Offshore Drilling Rigs Eyed for LNG Conversion September 24, 2021 Aberdeen-based offshore rig inspection company ADC Energy has said it has won a contract with an unnamed U.S.-based LNG company to help it identify and select offshore drilling rigs suitable for conversion for LNG operations. Read more
State, federal actions show growing push for a nuclear role in reaching net zero emissions
State, federal actions show growing push for a nuclear role in reaching net zero emissions Sept. 28, 2021 Nuclear power advocates are increasingly emphasizing the value of existing but financially struggling U.S. nuclear plants in curbing carbon emissions and addressing climate change. Read more
Hydropower output plummets in parched U.S. West with no quick end in sight
Hydropower output plummets in parched U.S. West with no quick end in sight Energize Weekly, September 29, 2021 The heat wave that blanketed the western United States this summer drained the region’s hydropower output, a situation that will likely continue in 2022 and may even get worse, according to reports…
Utilities face greatest threat as climate risks intensify
Utilities face greatest threat as climate risks intensify 20 Sep, 2021 Climate change is pushing power, gas and water companies to the frontlines of an intensifying battle against natural disasters that is set to increasingly hit the profits of businesses around the world. Utilities face the highest combined physical risk…
Oil and gas sector shows recovery in second quarter led by private companies, higher prices
Oil and gas sector shows recovery in second quarter led by private companies, higher prices Energize Weekly, September 22, 2021 The U.S. onshore oil and gas industry saw the beginnings of a rebound in the second quarter of 2021 buoyed by strong commodity prices, strategic mergers, and increased efficiency, according…
Oil Glut That Covid Built All But Gone
Oil Glut That Covid Built All But Gone September 14, 2021 Global crude inventories that ballooned during the pandemic have shrunk to the lowest level in 20 months as an economic rebound in top consumers China and the U.S. drive a robust recovery in fuel demand. Read more
DOE to invest $10 million to reduce natural gas supply constraints, improve energy consumption
DOE to invest $10 million to reduce natural gas supply constraints, improve energy consumption September 13, 2021 A new funding opportunity announcement from the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) will offer approximately $10 million in funding for cost-shared research and development projects…
System Monitors Transmission Lines for Faults and Damage
System Monitors Transmission Lines for Faults and Damage SEP 14, 2021 Prisma Photonics Ltd and Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) have signed a pilot agreement to supply monitoring services for IEC’s electrical power transmission grid. The collaboration has started as a part of Israel’s Innovation Authority’s program to run pilots in governmental companies and national infrastructure.…
Illinois Legislature saves at-risk nuclear plants with clean energy bill
Illinois Legislature saves at-risk nuclear plants with clean energy bill September 13, 2021 The Illinois Legislature has approved legislation providing nearly $700 million in subsidies over five years to save unprofitable nuclear plants, acting in the final hour to stop at least one from shutting down. Read more
Colorado consumer advocates ask utility commission to reject $130M of Xcel’s February storm surcharge
Colorado consumer advocates ask utility commission to reject $130M of Xcel’s February storm surcharge Sep 14, 2021 Xcel Energy ignored numerous weather warnings when buying natural gas and failed to switch to cheaper fuel oil during the historic deep freeze in mid-February, leaving the utility helpless as spot prices spiked…
Solar could power 45 percent of U.S. electricity by 2050 with multi-billion dollar investment, DOE says
Solar could power 45 percent of U.S. electricity by 2050 with multi-billion dollar investment, DOE says Energize Weekly, September 15, 2021 The U.S. could get 40 percent of its electricity from solar installations by 2035 and 45 percent by 2050 – through $225 to $560 billion in the power grid…
Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico After Ida Linked to Abandoned Pipeline
Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico After Ida Linked to Abandoned Pipeline Sept 7, 2021 More than a week after Ida hit the Gulf of Mexico, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the hurricane made a huge mess of the oil and gas activities there. The government is investigating hundreds of reports of oil spills…
Los Angeles City Council approves transition to clean, carbon-free energy by 2035
