Oil and gas leases blocked on Permian Basin state land most likely to produce fossil fuel March 11, 2024 Officials blocked oil and gas operations on southeast New Mexico lands within the Permian Basin as the State Land Office tangled with lawmakers on raising the amount companies pay to drill…
EPA LEAVES OUT EXISTING NATURAL GAS-FIRED POWER PLANTS FROM CARBON RULE
EPA Leaves Out Existing Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants from Carbon Rule MARCH 8, 2024 The Biden administration’s recent announcement that it would hold off on regulating carbon emissions from existing natural gas-fired power plants means the agency will wait until after the election to regulate one of Pennsylvania’s largest sources…
A massive proposed Wisconsin solar farm could wreak havoc on threatened prairie chickens
A massive proposed Wisconsin solar farm could wreak havoc on threatened prairie chickens March 2, 2024 The plan for a massive solar energy development in Portage County has caused conservationists to sound the alarm over the project’s potential detrimental impacts to Wisconsin’s threatened population of greater prairie chickens. The Vista…
TC Energy to sell Portland Natural Gas Transmission System for $1.14 bln
TC Energy to sell Portland Natural Gas Transmission System for $1.14 bln March 4, 2024 TC Energy (TRP.TO), opens new tab said on Monday it has agreed to sell Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS) to a BlackRock-managed fund and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners for $1.14 billion as part of…
New Jersey waters down proposed referendum on new fossil fuel power plant ban
New Jersey waters down proposed referendum on new fossil fuel power plant ban March 4, 2024 New Jersey lawmakers wanted to ask voters whether to ban new fossil fuel-fired power plants. And then they added a loophole big enough to drive a fleet of oil trucks through. A state Senate…
Xcel says big reason it needs to spend millions on new projects is regional grid’s reliability risks
Xcel says big reason it needs to spend millions on new projects is regional grid’s reliability risks MARCH 4, 2024 The growing risk of unreliability and potential expense of buying energy on the open market is a big reason why Xcel Energy wants to make significant investments in its infrastructure.…
Lawmakers across the U.S., including in Md., seek to curb utility spending on politics, ads and more
Lawmakers across the U.S., including in Md., seek to curb utility spending on politics, ads and more March 5, 2024 After a string of scandals and amid rising bills, lawmakers in statehouses across the country, including in Maryland, have been pushing legislation to curb utilities spending ratepayer money on lobbying,…
Poor grid interconnection policies are causing project backups across the U.S., study says
Poor grid interconnection policies are causing project backups across the U.S., study says Energize Weekly, March 6, 2024 The grid interconnection process in the U.S. is so “dysfunctional” that more than two million megawatts of generation and storage are waiting to be hooked up, according to an analysis by Advanced…
Ohio commission awards bids to frack oil and gas under state parks, wildlife areas
Ohio commission awards bids to frack oil and gas under state parks, wildlife areas Feb 26, 2024 An Ohio commission awarded bids to frack oil and gas under state parks Monday, despite statewide backlash and an ongoing investigation into possibly fraudulent support. The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission…
DOE announces $45 million investment for cybersecurity research
DOE announces $45 million investment for cybersecurity research FEBRUARY 26, 2024 The Department of Energy on Monday announced a $45 million investment into cybersecurity research for the energy sector, including projects on artificial intelligence detection and response and quantum communication for the grid. DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and…
Retired coal plant’s revival as natural gas station sparks debate across South Carolina
Retired coal plant’s revival as natural gas station sparks debate across South Carolina February 26th 2024 A retired coal-fired power plant in Colleton County may be revamped in the next decade. The plant would be a joint station between Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper. It will function as a natural…
Rebooted commission could breathe new life into bills challenging Virginia’s largest utility
Rebooted commission could breathe new life into bills challenging Virginia’s largest utility February 26, 2024 Virginia clean energy champions have their fingers crossed that members of a resurrected legislative commission won’t water down four utility-focused bills when they meet in the off-season to reshape the failed measures for next year’s…
US government may sue PacifiCorp, a Warren Buffett utility, for nearly $1B in wildfire cost
