IEF Secretary General

OP-ED Article in MEES (www.mees.com) by IEF SG, Noé van Hulst. 

The skilled personnel shortage in the petroleum industry was one of the causes behind cost escalation in the oil and gas industry in recent years. It was also identified as one of the factors delaying capacity expansion and other project plans. Perceptions of the industry as a “sunset” sector, misconceptions about its approach to environmental concerns and competition from other high-tech industries have, combined with cutbacks in technical programmes in universities, helped to reduce the in-flow of skilled staff to the working population. Job security is a major concern among students, now perhaps more than ever, and the industry’s reputation for vulnerability to boom-and-bust cycles presen  ...

 The strong support of IEF Ministers to the Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI) as a tool to help stabilize oil markets and reduce oil-price volatility has been expressed again at the 3rd Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable on 26 April 2009 (Tokyo, Japan). The participants welcomed the important progress made so far in JODI and encouraged JODI partner organizations and their member countries to make further improvements to provide more complete and timely energy data, including stock data, and the inclusion of gas-related data. This roundtable meeting was also an opportunity for IEF Secretary General, Noé van Hulst, to hand the newly published Chinese version of the JODI manual to Mr Liu Qi,   ...

  The 3rd Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable was held in Tokyo, Japan, 26 April 2009, with the participation of Ministerial delegations from 21 Asian countries and representatives of two international organizations (IEF and IEA). At the invitation of the government of Japan, Energy Ministers of 21 Asian countries and representatives of two international organizations gathered in Tokyo for the 3rd Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable. The participants discussed Asia-specific energy issues that are of direct concern to all participating countries. Chair’s summary Securing investment and stability in oil and gas Participants recognized that energy demand is expected to increase and ene  ...

IEF Secretary General

As we are living through the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, it makes sense to take a closer look at the lessons we can learn from history. Valuable insights can also be gleaned from our experiences in the oil and gas market, not only in the recent past, but over the cycles encountered in the last 40 years. We are reminded of the famous quote: “those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. Looking back at the insightful points raised by company and government experts from producing and consuming countries in the IEF symposia and fora over the last six months, we all have a lot to learn. Here is my selection of key lessons from recent energy history. The   ...

The IEF-IGU 1st Ministerial Gas Forum was held in Vienna, 24 November 2008, with the participation of Ministerial delegations, international organizations and gas industry leaders from gas producing and consuming countries, from developed and developing countries. “The world gas markets going from regional to global” was the central theme. Ministers and industry leaders discussed the changing dynamics of the gas markets and the key challenges facing the natural gas industry. The debate led to the following recommendations and conclusions: Natural gas demand is expected to continue growing in the future, mainly driven by power generation, at an average annual rate of 1.8% up to 2030. Deman  ...

The 11th IEF Ministerial concluded that “a sustainable energy future implies efficiency improvements and technological advances in both production and consumption of fossil fuels” and advocated renewed energy technology collaboration between producing and consuming countries. Following the recommendations of the IEF Ministers, the IEF Secretariat held the IEF-IFP symposium in Riyadh, on 15 December 2008, with the participation of representatives from oil companies, technology and service providers, international organizations and representatives from producing and consuming countries, and developed and developing countries. “Enhancing global energy security, role of technology in the petrole  ...

The London Energy Meeting (LEM) took place on 19 December 2008, at the initiative of UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The purpose of this second ad hoc meeting of IEF Ministers and representatives from industry was to build on the outcome of the Jeddah Energy Meeting convened by HRH King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia earlier in the year, and to develop greater understanding of the forces influencing the energy and financial markets and the extent to which they overlapped. Over 35 countries were represented, including the main consumers and producers of oil, leading companies and international organizations. Participants discussed the importance of measures to promote stability in the oil market,   ...

The International Energy Forum held its first NOC-IOC Forum in Kuwait City, 30-31 March 2009, hosted by the government of Kuwait. The Forum was opened by Kuwaiti Minister Nabeel Bin Salama, with the participation of government delegations, international organizations and senior decision-makers from NOCs and IOCs, representatives from producing and consuming countries, service companies and the financial sector. “Enhancing global energy security through co-operation and partnership” was the central theme. This first NOC-IOC Forum presented a timely opportunity to address the shared concerns of petroleum industry stakeholders, as highlighted by Ministers and industry leaders in the 11th IEF   ...

Last year saw the most extreme volatility of oil prices we have ever witnessed. There is a consensus now that this extreme volatility was not only due to supply and demand factors in the physical oil market, but exacerbated by speculation in the futures market. Extreme price volatility negatively impacts the economic interests of consumers and producers alike. As speculation on the upside remained untamed, at present shorting oil is exaggerating oil prices on the way down. This results in huge uncertainty about oil prices leading toward underinvestment in oil and even in renewables. But aren’t current oil prices good news for consumers? Yes, in the short run they are. However, in the mediu  ...

IEF Secretary General

In terms of participation, the 11th International Energy Forum (IEF) in Rome was a big success and most probably the largest gathering of Energy Ministers on the planet. Nearly 75 delegations, of which over 50 ministers, from oil and gas producing and consuming countries engaged in a frank and open dialogue to discuss today’s key global energy challenges. In addition 13 international organizations participated, with IEA and OPEC at the highest level. High energy prices and growing concerns about energy security, global warming and energy poverty were intensely debated, both in the conference room and outside in countless bilateral meetings. Although it is hard to keep track of these bilatera  ...

