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Energy 1998
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The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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Scotech, the Aberdeen-based oil and gas equipment company, is to undergo a £4.5m management buyout from its parent Fife Indmar. 31-Dec-1998

Kvaerner has announced plans to focus its oil and gas business on the hi-tech end of the market, providing technology for floating production, underwater production, and deepwater drilling. 31-Dec-1998

British Nuclear Fuels has won approval from the industry regulator to continue using Scottish Power's power lines to transmit electricity to England, thereby securing the future of the Chapelcross nuclear plant on the Solway Firth. 31-Dec-1998

BP and Amoco have won US regulatory approval for their merger, on the condition that they dispose of 134 petrol stations and reduce their influence in the wholesale petrol market. 31-Dec-1998

Celtic Energy has announced plans to extend the existing Park Slip West opencast mine at Kenfig Hill and to develop a new drift mine at Aberbaiden, providing 200 construction jobs for three years. 30-Dec-1998

Halliburton is to cut about 250 jobs in the Aberdeen area as part of a worldwide rationalisation programme in response to falling oil prices. 30-Dec-1998

BP's Norwegian division is considering plans for the temporary closure of its 30,000 barrels-a-day Ula field in the North Sea, due to low oil prices. 30-Dec-1998

Centrica has raised £92m from the sale and leaseback of two Irish Sea gas platforms to Bankers Trust. 30-Dec-1998

National Power has pulled out of a plan to buy Poland's second largest power station for £75m, as it has been unable to obtain suitable guarantees from the Polish authorities to safeguard its investment. 26-Dec-1998

Scottish Hydro-Electric has put on hold a £300m plan to double the size of its Keadby power station in North Lincolnshire, due to the government moratorium on new gas-fired stations. 22-Dec-1998

Southern Energy of the US is seeking government approval to build a £450m gas-fired power station at Killingholme on the Humber Bank, creating more than 1,000 construction jobs over the next three years. 22-Dec-1998

Wilmott Brothers is negotiating a £3m deal with Severn Trent to maintain two power stations near Leicester and Coventry for up to six years. 21-Dec-1998

The electricity industry regulator is seeking views on how to introduce more competitive trading into Scotland, which could involve generators being asked to sell some of their capacity. 19-Dec-1998

Eastern Group has bought a 20% stake in the Johnston gas field in the southern North Sea from Monument Oil & Gas for £20m. 19-Dec-1998

Scottish & Southern Energy is looking to spend up to £1.5bn on the expansion of its UK power operations, but is not interested in following its rivals into the US market. 18-Dec-1998

The Aurora partnership of major oil companies has shelved plans to build a gas pipeline from the Atlantic Margin in deep waters west of Shetland, as it would not be commercially viable. 17-Dec-1998

RJB Mining has won a contract worth up to £1bn to supply coal to PowerGen. 17-Dec-1998

Nigen is planning to convert its Kilroot plant in Northern Ireland to use the controversial orimulsion fuel. 16-Dec-1998

Midlands Electricity is to cut about 500 jobs over the next three years in order to improve efficiency. 16-Dec-1998

Natural Power is applying for planning permission from Thanet Council to build 30 wind turbines off the coast of Kent. 16-Dec-1998

Enterprise Oil is to reduce the size of its London head office in order to concentrate its UK operations in Aberdeen. 16-Dec-1998

Sabre Power, a joint venture between British Energy and Southern Electric, is planning to build a 50MW gas turbine plant at Canvey Island. 15-Dec-1998

Shell has announced a major restructuring that will result in the sale of 40% of its chemicals business, a 30% cut in capital expenditure, and substantial unspecified job losses. 15-Dec-1998

National Wind Power has announced plans for a £50m wind farm at Roos, East Yorkshire, which will include about 70 turbines. 14-Dec-1998

Yorkshire Water has begun building a £28m 10MW wood-fuelled power station at Eggborough, North Yorkshire. 12-Dec-1998

Scottish Hydro-Electric has had its plans for a £200m 770MW gas-fired power station at Keadby, Lincolnshire, blocked by the government. 11-Dec-1998

PowerGen has agreed to pay £534m to BHP, Monument Oil & Gas and Lasmo, to escape long-term gas supply contracts for its Connah's Quay power station in north Wales. 11-Dec-1998

Eastern Group is planning to form an alliance with Hidroelectrica del Cantabbrico of Spain, and is also looking for trading partners in Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. 11-Dec-1998

Ashquay is considering plans to build a power station at the £20m Quay Point industrial park scheme at Magor in south Wales, which could supply power to the neighbouring £500m Legend Court theme park. 08-Dec-1998

Talisman Energy of Canada is planning to invest £10m exploring for oil in the Moray Firth, in order to extend the life of its Beatrice platform and Nigg oil terminal, and safeguard 200 jobs. 08-Dec-1998

Amerada Hess is to reduce its UK exploration workforce by 20% as part of a worldwide cost-cutting campaign. 08-Dec-1998

Deutag, the German drilling group, has set up a new company in Aberdeen to integrate the recently-acquired UK arm of Smedvig with existing operations. 07-Dec-1998

Hickson & Welch has won government approval to build a 56MW combined heat and power plant at its chemical works in Castleford. 04-Dec-1998

Eastern Group has won government approval to build a £100m combined heat and power plant to supply Shotton Paper on Deeside, north Wales, and 350 construction jobs will be created. 04-Dec-1998

The Shell Expro-operated Kingfisher field in the North Sea has been withdrawn from sale, having failed to attract a suitably high offer. 03-Dec-1998

Hyder is planning to set up a 3MW electricity generation plant at the Lamby Way landfill site in Cardiff. 02-Dec-1998

British Energy has applied for planning permission to build an 850MW gas-fired power station at Sleaford, Lincolnshire, but it is unlikely to win consent until after government restrictions are lifted. 02-Dec-1998

Western Windpower has unveiled plans to set up wind turbines in Amberley and Nympsfield in Gloucestershire, but is facing opposition from the Cotswold Protection Group. 01-Dec-1998

Renewable Energy Systems is considering plans to set up an offshore wind farm at Prestatyn in Wales. 01-Dec-1998

Shell and Texaco have dropped plans to form a marketing and refining joint venture in Europe. 01-Dec-1998

RJB Mining has won a £1.4bn contract to supply 50m tonnes of coal to Eastern Group. 01-Dec-1998

Cambridge Water is seeking an electricity partner to enable it to offer a combined fuel deal to customers, and it is also planning to expand its GasCall emergency service. 30-Nov-1998

Emirates National Oil has acquired a 46% stake in Dragon Oil, and now plans to buy the remaining stake in a deal that values the Irish-based oil explorer at £52m. 27-Nov-1998

Lasmo is to cut about 200 jobs in London over the next few months in response to falling oil prices, and its Bishopsgate head office will close. 27-Nov-1998

More than 5,000 UK oil jobs could be affected by Exxon's merger discussions with Mobil, including 400 in Mobil's offshore operations in Aberdeen and others at the Mossmorran chemical plant in Fife. 27-Nov-1998

Providence Resources, the Irish hydrocarbons company, is raising £4.4m in a rights issue in order to fund the acquisition of producing assets in the UK and Europe. 26-Nov-1998

Kvaerner's UK subsidiary has won a £100m contract to build a North Sea platform for Texaco, and up to 600 workers could be employed on the project. 24-Nov-1998

Electricite de France has launched an unconditional takeover offer of about £2bn for London Electricity, in an attempt to beat off a rival bid from British Energy. 23-Nov-1998

Viridian, the Northern Ireland electricity company, is planning to build a £150m 300MW gas-fired power station near Dublin. 21-Nov-1998

PowerGen is planning to sell its Ferrybridge C power station in Yorkshire and Fidlers Ferry in Cheshire, having been ordered by the government to sell two coal-fired stations in order to win approval for its takeover of East Midlands. 21-Nov-1998

