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40. Read the text about natural gas crisis in the USA and give its brief summary:
Text 11 D
Natural Gas Crisis in the USA
Many politicians and prominent figures in North America have spoken publicly about a possible natural gas crisis. This includes former Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan, and former Ontario Minister of Energy Dwight Duncan.
The natural gas crisis is typically described by the increasing price of natural gas in the U.S. over the last few years due to the decline in indigenous supply and the increase in demand for electricity generation. Indigenous supply has not truly fallen — but it has leveled off (no matter how many new straws we put into the ground, we still get about the same amount of natural gas each year). But because of the continuing growth in demand, and the temporary but dramatic hit to production that came from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the price has become so high that many industrial users, mainly in the petrochemical industry, have closed their plants causing loss of jobs. Greenspan has suggested that a solution to the natural gas crisis is the importation of LNG*.
New or expanded LNG terminals create tough infrastructure problems and require high capital spending. LNG terminals require a very spacious — at least 40 feet (12.2 m) deep — harbor, as well as being sheltered from wind and waves. These «suitable» sites are thus deep in well populated seaports, which are also burdened with right-of-way concerns for LNG pipelines, or conversely, required to also host the LNG expansion plant facilities and end use (petrochemical) plants amidst the high population densities of major cities, with the associated fumes, multiple serious risks to safety.
Typically, to attain «well sheltered» waters, suitable harbor sites are well up rivers or estuaries, which are unlikely to be dredged deep enough. Since these very large vessels must move slowly and ponderously in restricted waters, the transit times to and from the terminal become costly, as multiple tugboats and security boats shelter and safeguard the large vessels. Operationally, LNG tankers are (for example, in Boston) effectively given sole use of the harbor, forced to arrive and depart during non-peak hours, and precluded from occupying the same harbor until the first is well departed. These factors increase operating costs and make capital investment less attractive.
To substantially increase the amount of LNG used to supply natural gas to North America, not only must «re-gasification» plants be built on North American shores — difficult for the reasons stated above — someone also must put substantial, new liquification stations in Indonesia, the Middle East, and Africa, in order to concentrate the gas generally associated with oil production in those areas. A substantial expansion of the fleet of LNG carriers also must occur to move the huge amount of fuel needed to make up for the coming shortfall in North America.
Notes on the text
*LHG - liquefied natural gas - сжиженный природный газ
TEXT AND VOCABULARY EXERCISES
41. Give Russian equivalents to the following word combinations:
prominent figures; natural gas crisis; the increasing price of natural gas; the decline in indigenous supply; the increase in demand for electricity generation; industrial users; well populated seaports; serious risks to safety; liquification stations; to be associated with; substantial expansion; to move the huge amount of fuel
42. Give English equivalents to the following word combinations:
| § количество природного газа | § каждый год |
| § расширенные терминалы | § защищенный от ветра и волн |
| § нефтехимический завод | § высокий удельный вес населения |
| § подходящие участки гавани | § производить дноуглубительные работы |
| § буксирные суда | § прибывать и отбывать |
43. Give situations from the text in which the following are used:
| possible natural gas crisis | growth in demand of gas |
| tough infrastructure problems | high capital spending |
44. Guided summary. Use the sentences from Text 11D to complete this paragraph. You are free to make any changes:
First of all … Then … It should be noted that …. That’s why … But …Of course … It is interesting to mention
45. Read the following text and render it according to the following scheme:
| § the title of the text is … |
| § the text tells/ runs about …/ the main/central idea is …/in brief …/to put it in a few words …/ the aim of the article/text is to tell the reader about… |
| § according to the text… |
| § to all appearances (по всей видимости)… |
| § then I’m going to add… |
| § I want to point out the following facts that were new to me… |
| § in conclusion I’d like to say… |
| § I like…because…/ I dislike…because… |
MARKET WATCH: Energy prices climb for second straight session
Feb-20-2006
by Sam Fletcher
from Madison Energy Advisors
HOUSTON, Feb. 20 — Energy prices continued to climb Feb. 17, ahead of the long Presidents’ Day holiday weekend in the US, as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez again threatened to cut off crude supplies if the US government were to «cross the line» in its relations with Venezuela. Venezuela is the fifth largest oil exporter and supplies about 15% of US energy imports via Citgo Petroleum Corp., the Houston-based subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela SA.
Venezuela recently expelled a US naval attache accused of spying, and Washington sent home a Venezuelan diplomat. Last week, US Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice said the Bush administration wants to curb Chavez’s influence with other Latin American countries. Meanwhile, militants holding nine foreign hostages in southern Nigeria claimed Feb 20 they attacked another oil facility and blew up a military vessel (OGJ Online, Feb. 20, 2006).
The March contract for benchmark US light, sweet crudes rebounded to $60/bbl in intraday trading Feb. 17 on the New York Mercantile Exchange before closing at $59.88/bbl, up by $1.42 for the day. The April contract gained $1.16 to $61.29/bbl. On the US spot market, West Texas Intermediate at Cushing, Okla., was up by $1.42 to $59.89/bbl.
Gasoline for March delivery bumped up by 9.02¢ to $1.50/gal on NYMEX. Heating oil for the same month increased by 3.21¢ to $1.66/gal. The March natural gas contract rose by 4.8¢ to $7.18/MMbtu. In London, the April contract for North Sea Brent crude increased by $1.10 to $59.89/bbl on the International Petroleum Exchange. Gas oil for March gained $11.25 to $527.25/tonne. The average price for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ basket of 11 benchmark crudes was up by 75¢ to $54.37/bbl on Feb. 17.
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