Minister of Economic Development of Italy

I have the honour and great pleasure to give a warm welcome to all the participants to the 11th International Energy Forum that Italy with the support of India and Mexico as the co-hosting countries, will be hosting in Rome from 20 to 22 April 2008. It is now seventeen years since the first meeting of the energy producing and consuming countries in Paris in 1991. The meeting in Paris was the start of the dialogue that since the year 2000 became the International Energy Forum. When we review the outcomes of this dialogue between producers and consumers we find that in addition to the growing number of participating countries and contribution of world energy leaders, many obstacles and barrier  ...

IEF Secretary General

IEF Ministers meet in Rome on 20-22 April 2008 at a time of unprecedented high energy prices and growing concerns about energy security, global warming and geopolitical tensions. The general theme of the 11th IEF is “Energy Dialogue to Respond to Global Challenges”. This theme is well chosen for two simple reasons. The first is that all of the main energy challenges are truly global today: high prices, energy security and CO2 emissions. Nobody is immune to these and they affect every country. The second is that the IEF umbrella covers over 70 countries and they in turn cover more than 90% of global oil and gas production and consumption. In a world of increasing interdependence between produ  ...

Chairman of the IEFS Executive Board

Energy Dialogue to Respond to Global Challenges is the leading theme of the 11th International Energy Forum and 3rd International Energy Business Forum. The theme reflects the fact that to be able to cope with the continuing and changing challenges in front of us, energy exporting and consuming countries need to strengthen and further develop a constructive dialogue. The dialogue would contribute to identify and implement new solutions, international co-operation and partnership.We considered it fundamental to facilitate an open and effective debate during the sessions of both the Ministerial and Business Forum.To achieve this it was decided to build upon the experience of the 9th IEF in Ams  ...

Secretary General of the IEF (2003-2007)

Ambassador Arne Walther, the first Secretary General of the IEF, has previously served as Norway's Ambassador to Austria and India, been Chairman of the Governing Board of the IEA and served as Special Adviser on International Affairs to Prime Minister Brundtland of Norway.Energy is centre-beam in the international political spotlight of our day. Energy security continues to top the political agenda for energy-importing as well as exporting countries, for industrialized as well as developing economies. We are all “addicted” to energy. And we are facing that addiction up-front. Because energy goes to the very core of political, economic and environmental interests of individual countries as w  ...

Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna has served as Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia since 1989. He was Vice-Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 7th International Energy Forum Ministerial held in Riyadh in November 2000 and of the Committee that established the IEF Secretariat. He was Head of the Saudi Delegation to 3rd IEF Ministerial in Cartagena, Spain in 1994. Before 1950, petroleum was already an important and strategic international commodity. Oil’s critical role in fueling modern economies and in enabling countries to project military and economic power beyond their own boundaries was well recognized as far back as the early 1900s. Economic and milit  ...

Senior Partner of MF Consulting

Mr. Morten Frisch, an international consultant on natural gas, argues that implementation of market-based pricing, transparency, international co-operation and understanding would improve the availability and utilization of natural gas. Referring to the IEF as a neutral organization to energy producers and consumers, he would like to see the Joint Oil Data Initiative expanded to natural gas as a contribution towards solving the world’s natural gas problemMr. Morten Frisch is a senior partner of Morten Frisch Consulting in the U.K.. His 35 years’ experience includes working for the Norwegian government, multinational oil companies, and as an independent consultant since 1990.The Energy Minist  ...

Head, Energy Statistics Division, IEA

Mr. Jean-Yves Garnier, Head of the Energy Statistics Division at the International Energy Agency is a founding father of the Joint Oil Data Initiative and remains a main driver behind its success. We have asked the JODI Pioneer to take us back to the origins of this unique inter-organizational transparency initiative and recall some milestones in its development. When I received a phone call from Ambassador Walther asking if I was interested in writing a short paper on JODI, I did not see the point of putting myself in the forefront and writing yet “another” paper on JODI. And then I had second thoughts and decided to accept his invitation, with the understanding that it would not be an arti  ...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Former Minister of Energy of Algeria

Former Minister of Energy of Algeria, Mr. Nordine Ait-Laoussine, acknowledges in the Newslletter’s regular feature “From Confrontation to Dialogue” converging perspectives and shared convictions developed in the producer-consumer dialogue, but sees little progress on either the price volatility issue or the supply/demand security dilemma. Indicating ways to reconcile that dilemma, he argues that what we need now is to move from good intentions to generate concrete actions to foster interdependence between all the industry participants.Mr. Ait-Laoussine is currently President of Nalcosa, the energy consulting firm based in Geneva that he established in 1980 and whose clients have included mos  ...

Executive Director of the International Energy Agency(1994-2002)

Mr. Robert Priddle, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency between 1994-2002, recalls below in the Newsletter’s regular feature “From Confrontation to Dialogue” some of the pioneering steps that he took in prompting contacts between the IEA and OPEC secretariats to develop the producer-consumer dialogue. The dialogue well established, he asks whether another major step can now be taken. Putting the question whether the free exchange of opinions can move on towards agreement on policy, Mr. Priddle urges a forthright debate on measures to safeguard the place of oil and gas in the world energy market at the 11th IEF Ministerial in Rome.Despite globalisation, political perceptions  ...

Director and Chairman of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund

Dr. Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo, Managing Director and Chairman of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund since 2004, underscores in this special article for the Newsletter that continued dialogue between producers and consumers is an absolute necessity to ensure increased energy security for all. Believing that global energy security can be truly enhanced when governments combine unilateral and multilateral efforts to ensure an orderly, efficient and transparent global oil market, Managing Director de Rato acknowledges the important contribution of the Joint Oil Data Initiative to efforts to enhance transparency. He mentions how the IMF is providing much appreciated assistanc  ...