London's International Petroleum Exchange is planning to hold discussions with the New York Mercantile Exchange that could lead to the creation of the first global energy exchange. 20-Nov-1998

Eastern Energy is forming an alliance with Energie Noord West to sell natural gas to large industrial customers in the Netherlands. 20-Nov-1998

National Power and Union Electrica Fenosa of Spain are said to be discussing the acquisition of two Italian power stations from Enel. 20-Nov-1998

The government has allocated a range of radio frequencies for use by companies wanting to remotely read electricity and gas meters. 20-Nov-1998

Deutag of Germany is acquiring the UK platform drilling business of Smedvig of Norway for £28m, which will increase the size of Deutag's Aberdeen workforce from 320 to 750. 19-Nov-1998

The £200m electricity interconnector between Scotland and Northern Ireland has been given the go-ahead by the industry regulator, which will open up the Irish market to Scottish energy companies. 19-Nov-1998

BG has announced the discovery of a potentially large gas reserve in Bolivia. 19-Nov-1998

Arco Integrated Power has paid £75m for a 40% stake in Great Yarmouth Power, the gas-fired power station due to come into operation early in 2001. 18-Nov-1998

Sibir Energy has abandoned plans to sell its UK oil exploration assets as the bids received were too low. 17-Nov-1998

PowerGen is forming a joint venture with the Abbot oil services group to develop offshore wind farms. 17-Nov-1998

RJB Mining has submitted plans to reclaim two derelict pits on the edge of Sheffield at a cost of £5m, and 35 jobs will be created. 16-Nov-1998

The government has announced a £1.2m aid package for rural petrol stations in Scotland that will help them to replace old storage tanks and comply with European laws. 16-Nov-1998

National Power is said to be close to agreeing an alliance with one of the major electricity suppliers, and possible candidates include Midland, Yorkshire and Seeboard. 14-Nov-1998

Texaco is to cut 250 jobs at its exploration and production operations in London, Aberdeen and the North Sea, as part of a worldwide plan to cut 1,000 jobs. 13-Nov-1998

PowerGen is looking to acquire electricity companies in Australia and Thailand, and is trying to find a suitable partner to expand its US business. 13-Nov-1998

Shell has announced plans to cut a further 3,000 jobs in European oil products, including 290 through the closure of the Shellhaven refinery. 13-Nov-1998

Scottish Power is expanding the call centre operations of its Electricity Plus retailing division by moving into new offices in Castleford. 13-Nov-1998

Energy Direct is looking to recruit 200 sales people in Wolverhampton to sell gas and electricity on behalf of Scottish Power. 13-Nov-1998

British Energy is looking to expand its US nuclear capacity to the same level as its 9,600MW capacity in the UK, and is also planning to buy coal-fired power stations in the UK. 12-Nov-1998

British Energy and Electricite de France have both made bids of about £2bn for London Electricity, the power supplier currently owned by Entergy of the US. 11-Nov-1998

BG has won government approval for the £150m development of the Neptune and Mercury gas fields off Yorkshire, and production is due to start by the end of 1999. 10-Nov-1998

Scottish Hydro-Electric has agreed a weather-related electricity supply contract with Enron of the US, in which it will receive cash if the temperatures are lower than set levels during the winter. 09-Nov-1998

ABB Energy Development is planning to build a 450MW power station near Scunthorpe steelworks. 06-Nov-1998

Eastern Group has bought shares in the North Sea's Ravenspurn and Johnston gas fields from BHP for about £100m. 06-Nov-1998

Coal Contractors of Chesterfield has resubmitted plans for an open-cast mining scheme at the site of the former New Stubbin Colliery at Rawmarsh. 05-Nov-1998

Independent Energy is forming a trial partnership with Yorkshire Gas in order to offer a combined gas and electricity package in Yorkshire and the West Midlands. 05-Nov-1998

Tullow Oil has pulled out of Syria in order to focus its exploration activities on India and the Ivory Coast. 31-Oct-1998

Ramco Energy has launched a £4.3m takeover bid for MMS Petroleum, which tops the recent offer from Greenwich Resources. 30-Oct-1998

Scottish Power could lose control over the power interconnector to England and hand it to the National Grid, as the electricity regulator has launched a consultation exercise to examine the issue of access. 30-Oct-1998

InterGen and BG Storage have failed to win planning permission from East Riding Council for a £120m scheme to build gas storage caverns on the east coast. 30-Oct-1998

BP is expected to sign new co-operation deals with Statoil of Norway for countries in which they have joint ventures, as they are said to want their relationship to continue after BP's proposed merger with Amoco. 29-Oct-1998

The former Eye Airfield at Brome, East Anglia, is planning to build a £9m wood-burning power station, and 6,000 acres of plantations within a 40 mile radius of the site will be needed to supply it with fuel. 28-Oct-1998

Northern Electric has started work on a long-term project to revamp its power lines between the Scottish border and South Yorkshire, in order to improve reliability. 28-Oct-1998

Scottish Hydro-Electric is to close its meter testing and refurbishment division in Aberdeen with the loss of 13 jobs. 28-Oct-1998

National Power is forming an alliance with Union Fenosa of Spain to create a new group that will invest in generating projects in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. 28-Oct-1998

Elm Energy and Recycling is to sell its £36m tyre-burning power station in Wolverhampton to SITA in order to save the 80 jobs. 27-Oct-1998

WS Atkins has begun generating electricity for the National Grid, having refurbished an 18MW diesel-engine power station on the site of the Aldershot military garrison. 27-Oct-1998

Scottish Hydro-Electric has announced plans for two more combined heat and power plants - a £35m plant in Stoke in partnership with Michelin, and a £3.7m facility at the proposed Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. 26-Oct-1998

Calor Gas has acquired Mariner Gas, the Grimsby-based gas supplier. 26-Oct-1998

Wastewise is to build a £1.5m mini power station fuelled by household waste at the Gallymoor landfill site between Holme-on-Spalding Moor and Market Weighton in East Yorkshire. 26-Oct-1998

Cleveland Waste Management is planning to invest £1.5m at the Dunsdale landfill site on Teesside in order to generate enough electricity for 33,500 homes. 23-Oct-1998

Desire Petroleum is considering plans to carry out drilling on its own in the Falklands area, if its partners put the development on hold. 23-Oct-1998

Combined Landfill Products is investing £1.5m in additional generators at its landfill site in Plymouth in order to produce enough electricity to supply about 7,500 homes in the city. 21-Oct-1998

Western Windpower of Stroud is looking for suitable sites to set up wind turbines, as part of the government's Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation scheme. 21-Oct-1998

Energy Power Resources of Bristol is planning a 34MW straw-fuelled power plant near Ely, Cambridgeshire, which will be built by a subsidiary of Danish conglomerate FLS Industries. 21-Oct-1998

The Renewable Development Company is considering plans to set up a £40m 60MW wind farm near Langholm in Scotland. 21-Oct-1998

British Energy and Peco Energy of the US have agreed terms for the $100m purchase of a 790MW nuclear plant at Three Mile Island. 20-Oct-1998

Renewable Energy Systems is planning to set up 15 wind turbines near Blacko in Lancashire. 19-Oct-1998

The government is approving more than 250 environmentally-friendly electricity generation projects, including a large number of hydro plants in the west and windpower generators in the west and East Anglia. 19-Oct-1998

The government has announced regulations to tighten planning controls on open-cast coal mining, which will mean that local authorities will only be able to approve projects that are both beneficial to the community and environmentally sound. 17-Oct-1998

RJB Mining has denied suggestions that it may have to close some of its 15 deep coal mines unless it can agree satisfactory supply terms with the big fossil fuel generators. 16-Oct-1998

Transco, the gas pipeline concern, has opened a regional headquarters for the north-west in Bolton, employing about 300 staff. 16-Oct-1998

