Rami Shabaneh

Research Associate

  • Primary Program Markets and Industrial Development
  • Research Interests Oil and gas markets, NGLs, and petrochemicals

Biography

Rami is a KAPSARC research associate focusing on global gas and liquids markets. He has more than 10 years of professional research and industry experience in energy and market analysis. Prior to joining KAPSARC, Rami worked as a fundamentals analyst advising management on specific issues affecting North American natural gas and NGLs markets.

 

Publications

See all Rami’s publications
  • Discussion papers
  • External journal articles
Assessing Energy Policy Instruments: LNG Imports Into Saudi Arabia

Assessing Energy Policy Instruments: LNG Imports Into Saudi Arabia

Natural gas is already playing a prominent role in diversifying Saudi Arabia’s power mix away from a heavy reliance on oil-based fuels. Between 2010 and 2017, the share of natural gas used in power generation in Saudi Arabia grew from 44% to 54%. The country’s gas fields are being developed to increase domestic gas supplies. However, imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) could remedy the near-term scarcity of gas from domestic sources and provide the support needed to integrate more renewable and other alternative sources of energy into the country’s power mix. Developments in global gas markets in recent years, including procurement and technological innovations in LNG, have unlocked value for producers and consumers.

September 2, 2019
Assessing the Impact of Natural Gas on Natural Gas Liquids: Policy Challenges and Imperatives

Assessing the Impact of Natural Gas on Natural Gas Liquids: Policy Challenges and Imperatives

The supply growth of natural gas liquids (NGLs) globally within the last decade is unprecedented. The future global demand growth for NGLs is expected to be strong in areas where relevant industries are garnering robust investment and policymakers support the use of NGLs. However, NGLs are hostage to the fate of natural gas markets, as their production is largely tied to the future production of natural gas. Competition from cheaper coal, calls to rein in carbon emissions from fossil energy, and the rapidly declining costs of renewable technologies imply that natural gas has to fight for its place in the future fuel mix. NGLs may present a silver lining to the future of natural gas, given their close links. The power sector is usually considered the principal driver of future demand growth. However, natural gas is likely to have a bigger role to play in future, given the essential role of NGLs in displacing polluting fuels for cooking and heating, as a feedstock for petrochemical plants that produce thousands of consumer goods.

November 15, 2018
Potential Effects of Trade Liberalization on China’s Imports of Plastics From the GCC

Potential Effects of Trade Liberalization on China’s Imports of Plastics From the GCC

Petrochemical products, particularly plastics, contribute to a significant share of expanding and increasingly diverse trade flows between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and China. The petrochemical sector could benefit from a preferential bilateral trade regime between China and the GCC, but has been a bone of contention in the GCC-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiation process. This study applies a dual-stage model of import demand functions to estimate the impact of trade liberalization scenarios, within an FTA framework, on China’s imports of major plastics from the GCC and the rest of the world. It assesses the implications of these scenarios for all parties.

June 4, 2018
Identifying the Roadblocks for Energy Access: A Case Study for Eastern Africa’s Gas

Identifying the Roadblocks for Energy Access: A Case Study for Eastern Africa’s Gas

Natural gas resources in Tanzania and Mozambique have emerged as a new source of gas supply. While they are poised for export to global gas markets, they can also provide a key source of energy to the rest of Eastern Africa (defined in this paper to include Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda), where millions of inhabitants are currently living without access to electricity and clean cooking. Natural gas could also potentially be a driver for industrialization and economic growth. But before delving into the potential gas demand and opportunities for gas utilization in the region, it is important to take a step back to analyze the current energy picture in Eastern Africa and look into the social and development plans in place in the region. Despite large natural resource potential across the region of Eastern Africa (except South Africa), low electricity access and energy access rates have hampered economic growth and increased dependency on traditional biomass. This scoping study investigates energy access issues in the residential, industrial and transport sectors.

May 20, 2018
The Impact of Low Oil and Gas Prices on Gas Markets: A Retrospective Look at 2014-15

The Impact of Low Oil and Gas Prices on Gas Markets: A Retrospective Look at 2014-15

In the past year, global gas prices have dropped significantly, albeit at unequal paces depending on the region. All else being equal, economists would suggest that this should have generated a positive demand response. However, “all else” was not equal. Prices of other commodities also declined while economic growth forecasts were downgraded.

May 3, 2016
Economic Impacts of the Petroleum Industry in Canada

Economic Impacts of the Petroleum Industry in Canada

Canadian Energy Research Institute

2009
Comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Base Load Electricity Generation in Ontario

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Base Load Electricity Generation in Ontario

Canadian Energy Research Institute

2008

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