Vice-President of the Trading and Consulting House Al-Azzaz Est.

Mr. Syed Rashid Husain, writes in his contribution to the Newsletter’s regular feature “From Confrontation to Dialogue” on the altered dynamics and changing landscape of the energy world. Noting the huge investments required to satisfy increasing demand for oil in the years ahead, he fears that “political rhetoric of wriggling out of dependence on Middle East oil” would discourage investors and be a “recipe for disaster”. And underlining energy security as a shared responsibility, he sees the IEF providing a platform to achieve a broader consensus on a road map to the energy security of both producers and consumers.Mr. Husain, a Pakistani national, writes the column “Oil Scene” for the “Arab  ...

Chairman and CEO of the (IFP)

Mr. Olivier Apperl has been Chairman and CEO of the French institute of Petroleum (IFP) since 2003. Prior go that, he served as Director of the International Energy Agency's Long-Term Co-operation and Policy Analysis Division for three and a half years. He headed the Oil and Gas Department of the Ministry of Industry of France from 1989 to 1994 and participated in the first IEF Ministerial, the “Ministerial Seminar” convened by France and Venezuela in Paris in 1991. At the 2nd International Energy Business Forum in Doha, he was moderator for the panel session on Investments. Looking ahead, Mi Appert concludes that the producer-consumer dialogue, to continue its success, will have to consider  ...

Secretary General of (OAPEC)

Dr. Ali Attiga served as Secretary General of the Oiganisation of Arab Petroleum £porring countries (OAPEC) between 1973 and 1987, a time when few would have envisaged as realistic the constructive producer—consumer dialogue at political level that we have today in the lEE Looking back at the erstwhile image of producer—consumer confrontation, Dr. Attiga recalls OAPEC ‘s early attempts to promote dialogue. Looking ahead, he underscores that the prnspects for the current dialogue will depend on the erteni’ to which it can generate concrete action enhancing interdependence between the partners. After serving OAPEC Dr Attiga joined the United Nations from which he retired in 1994 at the level o  ...

Director of Information and International Affairs for (OAPEC)

Dr. Walid Khadduri has lectured extensively on the oil industry and Middle East affairs and has lectured extensively on the oil industry and Middle East affairs and is now Economic Editor of the Arabic daily Al-Hayat (Beirut). He was previously Editor of the Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) where he followed the producer-consumer relationship for more than twenty years. Prior to that he served with the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) in Kuwait as Director of Information and International Affairs.Dr. Khadduri presented a paper on ”Information and Oil Markets” at the meeting of IEF Ministers convened by Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources H.E. A. Al-Naimi o  ...

Director Emeritus of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Professor Robert Mabro, the Director Emeritus of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and founder and first director of the prestigious annual Oxford Energy Seminar, is the Nestor of academic oil market commentators. His publication list is long and celebrated. In addition to awards from the International Association for Energy Economics and OPEC, Professor Mabro has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) and has received state decorations for his achievements also from Venezuela, Mexico and France.Having followed the development of the political level producer-consumer dialogue in the IEF from its beginning, and always getting quickly and elegantly to the point, Professor   ...

International Energy Forum

  

Chairman and CEO IFP

Professor Robert Mabro, the Director Emeritus of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and founder and first director of the prestigious annual Oxford Energy Seminar, is the Nestor of academic oil market commentators. His publication list is long and celeb 

Chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates

Harvard University

  

IEF Secretary General

OP-ED Article in MEES (www.mees.com) by IEF Secretary General, Noé van Hulst. 

IEF Secretary General

OP-ED Article in MEES (www.mees.com) by IEF Secretary General, Noé van Hulst. 

IEF Secretary General

OP-ED Article in MEES (www.mees.com) by IEF SG, Noé van Hulst. 

 The strong support of IEF Ministers to the Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI) as a tool to help stabilize oil markets and reduce oil-price volatility has been expressed again at the 3rd Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable on 26 April 2009 (Tokyo, Japan). The participants welcomed the important progress made so far in JODI and encouraged JODI partner organizations and their member countries to make further improvements to provide more complete and timely energy data, including stock data, and the inclusion of gas-related data. This roundtable meeting was also an opportunity for IEF Secretary General, Noé van Hulst, to hand the newly published Chinese version of the JODI manual to Mr Liu Qi,   ...

The skilled personnel shortage in the petroleum industry was one of the causes behind cost escalation in the oil and gas industry in recent years. It was also identified as one of the factors delaying capacity expansion and other project plans. Perceptions of the industry as a “sunset” sector, misconceptions about its approach to environmental concerns and competition from other high-tech industries have, combined with cutbacks in technical programmes in universities, helped to reduce the in-flow of skilled staff to the working population. Job security is a major concern among students, now perhaps more than ever, and the industry’s reputation for vulnerability to boom-and-bust cycles presen  ...

Last year saw the most extreme volatility of oil prices we have ever witnessed. There is a consensus now that this extreme volatility was not only due to supply and demand factors in the physical oil market, but exacerbated by speculation in the futures market. Extreme price volatility negatively impacts the economic interests of consumers and producers alike. As speculation on the upside remained untamed, at present shorting oil is exaggerating oil prices on the way down. This results in huge uncertainty about oil prices leading toward underinvestment in oil and even in renewables. But aren’t current oil prices good news for consumers? Yes, in the short run they are. However, in the mediu  ...

