port terminals, filling stations plus its stake in NZ Refining. Shell decided to retain its gas and oil assets, which includes stakes in the 3 gas fields on NZ.
…
http://topnews.net.nz/content/24572-shell-set-acquire-natural-gas-exploration-company
30 May 2010. Shell buys East Resources Inc, a US natural gas explorer, for $4.7 billion.
Although gas prices are low now it is anticipated that demand will elevate in coming years.
Interesting news considering that Shell, only a month earlier, had sold all of its distribution and retail business’ in NZ and claimed that it did so because of a $2.8 billion loss. Seems like they were only juggling their books to enable their purchase of this American outfit.
…
http://www.crownminerals.govt.nz/cms
The Crown website (and agency) that is managing, along with the Ministry of Economic Development, the huge push to develop inland and offshore mineral exploration in NZ.
- – - – -
OTHER RESOURCES:
- – - – - -
