First published in the The Independent on Sunday, 20 June 2010 As BP reels from its toughest week yet since the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon, investors warn the longer term outlook for the embattled supermajor is likely to worsen. (more…)...

First published in the The Independent on Sunday, 9 May 2010 Even as the first oil from BP’s stricken Macondo well in the US Gulf of Mexico washed ashore this weekend, and as the clamour against the company mounts, experts claim the slick will be nothing like as catastrophic as forecast - for either the environment or the oil industry. However some analysts maintain the accident could still seriously impact the global oil supply later this decade. (more…)...

A shorter version of this article was published in the The Independent on Sunday, 5 July 2009 The auction of Iraqi oil production licences last week was truly historic – not least because it was the first such exercise ever to be broadcast live on television. (more…)...

This article was first published in the The Independent on Sunday, 14 June 2009 BP famously ‘doesn’t do’ oil price forecasts. After 18 months in which crude has ricocheted from just under $100 per barrel to an all time high of $147, then down to less than $40, and now up to $73 again, you can see their point. (more…)...

A short version of this article was published in the The Independent on Sunday, 14 June 2009 Europe could build an electricity supply based entirely on renewable energy by 2030, according to scientists making a presentation at the House of Commons this week. (more…)...

First published in the The Independent on Sunday, 26 April 2009 “All targets and no trousers” seemed to be the gist of the reaction from environmentalists to the Budget this week. (more…)...

First published in the The Independent on Sunday, 29 March 2009 'The future has not been cancelled," quipped BP chief executive Tony Hayward in a bullish presentation about the company's prospects recently. (more…)...

First published in The Independent on Sunday, 26 October 2008 Once again Gordon Brown has energy policy all wrong. Even before OPEC announced an output cut of 1.5 million barrels per day, the prime minister had denounced the move as "absolutely scandalous", fearing it would force the oil price higher just as the world slides into recession. (more…)...

First published in the Independent on Sunday, 22 June 2008 It must be increasingly lonely being Tony Hayward. As the oil price continues to soar there is a gathering consensus that global oil production is nearing some fundamental geological limits, yet BP's chief executive continues to argue valiantly that the causes of the current oil shock are "not so much below ground as above it, and not geological but political"...

First published in the Independent on Sunday, 25 May 2008 Never mind speculation, forget the weak dollar. To understand the soaring oil price you need only glance at figures from the US government which show that global oil production has been essentially stagnant - at just under 86 million barrels per day - since early 2005. (more…)...