The International Energy Forum held its first NOC-IOC Forum in Kuwait City, 30-31 March 2009, hosted by the government of Kuwait. The Forum was opened by Kuwaiti Minister Nabeel Bin Salama, with the participation of government delegations, international organizations and senior decision-makers from NOCs and IOCs, representatives from producing and consuming countries, service companies and the financial sector. “Enhancing global energy security through co-operation and partnership” was the central theme. This first NOC-IOC Forum presented a timely opportunity to address the shared concerns of petroleum industry stakeholders, as highlighted by Ministers and industry leaders in the 11th IEF   ...

The London Energy Meeting (LEM) took place on 19 December 2008, at the initiative of UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The purpose of this second ad hoc meeting of IEF Ministers and representatives from industry was to build on the outcome of the Jeddah Energy Meeting convened by HRH King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia earlier in the year, and to develop greater understanding of the forces influencing the energy and financial markets and the extent to which they overlapped. Over 35 countries were represented, including the main consumers and producers of oil, leading companies and international organizations. Participants discussed the importance of measures to promote stability in the oil market,   ...

The 11th IEF Ministerial concluded that “a sustainable energy future implies efficiency improvements and technological advances in both production and consumption of fossil fuels” and advocated renewed energy technology collaboration between producing and consuming countries. Following the recommendations of the IEF Ministers, the IEF Secretariat held the IEF-IFP symposium in Riyadh, on 15 December 2008, with the participation of representatives from oil companies, technology and service providers, international organizations and representatives from producing and consuming countries, and developed and developing countries. “Enhancing global energy security, role of technology in the petrole  ...

The IEF-IGU 1st Ministerial Gas Forum was held in Vienna, 24 November 2008, with the participation of Ministerial delegations, international organizations and gas industry leaders from gas producing and consuming countries, from developed and developing countries. “The world gas markets going from regional to global” was the central theme. Ministers and industry leaders discussed the changing dynamics of the gas markets and the key challenges facing the natural gas industry. The debate led to the following recommendations and conclusions: Natural gas demand is expected to continue growing in the future, mainly driven by power generation, at an average annual rate of 1.8% up to 2030. Deman  ...

IEF Secretary General

As we are living through the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, it makes sense to take a closer look at the lessons we can learn from history. Valuable insights can also be gleaned from our experiences in the oil and gas market, not only in the recent past, but over the cycles encountered in the last 40 years. We are reminded of the famous quote: “those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. Looking back at the insightful points raised by company and government experts from producing and consuming countries in the IEF symposia and fora over the last six months, we all have a lot to learn. Here is my selection of key lessons from recent energy history. The   ...

  The 3rd Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable was held in Tokyo, Japan, 26 April 2009, with the participation of Ministerial delegations from 21 Asian countries and representatives of two international organizations (IEF and IEA). At the invitation of the government of Japan, Energy Ministers of 21 Asian countries and representatives of two international organizations gathered in Tokyo for the 3rd Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable. The participants discussed Asia-specific energy issues that are of direct concern to all participating countries. Chair’s summary Securing investment and stability in oil and gas Participants recognized that energy demand is expected to increase and ene  ...

IEF Secretary General

In terms of participation, the 11th International Energy Forum (IEF) in Rome was a big success and most probably the largest gathering of Energy Ministers on the planet. Nearly 75 delegations, of which over 50 ministers, from oil and gas producing and consuming countries engaged in a frank and open dialogue to discuss today’s key global energy challenges. In addition 13 international organizations participated, with IEA and OPEC at the highest level. High energy prices and growing concerns about energy security, global warming and energy poverty were intensely debated, both in the conference room and outside in countless bilateral meetings. Although it is hard to keep track of these bilatera  ...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

International Energy Forum

  

Harvard University

  

Chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates

Chairman and CEO IFP

Professor Robert Mabro, the Director Emeritus of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and founder and first director of the prestigious annual Oxford Energy Seminar, is the Nestor of academic oil market commentators. His publication list is long and celeb 

Chairman of the IEFS Executive Board

Energy Dialogue to Respond to Global Challenges is the leading theme of the 11th International Energy Forum and 3rd International Energy Business Forum. The theme reflects the fact that to be able to cope with the continuing and changing challenges in front of us, energy exporting and consuming countries need to strengthen and further develop a constructive dialogue. The dialogue would contribute to identify and implement new solutions, international co-operation and partnership.We considered it fundamental to facilitate an open and effective debate during the sessions of both the Ministerial and Business Forum.To achieve this it was decided to build upon the experience of the 9th IEF in Ams  ...

IEF Secretary General

IEF Ministers meet in Rome on 20-22 April 2008 at a time of unprecedented high energy prices and growing concerns about energy security, global warming and geopolitical tensions. The general theme of the 11th IEF is “Energy Dialogue to Respond to Global Challenges”. This theme is well chosen for two simple reasons. The first is that all of the main energy challenges are truly global today: high prices, energy security and CO2 emissions. Nobody is immune to these and they affect every country. The second is that the IEF umbrella covers over 70 countries and they in turn cover more than 90% of global oil and gas production and consumption. In a world of increasing interdependence between produ  ...

Minister of Economic Development of Italy

I have the honour and great pleasure to give a warm welcome to all the participants to the 11th International Energy Forum that Italy with the support of India and Mexico as the co-hosting countries, will be hosting in Rome from 20 to 22 April 2008. It is now seventeen years since the first meeting of the energy producing and consuming countries in Paris in 1991. The meeting in Paris was the start of the dialogue that since the year 2000 became the International Energy Forum. When we review the outcomes of this dialogue between producers and consumers we find that in addition to the growing number of participating countries and contribution of world energy leaders, many obstacles and barrier  ...

