US wants to increase offshore oil drilling through easing of pressure rules
The U.S. Interior Department announced on Thursday that it had implemented new guidelines regarding pressure differentials allowed in certain types of oil drilling, in part of Gulf of Mexico. The department expects the changes to boost U.S. output of oil. The Energy Dominance Council, led by Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary to President Donald Trump, is seeking ways to reduce costs for oil and natural gas producers, lower regulations, and increase oil production, which was at record levels during the tenure of former President Joe Biden. Operators working in the Wilcox formation…
Global Wind Capacity in 2024 Falls Short Despite Reaching a Record
A record 117 gigawatts of wind power capacity was installed worldwide last year, slightly more than in 2023, but far less than needed to achieve goals to decarbonise energy, a report by the Global Wind Energy Council said on Wednesday.WHY IT'S IMPORTANTThe world needs to shift to renewable sources, including wind and solar, to contain global warming.Many organisations, including the GWEC, have said the current rate of progress is not enough. It says a goal of installing 320 GW of capacity per year needs to be met for a United Nations target to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 to be achieved.The GWEC said the uncertainty linked to U.S. tariffs could limit progress.
Trump Administration kicks off plan to expand offshore drilling
The U.S. The U.S. Donald Trump ordered the government to find ways to increase U.S. oil production. He argued that previous administrations had curtailed drilling unnecessarily to combat climate changes. He also rescinded the efforts of former president Joe Biden to stop oil drilling in the Arctic, and large areas along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and Pacific Coast. In a recent press release, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that "Under the leadership of President Donald J. Interior announced that it would begin the development of the five-year planning process by opening a 45-day period for public comments.
The US has ordered the construction of Equinor New York Offshore Wind Project to be halted
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on Wednesday that he had instructed his agency to stop construction of Equinor's Empire Wind off-shore wind project near the coast of New York. Burgum wrote in a blog post on X that information indicated the Biden administration rushed to approve the project without adequate environmental analysis. Burgum stated that he had spoken with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The National Marine Fisheries Service is housed in Commerce, and it's responsible for approving offshore wind installations. Interior's decision is a result of a review on offshore wind leasing and permitting that was ordered by President Donald Trump in January…
Indian gas firm GAIL seeks 26% stake in US LNG
GAIL India Ltd. issued a tender Friday for a maximum 26% stake in an American liquefied gas project, along with a 15 year gas import agreement. This will help New Delhi to reduce its trade surplus. India is racing to be the first country to sign a deal with the United States after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs. This has led to a trade conflict with China, and other countries are now trying to negotiate. Trump has made it clear that he views U.S. gasoline as a bargaining tool. The document on GAIL's website shows that the company is seeking to purchase equity in a project for LNG liquefaction, either an existing project or one new.
Oil advocate withdraws nomination for US Land Bureau
Senator Mike Lee announced at a Senate Hearing on Thursday that oil industry lobbyist Kathleen Sgamma had withdrawn her nomination for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Sgamma was scheduled to appear before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Thursday morning to discuss her nomination. Lee announced the news at the beginning of the hearing. Sgamma issued a subsequent statement via Lee's office, which did not provide a reason as to why she resigned. Sgamma stated, "It is an honor that President Trump nominated me as the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
CF Industries and JERA Mitsui form a joint venture to build a $4 billion ammonia plant with low carbon emissions
CF Industries announced on Tuesday that it had formed a joint-venture with Japan's biggest power generator, JERA and trading house Mitsui & Co. to build one the world's most massive low-carbon ammonia plants for around $4 billion. Why is it important? The largest climate change legislation passed in the U.S. in history by former President Joe Biden in 2022 was meant to spark a boom in American energy development, including low-carbon emissions products. Ammonia manufacturer CF Industries has said that it expects to qualify for a 45Q tax credit based on the sequestration and storage of approximately 2.3 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Wood Mackenzie reduces 5-year US Wind Energy Outlook by 40% due to Trump policies
On Tuesday, a prominent energy research company slashed their five-year forecast for new U.S. Wind Energy Projects by 40%, citing Trump Administration policies and concerns over the economy. Wood Mackenzie predicts that the United States will install 45.1 gigawatts (both onshore and off-shore) of wind power through 2029. The firm had initially forecast 75.8 GW of installations over this period. The Energy Information Administration announced last month that the U.S. electricity consumption will reach record levels in 2025 and beyond. This year…
US EPA approves Texas' first CO2 injection well
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the first permit in Texas to oil company Occidental to allow drilling for carbon dioxide storage and injection on Monday. Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, a subsidiary of the company, received a Class VI permit for drilling three CO2 wells at Ector County within the Permian basin. The project is part of Stratus Direct Air Capture joint venture between BlackRock and Oxy Low Carbon Ventures to inject 8.5 millions metric tons CO2. Carbon sequestration was a major part of the administration of former president Joe Biden, who sought to reduce global warming-causing emissions.
