, Oct 26 (Reuters) – California political
leaders chose a site near the headquarters of Solyndra to kick
off hearings on how the state’s growing cleantech industry can
proceed in the wake of that solar company’s dramatic collapse.

The U.S. solar industry is especially reeling now that its
stand-out champion, First Solar Inc , just ousted its
boss and warned on profits in the face of the same stiff
Chinese competition that felled Solyndra.

By Braden Reddall and Matt Daily

(Reuters) – National Oilwell Varco Inc (NOV.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the largest U.S. oilfield equipment maker, posted higher-than-forecast quarterly profits, helped by an industry-wide move to upgrade rig fleets for tougher energy reservoirs.

The company said on Tuesday its backlog expanded along with a surge in new offshore rig building, with more than 90 orders placed in the last year.

Oct 21 (Reuters) – U.S. oilfield services company
Halliburton Co conducted an internal investigation of
its Angolan operations after an anonymous email alleged its
employees breached corruption laws.

The disclosure on Friday comes only months after
Halliburton closed the book on the final bribery probe related
to $6 billion worth of contracts awarded for a Nigerian project
to former subsidiary KBR Inc .

By Matt Daily and Braden Reddall

(Reuters) – Schlumberger Ltd (SLB.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the world’s largest oilfield services company, posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit and acknowledged the impact of financial turmoil on its near-term prospects, sending its shares down 1 percent.

Oil prices are down from their second-quarter peak, raising concerns that energy companies could trim spending on new wells. But Schlumberger said offshore demand would help its business, which was also boosted by growth in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Brazil in the third quarter.

Oct 20 (Reuters) – A long-anticipated surge in deepwater
drilling, which suffered a huge setback with the Gulf of Mexico
oil well disaster, has given a boost to Diamond Offshore
Drilling Inc and Noble Corp that is dampened only
by their rig downtime.

A shift of shipyard work and surveys to the fourth quarter
helped Diamond beat third-quarter estimates, while also putting
a dent in its near-term prospects. Noble reported a 57 percent
rise in profit that fell short of estimates as its rig
utilization rate declined.

Oct 19 (Reuters) – Noble Corp , owner of the world’s
third-largest offshore drilling fleet, on Wednesday reported a
57 percent rise in quarterly profit as some of its most
lucrative rigs went back to work in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The profits fell short of expectations, as Noble grapples
with greater downtime for its deepwater fleet overall. Average
utilization for its semisubmersible rigs, for example, fell to
84 percent in the third quarter from 90 percent a year ago.

By Ernest Scheyder and Braden Reddall

(Reuters) – Halliburton Co (HAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the world’s second-largest oilfield services company, posted a higher-than-expected profit, but its stock reversed Friday’s gain due to the less exuberant outlook of its management.

Chief Executive Dave Lesar talked of the risk of decreased U.S. gas-directed drilling, and expected some rigs to be redeployed to liquids-rich regions, though he also noted such shifts can weigh on efficiency and financial performance.

Oct 14 (Reuters) – What oilfield services executives say
next week about clients’ drilling plans will have more of an
impact on whether the sector’s recent rally can be sustained
than the quarterly profit numbers.

Global No. 2 player Halliburton Co will kick off
with its third-quarter report on Monday, followed next Friday
by the first set of results from sector leader Schlumberger Ltd since Paal Kibsgaard took over as chief executive.

Oct 11 (Reuters) – Chevron Corp expects third-quarter
earnings similar to the previous quarter, with lower oil prices
and output offset by a $500 million gain on the sale of its Welsh
refinery and British and Irish marketing assets.

The second-largest U.S. oil company reported a $7.7 billion
net profit in the second quarter, and analysts had previously
been looking for $6.5 billion on average in the third quarter,
according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 19 (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals
court reversed an order freezing enforcement outside of Ecuador
of an $18 billion damages award against Chevron Corp
over pollution in the Amazonian rain forest.

The order, issued by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
in New York on Monday, is the latest reversal in a 18-year legal
battle that has gone all the way to international arbitrators in
Europe, who have also sought to block enforcement of the
judgment.