Supermajors are scrubbing their greenhouse gas emissions by offloading dirtier assets Energize Weekly, May 31, 2023 Seven of the world’s “supermajor” oil companies are cleaning up their greenhouse gas emissions in large part by offloading some of the dirtiest assets to small companies who are often poor environmental performers, according to a Columbia University study.…
U.S. grid facing blackout risks this summer and next winter, reliability agency warns Energize Weekly, May 24, 2023 U.S. power grids are facing a risky summer and an even riskier winter, according to analyses by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), the agency that oversees grid reliability and security. While most of the U.S.…
Winter rains lift California hydropower outlook, easing regional demand for natural gas Energize Weekly, May 17, 2023 Heavy rains have filled California reservoirs and boosted the prospect for hydropower – welcomed news to the rest of the West, which saw natural gas prices soar last winter as California utilities scrambled to fill a hydropower gap.…
Oil and gas M&A deals down 50 percent to $14.8 billion quarter-over-quarter in Q1 2023 Energize Weekly, May 10, 2023 Oil and gas industry mergers and acquisitions (M&A) flagged in the first quarter of 2023 with a 35 percent drop in deals to 74 and the value halved to $14.8 billion compared to the last…
Federal agency opens Gulf of Maine for wind development as state tries to balance interests Energize Weekly, May 3, 2023 The Biden administration has opened a 10-million-acre tract in the Gulf of Maine for offshore wind (OSW) development proposals, as the state is trying to balance promoting wind and protecting fisheries. “This represents an early…
Surge in clean generation and storage projects creating a backlog on U.S. electric grids Energize Weekly, April 26, 2023 A surge in clean energy projects – a 40 percent year-over-year increase in 2022 – is creating a traffic jam in getting onto the U.S. electric grid, according to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study. There…
A key link in bringing Wyoming wind power to California gets federal BLM approval Energize Weekly, April 19, 2023 After 15 years of planning and permitting battles, a key piece in billionaire Philip Anschutz’s $8 billion project to bring Wyoming wind power to California – the 732-mile TransWest Express transmission line – got a green…
Southwest Power Pool takes a first step in creating a western wholesale electricity market Energize Weekly, April 12, 2023 A group of 26 utilities and organizations representing power producers – ranging from the Rockies to the Southwest to the Pacific Northwest – agreed to join the initial phase of the Southwest Power Pool’s (SPP) attempt…
The pace of U.S. coal-fired plant closures quickens, coal’s share of generation to plummet Energize Weekly, April 5, 2023 The pace of U.S. coal-fired plant closures continues to accelerate with half of all the capacity, which peaked in 2011, closed by 2026, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). In 2010,…
U.S. EV and battery investments reached $120 billion in 2023 spurred by federal legislation Energize Weekly, March 29, 2023 Electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturing investments in the U.S. surged by $120 billion in the last eight years with federal legislation spurring activity, according to a study by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). EDF, a…
Embargoes and price caps send Russian oil searching for new markets in Asia and Africa Energize Weekly, March 22, 2023 Embargoes and price caps on Russian oil and petroleum products are taking a bite out of the country’s exports and revenues, which are down 42 percent year-over-year to $11.6 billion in February, according to the…
More than 43,000 miles of new transmission lines needed in the U.S. by 2040, DOE study says Energize Weekly, March 15, 2023 The United States is projected to need more than 47,300 gigawatt-miles of new transmission lines by 2040 – in some cases they will be needed as soon as 2030, according to a draft…