PHMSA Announces Proposed Rulemaking Affecting Natural Gas Distribution Systems August 28, 2023 On Aug. 24, 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced the forthcoming publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking intended to improve safety on gas distribution pipelines nationwide by improving…
Inflation Reduction Act could unleash $3 trillion in renewable energy investments
Inflation Reduction Act could unleash $3 trillion in renewable energy investments Energize Weekly, August 23, 2023 The $1.2 trillion in incentives proposed under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will spur about $3 trillion investment in renewable energy technology over the next decade, according to Goldman Sachs Research. Goldman Sachs…
A surge in carbon capture and storage projects brings promise, mergers and challenges
A surge in carbon capture and storage projects brings promise, mergers and challenges Energize Weekly, August 16, 2023 Initiatives in the carbon capture market are surging with new projects, acquisitions, and a swell in government funding, but the sector could face challenges in permitting, capital costs and adequate subsidies, according…
Cyberattacks on the power grid are on the rise as utilities seeking security play catch-up
Cyberattacks on the power grid are on the rise as utilities seeking security play catch-up Energize Weekly, August 9, 2023 In the summer of 2022, the Colorado Springs Utilities alerted its customers that their data from its system had been hacked. Several months later, 2,000 wind turbines in Germany were…
Suncor Energy cyberattack likely to cost company millions of dollars, expert says
Suncor Energy cyberattack likely to cost company millions of dollars, expert says Jun 26, 2023 A cybersecurity expert says a systems breach at Suncor Energy Inc. will likely cost the company millions of dollars before the issue is resolved. The cyberattack affected many of Suncor’s Petro-Canada sites across the country…
TSA Official: Feds Improved Cybersecurity Response Post-Colonial Pipeline
TSA Official: Feds Improved Cybersecurity Response Post-Colonial Pipeline May 15, 2023 In the wake of the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline, the US Transportation Security Agency — the agency that regulates pipelines as well as air travel, railways, highways, and mass transit systems — brought together the CEOs of…
Dominion Energy Utah starts hydrogen blending in Utah pipelines
Dominion Energy Utah starts hydrogen blending in Utah pipelines Apr 04, 2023 Dominion Energy Utah (DEU) has begun hydrogen blending in Delta, Utah, pipelines as part of the ThermH2 project. The project gas entered its first phase which is focused on blending hydrogen in the utility’s Training Academy to confirm…
United Airlines launches $100 million fund to develop sustainable aviation fuel
United Airlines launches $100 million fund to develop sustainable aviation fuel Energize Weekly, March 1, 2023 United Airlines, which has supported and invested in a string of projects to develop sustainable aviation fuel, last week announced its latest initiative – a $100 million venture capital fund. The new United Airlines…
Hydrogen is supplementing natural gas, but critics remain wary
Hydrogen is supplementing natural gas, but critics remain wary FEB 6, 2023 A public utility is experimenting with blending small amounts of carbon-free hydrogen into natural gas lines in some Minnesota homes, but critics argue the procedure remains largely an exercise in hot air. As first reported last week by…
Number of oil and gas mergers and acquisitions hits a 17-year low in Q4 of 2022
Number of oil and gas mergers and acquisitions hits a 17-year low in Q4 of 2022 Energize Weekly, February 1, 2023 The volume of oil and gas sector mergers and acquisitions fell to a 17-year low in the last quarter of 2022 as deal value for the quarter declined 13…
Biden administration threatens veto of GOP bill restricting strategic oil reserve releases
Biden administration threatens veto of GOP bill restricting strategic oil reserve releases Jan 23, 2023 The Biden administration is threatening to veto Republican-led legislation that would restrict the release of oil from the country’s emergency reserve. “If Congress were to pass H.R. 21, the president would veto it. He will…
US House passes bill to ban US strategic oil reserve sales to China; Senate path unclear
US House passes bill to ban US strategic oil reserve sales to China; Senate path unclear 12 Jan 2023 The US House of Representatives advanced legislation Jan. 12 aimed at preventing crude oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve from ending up in China, sending the measure to the Senate…
To replace Russian gas, Europe builds more LNG capacity and boosts U.S. imports