Director Emeritus of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Professor Robert Mabro, the Director Emeritus of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and founder and first director of the prestigious annual Oxford Energy Seminar, is the Nestor of academic oil market commentators. His publication list is long and celebrated. In addition to awards from the International Association for Energy Economics and OPEC, Professor Mabro has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) and has received state decorations for his achievements also from Venezuela, Mexico and France.Having followed the development of the political level producer-consumer dialogue in the IEF from its beginning, and always getting quickly and elegantly to the point, Professor   ...

Director of Information and International Affairs for (OAPEC)

Dr. Walid Khadduri has lectured extensively on the oil industry and Middle East affairs and has lectured extensively on the oil industry and Middle East affairs and is now Economic Editor of the Arabic daily Al-Hayat (Beirut). He was previously Editor of the Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) where he followed the producer-consumer relationship for more than twenty years. Prior to that he served with the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) in Kuwait as Director of Information and International Affairs.Dr. Khadduri presented a paper on ”Information and Oil Markets” at the meeting of IEF Ministers convened by Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources H.E. A. Al-Naimi o  ...

Secretary General of (OAPEC)

Dr. Ali Attiga served as Secretary General of the Oiganisation of Arab Petroleum £porring countries (OAPEC) between 1973 and 1987, a time when few would have envisaged as realistic the constructive producer—consumer dialogue at political level that we have today in the lEE Looking back at the erstwhile image of producer—consumer confrontation, Dr. Attiga recalls OAPEC ‘s early attempts to promote dialogue. Looking ahead, he underscores that the prnspects for the current dialogue will depend on the erteni’ to which it can generate concrete action enhancing interdependence between the partners. After serving OAPEC Dr Attiga joined the United Nations from which he retired in 1994 at the level o  ...

Chairman and CEO of the (IFP)

Mr. Olivier Apperl has been Chairman and CEO of the French institute of Petroleum (IFP) since 2003. Prior go that, he served as Director of the International Energy Agency's Long-Term Co-operation and Policy Analysis Division for three and a half years. He headed the Oil and Gas Department of the Ministry of Industry of France from 1989 to 1994 and participated in the first IEF Ministerial, the “Ministerial Seminar” convened by France and Venezuela in Paris in 1991. At the 2nd International Energy Business Forum in Doha, he was moderator for the panel session on Investments. Looking ahead, Mi Appert concludes that the producer-consumer dialogue, to continue its success, will have to consider  ...

Vice-President of the Trading and Consulting House Al-Azzaz Est.

Mr. Syed Rashid Husain, writes in his contribution to the Newsletter’s regular feature “From Confrontation to Dialogue” on the altered dynamics and changing landscape of the energy world. Noting the huge investments required to satisfy increasing demand for oil in the years ahead, he fears that “political rhetoric of wriggling out of dependence on Middle East oil” would discourage investors and be a “recipe for disaster”. And underlining energy security as a shared responsibility, he sees the IEF providing a platform to achieve a broader consensus on a road map to the energy security of both producers and consumers.Mr. Husain, a Pakistani national, writes the column “Oil Scene” for the “Arab  ...

Director and Chairman of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund

Dr. Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo, Managing Director and Chairman of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund since 2004, underscores in this special article for the Newsletter that continued dialogue between producers and consumers is an absolute necessity to ensure increased energy security for all. Believing that global energy security can be truly enhanced when governments combine unilateral and multilateral efforts to ensure an orderly, efficient and transparent global oil market, Managing Director de Rato acknowledges the important contribution of the Joint Oil Data Initiative to efforts to enhance transparency. He mentions how the IMF is providing much appreciated assistanc  ...

Executive Director of the International Energy Agency(1994-2002)

Mr. Robert Priddle, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency between 1994-2002, recalls below in the Newsletter’s regular feature “From Confrontation to Dialogue” some of the pioneering steps that he took in prompting contacts between the IEA and OPEC secretariats to develop the producer-consumer dialogue. The dialogue well established, he asks whether another major step can now be taken. Putting the question whether the free exchange of opinions can move on towards agreement on policy, Mr. Priddle urges a forthright debate on measures to safeguard the place of oil and gas in the world energy market at the 11th IEF Ministerial in Rome.Despite globalisation, political perceptions  ...

Former Minister of Energy of Algeria

Former Minister of Energy of Algeria, Mr. Nordine Ait-Laoussine, acknowledges in the Newslletter’s regular feature “From Confrontation to Dialogue” converging perspectives and shared convictions developed in the producer-consumer dialogue, but sees little progress on either the price volatility issue or the supply/demand security dilemma. Indicating ways to reconcile that dilemma, he argues that what we need now is to move from good intentions to generate concrete actions to foster interdependence between all the industry participants.Mr. Ait-Laoussine is currently President of Nalcosa, the energy consulting firm based in Geneva that he established in 1980 and whose clients have included mos  ...

Secretary General of the IEF (2003-2007)

Ambassador Arne Walther, the first Secretary General of the IEF, has previously served as Norway's Ambassador to Austria and India, been Chairman of the Governing Board of the IEA and served as Special Adviser on International Affairs to Prime Minister Brundtland of Norway.Energy is centre-beam in the international political spotlight of our day. Energy security continues to top the political agenda for energy-importing as well as exporting countries, for industrialized as well as developing economies. We are all “addicted” to energy. And we are facing that addiction up-front. Because energy goes to the very core of political, economic and environmental interests of individual countries as w  ...

