Sunday, December 22, 2024

Alaska News

US prepares for second oil and Gas Auction in Alaska Refuge

Interior Department announced on Wednesday that the Biden administration had taken a major step toward holding the required sale of oil-and-gas leases in a wildlife refuge in Alaska by publishing a final environment review. The analysis presented a preferred scenario in which the agency offered 400,000 acres of land to drillers. This is the minimum permitted under…

Who would be the best person to run Trump's energy policy?

Donald Trump, the president-elect of the United States, has pledged to overhaul U.S. Energy Policy. He aims to maximize oil and gas production in this country which is already at record levels by rolling back regulations and accelerating permits. Who will he select to lead the departments and agencies that are critical to completing this task? These are some names that have been considered.

Chevron exceeds expectations for quarterly profits on the back of higher oil production

Chevron Corp. beat Wall Street expectations for the third quarter profit on Friday. However, its earnings dropped from a previous year. Chevron Corp, which has had its proposed $53 billion takeover of Hess delayed by Exxon Mobil Ltd and CNOOC Ltd due to their challenge, reported a profit adjusted of $4.53 billion. This compares to $5.72 million a year earlier. The shares rose by 2.6% ahead of normal trading hours.

Santos' forecasts for 2024 production are at the top of the forecast range, and Pikka oil production could start early

Santos, Australia's second largest oil and gas company, estimated that its production for the full year would be in the upper half of its forecast range and announced on Thursday that its Pikka Project could begin oil production as soon as 2025. The Adelaide-based firm said that its drilling program for Pikka Phase one in Alaska is progressing smoothly and could begin oil production as soon as December 2025.

Maguire: Slow rollout of charge points could stall US EV sales momentum

The United States has seen a 140% increase in electric vehicle sales since 2023. However, further growth could be hindered if public charging stations are not rolled out more evenly and at a slower pace. According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, U.S. electric vehicle registrations will reach just over 3.5 millions by September 2024. This is up from 1.4m registrations…

Maguire: Slow rollout of charge points could stall US EV sales momentum

The United States has seen a 140% increase in electric vehicle sales since 2023. However, further growth could be hindered if public charging stations are not rolled out more evenly and at a slower pace. According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, U.S. electric vehicle registrations will reach just over 3.5 millions by September 2024. This is up from 1.4m registrations…

Santos Australia misses out on profit due to production costs and lower prices

Santos, an Australian oil and natural gas exploration company, posted a larger-than-expected drop in its first-half profits on Wednesday. This was due to lower realized prices and higher production cost amid a weak demand from China, the top consumer. The shares of Santos fell as a result. Price fluctuations are unpredictable due to supply chain disruptions caused…

US Harbor Craft: Measuring Opportunity for Zero Emissions

© sheilaf2002 / Adobe Stock

There are more than 4,000 harbor craft vessels in the U.S. deemed highly suited for zero-emissions operations, according to a recent report produced by CALSTART in partnership with Intelatus Global Partners.The report - “Sizing the U.S. and California Harbor Craft Market” - looked at the U.S. commercial harbor craft and inland and nearshore vessels above 600 kilowatts (kW) or 805 brake horsepower.

Legal Beat: Jones Act Moon Shot

Copyright brutto film/AdobeStock

What does the Jones Act have to do with the moon, you ask? Well, we must go to ground on the Jones Act to answer the question.The “Jones Act” we are talking about is the section in the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 which revised the pre-existing reservation of U.S. domestic maritime commerce to qualified U.S.-flag vessels. “Pre-existing” is the right term because the U.S.