US government may sue PacifiCorp, a Warren Buffett utility, for nearly $1B in wildfire costs February 26, 2024 The U.S. government is threatening to sue PacifiCorp, a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, to recover nearly $1 billion in costs related to the 2020 wildfires in southern Oregon and northern…
Natural gas-fired generation, the backbone of U.S. electricity generation, varies by region
Natural gas-fired generation, the backbone of U.S. electricity generation, varies by region Energize Weekly, February 28, 2024 Natural gas generation is the largest source of electricity in the U.S. and is used across the country, but the scale and efficiency of that generation varies region by region, according to an…
U.S. Drillers Scale Back Operations as Gas Prices Tumble
U.S. Drillers Scale Back Operations as Gas Prices Tumble Feb 16, 2024 U.S. natural gas producers are beginning to reduce drilling and investment as low prices weigh on their returns. Reuters reports that natural gas prices in the U.S. hit the lowest in three and a half year, betraying drillers’…
Pioneering GE F-Class Hydrogen-Capable Gas Power Plant Begins Operations in Australia
Pioneering GE F-Class Hydrogen-Capable Gas Power Plant Begins Operations in Australia February 19, 2024 EnergyAustralia has begun operations at the 320-MW Tallawarra B gas-fired power station in New South Wales (NSW)—Australia’s first peaking power plant capable of operating on a natural gas and hydrogen fuel blend. The project’s start on…
US oil companies to merge in $26bn deal as firms rush to buy up drilling land
US oil companies to merge in $26bn deal as firms rush to buy up drilling land 12 Feb 2024 Two American oil and gas companies have said they will merge in a $26bn (£21bn) deal, the latest in a wave of acquisitions designed to buy up the best land for…
New 1.2-GW Natural Gas-Fired Plant Announced for Texas
New 1.2-GW Natural Gas-Fired Plant Announced for Texas Feb 13, 2024 A Texas-based energy company has announced plans to build a 1.2-GW natural gas-fired power plant in Lee County, Texas, with construction expected to begin in 2025. Sandow Lakes Energy Co. on Feb. 12 said it would build the plant…
Xcel asks for more nuclear waste storage to operate Prairie Island until 2050s
Xcel asks for more nuclear waste storage to operate Prairie Island until 2050s FEBRUARY 8, 2024 Xcel Energy says it needs to store far more nuclear waste at its Prairie Island facility to extend the plant’s life by 20 years, as it has proposed in its long-range plan. Keeping the…
Pollution risks worsening global water scarcity: Study
Pollution risks worsening global water scarcity: Study FEBRUARY 6, 2024 Water scarcity could affect three billion more people than previously expected by mid-century, with increased pollution rendering river sources “unsafe” for humans and wildlife, researchers warned Tuesday. The UN’s climate science panel has said that around half the world’s population…
Lawmakers look to send more state funds to clean up New Mexico’s abandoned oil wells
Lawmakers look to send more state funds to clean up New Mexico’s abandoned oil wells Feb 5, 2024 A bipartisan New Mexico Senate bill intended to unlock more state funding for the clean up of abandoned oil and gas wells was endorsed by industry leaders during the 2024 Legislative Session.…
$1.5 billion DOE loan aims to restart Palisades
$1.5 billion DOE loan aims to restart Palisades Jan 31, 2024 The Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Mich., may become the first in the United States to be restarted after permanent shut down—with help from a $1.5 billion loan being championed by the Biden administration. Holtec International could receive…
Global investment in clean tech and energy transition reached a record $1.8 trillion in 2023
Global investment in clean tech and energy transition reached a record $1.8 trillion in 2023 Energize Weekly, February 7, 2024 Global investments in the energy transition from fossil fuels to clean tech climbed 17 percent in 2023 to a record $1.8 trillion, according to a study by the energy research…
U.S. Oil Drillers Are Going Electric—and Hitting Speed Bumps
U.S. Oil Drillers Are Going Electric—and Hitting Speed Bumps January 29, 2024 In the country’s busiest oil field, frackers are devouring nearly as much electricity as four Seattles every day—and they are clamoring for more. Diamondback Energy, a major producer in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico,…
Lawmakers propose to keep Utah running on coal and natural gas
Lawmakers propose to keep Utah running on coal and natural gas Jan 29, 2024 Republicans on Capitol Hill are working to keep coal and natural gas in Utah’s future. There’s a bumper sticker making its way around the Capitol this year. It reads simply, “powered by coal.” Rep. Colin Jack,…
Record M&A in the fourth quarter of 2023 is driven by ExxonMobil and Chevron deals
