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…
Pennsylvania to join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Pennsylvania to join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Apr 22, 2022 After more than 2 years in legal and legislative battles, Pennsylvania is poised to become the twelfth state to join the carbon-cutting effort known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. A Commonwealth Court failed to block the state’s publishing of…
Consumers Energy settles with stakeholders over Clean Energy Plan, pledges coal elimination by 2025
Consumers Energy settles with stakeholders over Clean Energy Plan, pledges coal elimination by 2025 April 22, 2022 After agreeing to a settlement with key stakeholders, Consumers Energy announced this week that, as part of its Clean Energy Plan, it will cease using coal as a fuel source for electric generation…
PG&E makes property tax and franchise fee payments to cities and counties
PG&E makes property tax and franchise fee payments to cities and counties 21 APRIL 2022 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported this week on the property tax payments it is making to cities and counties this month. The company, which serves more than 16 million Californians, is paying property taxes…
Biden administration unveils $6 billion program to keep nuclear power plants from closing
Biden administration unveils $6 billion program to keep nuclear power plants from closing Energize Weekly, April 27, 2022 The federal government has launched a $6 billion program to support the operation and prevent the closure of any of the nation’s nuclear reactors – seen by the Biden administration as a…
Droughts threaten one of the Southwest power grid’s biggest electricity generators
Droughts threaten one of the Southwest power grid’s biggest electricity generators APR 17, 2022 Thirty-nine years ago, due to record-breaking snowfall in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Lake Powell rose substantially, catching river managers off-guard. By late June, the reservoir was nearly overflowing, forcing operators—for the first time ever—to rely…
US EPA’s plan for interstate smog might force even more early coal retirements
US EPA’s plan for interstate smog might force even more early coal retirements 18 Apr, 2022 With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s climate authority over the nation’s power sector in legal limbo, the Biden administration unveiled a plan in March for addressing interstate smog pollution that is projected to drive…
U.S. Is Set to Launch a $6 Billion Effort to Save Nuclear Plants
U.S. Is Set to Launch a $6 Billion Effort to Save Nuclear Plants Apr 18, 2022 The Energy Department is expected to provide details as soon as Monday on a $6 billion program aimed at keeping uneconomical nuclear plants in service, providing a lifeline to an industry that’s seen a…
National Grid announces plan to decarbonize by 2050
National Grid announces plan to decarbonize by 2050 April 18, 2022 Utility giant National Grid (NG.L) is planning to eliminate fossil fuels from its heating systems in New York state and Massachusetts by 2050, primarily by expanding the use of electric heat pumps and sourcing more renewable natural gas (RNG),…
Higher prices and oil market uncertainty spur record activity in the Permian Basin
Higher prices and oil market uncertainty spur record activity in the Permian Basin Energize Weekly, April 20, 2022 In a response to high oil prices, rising demand and supply concerns in international oil markets, monthly drilling permits for new wells in the Permian Basin hit a record in March, according…
Compute North breaks ground on 300MW data center in Granbury, Texas
Compute North breaks ground on 300MW data center in Granbury, Texas April 12, 2022 Compute North is building a 300MW data center at a gas-fired power plant in Texas. The blockchain & HPC data center firm has announced that construction is underway to build a 300MW data center next to…
Cybersecuring the Pipeline
Cybersecuring the Pipeline April 12, 2022 On May 7, 2021, Colonial Pipeline, which operates the largest fuel pipeline system in the United States, disclosed that it had suffered a cyberattack. Its business systems had been infected with ransomware, malicious software that locks systems until a ransom is paid, usually in…
Concerns continue over Dominion’s Possum Point plans
Concerns continue over Dominion’s Possum Point plans Apr 11, 2022 Prince William residents raised concerns over contamination, earthquake safety, truck traffic and more at a public information session on Dominion Energy’s plan to construct a new coal ash landfill at its Possum Point Power Station. Read more
California utility to pay $55 million for massive wildfires
