The Natural Gas Industry

This highly popular five-day course provides a comprehensive introduction to the concept of the "gas chain," a thorough understanding of which is essential for anyone associated with the natural gas business. The result is an understanding of the interdependence of each phase of the gas business and the implications of this for the commercial organisation, finance, operation and structure to commercialise gas reserves.

The vast majority of natural gas sales, including international ones, are via pipeline. Unfortunately such familiarity may lead to a less than successful approach to the negotiation of such sales and purchase contracts - as several companies have learned to their cost. This five-day course will give you a deeper understanding of the contractual issues as well as risks and how to mitigate them. It will also help to reduce the time (and money) spent on negotiations. The main focus of the course will be on large pipeline international sales and purchase agreements but it will also include their relationship to other contracts in the pipeline gas chain. In particular, it will consider how the risks and contractual provisions change as the contracting parties change along the gas chain from gas field to end-users such as electric power generators, chemical and fertilizer plant.

In this basic course, see how natural gas is produced and marketed in the natural gas industry. There are lots of exciting content that takes you from the formation of natural gas through processing and transmission to end-users. See how natural gas is traded in markets around the world. There are no pre-requisites for this course and there is no advanced preparation required for this course.

This three-day workshop provides a comprehensive introduction to the supply value chains and trading of oil, gas, coal and power. The course also covers the basics of the emissions trading market. Topics explored include quality issues, market fundamentals, trading patterns and locations, trading instruments and pricing mechanisms and transportation. Delegates will get a flavor of the trading markets for each commodity through competitive team trading simulations.

This two-day workshop provides an introduction to the supply value chains and trading of oil, gas, coal and power. The course also covers the basics of the emissions trading market. Topics explored include quality issues, market fundamentals, trading patterns and locations, pricing mechanisms and transportation.

The course is designed to give an overview of worldwide energy markets, but its focus is the Asia-Pacific market.

The course is highly interactive and delegates will get the chance to participate in exercises, case studies and physical trading simulations.

This JUST-IN-TIME course was created in response to the events in January 2009 when Russia curtailed supplies into Ukraine and many parts of Europe. Even as these two nations have come to an agreement to get gas flowing again, their dispute is a long-running one that has been brewing ever since the breakup of the Soviet Union. We are unlikely to see the last of it. What are the underlying dynamics of the dispute and how prepared is Europe and the rest of the world for when this situation makes headlines in the future?

This two-day workshop provides an in-depth exploration of the UK and continental European natural gas markets, from supply and demand through regulatory issues to spot and derivatives trading markets and risk management. The course is packed with up-to-the-minute information on the rapidly changing European picture – from infrastructure developments including planned pipeline and LNG import terminals to the trading hubs and market centres that are developing across the continent. Discussion is focused on market responses to the EU’s market liberalisation programme and on the nature of the wholesale gas trading that now occurs in the UK and Europe. Case studies provide practical application of concepts being taught. Competitive team trading simulations give delegates direct experience of some of the issues facing European gas traders, requiring both long-term strategic choices about sources of gas supply and short-term tactical trading decisions.

After learning all there is to know about exchange-traded futures and options, traders are always faced with a complex dilemma - Basis. The "B" word can make or break a successful hedging or trading program. This one-day programme includes timely "real world" examples to reinforce the application of basis trading concepts and tools. After completing this course, delegates will have a strong working knowledge of basis trading. This knowledge will be put to the test during an exciting trading simulation.

Shipping affects several aspects of a commodity including its marketing, supply, pricing, competition tactics and trading opportunities. Contracts can be complex, the legal and commercial implications profound. This one-day course provides insights into who is responsible for what, economic choices, common terminology, freight contracts and negotiations.

Around the world, natural gas deregulation is changing the structure of the natural gas industry. These evolving market structures have brought new opportunities, but also additional risks. In today's world, understanding what natural gas deregulation means, how it's implemented, and the new industry structures are requirements for successful energy trading and hedging.

LNG Sales and Purchase contracts generally take much longer to negotiate than equivalent pipeline gas contracts. This is not surprising in view of the very large sums and risks involved. This five-day course will give you a deeper understanding of the contractual issues as well as risks and how to mitigate them. It will also help to reduce the time (and money) spent on negotiations. The main focus of the course will be on the LNG Sales and Purchase Contract itself but it will also include the relationship to other contracts in the LNG Project from gas field to buyer-s reception and vaporisation facilities.

During the negotiation sessions delegates will have the opportunity to test their understanding of the issues involved and apply the knowledge gained during this course.

This course on LNG shipping is presented in the context of the overall LNG supply chain:

• how commercial shipping arrangements sit among the range of other agreements which exist between LNG producers, liquefaction parties, terminal operators;
• how the shipping contract overlaps with GSA’s, SPA’s and import/export agreements;
• the commercial, technical, regulatory, financial, legal and security risks that extend along the supply chain and which require the harmonization with the shipping sector;
• managing and optimising risk along the supply chain.

LNG transportation accounts for 10% to 30% of total LNG supply chain costs from upstream gas production through to terminalling and regasification on the import side. It is central, both figuratively and physically, to the LNG supply chain and the safe, efficient execution of LNG supply contracts.