Record M&A in the fourth quarter of 2023 is driven by ExxonMobil and Chevron deals Energize Weekly, January 31, 2024 Upstream oil and gas mergers and acquisitions hit a record $144 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023 driven by two mega-deals – ExxonMobil’s $65 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural…
Tennessee natural gas pipeline decision ignites fiery debate
Tennessee natural gas pipeline decision ignites fiery debate January 22, 2024 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved plans to build a natural gas pipeline to supply a power plant the Tennessee Valley Authority plans to build near Clarksville, Tennessee, at the site of TVA’s biggest coal plant. Despite opposition…
Chesapeake to become top US natural gas producer with $7.4 billion deal for Southwestern
Chesapeake to become top US natural gas producer with $7.4 billion deal for Southwestern January 11, 2024 Chesapeake Energy (CHK.O), agreed to buy smaller rival Southwestern Energy (SWN.N), in an all-stock transaction valued at $7.4 billion, a deal that will make it the largest independent U.S. natural gas producer. The…
World’s most advanced battery energy storage system comes online, speeding Hawaii’s transition to 100% renewable energy
World’s most advanced battery energy storage system comes online, speeding Hawaii’s transition to 100% renewable energy 11 Jan, 2024 Plus Power™ announced it has begun operating its Kapolei Energy Storage facility on Oahu, Hawaii, the most advanced grid-scale battery energy storage system in the world, helping transition the state’s electric…
First Uranium Mines to Dig in the US in Eight Years Begin Operations Near Grand Canyon
First Uranium Mines to Dig in the US in Eight Years Begin Operations Near Grand Canyon January 15, 2024 Three uranium mines have gone into production along the Arizona-Utah border, with more on the way elsewhere in the Mountain West, as market conditions for the mineral needed for nuclear energy…
PJM Urges Delayed Retirement of 840-MW Fossil Fuel Power Plant, Citing Reliability Impacts
PJM Urges Delayed Retirement of 840-MW Fossil Fuel Power Plant, Citing Reliability Impacts January 10, 2024 PJM has urged Talen Energy to delay its deactivation of two of four units at the 840-MW coal, oil, and gas–fired Herbert A. Wagner Generating Station in Maryland until transmission upgrades are put into…
Puget Sound Energy says region set new record for electrical demands
Puget Sound Energy says region set new record for electrical demands January 15, 2024 Puget Sound Energy says the region set a new record for demand on the natural gas and electrical systems on Friday. A faulty fiber optic cable temporarily took down one of its gas storage facilities in…
Solar generation continues expand rapidly on the U.S. grid while coal continues its decline
Solar generation continues expand rapidly on the U.S. grid while coal continues its decline Energize Weekly, January 17, 2024 Solar and coal-fired electricity generation are continuing to head in opposite directions over the next two years with solar being the leading source of new generation and coal activity falling to…
Analysts Look at Oil Demand Growth in 2024 and 2025
Analysts Look at Oil Demand Growth in 2024 and 2025 January 09, 2024 In a new report sent to Rigzone, analysts at Standard Chartered projected that global oil demand growth “will stay above the longer-term average” in 2024 and 2025. The analysts forecast increases of 1.54 million barrels per day…
Energy Department has cyber threats to infrastructure in mind with $70 million funding offer
Energy Department has cyber threats to infrastructure in mind with $70 million funding offer JANUARY 5, 2024 The Department of Energy is offering $70 million in funds toward research and development for technology that would protect delivery infrastructure against cyber-related threats and other physical hazards, part of what a senior…
AES Closes California Natural Gas-Fired Plant
AES Closes California Natural Gas-Fired Plant January 4, 2024 AES Corp. has ended operations at one of the group’s four remaining natural gas-fired power plants in California. AES on Dec. 31 shut down its 1,300-MW Redondo Beach Generating Station, a facility that operated at less than full capacity in recent…
Coordination of Texas electric and natural gas sectors key in dealing with blackouts
Coordination of Texas electric and natural gas sectors key in dealing with blackouts Energize Weekly, January 10, 2024 Better coordination between the Texas electric and natural gas industries is key to getting individual generating facilities up and running – a so-called blackstart – after a cold-weather blackout, according to a…
Innovative water treatment tech could help remove forever chemicals
Innovative water treatment tech could help remove forever chemicals DECEMBER 27, 2023 The Tampa Water Department is exploring suspended ion exchange technology as a way to address PFAS contamination to meet new federal standards. The new year will ring in new water safety regulations for public water systems as the…