California utility to pay $55 million for massive wildfires April 11, 2022 Pacific Gas & Electric, the nation’s largest utility, has agreed to pay more than $55 million to avoid criminal prosecution for two major wildfires sparked by its aging Northern California power lines and submit to five years of…
Covid-19 boost in green spending still not enough, IEA says
Covid-19 boost in green spending still not enough, IEA says 04/12/2022 The world’s wealthiest countries are rapidly boosting spending on clean energy, but lower-income nations are struggling to do the same, with higher food and fuel prices bearing down on their already limited finances. The widening gap could challenge the…
Supply-chain issues hobble storage projects but installation still set a record in 2021
Supply-chain issues hobble storage projects but installation still set a record in 2021 Energize Weekly, April 13, 2022 Even in the face of supply-chain problems, energy storage installations set a record in the U.S., and the forecasts have domestic and global capacity growing twentyfold by 2030, according to industry analyses.…
EPA upholds Trump-era decision not to regulate known drinking water contaminant
EPA upholds Trump-era decision not to regulate known drinking water contaminant April 5, 2022 The Environmental Protection Agency says it will uphold a Trump-era environmental policy not to regulate a drinking water contaminant that has been linked to brain damage in infants. The agency says the Trump administration’s decision in…
Exxon signals record quarterly profit from oil and gas prices
Exxon signals record quarterly profit from oil and gas prices April 4, 2022 Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) on Monday said its first-quarter results could top a seven-year quarterly record, with operating profits from pumping oil and gas alone of up to $9.3 billion. A snapshot of the largest U.S. oil…
Public Service Commission approves natural gas-fired power plant near Wausau that was opposed by consumer and environmental groups
Public Service Commission approves natural gas-fired power plant near Wausau that was opposed by consumer and environmental groups March 31, 2022 The Public Service Commission on Thursday approved a controversial $171 million gas power plant near Wausau from Milwaukee and Green Bay utilities. The new facility, proposed by We Energies…
UN report on climate crisis confirms the world already has solutions – but politics are getting in the way
UN report on climate crisis confirms the world already has solutions – but politics are getting in the way April 4, 2022 The world is careening toward levels of global warming that will have irreversible impacts, a new landmark report says, but we already have the solutions — the only…
Environmental campaign targets Bitcoin miners in an effort to curb greenhouse gases
Environmental campaign targets Bitcoin miners in an effort to curb greenhouse gases Energize Weekly, April 6, 2022 Environmental groups are taking aim at the power-hungry Bitcoin cryptocurrency seeking to get it to change the way it operates and thereby cut its greenhouse gas emissions. The “Change the Code, Not the…
SoCalGas storage injection season begins in downside risk to city-gate basis
SoCalGas storage injection season begins in downside risk to city-gate basis 24 Mar 2022 Summer gas prices at the SoCal Gas city-gate could come under renewed pressure in the weeks ahead as already expanded storage inventories in southern California make an early start to the injection season. Read More
Federal agencies warn Russian cyber operations pose continued threat to U.S. energy infrastructure
Federal agencies warn Russian cyber operations pose continued threat to U.S. energy infrastructure March 28, 2022 In a joint advisory published this week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) assessed that state-sponsored Russian cyber operations…
Xcel wants to close power plant near Pueblo barely a decade after going into operation
Xcel wants to close power plant near Pueblo barely a decade after going into operation Mar 27, 2022 The Colorado Public Utilities Commission tabled a request by Xcel Energy to once again shorten the operating life of the Comanche power station’s Unit 3 near Pueblo, the last of three generating…
California issued wildfire safety certifications to utilities despite ‘serious deficiencies’: audit
California issued wildfire safety certifications to utilities despite ‘serious deficiencies’: audit March 28, 2022 California’s Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety awarded the state’s utilities wildfire-related safety certifications for 2020 despite “serious deficiencies” in their fire mitigation plans, according to a report from the state’s auditor. Read more
War in Ukraine scrambles world oil markets, offers a spur to U.S. production