The LNG shipping sector has also been evolving rapidly in recent years in response to accelerated growth in the international gas markets and - as in other parts of the LNG supply chain - technological innovation is seen as the means of optimising costs and increasing cargo outturn. New players have entered the LNG shipping business and the LNG industry is increasingly looking for more flexible shipping arrangements. Larger ships, innovative ship designs, new containment and propulsion systems have been developed while safety and environmental factors remain foremost considerations in the construction and operation of these vessels.

Demand for electric power can fluctuate over very short time intervals yet cannot easily be stored. Transmission over long distances may result in appreciable losses. There is an ever increasing concern for the effect of power generation on the environment. And yet increasing standards of living have to be reconciled with the related increasing consumption and fluctuating demand of electric power. This course focuses on the use of natural gas and its role in a competitive market using various fuels, technologies and sizes of plant. It attempts to produce some ideas and considerations for reconciling at least some of these factors.

The principal aim of this course is to expose delegates to a comprehensive training on power and gas trading and risk management in an applied context.

The course will enable participants to gain a practical working knowledge of gas and power market structure, main players and common traded instruments. Delegates will gain a practical understanding of the various dimensions of risk in gas and power markets and the various tools to manage and transfer those risks.

We will present new approaches to hedge energy exposures with derivatives as well as useful techniques to unbundle gas and power structures in long term contracts and physical assets. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of derivatives as well as physical assets and contracts to manage price, credit, volumetric, and operations risk.

This course will provide an understanding of the role of pipelines in the natural gas industry and a broad insight to the dynamics that impact the economic decisions facing industry participants. A Canadian edition of this course runs in Calgary.

This workshop introduces participants to the Latin American natural gas market and the countries with the most significant opportunities and operations. This course will also review the geopolitics, pipeline structures, supply LNG initiatives, and storage. In addition, the course will review the regulatory environment specific to the most significant suppliers in Latin America. The course will offer a special focus on natural gas operations, pipeline structures, reserves, supply, challenges, and opportunities in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, and Chile. The course addresses both independent (IOC) and national (NOC) Latin American natural gas producers.

This introductory course gives an overview of the natural gas industry globally. Those who attend will learn how companies search for natural gas and oil, how gas is produced and processed, physical characteristics of natural gas and why gas is preferred for environmental reasons. In addition, attendees will learn the basics of gas transportation and storage, including an introduction to the LNG industry. The course addresses both the European gas market and discusses global trends and issues. Major gas producing and consuming regions are discussed, including emerging markets. Uses of natural gas are explained and global differences in gas consumption patterns analyzed. Participants are also given an introduction into characteristics and participation in liberalised gas markets.

Want to take the mystery out of LNG? If so, this course will discuss all facets of LNG from the exploration of natural gas to the ultimate end-user pricing. Designed as a course to introduce participants to both the technical and commercial aspects of the LNG marketplace, attendees will garner a better appreciation for LNG both as a fuel and a competitor to traditional natural gas. From this, participants will better understand the current and future impact of LNG as a tradable cargo and not just another mechanism for delivery of natural gas.

This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of the global LNG market. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is becoming an increasing important fuel in the global energy marketplace. You'll learn about recent changes in contract terms, economics and the availability of spot cargoes are transforming the industry from a one-time regional market to a global source of gas supply.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the LNG value chain from upstream supply, liquefaction, shipping and regasification of LNG into downstream markets. The course is designed for new entrants to the LNG business or for those with some knowledge of the business wishing to broaden their understanding of the complete value chain. Those without prior knowledge of the LNG business may wish to familiarise themselves through the pre-study web based course.

After learning the fundamentals about LNG, the course covers the liquefaction process and LNG plants, shipping and regasification terminals with a focus on what happens along the value chain. This is followed by an understanding of the commercial issues affecting LNG projects, the players and the various drivers affecting the development of LNG projects. Key aspects such as project development, timescales and the range of Agreements and their integration will be covered. The course then moves on to the global LNG supply sources, markets and trading and the factors affecting the growth of the LNG business.

This one-day course is designed to introduce delegates to the functionality of the natural gas industry and those involved in its operation. Discussion includes physical natural gas beginning with exploration and concluding with the delivery to the burner-tip. This course uses an historical perspective to explain how the regulation shaped the current market place and will also introduce financial products used for hedging physical positions. Delegates will become familiar with industry nomenclature and operation of the physical natural gas market place.

Delegates interact through a trading simulation designed to show how trading has evolved and how different physical and price risks are managed with financial tools. Delegates will create and manage a natural gas position using fixed and floating price instruments.

You will be introduced to shale gas, its upstream production and the issues currently impacting the resources’ greater development, such as drilling costs, production decline rates, environmental concerns, regulatory challenges, its impact on the cost of natural gas and global natural gas production.

This two-day workshop explores geopolitical context within which oil and gas companies operate and how it affects daily business practices. This will be done,with a view toward understanding particular geographical locales and associated political risks. Regions to be covered include: United States, Africa, Latin America, and Middle East and Asia. Special emphasis will be placed on the rise of resource nationalism, as evidenced by the more than 100 national oil companies that currently exist. Moreover, political risk tools and strategies will be presented so that delegates learn concrete skills that they can use in their work.