EUCI Blog

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Growth in spending and production in the U.S. oil industry are projected to slow over the next few years, after a boom in drilling and capital spending between 2015 and 2024, according to an International Energy Agency (IEA) analysis. Upstream oil investments are on track to fall by nearly…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The solar industry posted a solid first quarter in 2025, but is already seeing a slowdown that will continue through 2030 due to federal tax and tariff policies, according to a Wood Mackenzie-Solar Energy Industries market analysis. The industry installed 10.8 gigawatts (GW) of solar generating capacity in the…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The repeal of renewable energy tax credits, part of the proposed Republican budget bill, would lead to a 15% decline in wind, solar, and battery storage capacity by 2035 and an increase in wholesale and retail electricity prices, according to an S&P Global forecast. “As renewable generators lose the…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Wholesale electricity prices in the U.S. are projected to rise by an average 12% this summer, and while the margin between demand and generation capacity will be thinner, there should be adequate capacity, according to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) assessment. Electricity demand this summer is expected to…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The combination of coal-fired power plant closures, spurred by state and federal initiatives, and generous tax credits for new electric generation under the Inflation Reduction Act created a flood in renewable energy projects now waiting to get connected to the grid. “The surge in investment and development has overwhelmed…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Upstream oil and gas mergers and acquisitions opened 2025 with $17 billion in deals, the second-best start since 2018, but it was largely powered by one company. Prospects for the rest of the year are uncertain, according to Enverus Intelligence Research. Diamondback Energy dominated the quarter with its $4.08…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The Trump administration’s goal of “energy dominance” and its mantra of “drill, baby, drill” have run into production limitations, economic uncertainty caused by the administration’s tariff policies, and increased output from OPEC+. In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to speed permitting, reduce regulations,…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer New Mexico is seeing the country’s most rapid increase in oil and gas production – with an output of 2 million barrels a day in 2024 – more than double the 2019 amount, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas study. New Mexico shares the Permian Basin, the…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Declines in hydropower output, caused by low stream flows in the Pacific Northwest, are forcing the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to buy more wholesale power leading to a projected $44 million loss. The agency had set a target of $70 million in revenues – so the gap between the…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer U.S. utility sector investment in electric, gas, and water projects are projected to rise to more than $780 billion between 2025 and 2028, according to a research report by consultant and market analyst S&P Global. Total U.S utility energy investments are projected to set a record at $202 billion…

Four Kansas GOP members working to blunt federal power on transmission line corridor September 13, 2024 Four Republicans in the Kansas congressional delegation Friday offered support for legislation limiting federal authority to take control of private property for development of a national electric transmission corridor. The bill backed by U.S. Reps. Tracey Mann and Ron…

Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft balk at Ohio utility’s demand they pay for electric grid upgrades to support AI rollout Sep. 16, 2024 Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta have banded together to fight an Ohio utility that wants them to pay for upgrades to the electric grid that will be necessary to support the Big…