To replace Russian gas, Europe builds more LNG capacity and boosts U.S. imports Energize Weekly, January 4, 2023 In the dash to replace Russian natural gas supplies, liquefied natural gas (LNG) import capacity in the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) is set to expand by a third…
Energy efficiency investments jump in 2022 spurred by energy security concerns
Energy efficiency investments jump in 2022 spurred by energy security concerns Energize Weekly, December 28, 2022 Global investment in energy efficiency – from building renovations to public transport to electric vehicle infrastructure – increased 16 percent in 2022, reaching $560 billion as efficiency gains grew fourfold, according to the International…
High gas prices, energy security concerns make capturing fugitive and flared gas profitable
High gas prices, energy security concerns make capturing fugitive and flared gas profitable Energize Weekly, December 21, 2022 The combination of higher natural gas prices and geopolitical concerns about energy security is making the capture and commercialization of fugitive and flared emissions economically viable around the world, according to a…
Deepwater oil and gas production set to grow 60 percent by 2030 hitting 17 million BOE/D
Deepwater oil and gas production set to grow 60 percent by 2030 hitting 17 million BOE/D Energize Weekly, December 7, 2022 Deepwater oil and gas production is set to increase more than 60 percent between 2022 and 2030, reaching 17 million barrels oil equivalent per day (BOE/D) – equal to…
Interior Department finalizes plans for sale of oil and gas leases off coast of Alaska
Interior Department finalizes plans for sale of oil and gas leases off coast of Alaska November 28, 2022 The Interior Department announced final steps to carry out an oil and gas lease sale off Alaska’s coast, just the second such offshore lease sale of President Joe Biden ‘s tenure. The…
US offshore oil and gas rigs at ‘significant’ risk of cyberattacks, warns government watchdog
US offshore oil and gas rigs at ‘significant’ risk of cyberattacks, warns government watchdog November 22, 2022 U.S. offshore oil and gas infrastructure faces “significant and increasing” cybersecurity risks that require “urgent” attention, a U.S. government’s watchdog has warned. The Government Accountability Office said in a new report that the…
Equinor Leads the Way in Adoption of Low-emission Offshore Drilling Rigs, Westwood Says
Equinor Leads the Way in Adoption of Low-emission Offshore Drilling Rigs, Westwood Says November 15, 2022 The availability of emission-lowering upgrades for offshore rigs has been on the rise, but adoption of these new technologies is slow outside of Norway and the US Gulf of Mexico due to limited regulatory…
ConocoPhillips records big profits, expects to start work at $8 billion Alaska oil project early next year
ConocoPhillips records big profits, expects to start work at $8 billion Alaska oil project early next year 11/7/22 ConocoPhillips reported making huge profits in the latest quarter amid growing criticism that oil companies are benefiting as gas prices soar, and as President Joe Biden threatens to pursue a windfall profits…
Eversource CEO fears New England might not have enough natural gas if winter is bitter
Eversource CEO fears New England might not have enough natural gas if winter is bitter Oct 29, 2022 The top executive of one of the top energy suppliers in New England fears the region may not have enough power if a severe cold spell hits this winter. Eversource Energy CEO…
War in Ukraine is speeding a global energy transition, hobbling Russian exports, IEA says
War in Ukraine is speeding a global energy transition, hobbling Russian exports, IEA says Energize Weekly, November 2, 2022 Global fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are slowing with oil, coal and natural gas either peaking or reaching a plateau by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).…
$1B Cybersecurity Grant Program Still Coming Into Focus
$1B Cybersecurity Grant Program Still Coming Into Focus OCTOBER 16, 2022 State and local governments are preparing to use $1 billion from the federal infrastructure law to improve cybersecurity. It marks the most significant federal support yet for protecting the computer networks and data of smaller governments. But many crucial…
French Refinery Strike Opens Door for More US Exports to Asia
French Refinery Strike Opens Door for More US Exports to Asia October 10, 2022 Asian refiners snapped up at least 12 million barrels of US crude oil in the past two weeks as a strike in France dims demand from one of Europe’s largest buyers. Refiners, mostly from South Korea,…
Oil-eating microbes excrete the world’s cheapest “clean” hydrogen
Oil-eating microbes excrete the world’s cheapest “clean” hydrogen October 03, 2022 Texan company Cemvita is promising clean hydrogen at less than US$1/kg, after testing a fascinating new technique in the lab and the field. The idea is to pump specially developed microbes into depleted oil wells, where they’ll eat oil…