Ramco Energy is exercising an option to acquire further oil acreage in the Czech Republic. 15-Oct-1998

Centrica is acquiring the gas field interests of PowerGen for £248m, which will increase its reserves in the Irish Sea and take it into North Sea production for the first time. 13-Oct-1998

The government has confirmed that it will extend the moratorium on the building of new gas-fired power stations until the electricity market is fully reformed, in order to protect the coal industry and ensure a diversity of energy supplies. 09-Oct-1998

National Power is to invest £120m in a project to build a 700MW coal-fired power station in Hunan province, China. 08-Oct-1998

Omega Pacific is planning to store nuclear waste in 58 underground storage tunnels at Trecwn, near Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. 08-Oct-1998

Imperial Power has become the first company from outside the established energy sector to win a licence to supply electricity to domestic customers, and it aims to build up a 10% share of the national market. 06-Oct-1998

Sainsbury has formed a joint venture with Centrica to sell electricity through its stores, and it will offer bonus points on its loyalty card scheme. 06-Oct-1998

National Power has won exclusive negotiating rights to acquire a 20% stake in Patnow Adamow Konin, the Polish power company. 05-Oct-1998

Shell UK has announced plans to cut an unspecified number of jobs at the Thornton Research Centre, which employs about 500 scientific and technical staff near Ellesmere Port. 05-Oct-1998

National Power has completed its withdrawal from UK offshore gas exploration with the sale of its 10% stake in the North Sea Victor field and holdings in 10 exploration blocks to Dana Petroleum for £10.6m. 05-Oct-1998

National Power is planning to invest £950m in the construction of gas-fired power stations in the US, and the first will be a 1,100MW plant in Texas. 02-Oct-1998

Braemar Energy has been set up as a new independent oil company in Aberdeen, and is looking to acquire North Sea assets that are already producing oil. 02-Oct-1998

Arco has announced a new gas discovery 100km west of Shetland, and is working with licence partners Fina Petroleum and BHP to determine its commercial viability. 02-Oct-1998

Scottish Power is said to have ended merger discussions with Cinergy in order to pursue other opportunities in the US. 01-Oct-1998

El Paso and Global Energy of the US are planning to build Scotland's first independently-owned gas-fired power station on the site of the former British Gas experimental station at Westfield in Fife. 29-Sep-1998

Shell Expro is to cut hundreds of onshore jobs in Aberdeen over the next few years, in response to the fall in oil prices. 26-Sep-1998

The government has appointed KPMG to assess the possibility of privatising British Nuclear Fuels Limited. 26-Sep-1998

The government has approved a further 261 renewable energy projects capable of generating over 1,100MW of power at an average 2.71p a unit, and they will qualify for subsidies of up to £23m a year. 25-Sep-1998

The government has given PowerGen the go-ahead to acquire East Midlands Electricity for £1.9bn on the condition it sells off two large coal-fired power stations. 25-Sep-1998

English Partnerships is planning a £13m reclamation project at the former Grimethorpe Colliery in South Yorkshire, and an open-cast mine could be developed on part of the site. 24-Sep-1998

Eastern Group is planning to invest £100m in a flue gas desulphurisation system to clean up emissions from its West Burton power station in Nottinghamshire. 24-Sep-1998

Celtic Energy has completed a new £4m coal processing plant at Onllwyn to process the coal from its Nant Helen, Brynhenllys and Selar sites. 24-Sep-1998

Shell has awarded a £40m contract to SubSea Offshore of Aberdeen to handle all its underwater engineering services in the North Sea for five years. 22-Sep-1998

Cairn Energy and Shell have agreed to push ahead with a strategic alliance in Bangladesh and north-east India. 22-Sep-1998

Tower Colliery in Wales is to link up with Hyder to build a £3m generating plant to convert methane gas from the mine into electricity to power the mine, and Hyder will sell surplus capacity to other customers. 21-Sep-1998

Shell is to close Shell-Mex House in the Strand, London, with most of the staff being transferred to other locations such as Aberdeen, in response to a deterioration in trading conditions. 19-Sep-1998

Greenwich Resources has made a £5m offer for MMS in order to expand its oil and gas business and gain new projects in Romania and Bulgaria. 18-Sep-1998

National Power is to build a £50m combined heat and power plant at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, to supply electricity and steam to Bridgewater Paper Company. 16-Sep-1998

More than one million households and small businesses have already changed their electricity supplier with the introduction of competition to the market, representing about 5% of customers, according to the industry regulator. 15-Sep-1998

Rolls-Royce is planning to build a £28m combined heat and power plant to supply its Ansty factory, creating 120 construction jobs and 10 permanent jobs. 15-Sep-1998

The government is said to be planning to proceed with a ban on new gas-fired power stations in order to support the coal sector, despite independent forecasts that suggest it could cost 25,000 jobs. 14-Sep-1998

BG has agreed terms with Ofgas for the ending of its gas storage monopoly, and will auction five-year contracts representing 46% of its capacity. 11-Sep-1998

Soco International, the oil and gas explorer, is trying to obtain a $45m credit facility from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to enable it to expand its Russian output. 11-Sep-1998

Centrica is considering plans to buy a power station in order to become a dominant force in the domestic electricity sector, and has already begun discussions with National Power and PowerGen. 11-Sep-1998

Shell Expro has warned its workforce that further cost-cutting is needed over the next 12 months, and up to 300 jobs are thought to be at risk. 11-Sep-1998

Bates & Hunt has bought a gas distribution facility in Longport, North Staffordshire, from Esso for an undisclosed sum, and will use it to supply both industrial and domestic users of propane and butane. 11-Sep-1998

The Pentreclwydau Mining Company has declared itself insolvent and 60 jobs will be lost at the private mine in the Neath Valley. 10-Sep-1998

ABB has won a £50m contract to build an electricity grid on the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey. 10-Sep-1998

Transco has awarded a £45m contract to Kennedy to replace gas mains in Scotland's Central Belt. 10-Sep-1998

ASCo UK, the provider of logistics services to the oil and gas industry, has won a contract from BP Exploration to provide production, supply base and ad-hoc marine services from Immingham, which will create an unspecified number of new jobs. 09-Sep-1998

Power stations in England and Wales have significantly increased their use of coal since March due to the cool summer and a shutdown of French nuclear power plants, according to the industry regulator Offer. 08-Sep-1998

The government has abandoned plans to increase oil and gas production taxes because of the fall in world crude prices, which should help to reverse the recent fall in exploration activity. 08-Sep-1998

Shell and Texaco have reached agreement to combine their European refining and marketing assets, and Shell will get an 88% stake in the joint venture and a leading position in the retail fuel markets of several countries. 04-Sep-1998

The government has launched a consultation paper on how it can best support offshore wind energy, which it believes can contribute 4% of the UK's energy needs by 2010. 03-Sep-1998

Western Wind Power is planning to build up to 150 electricity generating turbines off the coast of Norfolk, which could provide up to 17% of the county's power needs. 03-Sep-1998

Entergy of the US has awarded £200m worth of contracts to Raytheon of the US and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan to build an 800MW gas-fired power station at Damhead Creek in Kent. 03-Sep-1998

Venture Production of Aberdeen has raised £5m through a private placement to boost production from established onshore gas and oilfields in Trinidad. 02-Sep-1998

Viridian, the holding company for Northern Ireland Electricity, is said to be planning a move into the Irish Republic through a joint venture with CRH, which will involve the construction of a new power station north of Dublin. 01-Sep-1998

National Grid is to move 300 staff into new 40,000 sq ft purpose-built facilities on the Thorpe Park Industrial Estate in Leeds, in order to consolidate its regional offices. 01-Sep-1998

Spending on North Sea oil and gas activity is forecast to fall by more than £1.7bn a year over the next three years due to falling prices and changes in global economic conditions, according to a study by Mackay Consultants. 01-Sep-1998

