US Senators ask Energy Secretary to comply with law regarding clean energy grants and loans
U.S. Democratic Senators on Wednesday called for Energy Secretary Chris Wright's department to comply with laws that mandate his funding of clean energy projects, which were included in laws passed prior to Donald Trump becoming president. This includes four hydrogen hubs. Wright's Department is considering funding cuts for four of seven hubs that are part of a $7 billion project to decarbonize America's economy. The program is a part of Joe Biden's efforts to do so. The hubs aim to boost the production of clean hydrogen and infrastructure required to deliver it to steelmakers and cement plants, among other industrial users.
US considers cutting funding to four of seven hydrogen hubs
According to a source familiar with the issue, the U.S. Department of Energy has considered cutting funding to four of seven hubs for hydrogen that were chosen under a $7-billion federal program. The hubs are part of the effort by former President Joe Biden to decarbonize U.S. economics. They aim to boost the production of clean hydrogen and the infrastructure required to deliver it to industrial users such as steelmakers and Cement plants. Since Trump's inauguration in January, the federal government has provided funding for clean energy projects. As part of the "energy dominance agenda," his administration prioritizes fossil fuel production.
The cold weather in the US boosts diesel prices, but masks economic challenges
Since the beginning of the year, the cold temperatures in the Northeast U.S. have led to an increase in demand for heating oil. This has helped to offset the slowdown in recent years due to reduced industrial activity. The Energy Information Administration (EIA), according to its data, reported that the U.S. inventory of distillate fuels - including diesel and heating oil - fell this month to its lowest seasonal level in 2014. The sharp increase in heating oil consumption is reflected by the decline. According to EIA, the four-week average for distillates products supplied is a proxy measure of demand.
India to Open Coal to Commercial Mining Firms
India expects to hold auctions for private firms to mine and sell coal in the near future, the country's coal and power minister Piyush Goyal said but first wants to deal with mines that are directly linked to plants that use the fuel. To boost output and cut imports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi passed an executive decree in December to open up India's nationalised coal industry. Bids have been invited from firms that use coal for their own power, steel or cement plants. "Once my actual user requirements are broadly met, I'm hoping to start opening up to private miners," Goyal told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