Threat of recession and drop in oil demand and prices worry Permian producers
Threat of recession and drop in oil demand and prices worry Permian producers Energize Weekly, October 5, 2022 Even as oil production rebounds in the Permian Basin, industry executives are worried about a drop in demand due to a recession and remain dogged by rising costs and supply chain problems,…
Biden to Release 10MM Oil Barrels Ahead of EU-Russian Ban
Biden to Release 10MM Oil Barrels Ahead of EU-Russian Ban September 20, 2022 The Department of Energy will offer additional US reserve crude for sale ahead of plans by the European Union to ban most Russian oil in December. The agency will offer 10 million barrels of low-sulfur crude for…
New methane tax more a regulation aimed at curbing emissions than a revenue raiser
New methane tax more a regulation aimed at curbing emissions than a revenue raiser Energize Weekly, September 14, 2022 A methane tax in the Inflation Reduction Act will likely serve more as a regulation than a revenue raiser, spurring oil and gas operations to cut down on fugitive emissions to…
EQT to Buy Marcellus Gas and Pipeline Assets for $5 Billion
EQT to Buy Marcellus Gas and Pipeline Assets for $5 Billion September 6, 2022 EQT Corp., the largest US natural gas producer, agreed to acquire a privately held competitor in a $5.2 billion deal to expand holdings in the prolific Marcellus shale. Read more
Eagle Ford Crude Oil Production Still Not On Pre-Pandemic Levels
Eagle Ford Crude Oil Production Still Not On Pre-Pandemic Levels August 30, 2022 Constant increases in the past six months have not yet put Eagle Ford crude oil production on par with pre-pandemic levels, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. According to the EIA’s latest Drilling Productivity Report, crude oil…
Rig Of The Future To Be Powered By Floating Wind, Hydropower
Rig Of The Future To Be Powered By Floating Wind, Hydropower August 23, 2022 Huisman has designed a new harsh environment semi-submersible drilling rig that can be powered with onshore-produced hydroelectricity but also with floating wind turbines. The Dutch firm said that the new rig design was aimed at making…
Texas natural gas exports to Mexico hit a record but a regional shortage may loom
Texas natural gas exports to Mexico hit a record but a regional shortage may loom Energize Weekly, August 24, 2022 West Texas natural gas exports to Mexico reached a record in May, but the combination of growing Mexican exports and new Gulf Coast liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals could leave…
National Grid’s first-of-its-kind renewable energy RFI validates a fossil-free energy strategy for the Northeast
National Grid’s first-of-its-kind renewable energy RFI validates a fossil-free energy strategy for the Northeast August 16, 2022 National Grid has located robust stocks of renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen potentially available for its customers in Massachusetts and New York through the Company’s first-of-its kind Northeast clean energy request for…
Analysis: U.S. LNG exports to Europe on track to surpass Biden promise
Analysis: U.S. LNG exports to Europe on track to surpass Biden promise July 26, 2022 When U.S. President Joe Biden promised European leaders in March that he would help secure new supplies of liquefied natural gas to offset shortages from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, his pledge was greeted with scepticism.…
Q2 oil and gas mergers and acquisitions hit by volatile equity and commodity markets
Q2 oil and gas mergers and acquisitions hit by volatile equity and commodity markets Energize Weekly, July 20, 2022 Oil and gas sector mergers and acquisitions (M&A) buffeted by market volatility slipped in the second quarter of 2022 to $12 billion – an 18 percent decline from the first quarter…
FERC Approval of Nexus Natural Gas Pipeline Exports to Canada Upheld
FERC Approval of Nexus Natural Gas Pipeline Exports to Canada Upheld July 11, 2022 A federal appeals court has upheld FERC’s approval of the Appalachia-to-Midwest Nexus Gas Transmission pipeline, siding with the Commission’s assessment of the public benefits of exported gas as part of its certificate decision. Read more
White House backed fund promises to accelerate ‘deep tech’ advancements in cybersecurity
White House backed fund promises to accelerate ‘deep tech’ advancements in cybersecurity JUL 11, 2022 An investment fund supported by the White House and partially bankrolled by tech heavyweights Peter Thiel, Eric Schmidt and Craig Newmark is making a big bet that “deep technologies” will give the U.S. the edge…
Oil prices tumble, benchmark under $100 for first time since May
