FACTBOX-Global energy investment hit by financial crisis

Dec 16 (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 projects that have been delayed or scaled back in recent months, as well as other related news.

Dec 15 - Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd (CLL.TO) slows bitumen production at its Great Divide thermal oil sands project to 5,000 barrels per day from 9,000 bpd because of low prices, and it suspends construction of its second thermal oil sand development, the C$345 million ($280 million) Alger project.

Dec 8 - Santos Ltd (STO.AX), one of the partners in the A$850 million ($574 million) Reindeer gas project off Australia's west coast, says the project has been deferred indefinitely after a proposed key customer failed to commit to a sales contract.

Dec 4 - Norway's StatoilHydro (STL.OL) scraps plans for a C$16 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 it into more valuable synthetic oil.

Nov 27 - Irving Oil Ltd says it will slow construction on its planned C$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 The company says it has withdrawn a request for regulatory approval for its 100,000 bpd Carmon Creek thermal oil sands projects as it tweaks its design to lower costs.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 - Russia's 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 the end of March 2009 to focus on bigger, lower-cost operations offshore. The factory is BP's smallest solar plant.

Nov 17 - Petro-Canada (PCA.TO) defers construction of an upgrader for its C$21 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 13 - Harvest Energy Trust (HTE_u.TO) defers C$2 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 9 - Saudi Aramco and Total SA (TOTF.PA) delay a bid round for a 400,000 bpd refinery at Jubail to February from November.

Nov 6 - ConocoPhillips (COP.N) and Saudi Aramco halt bidding on the 400,000 bpd joint-venture Yanbu refinery in Saudi Arabia. .

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.