War in Ukraine scrambles world oil markets, offers a spur to U.S. production Energize Weekly, March 30, 2022 The war in Ukraine is leading to a pinch in Russian oil – through operational problems and sanctions – that could lead to a restructuring of world oil markets and a boost…
How green rooftops can help cool off hot cities
How green rooftops can help cool off hot cities March 22, 2022 Recent research suggests that green roofs — rooftops covered with greenery or other sun-reflecting materials — can reduce heat in cities. City features like asphalt and concrete absorb and retain a significant amount of heat, creating what is known as…
Natural gas power plant project for eastern Va. is scrapped
Natural gas power plant project for eastern Va. is scrapped Mar 21, 2022 A natural gas power plant project in eastern Virginia has been scrapped, a month after plans for a pipeline running through five counties to fuel it were put on hold following a regulatory ruling, and amid opposition…
Coal plant owners seek to shut 3.2 GW in PJM in face of economic, regulatory and market pressures
Coal plant owners seek to shut 3.2 GW in PJM in face of economic, regulatory and market pressures March 22, 2022 Power plant owners started the process of potentially retiring 3,228 MW of coal-fired generation in the PJM Interconnection’s footprint this month, according to the grid operator’s generator deactivation list. Another 1,024…
The SEC wants companies to disclose how climate change is affecting them
The SEC wants companies to disclose how climate change is affecting them March 21, 2022 Every year, public companies in the U.S. are required to provide investors and regulators with detailed data about their financial performance and the risks they face. Soon, they may also have to disclose information about…
Biden warns the private sector that Russia is exploring options for cyberattacks
Biden warns the private sector that Russia is exploring options for cyberattacks March 21, 2022 President Biden warned on Monday that Russia is exploring the possibility of waging potential cyberattacks against the United States in retaliation for economic penalties imposed on Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine. Read more
Nuclear regulators to reconsider environmental impact of Point Beach license extension
Nuclear regulators to reconsider environmental impact of Point Beach license extension Mar 10, 2022 Federal regulators are taking a fresh look at plans to keep Wisconsin’s only remaining nuclear power plant operating through mid-century. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has suspended its review of NextEra Energy’s application to extend the operating licenses for…
Judge wants more research on plan to shut down J.H. Campbell Power Plant
Judge wants more research on plan to shut down J.H. Campbell Power Plant Mar 11, 2022 A Michigan judge is recommending Consumers Energy and the Michigan Public Service Commission do more research before signing off on the utility company’s plan to completely shut down the J.H. Campbell Power Plant in…
Kauai Quit Using Oil To Produce Most Of Its Electricity Years Ago. That’s Paying Off Now
Kauai Quit Using Oil To Produce Most Of Its Electricity Years Ago. That’s Paying Off Now March 15, 2022 In 2008, Kauai’s electric utility set an aggressive goal to power half the island with renewable energy. The plan was so ambitious that no one knew exactly how it could be…
SEC plans to force public companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions
SEC plans to force public companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions March 15, 2022 The Securities and Exchange Commission plans to require all publicly traded companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and the climate risks their businesses face, part of the Biden administration’s broader push to force the private…
U.S. natural gas production and LNG exports projected to rise as foreign markets grow
U.S. natural gas production and LNG exports projected to rise as foreign markets grow Energize Weekly, March 16, 2022 Natural gas production in the U.S. is poised to increase through 2050, spurred by exports – with a likely rise in shipments to Europe in the wake of the Russian invasion…
Wind Turbine Collapses In Cheyenne, Company Investigating Cause
Wind Turbine Collapses In Cheyenne, Company Investigating Cause March 4, 2022 An energy company is investigating what caused one of its wind turbines near Cheyenne to collapse recently. Duke Energy spokeswoman Valerie Patterson told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that the collapse of the turbine west of Cheyenne was reported…
End of an Era: State’s Oldest Coal Power Plant Shifts Gears
End of an Era: State’s Oldest Coal Power Plant Shifts Gears March 5, 2022 On Thursday, Feb. 22, 2022, when the clock struck 9:41 p.m., it marked “the end of an era” for Heskett Station, as workers there described it. It was the last time North Dakota’s oldest coal-fired power plant…