BP Amoco is to take a more cautious approach to investing in emerging markets, and its initial strategy will be to focus on the industrialised markets of member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 01-Sep-1998

National Wind Power is planning to build what is claimed to be Europe's biggest wind farm near Allendale, Northumberland, with 40 wind turbines, but local people are protesting against the move despite the promise of 250 manufacturing jobs linked to the development. 31-Aug-1998

Shell and Mobil are forming a joint venture to combine their Australian crude oil refining operations, in order to produce cost savings of over $100m. 31-Aug-1998

Shell has bought Texaco's industrial and commercial gas operations in the UK, prompting speculation that a bigger deal involving their European refining and marketing activities could follow. 28-Aug-1998

BP is said to have made a major gas find in Ormen Lange South in the Norwegian Sea, and information on the tests has been passed to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. 28-Aug-1998

Statoil and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate are considering plans for a change in regulations in order to make it easier for oilrigs to move from the UK sector of the North Sea to Norway without costly refits to meet different safety requirements. 27-Aug-1998

Shell UK is to promote the use of liquid petroleum gas by installing auto LP gas pumps at 200 of its forecourts. 26-Aug-1998

Energy Power Resources is to build a £22m 10MW biomass power plant at Lochgelly in Scotland. 26-Aug-1998

Halliburton Energy Services is to close its accounting operations in Arbroath and a number of other Scottish towns with the loss of 60 jobs, in order to centralise accounts in Leatherhead, Surrey. 25-Aug-1998

Applied Research & Technology has raised £3m to fund the commercial development of the Powerbuoy wave power generator. 25-Aug-1998

Coretech Group, the Aberdeen-based provider of maintenance services to drilling rig owners, has raised £1m to fund an expansion programme that will double its workforce to 180 and result in the opening of a new office in Houston, Texas. 25-Aug-1998

Aker Maritime of Norway is planning to acquire Genesis Engineering Consultants, the UK provider of solutions for developing oil fields and extending the production life of maturing fields. 25-Aug-1998

Dana Petroleum has announced two discoveries in the North Sea - an oil find in a concession operated by Shell, and a gas find in a Fina concession. 25-Aug-1998

Scottish Power is considering plans to provide central heating for 80,000 council-owned houses and flats in Glasgow, in a £500m private finance initiative project in conjunction with the council and AHS Emstar. 24-Aug-1998

IT Power is planning to build a full-size "underwater windmill" off Devon or Cornwall, which would generate up to 300kW and connect to the National Grid. 24-Aug-1998

Scottish Power is said to be in preliminary talks with Cinergy Corp about a possible £4bn bid for the US electricity utility. 24-Aug-1998

Premier Oil is forming a joint venture with Bow Valley Energy of Canada to develop the offshore Balal oilfield in Iran. 21-Aug-1998

Eastern Group is planning to acquire a 36% stake in Savon Voima, the Finnish regional power business, for about £40m, and may take a controlling stake later. 20-Aug-1998

PowerGen is said to have called off merger talks with Houston Industries of the US because they could not agree on a valuation for the deal. 20-Aug-1998

Shell International Oil Products is to link up with Daimler-Benz of Germany to develop fuel cell technology to cut vehicle pollution, combining Shell's catalytic partial oxidation technology with DBB's fuel cell systems. 18-Aug-1998

Renewable energy sources could contribute half of the UK's electricity requirements by 2025, according to a government report leaked to the New Scientist magazine. 13-Aug-1998

British Energy's plans to operate nuclear reactors in Canada have been hit by Ontario Hydro's decision to suspend partnership talks. 12-Aug-1998

Midlands Electricity is planning a £10m marketing campaign that will include cut-price offers on fuel and telephone tariffs sold through shops and banks. 08-Aug-1998

Shell is to cut back its capital investment programme due to the fall in oil prices and the financial crisis in Asia, with this year's spending on exploration and production expected to fall short of the planned $17bn by about $2bn. 07-Aug-1998

Fortune Oil has announced delays to two Chinese projects - the Shantou oil depot and the West Zhuhai products terminal and storage facility - due to construction problems, and they are now expected to start late this year. 05-Aug-1998

Entergy of the US is planning to sell London Electricity in order to scale back its international ambitions, and interest is expected from rival UK electricity suppliers as well as US utilities. 04-Aug-1998

A number of major retailing and financial services groups are planning to sell electricity when domestic power markets are opened up to competition this autumn, according to a report from PriceWaterhouse Coopers. 03-Aug-1998

National Power has been shortlisted to acquire a 25% stake in the power generation division of Union Fenosa of Spain, for about £500m. 03-Aug-1998

PowerGen's merger talks with Houston Industries of the US have been delayed as the two companies try to determine how to overcome potential regulatory hurdles which could reduce the value of the deal. 03-Aug-1998

The government is delaying a final decision on whether to curb new gas-fired power stations until September, prompting speculation that the proposed restrictions may be softened. 01-Aug-1998

Lasmo is preparing to cut back its exploration activities and sell more assets in response to the fall in oil prices. 31-Jul-1998

Transco is to increase gas transport prices by an average 1.3% for domestic users and 2.9% for industrial users in October, prompting criticism from industrial users that the industry regulator is unfairly favouring domestic users. 31-Jul-1998

Ofgas is to investigate alleged unfair practices in the industrial and commercial gas market, as companies have been claiming that they were prevented from changing supplier by anti-competitive measures taken by their existing suppliers. 29-Jul-1998

Lasmo is selling its Colombian operations to Petrobras of Brazil for $151m, and is now looking to strengthen its relationship with Petrobras in order to assist with its expansion in Brazil. 25-Jul-1998

The government has reached an agreement with other member countries of the Ospar treaty on sea pollution in the North East Atlantic that will result in the closure of eight elderly Magnox nuclear power stations by 2010. 24-Jul-1998

Shell has agreed a $1bn global asset swap with Occidental of the US, in which it will gain gas reserves in the Philippines and Malaysia in return for oil assets in Colombia and Yemen. 24-Jul-1998

National Grid is forming a joint venture with Eletrobas of Brazil for the development of the Brazilian power transmission network. 24-Jul-1998

British Nuclear Fuels has won the first stage of a potential £4.2bn contract from the US Department of Energy to clean up waste from atomic weapons production. 23-Jul-1998

Enterprise Oil is closing its representative office in Vietnam, reflecting a decline in interest in the country's development prospects at current oil prices. 23-Jul-1998

Scottish Power is looking to expand in the US, where the energy market is said to be undergoing the same process of liberalisation as is happening in the UK. 23-Jul-1998

The government's commitment to provide 10% of the UK's electricity from renewable sources by 2010 could result in big wind farms damaging rural landscapes, according to a coalition of five countryside organisations. 21-Jul-1998

Hardy Oil & Gas has indicated that it is keen to make acquisitions, in response to criticism from institutional investors that it has relied to heavily on organic growth. 20-Jul-1998

Shell and Aramco of Saudi Arabia are planning to set up a downstream joint venture in India with a local partner, and are awaiting approval from the Indian government. 20-Jul-1998

British Energy and Peco Energy of the US are planning to jointly buy an 870MW nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island for $100m, which would represent the first ever sale of a US nuclear plant. 18-Jul-1998

The government is planning to expand its diplomatic presence in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, in order to help UK oil companies move into the Caspian Sea region. 18-Jul-1998

Ofgas has announced proposals to end BG's gas storage monopoly, which include the auctioning of 46% of its delivery capacity to rival suppliers under long-term contracts. 18-Jul-1998

BP has put forward proposals to try and save its planned energy park in Port Talbot from being scuppered by the government curb on new gas-fired power stations, saying it could invest £7m to extend the life of the existing oil-fired station. 17-Jul-1998

