Introduction

Energy law as a separate university sub-discipline is still relatively young. However, looking back over the last couple of years, it seems as if this area of law is rapidly growing in popularity, no doubt mirroring the general concerns over security of supply, climate change and internationalisation of energy markets.

Indeed, energy law as a separate university subject or a research discipline has in a short period established its place among those subjects that regularly appear in the academic programs of the top universities around the world. Energy law classes are thought in many universities across the globe and LL.M. programs focusing on energy law and policy are being created in many of the leading universities. In addition to the seminal institutions such as the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP, University of Dundee) or the University of Houston (Law Center), high quality LL.M. programs or international energy policy programs now offered at University of Aberdeen, Institute of Energy and Environmental Law (IEEL) of the K.U.Leuven, Higher School of Economics (State University, Moscow) and so-on. These programs span over all significant aspects of world energy, ranging from Russian energy markets and Texas Oil and Gas to international energy policy and environmental issues in energy.

In this OGEL Student papers special we tried to give the students an opportunity to have their papers published in OGEL. With contributing students from Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Finland, Ghana, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Russia, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States we were pleasantly surprised by the quality and the range of interest of the students. Even if all the papers from non-English speaking countries do not adhere to the highest standards when it comes to grammar and the Queens' English, they are nevertheless well researched and are representative of the research traditions of the given country.

The student papers that were selected for this Special issue also reflect the themes that these students have found to be most interesting. It is delightful to note the wide range of issues, from Canadian oil sands and transparency issues to fiscal and environmental concerns, that have been examined in these papers. Both traditional fossil fuels (or "historic fuels" as they have lately been called to avoid the negative connotation of the "fossil fuels" label) and renewable energy were covered which indicates that the students and their supervisors are up to date with the latest developments in the energy industries.

This OGEL Special has also provided the universities with an energy program or with energy research an opportunity to advertise their programs and know-how. With contributions from over 15 countries and various Universities, the reader should get an overview of the academic institutes in various countries offering energy studies as a part of the curriculum. The readers are encouraged to contact any and all of these schools for further information.

Finally, we also would like to take the opportunity to thank the staff members of various universities such as CEPMLP, University of Aberdeen, University of Houston Law Center and the Higher School of Economics for their assistance in coordinating this special.