NorthWestern Energy commits to net zero carbon emissions by 2050
NorthWestern Energy commits to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 March 07, 2022 NorthWestern Energy last week became the latest energy company to announce a net zero carbon emissions goal, pledging to neutral out its emissions production by 2050, though cautioning it would need policy and regulatory support to achieve…
Russian invasion of Ukraine and West’s economic sanctions roil global energy markets
Russian invasion of Ukraine and West’s economic sanctions roil global energy markets Energize Weekly, March 9, 2022 The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the broad sanctions by western nations in its wake are roiling energy markets from Europe to Asia and may lead to structural changes in regional and global…
6G launch planning should start now to avoid another 5G mess – FCC
6G launch planning should start now to avoid another 5G mess – FCC Mar. 1st 2022 New Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Jessica Rosenworcel has today told delegates at the Mobile World Congress that 6G launch planning should begin now, even though switch-on is not expected until 2030. Her remarks follow the embarrassing clash between…
Rocky Mountain states to team up on hydrogen tech proposal
Rocky Mountain states to team up on hydrogen tech proposal February 24, 2022 Four Rocky Mountain states will cooperate on developing ways to make the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen, more available and useful as clean-burning fuel for cars, trucks and trains, the states’ governors announced Thursday. Colorado,…
Putin’s threat of ‘consequences’ heightens worries about Americans’ electricity
Putin’s threat of ‘consequences’ heightens worries about Americans’ electricity 02/25/2022 The war in Ukraine is renewing fears of a Russian cyberattack on the U.S. — and the danger that such a strike could spiral into a wider conflict between the two powers. U.S. officials have worried for years about a…
PSEG sells off fossil fuel plants in New York, Connecticut
PSEG sells off fossil fuel plants in New York, Connecticut February 25, 2022 Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) sold off its fossil generating assets in New York and Connecticut to ArcLight Capital Partners through its ArcLight Energy Partners Fund VII. Read more
Feds rescind license extension for Florida nuclear plant
Feds rescind license extension for Florida nuclear plant February 26, 2022 Federal officials have reversed a decision to allow a South Florida nuclear power plant to continue running for another 30 years by ordering a new review of potential environmental risks, including those posed by climate change. Read more
What the Russia crisis means for U.S. electricity mix
What the Russia crisis means for U.S. electricity mix 03/01/2022 Gasoline prices have spiked in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the effects of the conflict are also spilling into the U.S. electricity sector, with implications for greenhouse gas emissions and energy policy. Although the crisis isn’t expected…
Global methane emissions seriously under reported, IEA analysis finds
Global methane emissions seriously under reported, IEA analysis finds Energize Weekly, March 2, 2022 Global energy sector methane emissions are an estimated 70 percent higher than the figures reported by countries to the United Nations, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Nations report emissions to the United Nations Framework…
Dakota Access pipeline: Supreme Court turns away challenge over tougher environmental review
Dakota Access pipeline: Supreme Court turns away challenge over tougher environmental review Feb. 22, 2022 The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a dispute between the company that operates the Dakota Access oil pipeline and several Native American tribes who say the project requires a more thorough environmental review. Read more
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation Completes Testing of Hydrogen Blending in Continued Move Toward Lower Carbon Energy Sources
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation Completes Testing of Hydrogen Blending in Continued Move Toward Lower Carbon Energy Sources Feb 22, 2022 Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE: CPK) announced today that it successfully blended hydrogen with natural gas to power the Company’s Eight Flags Energy Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant in Nassau County, Florida. Read…
Cyber insurance premiums soar for energy companies
Cyber insurance premiums soar for energy companies Feb. 18, 2022 Cyber insurance rates are rising because of geopolitics, ransomware, a growing threat to operational technology, and continued fallout from last year’s Colonial Pipeline attack, say experts. Read more