Shell and Mobil have pulled out of plans for the $2.5bn development of the Camisea hydrocarbons deposit in Peru, having failed to agree terms with the government for distributing the gas. 17-Jul-1998

Sodra Petroleum of Sweden is planning a listing on Aim as it prepares to begin exploration of offshore fields in the Falkland Islands. 17-Jul-1998

The government could lose up to £1.8bn in North Sea taxes if it goes-ahead with plans to curb the growth in gas-fired power stations, according to a study by Arthur D Little for the UK Offshore Operators Association. 17-Jul-1998

BG is increasing its stake in MetroGas of Argentina from 41% to 66% at a cost of £45m, as part of a strategy to establish a regional gas infrastructure in Latin America. 16-Jul-1998

Harrods has set up an oil company called Harrods Energy, which has bought a 50% stake in an offshore oil block in Thailand from PTT Exploration & Production. 15-Jul-1998

Monument Oil & Gas is to link up with Mobil in a major oil development in Turkmenistan, which will involve the development of the onshore Garashsyzlyk field and the exploration of the western part of the country. 11-Jul-1998

Enron is to continue with plans to invest £800m in two more gas fired power stations in Kent and Ebbw Vale, as it attempts to make the government change its policy to protect the coal industry by banning new gas stations. 10-Jul-1998

PowerGen is said to be preparing to sell one of its power stations, possibly Ferrybridge in Yorkshire, in order to win approval for its acquisition of the East Midlands electricity company. 08-Jul-1998

Sibir Energy is looking to sell its UK reserves, which are estimated at 20m barrels of oil equivalent, in order to finance the development of its Russian assets. 07-Jul-1998

Shell is said to be in discussions with Texaco about the possible merger of their refining interests and petrol chains in Europe. 06-Jul-1998

Elf has invested £70m at its Milford Haven refinery in order to produce a cleaner form of diesel, and it expects to be selling the new product at all its service stations by September. 06-Jul-1998

Shell has pulled out of the bidding to acquire Russia's Rosneft oil company, saying that its two Russian partners in the consortium - Gazprom and Lukoil - do not have sufficient financial resources to help fund the deal. 04-Jul-1998

BP is selling its refinery in Lima, Ohio, to Clark USA for £129m, but is retaining the adjacent chemical plant which is to benefit from a $100m expansion. 02-Jul-1998

National Power is linking up with Ormat of Israel to jointly invest $110m in the refurbishment of the Karaganda generating plant in Kazakhstan. 01-Jul-1998

Desire Petroleum has announced that one of the oil blocks in the Falkland Islands, in which it has a 25% stake, has been abandoned. 01-Jul-1998

Entergy of the US has won government approval to build a £400m 800MW gas power station at Damhead Creek on the Thames estuary, despite government attempts to block new gas stations in order to protect the coal industry. 30-Jun-1998

Abbot Group, the oil services company, has acquired BW, the Aberdeen-based supplier of drilling muds and chemicals, for £21m. 30-Jun-1998

BP is in discussions to develop a new offshore block in the Caspian Sea, in conjunction with the state oil company of Azerbaijan. 29-Jun-1998

Chevron of the US and Petroplus of the Netherlands are planning to reopen the Gulf Oil refinery in Milford Haven, south Wales, in order to make its storage capacity available to other companies and to supply the regional electricity network. 29-Jun-1998

British Nuclear Fuels and its US partner Morrison Knudsen have reached agreement to acquire the Westinghouse nuclear business in the US for £718m, despite UK government concern over the risks involved with taking on £900m of liabilities. 27-Jun-1998

The government has announced the results of its energy review, which will require generators to sell power stations in order to increase competition and improve the prospects for the coal sector. 26-Jun-1998

Viridian could be forced to cut electricity prices in Northern Ireland by 2% following a High Court decision that favoured Ofreg's challenge to the province's high prices. 25-Jun-1998

British Energy has confirmed plans to combine the English and Scottish nuclear power subsidiaries into British Energy Generation, which will have a Scottish HQ. 24-Jun-1998

Enterprise Oil is selling 6% of its North Sea assets to Intrepid Energy North Sea for £158m, and will invest some of the proceeds in a new discovery in the Gulf of Mexico which is estimated to have recoverable reserves of up to 300m barrels of oil equivalent. 23-Jun-1998

Save Group, the independent petrol retailer, is in discussions with an unnamed company that could lead to a takeover offer being made for Save. 23-Jun-1998

PowerGen is in negotiations to acquire East Midlands Electricity for about £2bn, as it aims to become an integrated generator, supplier and distributor. 22-Jun-1998

BG is considering plans to sell parts of its gas storage division, in response to calls from Ofgas for the introduction of competition into the business. 22-Jun-1998

Enron is acquiring a stake of up to 17.5% in Pittencrieff Resources, the independent oil explorer, while Pittencrieff is to change its name to Paladin Resources and acquire a 3.7% interest in the South East Sumatra Production Sharing Contract. 20-Jun-1998

Monument Oil & Gas is to take a 12.5% stake in a consortium headed by Azerbaijan's state oil company that has exploration and production rights for the Inam block in the south Caspian Sea. 20-Jun-1998

Southern Energy of the US has sold a 26% stake in the UK's South Western Electricity (Sweb) to PP&L Resources of the US for £100m, but Southern will retain management control. 19-Jun-1998

A consortium that includes British Nuclear Fuels and Morrison Knudsen of the US is close to agreeing the acquisition of the Westinghouse nuclear business for up to $1.5bn. 18-Jun-1998

Shell and Premier Oil have agreed to pool their onshore exploration and production interests in Pakistan, which will enable Shell to build up a major presence in Pakistan's gas market. 18-Jun-1998

Shell UK is planning to close its Shell Haven refinery in Essex by the end of next year, due to overcapacity and low margins. 12-Jun-1998

GEC Alsthom has won a £100m contract to build a 140MW combined heat and power plant in Cheshire for PowerGen. 10-Jun-1998

Independent Energy Holdings is planning to raise £35m on Nasdaq in order to help fund the expansion of its electricity generating capacity in the UK. 09-Jun-1998

BP may have to abandon plans to build a power station at Baglan Bay in South Wales, as part of a regeneration project that would have created 3,000 jobs, because of government proposals to block the construction of new gas-fired stations in order to protect the coal industry. 08-Jun-1998

The electricity regulator has proposed a radical overhaul of electricity trading that would require generators, customers, and traders to make firm cash bids in advance for most of their power requirements. 06-Jun-1998

The Dounreay nuclear plant in Scotland will not take on any more commercial reprocessing business, following a government decision that there are no economic grounds for it to continue with such work in the long-term. 06-Jun-1998

Shell Oil is forming a joint venture with Halliburton to develop drilling equipment that will reduce the cost of deep-water exploration. 05-Jun-1998

Wood Group, as part of a consortium, has won a £800m 16-year contract to help the Venezuelan state oil company develop oil production on Lake Maracaibo. 05-Jun-1998

Hardy Oil & Gas is planning to raise £79m in a rights issue in order to help fund an expansion programme that is intended to result in a five-fold increase in output by 2003. 05-Jun-1998

Southern Electric has expressed an interest in buying coal-fired power stations from National Power and PowerGen, should the two generators be required to make disposals by the government. 05-Jun-1998

Shell is planning a bid for Rosneft, the Russian oil company that is being sold off by the Russian government for about £1bn. 03-Jun-1998

The government is said to be planning to ask PowerGen and National Power to dispose of about 20% of their generating capacity, as part of a package of measures being devised to save the coal industry. 03-Jun-1998

National Grid has confirmed plans to spend at least £1bn on the acquisition of transmission and local distribution networks in the US, but it is not looking for generating businesses. 03-Jun-1998