Head, Energy Statistics Division, IEA

Mr. Jean-Yves Garnier, Head of the Energy Statistics Division at the International Energy Agency is a founding father of the Joint Oil Data Initiative and remains a main driver behind its success. We have asked the JODI Pioneer to take us back to the origins of this unique inter-organizational transparency initiative and recall some milestones in its development. When I received a phone call from Ambassador Walther asking if I was interested in writing a short paper on JODI, I did not see the point of putting myself in the forefront and writing yet “another” paper on JODI. And then I had second thoughts and decided to accept his invitation, with the understanding that it would not be an arti  ...

Senior Partner of MF Consulting

Mr. Morten Frisch, an international consultant on natural gas, argues that implementation of market-based pricing, transparency, international co-operation and understanding would improve the availability and utilization of natural gas. Referring to the IEF as a neutral organization to energy producers and consumers, he would like to see the Joint Oil Data Initiative expanded to natural gas as a contribution towards solving the world’s natural gas problemMr. Morten Frisch is a senior partner of Morten Frisch Consulting in the U.K.. His 35 years’ experience includes working for the Norwegian government, multinational oil companies, and as an independent consultant since 1990.The Energy Minist  ...

Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna has served as Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia since 1989. He was Vice-Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 7th International Energy Forum Ministerial held in Riyadh in November 2000 and of the Committee that established the IEF Secretariat. He was Head of the Saudi Delegation to 3rd IEF Ministerial in Cartagena, Spain in 1994. Before 1950, petroleum was already an important and strategic international commodity. Oil’s critical role in fueling modern economies and in enabling countries to project military and economic power beyond their own boundaries was well recognized as far back as the early 1900s. Economic and milit  ...

IEF Secretary General

OP-ED Article in MEES (www.mees.com) by IEF Secretary General, Noé van Hulst. 

IEF Secretary General

OP-ED Article in MEES (www.mees.com) by IEF SG, Noé van Hulst. 

 The strong support of IEF Ministers to the Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI) as a tool to help stabilize oil markets and reduce oil-price volatility has been expressed again at the 3rd Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable on 26 April 2009 (Tokyo, Japan). The participants welcomed the important progress made so far in JODI and encouraged JODI partner organizations and their member countries to make further improvements to provide more complete and timely energy data, including stock data, and the inclusion of gas-related data. This roundtable meeting was also an opportunity for IEF Secretary General, Noé van Hulst, to hand the newly published Chinese version of the JODI manual to Mr Liu Qi,   ...

The skilled personnel shortage in the petroleum industry was one of the causes behind cost escalation in the oil and gas industry in recent years. It was also identified as one of the factors delaying capacity expansion and other project plans. Perceptions of the industry as a “sunset” sector, misconceptions about its approach to environmental concerns and competition from other high-tech industries have, combined with cutbacks in technical programmes in universities, helped to reduce the in-flow of skilled staff to the working population. Job security is a major concern among students, now perhaps more than ever, and the industry’s reputation for vulnerability to boom-and-bust cycles presen  ...

Last year saw the most extreme volatility of oil prices we have ever witnessed. There is a consensus now that this extreme volatility was not only due to supply and demand factors in the physical oil market, but exacerbated by speculation in the futures market. Extreme price volatility negatively impacts the economic interests of consumers and producers alike. As speculation on the upside remained untamed, at present shorting oil is exaggerating oil prices on the way down. This results in huge uncertainty about oil prices leading toward underinvestment in oil and even in renewables. But aren’t current oil prices good news for consumers? Yes, in the short run they are. However, in the mediu  ...

The International Energy Forum held its first NOC-IOC Forum in Kuwait City, 30-31 March 2009, hosted by the government of Kuwait. The Forum was opened by Kuwaiti Minister Nabeel Bin Salama, with the participation of government delegations, international organizations and senior decision-makers from NOCs and IOCs, representatives from producing and consuming countries, service companies and the financial sector. “Enhancing global energy security through co-operation and partnership” was the central theme. This first NOC-IOC Forum presented a timely opportunity to address the shared concerns of petroleum industry stakeholders, as highlighted by Ministers and industry leaders in the 11th IEF   ...

The London Energy Meeting (LEM) took place on 19 December 2008, at the initiative of UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The purpose of this second ad hoc meeting of IEF Ministers and representatives from industry was to build on the outcome of the Jeddah Energy Meeting convened by HRH King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia earlier in the year, and to develop greater understanding of the forces influencing the energy and financial markets and the extent to which they overlapped. Over 35 countries were represented, including the main consumers and producers of oil, leading companies and international organizations. Participants discussed the importance of measures to promote stability in the oil market,   ...

The 11th IEF Ministerial concluded that “a sustainable energy future implies efficiency improvements and technological advances in both production and consumption of fossil fuels” and advocated renewed energy technology collaboration between producing and consuming countries. Following the recommendations of the IEF Ministers, the IEF Secretariat held the IEF-IFP symposium in Riyadh, on 15 December 2008, with the participation of representatives from oil companies, technology and service providers, international organizations and representatives from producing and consuming countries, and developed and developing countries. “Enhancing global energy security, role of technology in the petrole  ...

