2007年VOA标准英语-Study Calls for More Investment by State Oil Co

By Greg Flakus
Houston, Texas
12 March 2007
 
watch National Oil Companies

A new study of state-owned oil companies says these so-called National Oil Companies, or NOCs, control most of the world's known energy reserves and hold the key to any increased energy production in the years ahead.  The study was released in Houston, Texas at a conference held at  James A Baker¹ III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. VOA's Greg Flakus has more in this report from Houston. 

Energy experts attending the conference agreed that National Oil Companies, mostly in the developing world, will be called upon to meet the rapidly rising world demand for energy.

 
Amy Myers Jaffe
Conference organizer Amy Myers Jaffe says global planning must take place now. "As we look out over the next 30-year period, 90 percent of what we are going to need, the rise we are going to need in oil capacity, is going to be coming from developing countries."

Seventy-seven percent of the world's oil is now controlled by state-owned oil companies, with less than ten percent under the direct control of large international companies.

James Mulva, Chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips represented the big oil companies at the conference comment, "Energy consumers, particularly the American public, have failed to grasp the transformation² that is taking place on the international energy scene. Many consumers as well as elected officials and policy-makers cling to the misconception that future energy supply is solely³ in the hands of the publicly held western oil companies, the so-called 'Big Oil.' In comparison to most of the NOCs, big oil is not so big."

 
James Mulva
Mulva says he recognizes the need for private companies like his to find ways of using their investment money and advanced technology to work with state-owned entities⁴. "National oil companies certainly have the access and ownership of the resources, they have tremendous capability⁵ and expertise⁶. What we need to be doing as international oil companies, like ConocoPhillips, is (see) how can we collaboratively work together in a way that is different from the past."

But David Asmus, Senior Partner at Baker Botts L.L.P., an energy industry law firm, says needed investment in oil production is often diverted for other government projects. "NOCs can find that their political masters are more interested in providing jobs or pork-barrel projects or social programs than in finding oil."

While some national oil companies are competitive and technologically⁷ advanced, others remain partially⁸ or completely closed to outside investment.  Mexico, for example, allows no foreign company profit-sharing contracts and many other nations place heavy taxes on the international operations in their territory.

The priority in some countries -- such as Venezuela and Iran -- is to use the oil revenues from the state-run companies to alleviate⁹ poverty.  The Baker Institute report makes no judgment¹⁰ about this, but professor Amy Myers Jaffe says the world's future oil production will depend on how much these NOCs are willing to reinvest in production.

"Because so many of the national oil companies are spending a huge part of  their revenue stream on these non-core business elements, on providing social welfare services, in the case of Venezuela even something like subsidized food, or, in the case of Iran, practically free fuel for consumers, that siphons off the kind of capital that might have been used to develop their oil sector¹¹."

1 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

2 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

3 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

4 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

5 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

6 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

7 technologically   

ad.技术上地

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a technologically advanced city. 上海是中国的一个技术先进的城市。
• Many senior managers are technologically illiterate. 许多高级经理都对技术知之甚少。

8 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

9 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

10 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

11 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。