Los Angeles City Council approves transition to clean, carbon-free energy by 2035 September 3rd, 2021 In a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Council yesterday (September 1) approved a motion introduced by Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Mitch O’Farrelll requiring that 100 percent of the city’s electricity come from clean, zero carbon energy by 2035. Read…
Global EV sales bounce back from the pandemic, set to hit 14 million vehicles by 2025
Global EV sales bounce back from the pandemic, set to hit 14 million vehicles by 2025 Energize Weekly, September 8, 2021 Global electric vehicle sales have rebounded from the pandemic with a forecast of reaching 16 percent of all passenger car purchases by 2025, but the pace remains far short…
Gas Prices Unlikely To Skyrocket As Oil Companies Assess Hurricane Ida Damage
Gas Prices Unlikely To Skyrocket As Oil Companies Assess Hurricane Ida Damage August 31, 2021 Oil companies are still assessing the damage at the oil rigs, platforms and refineries that were struck by Hurricane Ida. Read more
Connexus electricity co-op wants a new power deal with Great River Energy
Connexus electricity co-op wants a new power deal with Great River Energy AUGUST 30, 2021 Connexus Energy, the largest owner of Great River Energy, wants to exit the big electricity generating co-op as a member, saying its longtime arrangement has become too costly and inflexible. Read more
Hurricane Ida damage to Louisiana’s power grid expected to take weeks to repair
Hurricane Ida damage to Louisiana’s power grid expected to take weeks to repair August 30, 2021 Rescuers set out in hundreds of boats and helicopters to reach people trapped by floodwaters Monday, and utility repair crews rushed in, after a furious Hurricane Ida swamped the Louisiana coast and ravaged the…
Alpha Wireless Unveils Antenna Solutions to Enable Utility Network Modernization
Alpha Wireless Unveils Antenna Solutions to Enable Utility Network Modernization Aug 24th, 2021 Alpha Wireless is launching the Alpha Wireless AW3874 dual-band antenna, engineered to empower utilities to modernize and digitize their communications infrastructure. With support for both 900 MHz and 3.5 GHz / Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum…
USA Holds Largest Oil Reserves Sale in 7 Years
USA Holds Largest Oil Reserves Sale in 7 Years August 24, 2021 The U.S. is holding its largest sale of oil from strategic reserves since 2014 at a time when the outlook for fuel demand is darkening amid the resurgent Covid-19 virus. Read more
Fight over ‘peaker’ plants poses grid climate test
Fight over ‘peaker’ plants poses grid climate test 08/24/2021 A proposed natural gas power plant and pipeline project in southwestern Indiana are drawing fire out of concerns that they will add more pollution to a region saddled with fossil fuel infrastructure. Read more
NM could get billions in new federal funding
NM could get billions in new federal funding August 23, 2021 Congress is gearing up to approve the largest federal investments in infrastructure and social programs since the Great Depression in the 1930s, and New Mexico could reap huge benefits. Read more
U.S. shale sector rebounds in 2021 on higher oil prices and market discipline
U.S. shale sector rebounds in 2021 on higher oil prices and market discipline Energize Weekly, August 25, 2021 After years of red ink and a string of bankruptcies, the U.S. shale oil sector is staging a rebound, buoyed by higher oil prices and continued financial discipline, according to analyses by…
API Files Lawsuit Against Biden Administration
API Files Lawsuit Against Biden Administration August 17, 2021 The American Petroleum Institute (API) has announced that it, along with 11 other energy industry trade groups, has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana challenging the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI’s) indefinite pause on…
Grid’s ‘town crier’ separates cyber signal from noise
Grid’s ‘town crier’ separates cyber signal from noise 08/17/2021 The U.S. power grid’s hub for cyberthreat information got word last December that hackers had breached FireEye Inc., one of the world’s largest cybersecurity companies. Read more
As Vogtle’s costs rise, changes near for reviewing project’s run-away expenses
As Vogtle’s costs rise, changes near for reviewing project’s run-away expenses AUGUST 17, 2021 State regulators will consider signing off Tuesday on a plan marking a significant shift in how cost overruns are handled for Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle expansion, which is already billions of dollars over budget and years…
PSEG Agrees to Sell PSEG Fossil Generating Portfolio to ArcLight Capital
