FACTBOX - Financial crisis hits global oil investment

(Reuters) - The growing financial crisis and plunging energy prices have forced oil 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.

Nov 17 - Petro-Canada indefinitely defers construction of an upgrader for its C$21 billion (11.3 billion pound) Fort Hills oil sands project. It also says it will not make a decision on proceeding with the mine until 2009 because it expects costs to fall as oil sands projects fall by the wayside. It had previously planned a go-ahead decision in December.

Nov 13 - Harvest Energy Trust says it will defer a C$2 billion expansion of its Come By Chance refinery in Newfoundland until financial conditions improve. Instead of the 75,000 barrel per day expansion, which would have boosted output to 190,000 bpd, the trust will begin working on C$300 million of de-bottlenecking projects over the next few year.

Nov 6 - Canadian Natural Resources Ltd 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. Citing low oil prices and high costs, Canadian Natural also scraps timelines for phase 2, which would lift output to 250,000 bpd from 110,000.

Nov 6 - ConocoPhillips and Saudi Aramco halt bidding on the construction of 400,000 bpd joint-venture Yanbu refinery in Saudi Arabia, citing uncertainties in the financial and contracting markets. Saudi Aramco previously sought to renegotiate contracts for equipment for Yanbu, as well as for a refinery venture with France's Total SA.

Nov 5 - Saudi Arabia may renegotiate contracts for long-term oil and gas field projects, an oil official told the International Oil Daily. The giant Moneefa oilfield expansion and the Karan gas scheme had been put out to bidding when the cost of labour and materials were soaring.

Nov 5 - Sunoco Inc to save $375 million (251 million pounds) by scrapping upgrade of refinery in Tulsa, Oklahoma; still looking to sell the refinery, which accounts for just under 10 percent of Sunoco's 910,000 bpd capacity.

Oct 30 - Royal Dutch Shell Plc says it will delay its investment decision on a second expansion of its Athabasca oil sands project.