US to develop AI on Energy Department Lands
On Thursday, the administration of Donald Trump announced that it had identified 16 sites in the U.S. Department of Energy where data centers and energy plants to support artificial intelligence could be built. The rapid growth of AI has led to a boom in the demand for power in the United States, which is unprecedented in 20 years. Big Tech companies and utilities are scrambling to build data centers and new power plants. The DOE stated that the potential sites were positioned to allow rapid construction of data centers, with in-place infrastructure and the ability for fast-tracking permits for new energy production such as nuclear reactors.
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.
The US has revoked the specific license of French oil company M&P for its activities in Venezuela
Maurel et Prom, a French oil company, announced on Monday that the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department has revoked its specific licence to operate in Venezuela. Last week, U.S. president Donald Trump issued an order declaring any country that purchases oil or gas from Venezuela would pay a 25% duty on all trades with the United States. Former President Joe Biden’s administration granted individual companies authorizations in recent years to procure Venezuelan oil from refineries located anywhere between Spain and India, as an exception to the U.S. sanctions regime against the South American nation.
Sources say that the Energy Department may cut funding for US carbon removal hubs.
Three sources familiar with this matter have confirmed that the U.S. Department of Energy has been considering cutting hundreds of millions of dollar in grants for two projects in Texas or Louisiana, which are aimed at demonstrating commercial-scale technology to capture CO2 from the air. Direct Air Capture hubs were developed by the DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations as part of the former president Joe Biden’s efforts to reduce U.S. greenhouse gases emissions. The hubs are expensive and new technology for carbon removal. The two hubs, when fully operational, could remove over 2 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Can Trump's drive for critical minerals pass the test of copper? Andy Home
The executive order issued by U.S. president Donald Trump on increasing domestic mineral production is designed to cut through the mine permit maze in the United States. According to S&P Global, it takes on average nearly 29 years to bring a new mine from discovery to production. This is the second longest lead time in the entire world, after Zambia. The U.S. Government is uniquely qualified to address the problem of granting permits on federal land. The Joe Biden administration had a difficult time reconciling its desire to produce more "green metals" for the energy shift with its environmental and socio-political credentials. Trump is not averse to such criticism.
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.
Bloomberg News reports that Trump will approve Venture Global LNG exports to Louisiana from the project.
Bloomberg News reported that the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump is expected to grant Venture Global LNG conditional permission to export natural gases from a proposed Louisiana plant, which was delayed under former president Joe Biden. A person with knowledge of the situation said that the Energy Department will authorize large-scale exports from CP2's project by the company as early as Wednesday. CP2 is still subject to the final approval of federal regulators. Venture Global, the White House and the U.S. Energy Department did not respond immediately to our request for comment.
The head of Trump's Energy Loan Office departs this week
The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Tuesday that the head of the U.S. Government's Energy Loans Office, which has provided funding to projects ranging from nuclear power and a sustainable aviation fuel facility supported by one of Donald Trump's Republican colleagues, will leave the agency in the coming week. John Sneed was reappointed to the position of LPO (Loan Programs Office) on January 20, to oversee the transition from the first Trump administration to the second. He will serve for a period of 30 days. His appointment was extended for another month, until March 21.
UAE's ADNOC CEO pledges US gas investment
ADNOC's international investment arm will begin investing in U.S. Natural Gas in the next few months, according to ADNOC CEO Sultan Al Jaber. The UAE is a part of OPEC+ and is one of the top oil producers in the world. ADNOC’s wholly owned international investment arm XRG, which has assets of about $80 billion, reported last week that the UAE is considering options for a XRG IPO. He told the largest gathering of energy executives ever held in Houston that "it is time to make the energy industry great again." This was a nod to the slogan Make America Great Again of U.S. president Donald Trump.
UAE's ADNOC CEO pledges US gas investment
ADNOC's investment arm will begin investing in U.S. Natural Gas in the next few months, according to ADNOC CEO Sultan Al Jaber. The UAE is a part of OPEC+ and one of world's largest oil producers. ADNOC’s fully-owned investment unit XRG, which has assets worth about $80 billion, reported last week that the UAE is considering options for a XRG IPO. He told the largest gathering of energy executives ever held in Houston that "it is time to make the energy industry great again." This was a nod to the slogan Make America Great Again of U.S. president Donald Trump. He said that XRG will be investing a lot in the United States over the next few months.
Report: Solar power will account for 84% of the new US electricity added in 2024.
A report released on Tuesday stated that solar energy contributed 84% of the new electricity generation capacity to the U.S. grid in the past year. However, the industry will face challenges with the new energy policies adopted by the U.S. government. In a report, Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), said that the country will install 50 gigawatts of new solar power in 2024. They added that this is the largest growth year for any energy technology over the past two decades. Solar industry has been a major recipient of subsidies in the landmark climate change law passed by former president Joe Biden, Inflation Reduction Act.
