FACTBOX-Global energy investment hit by financial crisis

Dec 4 (Reuters) - The growing financial crisis and plunging energy prices have forced companies to scale back spending and delay projects, with expensive ventures in the Canadian oil sands hardest hit.

Below is a list of energy projects that have been delayed or scaled back in recent months, as well as other related news.

Dec 4 - Norway's StatoilHydro (STL.OL) scraps plans for a C$16 billion ($12.6 billion) upgrader for its Canadian oil sands holdings citing high costs, weak oil prices, economic turmoil and a lack of "legislative clarity." Company will go ahead with plans to produce as much as 200,000 barrels per day of bitumen but sell it on the open market instead of turning into more valuable synthetic oil.

Nov 27 - Irving Oil Ltd says it will slow construction on its planned C$7 billion ($5.7 billion) refinery at Saint John, New Brunswick, breaking work into two C$4 billion phases of 150,000 bpd each and stretching construction over as much as eight years from 2011 instead of four.

Nov 27 - Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) announces a second project delay in its Canadian oil sands holdings. The company says it has withdrawn a request for regulatory approval for its 100,000 bpd Carmon Creek thermal oil sands projects as it tweaks its design to lower costs.

Nov 24 - Russian oil company LUKOIL (LKOH.MM) may delay investment at its Bulgarian refinery, but the plant will keep its crude processing targets for this year and next.

Nov 18 - British energy group BP Plc (BP.L) says it will close its Australian solar-cell factory by end-March 2009 to focus on bigger, lower-cost operations offshore. The factory is the BP's smallest solar plant.

Nov 17 - Petro-Canada (PCA.TO) defers construction of an upgrader for its C$21 billion ($17 billion) Fort Hills oil sands project. It will not make decision on the mine until 2009 as it expects costs to fall as oil sands projects fall by the wayside. It had planned a go-ahead decision in December.

Nov 14 - Austrian oil and gas group OMV AG (OMVV.VI) cuts oil production and gas marketing targets, also reviewing capex.

Nov 13 - Harvest Energy Trust (HTE_u.TO) defers C$2 billion ($1.6 billion) expansion of Come By Chance refinery in Newfoundland. Instead of 75,000 bpd expansion, which would have boosted output to 190,000 bpd, it will work on C$300 million of de-bottlenecking projects.

Nov 6 - Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (CNQ.TO) slows spending on second phase of Horizon oil sands project for 2009 after first phase costs rise to C$9.7 billion, up 42 percent from 2004 estimate. It also scraps timelines for phase 2, which would lift output to 250,000 bpd from 110,000.

Nov 6 - ConocoPhillips (COP.N) and Saudi Aramco halt bidding on 400,000 bpd joint-venture Yanbu refinery in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Aramco previously sought to renegotiate contracts for equipment and a refinery venture with France's Total SA (TOTF.PA).

Nov 5 - Saudi Arabia may renegotiate contracts for long-term projects such as the giant Moneefa oilfield expansion and the Karan gas scheme.

Nov 5 - Sunoco Inc (SUN.N) to save $375 million by scrapping upgrade of Tulsa, Oklahoma, refinery; still looking to sell plant, which accounts for nearly 10 pct of 910,000 bpd capacity.

Nov 4 - BG postpones decision on whether to proceed with Phase III of Karachaganak field development, which aims to lift oil output to 16 million tonnes per annum (tpa) from 11 million.

Oct 30 - Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) to delay investment decision on second expansion of Athabasca oil sands project.