American Electric Power (AEP) to Sell Stake in New Mexico Asset
American Electric Power (AEP) to Sell Stake in New Mexico Asset Dec 28, 2023 American Electric Power Co. Inc. AEP and PNM Resources Inc. PNM have inked a deal to divest 50% stake each in New Mexico Renewable Development, LLC (“NMRD”) to Exus North America Holdings, LLC for approximately $230…
New Mexico officials propose regulations for reuse of fracking wastewater
New Mexico officials propose regulations for reuse of fracking wastewater December 29, 2023 New Mexico environmental officials have proposed a new regulatory framework for reusing wastewater with a focus on the used, salty byproducts of oil and natural gas drilling in a major U.S. production zone. The Environment Department announced…
Biden administration awards $9M grant to research carbon capture for proposed Southcentral Alaska coal power plant
Biden administration awards $9M grant to research carbon capture for proposed Southcentral Alaska coal power plant December 29, 2023 The University of Alaska Fairbanks is set to receive a $9 million dollar grant from the Biden administration to research a project that would aim to capture carbon emission from a…
Japan’s nuclear power plants largely undamaged following quake
Japan’s nuclear power plants largely undamaged following quake Jan 2, 2024 Japan’s nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan coast escaped serious damage in the New Year’s Day earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. But the 7.6 magnitude quake, which triggered tsunami warnings from Hokkaido to…
Hawaii completes assessment of Oahu energy system and critical infrastructure
Hawaii completes assessment of Oahu energy system and critical infrastructure December 29, 2023 The Hawaii State Energy Office (HSEO) recently concluded work on an initiative called the O‘ahu Energy System and Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability and Resiliency Assessment. The assessment involved a comprehensive hazard and risk assessment of O’ahu’s critical energy…
Energy cases to watch in 2024
Energy cases to watch in 2024 01/02/2024 Energy regulators’ power to address planet-warming emissions is in the crosshairs in federal courts in 2024. In one of the year’s biggest cases, the Supreme Court could rein in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s ability to use 50-year-old laws to take bold action…
FERC sets exit fee formula ending four-year battle between Tri-State G&T and its largest co-op
FERC sets exit fee formula ending four-year battle between Tri-State G&T and its largest co-op Energize Weekly, January 3, 2024 After a four-year battle over how much it will cost the Colorado electric cooperative United Power to leave its wholesale power provider, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, federal regulators settled…
PFAS Treatment Efforts Are Costing More Than Manufacturer Settlements Can Provide
PFAS Treatment Efforts Are Costing More Than Manufacturer Settlements Can Provide December 13, 2023 Even as the largest manufacturers are being held financially responsible for the introduction of a pervasive class of contaminants into the environment, many water systems across the U.S. continue to face challenges in funding treatment solutions.…
FBI: Play ransomware gang has attacked 300 orgs since 2022
FBI: Play ransomware gang has attacked 300 orgs since 2022 December 18th, 2023 The ransomware gang behind several devastating attacks on major American cities has allegedly launched more than 300 successful incidents since June 2022, according to cybersecurity officials in the United States and Australia. The FBI joined the Cybersecurity…
Duke Energy finishes first floating solar project in Florida
Duke Energy finishes first floating solar project in Florida December 18, 2023 An almost 1 MW floating solar array entered service last week in Florida, as part of a pilot from Duke Energy’s Vision Florida program – a first for the state. The new array consists of more than 1,800…
Xcel Energy natural gas, electricity bills to lower in 2024
Xcel Energy natural gas, electricity bills to lower in 2024 Dec 15, 2023 Xcel Energy told Colorado customers Friday that they can anticipate lower heating bills in the first quarter of 2024 because the wholesale cost of natural gas has decreased. Xcel said the average residential natural gas customer could…
Major oil companies atop a cash-flow wave reduce debt, increase shareholder payouts
Major oil companies atop a cash-flow wave reduce debt, increase shareholder payouts Energize Weekly, December 20, 2023 The world’s five largest oil companies, riding a wave of high energy prices, pulled in $613 billion in cash flow between January 2021 and September 2023, which they used to reduce debt and…