The IEF-IGU 1st Ministerial Gas Forum was held in Vienna, 24 November 2008, with the participation of Ministerial delegations, international organizations and gas industry leaders from gas producing and consuming countries, from developed and developing countries. “The world gas markets going from regional to global” was the central theme. Ministers and industry leaders discussed the changing dynamics of the gas markets and the key challenges facing the natural gas industry. The debate led to the following recommendations and conclusions: Natural gas demand is expected to continue growing in the future, mainly driven by power generation, at an average annual rate of 1.8% up to 2030. Deman  ...

IEF Secretary General

As we are living through the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, it makes sense to take a closer look at the lessons we can learn from history. Valuable insights can also be gleaned from our experiences in the oil and gas market, not only in the recent past, but over the cycles encountered in the last 40 years. We are reminded of the famous quote: “those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. Looking back at the insightful points raised by company and government experts from producing and consuming countries in the IEF symposia and fora over the last six months, we all have a lot to learn. Here is my selection of key lessons from recent energy history. The   ...

  The 3rd Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable was held in Tokyo, Japan, 26 April 2009, with the participation of Ministerial delegations from 21 Asian countries and representatives of two international organizations (IEF and IEA). At the invitation of the government of Japan, Energy Ministers of 21 Asian countries and representatives of two international organizations gathered in Tokyo for the 3rd Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable. The participants discussed Asia-specific energy issues that are of direct concern to all participating countries. Chair’s summary Securing investment and stability in oil and gas Participants recognized that energy demand is expected to increase and ene  ...

IEF Secretary General

In terms of participation, the 11th International Energy Forum (IEF) in Rome was a big success and most probably the largest gathering of Energy Ministers on the planet. Nearly 75 delegations, of which over 50 ministers, from oil and gas producing and consuming countries engaged in a frank and open dialogue to discuss today’s key global energy challenges. In addition 13 international organizations participated, with IEA and OPEC at the highest level. High energy prices and growing concerns about energy security, global warming and energy poverty were intensely debated, both in the conference room and outside in countless bilateral meetings. Although it is hard to keep track of these bilatera  ...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

International Energy Forum

  

Harvard University

  

Chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates

Chairman and CEO IFP

Professor Robert Mabro, the Director Emeritus of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and founder and first director of the prestigious annual Oxford Energy Seminar, is the Nestor of academic oil market commentators. His publication list is long and celeb 

Chairman of the IEFS Executive Board

Energy Dialogue to Respond to Global Challenges is the leading theme of the 11th International Energy Forum and 3rd International Energy Business Forum. The theme reflects the fact that to be able to cope with the continuing and changing challenges in front of us, energy exporting and consuming countries need to strengthen and further develop a constructive dialogue. The dialogue would contribute to identify and implement new solutions, international co-operation and partnership.We considered it fundamental to facilitate an open and effective debate during the sessions of both the Ministerial and Business Forum.To achieve this it was decided to build upon the experience of the 9th IEF in Ams  ...

IEF Secretary General

IEF Ministers meet in Rome on 20-22 April 2008 at a time of unprecedented high energy prices and growing concerns about energy security, global warming and geopolitical tensions. The general theme of the 11th IEF is “Energy Dialogue to Respond to Global Challenges”. This theme is well chosen for two simple reasons. The first is that all of the main energy challenges are truly global today: high prices, energy security and CO2 emissions. Nobody is immune to these and they affect every country. The second is that the IEF umbrella covers over 70 countries and they in turn cover more than 90% of global oil and gas production and consumption. In a world of increasing interdependence between produ  ...

Minister of Economic Development of Italy

I have the honour and great pleasure to give a warm welcome to all the participants to the 11th International Energy Forum that Italy with the support of India and Mexico as the co-hosting countries, will be hosting in Rome from 20 to 22 April 2008. It is now seventeen years since the first meeting of the energy producing and consuming countries in Paris in 1991. The meeting in Paris was the start of the dialogue that since the year 2000 became the International Energy Forum. When we review the outcomes of this dialogue between producers and consumers we find that in addition to the growing number of participating countries and contribution of world energy leaders, many obstacles and barrier  ...

Director Emeritus of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Professor Robert Mabro, the Director Emeritus of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and founder and first director of the prestigious annual Oxford Energy Seminar, is the Nestor of academic oil market commentators. His publication list is long and celebrated. In addition to awards from the International Association for Energy Economics and OPEC, Professor Mabro has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) and has received state decorations for his achievements also from Venezuela, Mexico and France.Having followed the development of the political level producer-consumer dialogue in the IEF from its beginning, and always getting quickly and elegantly to the point, Professor   ...

Director of Information and International Affairs for (OAPEC)

Dr. Walid Khadduri has lectured extensively on the oil industry and Middle East affairs and has lectured extensively on the oil industry and Middle East affairs and is now Economic Editor of the Arabic daily Al-Hayat (Beirut). He was previously Editor of the Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) where he followed the producer-consumer relationship for more than twenty years. Prior to that he served with the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) in Kuwait as Director of Information and International Affairs.Dr. Khadduri presented a paper on ”Information and Oil Markets” at the meeting of IEF Ministers convened by Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources H.E. A. Al-Naimi o  ...

Secretary General of (OAPEC)

Dr. Ali Attiga served as Secretary General of the Oiganisation of Arab Petroleum £porring countries (OAPEC) between 1973 and 1987, a time when few would have envisaged as realistic the constructive producer—consumer dialogue at political level that we have today in the lEE Looking back at the erstwhile image of producer—consumer confrontation, Dr. Attiga recalls OAPEC ‘s early attempts to promote dialogue. Looking ahead, he underscores that the prnspects for the current dialogue will depend on the erteni’ to which it can generate concrete action enhancing interdependence between the partners. After serving OAPEC Dr Attiga joined the United Nations from which he retired in 1994 at the level o  ...