British Nuclear Fuels is linking up with Morrison Knudson of the US to bid for the nuclear division of Westinghouse, but is facing stiff competition from Framatome, Cosema, and Fluor Daniel. 01-Jun-1998

British Energy has confirmed its intention to acquire a stake in 20 nuclear reactors owned by Ontario Hydro in Canada, and it is proposing a public-private joint venture with its US partner Peco Energy. 01-Jun-1998

Directors of the 15 regional electricity suppliers are predicting that half of their companies will disappear of withdraw from the market within six years of the introduction of competition in the domestic market, according to a survey by Coopers & Lybrand. 01-Jun-1998

Premier Oil and Monument Oil & Gas are claiming a significant natural gas discovery in the Zamzana field in Pakistan, and they are now planning a full appraisal along with their Australian partner BHP Petroleum. 01-Jun-1998

The share prices of Desire Petroleum, Westmount and Greenwich Resources have been hit by reports of disappointing early results from the oil exploration programme in the Falkland Islands. 29-May-1998

Lasmo has announced successful appraisal drilling at the Bhit oil field in Pakistan and at the Elephant field in Libya. 28-May-1998

The electricity pool is proposing an overhaul of its management structure, in order to broaden industry representation and improve the efficiency of decision making. 27-May-1998

The Electricity Association, representing electricity supply companies, has asked the government to reject proposals by the industry regulator that would force them to create separate companies for different parts of their business. 25-May-1998

Dragon Oil is undergoing a strategic review following the announcement that its Indonesian chairman wants to sell his 46% stake. 23-May-1998

Anglo Siberian Oil is planning a £15m flotation on Aim in order to fund the preparation of bids for new exploration licences in Siberia. 22-May-1998

PowerGen is looking to sell its domestic offshore oil and gas business in order to fund the acquisition of a large US company and possibly a UK regional electricity supply company. 22-May-1998

National Power is to invest £150m in two power station projects in China - a 700MW project in Hunan province and a 250MW project in Fujian province. 21-May-1998

Desire Petroleum has reported encouraging first results from a well being drilled by its partner Amerada Hess off the Falkland Islands. 21-May-1998

RJB Mining is asking the European Commission to prevent the merger of two companies to create a single German coal mining group called Deutsche Steinkohle, as it is concerned about hidden subsidies in the deal. 20-May-1998

British Energy has identified over 100 nuclear plants in the US as potential acquisitions, and hopes to get close to completing a deal by the end of the year. 20-May-1998

The petrol retail trade will not be referred to the Monopolies & Mergers Commission, following a year-long review by the Office of Fair Trading which found that there is no evidence of "predatory or collusive behaviour". 19-May-1998

PowerGen is said to be planning to sell its offshore oil and gas assets, in Liverpool Bay and the Ravenspurn and Galleon fields in the North Sea, for up to £400m. 19-May-1998

Eastern is linking up with Barclaycard to offer savings on energy bills to customers who pay with their credit card, and further details will be announced later in the year. 19-May-1998

Shell is planning to make a final decision in July as to whether to go ahead with the $3bn development of the Camisea natural gas field in Peru. 18-May-1998

BP is to help Newcastle United football club convert St James' Park into the UK's first solar-powered stadium. 16-May-1998

Scottish Power is considering plans to scrap its trading alliance with the AA, as the motoring organisation is said to be losing interest in selling financial services alongside energy products. 15-May-1998

British Energy is to merge its English and Scottish nuclear power subsidiaries, which were set up separately during privatisation in 1996. 15-May-1998

Eastern Group has selected County Antrim in Northern Ireland as the site for its first wind energy project, as it aims to produce 10% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010. 14-May-1998

The electricity regulator has announced proposals to force companies to demerge their supply and distribution activities so that they use separate management and accounting systems, but Scottish Power has hit back by claiming that this would force prices up. 14-May-1998

The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has ordered the shutdown of most of the operations of the Dounreay nuclear complex in Scotland, until it is proved to be safe following a power failure last week. 13-May-1998

National Grid has identified a number of potential acquisition targets in the US, as it aims to build up its electricity transmission and distribution business in deregulated markets. 12-May-1998

Scottish Coal has won contracts worth £400m to supply coal to Scottish Power, which will enable it to go-ahead with the £35m expansion of its Longannet complex in Fife. 12-May-1998

The government is said to be planning to extend the moratorium on new gas-fired power stations for up to five years in order to protect the coal industry, prompting criticism from the Confederation of British Industry that such a move would be anti-competitive and increase electricity prices. 11-May-1998

Zarara Oil & Gas, the Jersey-registered exploration and production company, is planning a flotation on Aim by the end of June. 11-May-1998

Scottish Power is still looking to acquire a US electricity company following the recent breakdown of talks to merge with Florida Progress. 07-May-1998

BP has said it is looking at the possibility of exploration and production projects in Iran, as well as investments in the petrochemical sector, but would first require a softening of US sanctions against the country. 06-May-1998

PowerGen is said to be undergoing merger discussions with Houston Industries of the US, which could create a £10bn group that would satisfy the international expansion ambitions of both companies. 04-May-1998

A consortium comprising Enterprise Oil, Mobil, and Statoil, and led by Amoco, has announced a large oil discovery in the Donnatello field in the Norwegian section of the North Sea that could contain up to 500m barrels of recoverable oil. 01-May-1998

BP is planning to operate an initial 40 petrol stations in Venezuela, and will invest over $250m in an effort to gain a 20% share of the market within five years. 01-May-1998

Alliance Resources, the oil and gas production company, is in reverse takeover talks as it seeks to expand in Europe through the acquisition of a significant minority stake in a UK gas company. 01-May-1998

Eastern Electricity is buying an 89% share of 210MW of power output from two hydro-electric plants in Norway for up to £175m, in order to support its trading operations in the Scandinavian electricity wholesale market over the next 20 years. 30-Apr-1998

National Power is acquiring a 15% stake in Malakoff, the Malaysian power company, for £75m, and the two companies will co-operate on projects throughout the Asia Pacific. 30-Apr-1998

BP is selling its upstream interests in Papua New Guinea to its local partner Oil Search for $400m, in order to focus on key areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, the Caspian Sea and Alaska. 29-Apr-1998

Transco is to hold gas prices below that allowed by its price control formula, despite the fall in volumes through its pipelines caused by the mild winter. 28-Apr-1998

The domestic electricity market will begin to be opened up to competition from September, according to the industry regulator, and by next June all 26m domestic customers should be able to choose their supplier. 28-Apr-1998

Ofgas has reported that 19% of domestic gas customers have either switched or are planning to switch suppliers, due to the removal of the British Gas monopoly as the market opens up to competition. 25-Apr-1998

BP is to invest £19m in the creation of a BP Institute at Cambridge University to undertake environmental and industrial research, while Unilever is to set up a £13m "cyber centre" at the university to develop drugs for the treatment of "superbugs". 25-Apr-1998

Scottish Power has pulled out of talks to acquire Florida Progress, the US electricity supplier, and is now looking for other potential targets in its attempt to become a large international player. 25-Apr-1998

The British Takeover Panel has suspended the bid timetables for the takeover offers made by PacifiCorp and Texas Utilities for Energy Group, in order to allow the bidders to revise their bids in an orderly way. 24-Apr-1998

Monument Oil & Gas has formed an alliance with Mobil to develop onshore oilfields in Turkmenistan, and a production sharing agreement will follow later with Mobil getting 52.4%, Monument 27.6% and the state oil company 20%. 23-Apr-1998

Tandy, the electronics retailer, is linking up with Yorkshire Electricity to offer gas supplies to customers at its 269 stores. 18-Apr-1998

National Power and PowerGen have been warned by the industry regulator that they must offer to sell unwanted power stations to rivals, rather than closing them to protect market share. 18-Apr-1998