PSEG Agrees to Sell PSEG Fossil Generating Portfolio to ArcLight Capital Aug 12, 2021 Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) has entered into an agreement to sell its 6,750-megawatt fossil generating portfolio to newly formed subsidiaries of ArcLight Energy Partners Fund VII, L.P., a fund controlled by ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC…
Permian Gets Confidence Vote with Infrastructure Plan
Permian Gets Confidence Vote with Infrastructure Plan August 10, 2021 The region at the heart of the once-booming U.S. shale industry is signaling confidence in a nascent recovery after the pandemic crushed demand and curtailed oil and gas drilling. Read more
PG&E power line suspected in Dixie fire was set to be buried underground in safety move
PG&E power line suspected in Dixie fire was set to be buried underground in safety move AUG. 10, 2021 After Pacific Gas & Electric equipment sparked a massive fire that burned much of Paradise, Calif., and killed 86 people in 2018, the utility vowed a safety campaign aimed at preventing similar…
New Mexico customers sound alarm over major utility merger
New Mexico customers sound alarm over major utility merger Aug 10, 2021 New Mexico customers are sounding the alarm over a proposed multibillion-dollar merger of the state’s largest electric utility provider with a U.S. subsidiary of Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, citing a sordid track record of reliability and customer service.…
Global clean energy technology investment reached a record $500 billion in 2020
Global clean energy technology investment reached a record $500 billion in 2020 Energize Weekly, August 11, 2021 Global investment in clean energy technologies reached a record $501.3 billion in 2020, with renewable energy generation accounting for 60 percent of the total, according to a BloombergNEF analysis. The 2020 figure represents…
Federal cybersecurity defenses not strong enough to protect American data, Senate report warns
Federal cybersecurity defenses not strong enough to protect American data, Senate report warns AUGUST 3, 2021 Federal agencies responsible for safeguarding the security and personal data of millions of Americans have failed to implement basic defenses against cyberattacks, according to a report from Senate investigators released Tuesday. The agencies earned…
Devon and Conoco Study $10B Shell Permian Assets
Devon and Conoco Study $10B Shell Permian Assets August 03, 2021 Devon Energy Corp. and ConocoPhillips are among potential suitors studying Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s portfolio of Permian Basin oil fields, which could be worth as much as $10 billion in a sale, people familiar with the matter said. Read…
Shell greenlights Gulf of Mexico ‘Whale’ oilfield project
Shell greenlights Gulf of Mexico ‘Whale’ oilfield project July 26, 2021 Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) announced plans on Monday to develop a new oilfield in the Gulf of Mexico, its first major project to get the go-ahead since a Dutch court ordered the energy company to accelerate its carbon emissions reduction targets.…
FirstEnergy Federally Charged in Ohio Nuclear Bailout Scheme
FirstEnergy Federally Charged in Ohio Nuclear Bailout Scheme Jul 22, 2021 Facing a federal charge for honest services wire fraud in a corruption case related to the billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout in Ohio, FirstEnergy Corp. has agreed to abide by the terms of a three-year deferred prosecution settlement to get…
U.S. Power Sector Sees Biggest One-Year Drop in Emissions in More Than Two Decades
U.S. Power Sector Sees Biggest One-Year Drop in Emissions in More Than Two Decades JULY 23, 2021 U.S. power sector emissions dropped 10 percent between 2019 and 2020, owing to greater energy efficiency, less reliance on coal, and the coronavirus pandemic suppressing demand for electricity, according to a new report. This…
Global coal-fired generation rebounds in 2021 with continued expansion in some countries
Global coal-fired generation rebounds in 2021 with continued expansion in some countries Energize Weekly, July 28, 2021 Global coal-fired electricity generation is making a rebound in 2021 as billions of dollars in government support continue to flow to the sector and new coal-fired plants are being built or planned around…
Hydropower worries grow as Colorado River reservoirs continue to dry up
Hydropower worries grow as Colorado River reservoirs continue to dry up July 19, 2021 The water levels behind the Colorado River’s biggest dams are fast-approaching or already at record lows, thanks to a 21-year megadrought that’s squeezing water supplies across the Southwest. But the effects of drought are likely to…
New cybersecurity order issued for US pipeline operators