Chairman and CEO of the (IFP)

Mr. Olivier Apperl has been Chairman and CEO of the French institute of Petroleum (IFP) since 2003. Prior go that, he served as Director of the International Energy Agency's Long-Term Co-operation and Policy Analysis Division for three and a half years. He headed the Oil and Gas Department of the Ministry of Industry of France from 1989 to 1994 and participated in the first IEF Ministerial, the “Ministerial Seminar” convened by France and Venezuela in Paris in 1991. At the 2nd International Energy Business Forum in Doha, he was moderator for the panel session on Investments. Looking ahead, Mi Appert concludes that the producer-consumer dialogue, to continue its success, will have to consider  ...

Vice-President of the Trading and Consulting House Al-Azzaz Est.

Mr. Syed Rashid Husain, writes in his contribution to the Newsletter’s regular feature “From Confrontation to Dialogue” on the altered dynamics and changing landscape of the energy world. Noting the huge investments required to satisfy increasing demand for oil in the years ahead, he fears that “political rhetoric of wriggling out of dependence on Middle East oil” would discourage investors and be a “recipe for disaster”. And underlining energy security as a shared responsibility, he sees the IEF providing a platform to achieve a broader consensus on a road map to the energy security of both producers and consumers.Mr. Husain, a Pakistani national, writes the column “Oil Scene” for the “Arab  ...

Director and Chairman of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund

Dr. Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo, Managing Director and Chairman of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund since 2004, underscores in this special article for the Newsletter that continued dialogue between producers and consumers is an absolute necessity to ensure increased energy security for all. Believing that global energy security can be truly enhanced when governments combine unilateral and multilateral efforts to ensure an orderly, efficient and transparent global oil market, Managing Director de Rato acknowledges the important contribution of the Joint Oil Data Initiative to efforts to enhance transparency. He mentions how the IMF is providing much appreciated assistanc  ...

Executive Director of the International Energy Agency(1994-2002)

Mr. Robert Priddle, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency between 1994-2002, recalls below in the Newsletter’s regular feature “From Confrontation to Dialogue” some of the pioneering steps that he took in prompting contacts between the IEA and OPEC secretariats to develop the producer-consumer dialogue. The dialogue well established, he asks whether another major step can now be taken. Putting the question whether the free exchange of opinions can move on towards agreement on policy, Mr. Priddle urges a forthright debate on measures to safeguard the place of oil and gas in the world energy market at the 11th IEF Ministerial in Rome.Despite globalisation, political perceptions  ...

Former Minister of Energy of Algeria

Former Minister of Energy of Algeria, Mr. Nordine Ait-Laoussine, acknowledges in the Newslletter’s regular feature “From Confrontation to Dialogue” converging perspectives and shared convictions developed in the producer-consumer dialogue, but sees little progress on either the price volatility issue or the supply/demand security dilemma. Indicating ways to reconcile that dilemma, he argues that what we need now is to move from good intentions to generate concrete actions to foster interdependence between all the industry participants.Mr. Ait-Laoussine is currently President of Nalcosa, the energy consulting firm based in Geneva that he established in 1980 and whose clients have included mos  ...

Secretary General of the IEF (2003-2007)

Ambassador Arne Walther, the first Secretary General of the IEF, has previously served as Norway's Ambassador to Austria and India, been Chairman of the Governing Board of the IEA and served as Special Adviser on International Affairs to Prime Minister Brundtland of Norway.Energy is centre-beam in the international political spotlight of our day. Energy security continues to top the political agenda for energy-importing as well as exporting countries, for industrialized as well as developing economies. We are all “addicted” to energy. And we are facing that addiction up-front. Because energy goes to the very core of political, economic and environmental interests of individual countries as w  ...

Head, Energy Statistics Division, IEA

Mr. Jean-Yves Garnier, Head of the Energy Statistics Division at the International Energy Agency is a founding father of the Joint Oil Data Initiative and remains a main driver behind its success. We have asked the JODI Pioneer to take us back to the origins of this unique inter-organizational transparency initiative and recall some milestones in its development. When I received a phone call from Ambassador Walther asking if I was interested in writing a short paper on JODI, I did not see the point of putting myself in the forefront and writing yet “another” paper on JODI. And then I had second thoughts and decided to accept his invitation, with the understanding that it would not be an arti  ...

Senior Partner of MF Consulting

Mr. Morten Frisch, an international consultant on natural gas, argues that implementation of market-based pricing, transparency, international co-operation and understanding would improve the availability and utilization of natural gas. Referring to the IEF as a neutral organization to energy producers and consumers, he would like to see the Joint Oil Data Initiative expanded to natural gas as a contribution towards solving the world’s natural gas problemMr. Morten Frisch is a senior partner of Morten Frisch Consulting in the U.K.. His 35 years’ experience includes working for the Norwegian government, multinational oil companies, and as an independent consultant since 1990.The Energy Minist  ...

Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna has served as Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia since 1989. He was Vice-Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 7th International Energy Forum Ministerial held in Riyadh in November 2000 and of the Committee that established the IEF Secretariat. He was Head of the Saudi Delegation to 3rd IEF Ministerial in Cartagena, Spain in 1994. Before 1950, petroleum was already an important and strategic international commodity. Oil’s critical role in fueling modern economies and in enabling countries to project military and economic power beyond their own boundaries was well recognized as far back as the early 1900s. Economic and milit  ...