Texas Utilities of the US has been given the government go-ahead to continue with its £4.45bn bid for Energy Group, and PacifiCorp will now have to decide whether to renew its interest in the UK electricity supplier. 18-Apr-1998

BG is set to announce that it has won a $220m contract to develop a gas transmission and distribution system in Egypt. 17-Apr-1998

Ofgas is planning to review the market for gas storage, and an investigation by the Monopolies & Mergers Commission could follow. 13-Apr-1998

Yorkshire and Seeboard, two of the regional electricity companies, face the prospect of a merger and a possible investigation by the Monopolies & Mergers Commission, following the merger of their US parent companies. 13-Apr-1998

British Gas and Siemens may take legal action against the Eletropaulo electricity company in Brazil if they are not reinstated as the winning bidders to build and operate a power plant in Sao Paulo. 11-Apr-1998

The electricity industry regulator has warned the government that prices will be forced up if it continues with its attempts to rescue the troubled coal industry. 09-Apr-1998

Desire Petroleum is to raise £14m in a flotation on Aim in order to fund exploration costs in the North Falkland basin. 09-Apr-1998

BP has outlined plans to increase capital spending from $6bn a year to $8bn a year over the next five years, in order to raise annual profits by $2bn. 08-Apr-1998

Cairn Energy has abandoned two Chinese wells as they proved dry, while one in Bangladesh has been suspended due to technical problems. 07-Apr-1998

Shell, Lasmo, Amerada Hess, International Petroleum and Desire Petroleum have begun transporting a rig to the Falkland Islands to search for oil, and operations could start by May. 07-Apr-1998

Abbot Group has won a $60m oil drilling contract in the Caspian Sea from the Azerbaijan International Operating Company. 07-Apr-1998

The government is said to be considering a plan to block imports of subsidised EU coal, as part of an attempt to encourage electricity generators to buy more UK-produced coal. 06-Apr-1998

Soco International is to take over US-based Territorial Resources for £9m, in order to increase its oil reserves in Mongolia. 03-Apr-1998

Ramco Energy is close to signing a production-sharing agreement with the Azerbaijan state oil company involving the redevelopment of the Guneshli oil field in the Caspian Sea. 03-Apr-1998

Monument Oil & Gas is planning a £100m rights issue in order to fund projects in the Caspian Sea, Colombia, Algeria and the North Sea. 01-Apr-1998

Dragon Oil has agreed an oil swap deal with the National Iranian Oil Company in which it will deliver Caspian crude to NIOC in return for Iranian light crude from the Persian Gulf. 31-Mar-1998

United Utilities has licensed its Digital PowerLine technology for the use of electricity cables to transmit data to 10 international utility companies, and plans to undercut current internet service providers on price. 26-Mar-1998

Shell is said to be considering a move to delay some of its North Sea oil development projects, due to falling oil prices and the possibility that the government is about to increase taxes on the industry. 23-Mar-1998

Monument Oil & Gas is organising a controversial oil export deal with Iran, in which it will supply refineries in northern Iran with oil from its Turkmenistan interests in return for oil produced in the south of Iran. 23-Mar-1998

The government is expected to announce plans soon for a new unified regulatory authority for the electricity and gas industries. 21-Mar-1998

Eastern Electricity is facing an investigation by Ofgas following allegations that its sales agency had breached a code of conduct while selling natural gas on doorsteps. 21-Mar-1998

British-Borneo Petroleum is looking for expansion opportunities in Brazil, Australia, West Africa, and possibly Asia, and is particularly interested in gas projects. 20-Mar-1998

The Environment Agency has extended the deadline for the electricity industry to substantially cut sulphur dioxide emissions by a further two months, following complaints by the coal industry. 18-Mar-1998

RJB Mining is demanding that Germany agrees to buy 5m tonnes of UK coal, to compensate for it being locked out of the German market because of subsidies provided to local German producers. 17-Mar-1998

Monument Oil & Gas is to finance BP's share of an exploration programme in three North Sea blocks, and will get some of BP's equity in the blocks in return. 16-Mar-1998

Emerald Energy is to raise £3.4m in a share placing in order to overcome delays and technical problems in its Colombian oil exploration activities. 16-Mar-1998

The number of petrol stations in the UK rose by 76 to 14,824 last year, the first rise in more than a decade, and the trend towards company-owned sites was also reversed, according to the Institute of Petroleum. 16-Mar-1998

Dana Petroleum is linking up with Foroya Kolvetni of the Faroe Islands to bid in the next Faroese oil licensing round. 13-Mar-1998

Premier Oil is planning to invest £50m on up to 25 exploration wells this year, and an additional £220m is earmarked for projects in Indonesia, Burma and Albania. 11-Mar-1998

Independent Energy Holdings is planning to double its electricity generation capacity over the next year, having gained planning permission for a further 9MW in Staffordshire, while the remainder of its customer requirements is bought in from the electricity pool. 09-Mar-1998

Dragon Oil is planning to invest about £27m on the development of new wells in Turkmenistan this year, and wants to set up a gas pipeline to Kazakhstan. 07-Mar-1998

Enterprise Oil may have to delay development of the Clair field west of Shetland and the Valhall project in Norway because of low oil prices. 06-Mar-1998

Offer, the electricity industry regulator, is proposing changes to the licence conditions of supply companies to prevent them from using unscrupulous selling techniques when the markets are opened up to competition in autumn. 05-Mar-1998

The government is to review the process for granting licences for opencast coal mines due to fears that such projects are threatening jobs in the deep-mine coal industry. 05-Mar-1998

The gas industry regulator has outlined plans to further reform the market over the next few months, with priorities being to unbundle Transco's gas metering monopoly and to introduce a gas spot market. 04-Mar-1998

Pentex Energy has reported that it only sold half the shares in its £7.5m rights issue, which was intended to fund the acquisition of a 32% stake in Sibir Energy. 03-Mar-1998

A survey by Bannock Consulting has revealed that about 34% of small companies are considering switching their electricity and gas suppliers when open competition is introduced later this year. 02-Mar-1998

Enterprise Oil is said to have made two offshore discoveries - one in the Slyne Trough area west of Ireland and one in the Gulf of Mexico. 02-Mar-1998

BP is said to be planning to take a 49% stake in a project to build a $1.37bn petrochemical complex in Oman. 02-Mar-1998

The Gas Consumer Council has received a surge in complaints from customers switching their gas suppliers, including problems with the transfer of accounts and unethical sales techniques. 27-Feb-1998

Lasmo is to withdraw from its Colombian oil exploration business and may also sell its Italian interests, as they are not core areas for the company. 27-Feb-1998

Celtic Energy is to develop a deep coal mine at Margam in South Wales, creating up to 300 jobs. 27-Feb-1998

Centrica has renegotiated three further take-or-pay gas contracts with Fina, Agip and Philips, and will make up-front payments to the companies in return for a reduction in prices to market levels. 24-Feb-1998

Ofgas has ordered Utilities Limited to stop selling gas on behalf of Northern Electric for the next two weeks following complaints of improper selling practices. 24-Feb-1998

Scottish Hydro-Electric has awarded a £180m contract to Siemens Power Generation for the refitting of its Peterhead power station, which is being converted from sour gas to natural gas. 23-Feb-1998

Gulf Canada Resources is looking to sell four non-operating oil fields in the UK's North Sea as well as exploration licences and other projects under development, as part of a plan to reduce debt. 23-Feb-1998

Shell has reached agreement for a six-month evaluation of a gas pipeline network across Ukraine, and it may end up with a commercial role in the transit of gas. 21-Feb-1998

British-Borneo has agreed a three-year alliance with Spinnaker Exploration of the US to gain access to seismic technology that should help it win US government lease sales for new deep water acreage in the Gulf of Mexico. 20-Feb-1998

British Sugar has won government approval for a 80MW combined heat and power generating plant at its Bury St Edmunds site. 19-Feb-1998