New cybersecurity order issued for US pipeline operators July 20, 2021 The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday announced new requirements for U.S. pipeline operators to bolster cybersecurity following a May ransomware attack that disrupted gas delivery across the East Coast. Read more
TransAlta completes 2nd of 3 planned Alberta plant conversions to natural gas
TransAlta completes 2nd of 3 planned Alberta plant conversions to natural gas July 19, 2021 TransAlta Corp. has taken another step in its goal of becoming carbon neutral by converting the second of three planned coal-to-gas conversions at its Alberta Thermal power generation facilities near Wabamun. Read more
Duke Energy, hedge fund continue battle
Duke Energy, hedge fund continue battle July 19, 2021 Duke Energy and a hedge fund continued a public battle Monday about the financial performance of the utility, including the operations of Duke Energy Florida. The West Palm Beach-based Elliott Investment Management L.P. sent an 11-page letter to the Duke Board…
Oil industry mergers and acquisitions bounce back in the second quarter of 2021
Oil industry mergers and acquisitions bounce back in the second quarter of 2021 Energize Weekly, July 21, 2021 Mergers and acquisitions among oil and gas producers rebounded in the second quarter of 2021 with more than 40 deals totaling $33 billion, with seven deals each worth more than $1 billion,…
Baker Hughes Tallies More Drilling Rigs
Baker Hughes Tallies More Drilling Rigs July 10, 2021 The overall U.S. rotary rig count increased by four to 479 drilling units this week, Baker Hughes Co. (NYSE: BKR) reported Friday. Read more
Growing Oregon Wildfire Threatens California Transmission Lines, State Issues Grid Warning
Growing Oregon Wildfire Threatens California Transmission Lines, State Issues Grid Warning July 10, 2021 Southern Oregon’s Bootleg Fire has grown to more than 143,000 acres as of Sunday morning, doubling in size from Saturday, when California energy officials warned it was encroaching on power transmission lines to the state. Read…
Nuclear cost overrun could mean billions in extra Georgia Power profit
Nuclear cost overrun could mean billions in extra Georgia Power profit July 9, 2021 Consumers may end up paying for billions of dollars in cost overruns on the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion. But for Georgia Power and its parent Southern Co., the extra costs could represent a huge financial windfall:…
Clean electricity standard carries $1.8T upside – study
Clean electricity standard carries $1.8T upside – study July 12, 2021 A national clean electricity standard would save thousands of lives and yield other health and climate benefits that would outweigh the policy’s costs, according to a first-of-its-kind study. Read more
Western drought hurts hydropower production, California among the hardest hit states
Western drought hurts hydropower production, California among the hardest hit states Energize Weekly, July 14, 2021 The drought conditions smothering the West are crippling hydropower production with hydro-generation’s share of energy production forecast to be 6.5 percent this year – the lowest it has been since 2015, according to the…
Energy company wants $15 billion from the Biden administration for blocking the Keystone XL pipeline
Energy company wants $15 billion from the Biden administration for blocking the Keystone XL pipeline July 4, 2021 TC Energy Corporation, the company that developed the Keystone XL pipeline project, is seeking to recover more than $15 billion in damages from the United States, claiming the US government breached its…
Watchdog subpoenas FirstEnergy info on payment to regulator
Watchdog subpoenas FirstEnergy info on payment to regulator July 2, 2021 Ohio’s consumer utility watchdog is demanding that FirstEnergy Corp. share more information about $4.3 million that was paid to an attorney to end his consulting contract shortly before he became the state’s top utility regulator. Read more
More than half the U.S. faces electricity supply problems in the face of a long, hot summer
More than half the U.S. faces electricity supply problems in the face of a long, hot summer Energize Weekly, July 7, 2021 More than half the U.S. – primarily in the West, Texas, Midwest and to a lesser extent, New England – is at risk of energy emergencies this summer,…
New York City Department Of Environmental Protection Partners With Arcadis To Drive City-Wide Resilience
New York City Department Of Environmental Protection Partners With Arcadis To Drive City-Wide Resilience June 21, 2021 Arcadis today announced its partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to launch a $53 million program designed to engage property owners across the city with resiliency measures that improve local and…
