Energy Blast – Oct 22, 2009

Gazprom has expressed an interest in acquiring a U.S. shale-gas producer, to access the know-how to develop similar resources domestically, says the Moscow Times.  GDF Suez has said it has discussed a 10-20% increase in its Russian gas supply with Gazprom, as part of broader negotiations to usher the French company into the Nord Stream gas project.  Electricite de France may acquire a stake in Gazprom’s South Stream pipeline to supply its increasing number of power plants.  Turkey’s government has apparently approved geological exploration work for South Stream in its Black Sea economic zone.  The partnership behind the Nabucco pipeline project is, says Bloomberg, ‘confident’ it will have enough fuel, including gas from the Azeri Shah Deniz field.  Russian oil and petrochemical exporters reported a 45% decrease in revenue in the first nine months of 2009 to $129 billion.  Buying crude with blood: oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens has informed Congress that U.S. energy companies should be ‘entitled‘ to access to Iraqi oil due to the number of American lives lost fighting in the country.