Energy Power Resources has raised £43.5m from a number of investors to enable it to set up a series of renewable energy projects, including a £3.5m 10MW power station fuelled by poultry litter in Fife. 17-Feb-1998

Shell has reached agreement with Chevron to co-operate on the development of oil and gas projects in the Caspian Sea region. 17-Feb-1998

Norsk Hydro has initiated a study into the feasibility of setting up a £500m project to transport electricity between the UK and Norway via an 800MW cable. 17-Feb-1998

National Grid is investing about £30m in southern India to form a joint venture with the Karnataka Electricity Board to build and operate a 600km transmission line. 13-Feb-1998

Shell is preparing an urgent review of its investment plans following the announcement of fourth quarter results that have been hit by a fall in oil prices and the Asian economic crisis. 13-Feb-1998

Scottish Power is to start offering combined bills so that customers can pay for gas, electricity, water and telecoms through a single bill, and it will also offer a payment facility via the internet. 12-Feb-1998

Texas Utilities has been given conditional clearance from the Texas Public Utility Commission to bid for Energy Group, but the company has still not yet come forward with a bid to top the one from PacifiCorp. 12-Feb-1998

National Power is increasing its stake in Hazlewood Power Corporation, the owner of an Australian power station and brown coal mine, from 52% to 72% at a cost of £82m. 11-Feb-1998

Soco International is increasing its stake in an oil field in the East Shabwa area of Yemen from 11.8% to 14.3% at a cost of £2.6m. 11-Feb-1998

Nomura International has withdrawn from the battle to acquire Energy Group due to difficulties negotiating the sale of parts of the business. 11-Feb-1998

Shell has won permission to build a $4.5bn petrochemical complex in southern China, in a joint venture with China National Offshore Oil and other local organisations. 11-Feb-1998

Scottish Power is planning to convert the Hatfield Moors gas field in Yorkshire into a gas storage facility to provide protection against movements in prices, thereby ending BG's monopoly on UK gas storage. 11-Feb-1998

Midlands Mining has warned that it may have to close the Silverdale coal mine in Newcastle-under-Lyme later this year due to geological problems, with the loss of about 300 jobs. 11-Feb-1998

Shell is to sell two major stakes in onshore Colombian oil fields in order to focus on offshore opportunities, which follows a similar decision by BP and has prompted speculation that the two companies are concerned about security issues. 10-Feb-1998

Ramco Energy has made a significant oil find in the Czech Republic as part of a consortium, and total reserves could be 35m to 100m barrels. 10-Feb-1998

The government is said to be planning to propose the merger of Ofgas and Offer into one regulatory body and it will also aim to split electricity companies into separate providers of power supply and physical distribution. 09-Feb-1998

Shell is considering plans to set up offshore wind farms which could supply power to oil and gas installations or even to land-based grids. 06-Feb-1998

EuroSov Energy has raised £11.8m in a share placing to finance a drilling programme in West Siberia. 05-Feb-1998

Hardy Oil & Gas is said to have made a major gas discovery in the Indus basin in Pakistan, as part of a consortium headed by OMV of Austria. 05-Feb-1998

Tesco is to donate 1.5p to the Carbon Storage Trust for every litre of unleaded low-benzene petrol it sells, and this will be used to plant trees and compensate for the environmental effect of the petrol. 03-Feb-1998

Nomura International has confirmed that it will break up Energy Group if it succeeds with its bid, and is already in discussions concerning the sale of Peabody, Energy's US coal business. 03-Feb-1998

Shell has decided to recycle the Brent Spar oil storage platform by dismantling it and using it for the foundations for a new quayside at Mekjarvik in Norway. 30-Jan-1998

Nomura International has expressed an interest in acquiring Energy Group, the owner of Eastern Electricity, but it will face competition from PacifiCorp and Texas Industries of the US. 29-Jan-1998

Ofgas has dropped plans to prevent electricity companies from winning new gas customers in their regions until their regions are opened up to competition in electricity, a decision which has angered the largest gas supplier Centrica. 28-Jan-1998

North Sea oil prices have fallen to their lowest level in almost four years due to high US stock figures and fears that Saudi Arabia will not curb output. 23-Jan-1998

BP has won government approval for a plan to decommission an oilfield installation in the Donan field in the North Sea, which will involve two sub-sea wellheads being brought ashore to be destroyed or recycled. 23-Jan-1998

Most of the electricity supply companies have rejected demands from the regulators for them to curb their entry into the open gas market until their local electricity supply markets are opened up. 23-Jan-1998

Offer, the electricity regulator, has announced that the introduction of competition to the domestic market will be delayed until September due to problems with computer and billing systems. 21-Jan-1998

British Nuclear Fuels is said to be close to winning approval for a controversial scheme to convert plutonium into nuclear fuel at its Sellafied complex, following a report published by the Environment Agency which backs up the economic reasoning behind the scheme. 20-Jan-1998

Gasunie, the Dutch gas company in which Shell and Esso have stakes, is trying to convince Centrica and other UK gas traders of the need for a second North Sea pipeline which would carry gas from Holland to Bacton in Norfolk when the UK is no longer self-sufficient. 19-Jan-1998

Sibir Energy is discussing the possible acquisition of Pentex Energy, its former parent that has had to abandon an agreement to sell crude oil to Enron due to falling prices. 17-Jan-1998

Ofgas has announced tougher penalties for gas companies found guilty of rogue selling practices, including fines and freezes on marketing campaigns. 16-Jan-1998

British Energy is discussing the possibility of taking a role in Ontario Hydro's nuclear division, which could involve the acquisition of some Canadian nuclear reactors. 13-Jan-1998

Electricity Supply Board of Ireland is to take a 15% stake in Coolkeeragh, the Londonderry power station that is planning to convert to gas, in the first cross-border link in the utilities sector. 13-Jan-1998

BP and Shell are beginning to move back into Iran, as BP has reopened its Tehran office and Shell is said to have reached agreement with the National Iranian Oil Company for exploration in neighbouring Turkmenistan. 12-Jan-1998

Mitsubishi of Japan and Raytheon of the US have won a £300m contract to build one of the world's largest thermal energy plants for Entergy in Yorkshire. 12-Jan-1998

Premier Oil has announced its second major gas find in the Natuna block offshore Indonesia. 10-Jan-1998

RJB Mining has sold its Blenkinsopp colliery in Northumberland back to management but will continue to sell its 200,000 tonnes-a-year output. 10-Jan-1998

National Power is to invest up to £245m in the construction of a 1,400MW power station in Zimbabwe, and its partners in the project will be the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority and Rio Tinto Zimbabwe. 09-Jan-1998

The Environment Agency is aiming to bring forward the deadline for an 84% cut in sulphur dioxide emissions from power stations in England and Wales by four years to 2001, a move which would hamper government attempts to increase coal demand. 08-Jan-1998

Monument Oil & Gas has reached agreement to farm into Emerald Energy's oil exploration programme in the Matambo block in Colombia. 08-Jan-1998

Repsol of Spain has said it would consider any approaches to buy its network of 60 Repsol and 300 Anglo service stations, as it wants to focus its international expansion efforts in Latin America. 08-Jan-1998

Centrica has renegotiated the terms of its take-or-pay contract with Chevron, which, along with the new deals with other suppliers, means that the average price of gas it buys is down from 19p a therm to about 15p. 08-Jan-1998

Eastern Group is offering to buy extra coal for every new customer it gains for its electricity package, in a link-up with RJB Mining that is aimed at saving mining jobs. 07-Jan-1998

BP, Shell and other major companies are increasing the pressure on the government to drop plans for North Sea oil tax increases, with warnings about potential damage to jobs and investment. 01-Jan-1998

Chevron of the US is planning to increase European oil production by two-thirds over the next two years, reaching 100,000 barrels a day. 01-Jan-1998







The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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