Most-Favored Treatment Provisions as Nondiscrimination Guarantees

A firm employs suppliers who make specific investments. Because output demand is uncertain and the cost of enumerating contingencies high, the firm retains some unilateral control over the input quantities it purchases. To allay suppliers’ concerns over potential opportunism the firm must commit not to pit them against one another ex post by threatening to buy less from those who refuse to discount their prices. By extending most-favored treatment guarantees the firm commits not to discriminate. In some circumstances this generates efficient and opportunism-free outcomes. In others it is less effective but may remain attractive relative to other options. Evidence from field market contracts for natural gas corroborates this nondiscrimination hypothesis.     

The Motivation and Effectiveness of Gas Industry Economic Regulation in New South Wales, 1912–39

The oldest industry in Australia subjected to economic regulation is the gas supply industry in the state of New South Wales. In this paper the aims and motivation of the New South Wales Government in establishing the regulatory regime in 1912 and the subsequent effectiveness in achieving them are determined. Initially the regulatory regime was based on ad hoc arrangements, but eventually a more permanent structure was devised that effectively defused political controversy over gas market pricing and stabilised prices rather than substantially lowered them.     

国际标准化组织天然气技术委员会ISO／TC193第23届年会情况报告

介绍了ISO／TC193于2011年在中国南京召开的第23届年会的有关情况,对TC193组织结构、工作组构成及ISO标准发布作了简要概述,重点对ISO／TC193直属工作组、SCl“天然气分析测试”和SC3“天然气上游领域”分委会在2011年开展的天然气产品和分析测试技术国际标准化项目的发展动态进行了详细说明和研究,并提出下一步我国天然气产品和分析测试技术标准化的工作建议。     

气体检测系统中BP神经网络的设计与实现

在简要概述气体检测系统原理的基础上,分析了BP神经网络模式识别的特性和结构,阐述了一种基于人工神经网络的混合气体检测方法。分析并研究了气体检测系统中BP神经网络结构的设计方法,构建了基于Matlab的BP网络模型,并实现了对CO、H2S和CH4三种混合气体的定性定量检测。     

煤气流量测量过程中的公式导出和仪表实现

文章通过设备的调试、单体、连接和安装,对流量量程的差压、温度压力补偿、不同状态间的转换和参数的计算求出最佳的最适合煤气运用的方案。     

降低凝析油挥发性的措施

分析了南帕斯凝析油的物理性质及毒害性,针对南帕斯凝析油易挥发的特性在各个作业环节采取有效的安全防护措施、并对储存凝析油的专用储罐进行了优化改进。     

上合组织多边合作的前景——管道合作视角的分析

能源领域的合作项目——尤其是管道合作——是上合组织多边合作的一个重要方向。于2009年底开通的“中国-中亚”天然气管道就是这种多边合作的新亮点。互利共赢是管道成功的理念基础,它不仅是中国能源安全的有力保障,同时也符合管道的起始国和过境运输国的国家利益。     

Dynamics of the UK natural gas industry: System dynamics modelling and long-term energy policy analysis

We present a dynamic model of the indigenous natural gas industry in the UK. The model has been built using a system dynamics approach. Using the model several scenarios have been analyzed. We found that management of the supply-side policy alone cannot substantially postpone the discovery, production and consumption peak. We also found that the dynamics of the main variables, namely, exploration, production and consumption, are sensitive to initial demand conditions. Postponing the onset of gas price increases can therefore be achieved more effectively through efforts to reduce demand growth. One might expect that a low taxation policy would encourage more exploration and production of gas and thereby stimulate higher consumption rates. Instead, there was no overall net effect on production and consumption in the long term. The depletion effect on cost of exploration acts as counterbalance to low taxation policy. Depletion effect causes cost and thus price to rise further which depress consumption rate. The advances in exploration and production technology can delay the peak of exploration, production and consumption. Technological improvements mean lower cost of exploration and production which pressure down the long-term pattern of price dynamics.