U.S. Oil Mergers Drop to $12 Billion as Volatility Limits Deals

Credit: Troy V Smith/AdobeStock

U.S. oil and gas dealmaking fell to $12 billion last quarter, down from the first quarter and nearly a third of the $34.8 billion in the same period a year ago, as commodity price volatility left buyers and sellers clashing over asset values, according to data released by energy analytics firm Enverus on Thursday."The spike in commodity prices that followed Russia’s…

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) ... To Clear the Air, Look Beneath the Waves

While ocean-based carbon dioxide removal can take a multitude of forms, there are at least six prominent methods (represented here) considered in the recently released NASEM report. © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, illustration by Natalie Renier

Participants at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (better known as COP26) late last year in Glasgow reiterated humanity needs to accelerate change in the coming decades to limit global warming to 1.5°C (or even to the 2°C as agreed up in the Paris Agreement). Meeting this goal by 2050, the formidable deadline agreed upon across environmental sectors to prevent dooming the planet, will require more than electric cars and veganism.

Inside the Red-Hot Offshore Wind Energy Market

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs owned SOV Wind of Change. Photo courtesy Cemre Shipyard

As the traditional offshore oil and gas markets continue to struggle, the renewable offshore wind market is hot and getting hotter.As the cumulative maritime, offshore, port and logistics marketplace gears up for offshore wind energy on a huge scale, World Energy Reports (WER), in its report “2021 The Year When Offshore Wind Takes Off in the United States,” shows the anticipated growth trajectory.

Biden Announces Return to Global Climate Accord, New Curbs on US Oil Industry

Joe Biden - Image by Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced America's return to the international Paris Agreement to fight climate change, the centerpiece of a raft of day-one executive orders aimed at restoring U.S. leadership in combating global warming.The announcements also included a sweeping order to review all of former President Donald Trump's actions weakening climate change protections…

Trump Administration Rushing to Sell Arctic Oil Leases

© Paul / Adobe Stock

The Trump administration on Monday issued a request to energy companies to identify what specific land areas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be offered for sale, according to a government document.The Department of Interior said the nominations and any comments on the land tracts must be received 30 days after the document is published in the Federal Register.

BP Cuts Spending by Quarter, Lowers Oil production

BP CEO Bernard Looney - Credit: BP

BP on Wednesday cut its 2020 spending plans by 25% and will reduce output from its U.S. shale oil and gas business in the face of the collapse in oil prices triggered by the coronavirus outbreak.BP and other big oil and gas companies are having to rein in spending sharply following the collapse in oil prices driven by a slump in demand because of the coronavirus…

Oil, Fishing, Tourism: Alaska Economy Faces Triple Hit from Coronavirus

© Stephen Finn/AdobeStock

The U.S. state of Alaska is so far distant from the worst medical ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, but its economy is in critical condition. Alaska is especially vulnerable because it depends on oil, tourism and fisheries – basic industries that are reeling from the global coronavirus pandemic – and the state government gets most of its revenue from investment earnings that have now evaporated."Alaska is experiencing a perfect storm…

Skoglund Joins Crowley Fuels

Trish Skoglund (Photo: Crowley)

Trish Skoglund has been appointed vice president of sales and supply for Crowley Fuels LLC, an Alaskan petroleum transportation, distribution and sales companies serving more than 280 communities throughout the state. As a member of the Alaska executive team, she is responsible for the strategic oversight of fuel sales and supply for customers across the entire state.

Alaska's North Slope Holds 3.6 Bn Barrels Oil

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) department estimated that Alaska's Central North Slope 3.6 billion barrels of oil. Assessment also included estimate for 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.This assessment does not include discoveries made by industry between 2013 and 2017.“Alaska is synonymous with energy, and this assessment just reinforces that,” said USGS Director Jim Reilly.

ConocoPhillips targets $50 bln free cash flow over next decade

(Photo: ConocoPhillips)

ConocoPhillips unveiled a long-term plan on Tuesday to boost oil and gas production by about 3% per year, restrain annual spending to about $7 billion and return $50 billion to shareholders over the next decade.The announcement comes as investors, frustrated by weak commodity prices for 5 years, have been pressuring oil and gas companies to cut back on drilling and…

SAExploration Wins $130Mln of New Projects

Houston-based  global seismic services company SAExploration announced a combined $130 million of new projects in Alaska, Canada and the Middle East.According to the geophysical services provider the largest contract is valued at approximately $112 million for onshore data acquisition services to be performed on the North Slope of Alaska.The data acquisition services will be conducted over the next three winter seasons…