"A White-Hot Future for Oil and Gas"

"BRUSSELS -- Opportunities in oil and natural gas have rarely been so bountiful. New finds and technological advances and fresh access to some countries are pushing exploration and production into areas once considered peripheral.

Some of the most promising new fields are in deep water off the coast of Brazil. Experts say they could yield as much oil as the North Sea. There have been significant strikes off the coast of French Guiana, north of Brazil, and off Ghana in West Africa.

Iraq is opening up after years of sanctions and war. It could be a second Saudi Arabia.

Russia is increasing production in its Arctic regions, while Canada is steadily producing more oil from its abundant tar sands.

In the United States, the vast deposits of natural gas found in shale rock could transform the country into a major energy exporter."

James Kanter reports as part of a special feature package on energy in the New York Times/International Herald Tribune October 10, 2011.

SEE ALSO:

"The Year of Peril and Promise in Energy Production" (New York Times)

"In Uncertain Times, a Need for Stability" (New York Times)

"Energy Security in Uncertain Times" (New York Times)

"After Fukushima, Does Nuclear Power Have a Future?" (New York Times)

"In Brazil, Energy Finds Put Country at a Whole New Power Level" (New York Times)

"China Marches on With Nuclear Energy, in Spite of Fukushima" (New York Times)

"Tax Overhaul in Russia Aims to Keep Country at Top of Oil-Producing Heap" (New York Times)