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Keith wrote: One of the interesting things about the
Chinese bid for Unocal versus Chevron's is that they also work closely
together on many oil production matters in Asian oilfields. There's a
"Chinese wall" (!) within Chevron between those departments which are
competing with CNOOC and those which are working amicably with it. Exactly the
same now applies to the relationship between America and China at a political
level. They'll both make noises against one another on some matters (trivial
ones like tariffs against Chinese-made bras, for example) but on other issues
they'll sink or fall together. Exxon, Aramco sign $3.5Bn refinery deal, to expand a refinery in south China,
sealing what they called the country's largest oil project. http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2005-07-08T133956Z_01_SHA283515_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESS-ENERGY-CHINA-EXXON-DC.XML Chinese rigs, crews arriving in western Colorado Some Chinese drill
crew members already have arrived in western Colorado, preparing to start
drilling for natural gas in the Piceance Basin. Western Energy
Advisors worked with federal agencies to arrange for visas for the Chinese
crews, said Bill Croyle, a partner in Western Energy. One hurdle the company had to clear was to show that the
jobs couldn’t be done by American citizens or legal residents. That wasn’t difficult to show, Croyle said, citing the loss of “a
million” domestic jobs among major oil companies over recent years, as well as
reductions among smaller employers.
Much of the
domestic exploration and production industry is “just gone,” he said. Rigs have been trucked in
from Canada and elsewhere for drilling in the United States. Western Energy is
working with the China National Petroleum Corp., he said., but a partner in the
venture, Golden Bear Drilling and Services Corp., is entirely American owned. A
subsidiary of China National, Jilin Petroleum USA of Denver, no longer has an
interest in Golden Bear, he said. One reason domestic
exploration and production companies are attracted to Chinese crews is the
background of the drillers, Croyle said. “In China, drilling
is a lifetime profession,” he said.
The country has six petroleum universities, and many of the crew members
hold master’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees or the equivalent of associate’s
degrees, Croyle said. Crew members
must have at least two years of class work and a yearlong apprenticeship before
they can join a crew. Many crews
stay together their entire careers, he said. “These people know what they’re doing,” Croyle said. “It’s
all about the crews.” Over time, Chinese
crew members will train Americans to work on the Chinese-made rigs, he said,
and the number of Chinese workers will gradually shrink as Americans take over. American workers
still have plenty of work servicing drill rigs in the basin, he said. And in any case, Croyle said, “The best
Chinese food in the world will be at the commissary at the well site.” http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/07/07/7_7_Chinese_workers_WWW.html The Chinese
are also opening their pocketbooks to alternative energy projects with American
firms. I know a fellow here launching a 2nd generation wind turbine
plant in China, and they won’t run into opposition they might here on site
selection. One key change: this new turbine is smaller, designed for use on
rooftops. Has anyone
read anything more about China buying oil with cash reserves? Karen |
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