Oil prices tumble, benchmark under $100 for first time since May JULY 5, 2022 The U.S. crude oil benchmark West Texas Intermediate fell below $100 and the international benchmark Brent crude lost 9.93% on Tuesday amid fears of an economic recession. Read more
Oil and gas production rising in the Permian Basin in the face of mounting costs
Oil and gas production rising in the Permian Basin in the face of mounting costs Energize Weekly, June 29, 2022 Oil and gas production in Texas and New Mexico – the most productive U.S. fields – increased in the second quarter of 2022, even as operators face rising costs and…
Proposed, under construction, abandoned: 6 key US pipeline projects
Proposed, under construction, abandoned: 6 key US pipeline projects June 21, 2022 It’s a complicated time to build a new oil or gas pipeline in the U.S. While the fossil fuel industry continues to see healthy demand and profits amid skyrocketing gasoline prices and war in Ukraine, construction costs are…
U.S. LNG exports soar as Europe scrambles to fill gap left by Russian cutback
U.S. LNG exports soar as Europe scrambles to fill gap left by Russian cutback Energize Weekly, June 15, 2022 Exports of U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) to Europe soared in the first four months of 2022 and are poised to grow even more as the European Union (EU) scrambles to…
Natural Gas Price Forecast – New Highs Ahead
Natural Gas Price Forecast – New Highs Ahead June 6, 2022 Natural gas prices have moved back towards yearly highs as the bullish trend remains strong. The solid demand for energy in the U.S. and worldwide continues to push energy prices higher, so traders may soon push natural gas prices…
Westinghouse, Bloom Energy to accelerate large-scale hydrogen production in nuclear industry; high-temperature integrated electrolysis
Westinghouse, Bloom Energy to accelerate large-scale hydrogen production in nuclear industry; high-temperature integrated electrolysis 07 June 2022 Westinghouse Electric Company and Bloom Energy Corporation have entered into a Letter of Intent to pursue clean hydrogen production in the commercial nuclear power market. The companies are teaming to identify and implement…
Two new pipelines to feed Louisiana Coast LNG export terminals approved by FERC
Two new pipelines to feed Louisiana Coast LNG export terminals approved by FERC Energize Weekly, June 1, 2022 Two natural gas pipeline projects to feed the growing liquified natural gas (LNG) export facilities on the Louisiana Gulf Coast were recently approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The Evangeline…
Washington casts shadow on oil market
Washington casts shadow on oil market May 24, 2022 Proposed United States legislation targeting oil cartel OPEC and its allies for possible antitrust lawsuits could spark chaos and stoke tensions in global energy markets, experts say. Read more
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack: Lessons for Technologists
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack: Lessons for Technologists May 23, 2022 While technologists have always understood the damage that ransomware could do to an organization’s infrastructure and data, the May 2021 attack that targeted Colonial Pipeline IT infrastructure changed the game for good. Read more
High pump prices the result of a suite of market issues and not simply price gouging, study says
High pump prices the result of a suite of market issues and not simply price gouging, study says Energize Weekly, May 18, 2002 Oil companies have been in the crosshairs of lawmakers for either price gouging or not producing enough oil as gasoline pump prices have soared, but a new…
U.S. Proposes $1 Million Fine on Colonial Pipeline for Safety Violations After Cyberattack
U.S. Proposes $1 Million Fine on Colonial Pipeline for Safety Violations After Cyberattack May 10, 2022 The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed a penalty of nearly $1 million to Colonial Pipeline for violating federal safety regulations, worsening the impact of the ransomware…
Pennsylvania House of Representatives passes package of bills that would reverse ban on fracking in Delaware River Basin
Pennsylvania House of Representatives passes package of bills that would reverse ban on fracking in Delaware River Basin May 2, 2022 The Pennsylvania House of Representatives Monday passed a package of legislation that would increase fossil fuel energy production in the state. This package of bills would significantly diminish the…
These 3 Things Will Take a Big Bite Out of Oil Demand in 2022
These 3 Things Will Take a Big Bite Out of Oil Demand in 2022 April 26, 2022 The ongoing war in Ukraine, Covid-19 lockdowns in China and surging commodity prices are going to take a significant bite out of global oil demand this year. That’s according to Rystad Energy’s senior…
