Baker Hughes reports that the US oil/gas rig counts fell for a fourth month, to a low of Oct 2021.
Baker Hughes, a leading energy services company, said that the U.S. has cut its number of operating oil and gas rigs for the fourth consecutive month to the lowest level since October 2021. The number of oil and gas drilling rigs, a good indicator of future production, dropped by seven in the week ending June 27. Baker Hughes reported that the number of rigs is down by 34 this week, or about 6% from this time last year. Baker Hughes reported that oil rigs dropped by six this week to 432, their lowest level since October 2021. Gas rigs also decreased by two, to 109.
Senate bill increases value of tax credits to use CO2 captured to produce more oil
The U.S. Senate committee proposed that the tax credit to capture carbon emissions when recovering oil be equal to the tax credit of $85/metric tonne for permanently burying these emissions underground. This would be a boon to oil and gas producers. In its draft bill, the finance committee, which is a key part of the Republican budget package, proposed a change to the 45Q tax credit. This was formerly part of 2022's Inflation Reduction act. The House of Representatives' version of the bill, which passed last month by one vote in that chamber, left the credit for enhanced recovery projects at 60/metric ton.
Trump's push to speed up reactor approvals has a profound impact on the U.S. nuclear industry
The U.S. president Donald Trump directed on Friday the independent nuclear regulator of his country to ease rules and speed up approvals for new power plants and reactors. He aimed to reduce licensing timelines from several years to only 18 months. The executive order was part of an ongoing series of executive orders aimed at boosting domestic nuclear energy production in response to the surge in demand for data centers and artificial intelligent. According to the senior White House official, the orders are also intended to reinvigorate the U.S. uranium enrichment and production. Here's a quick snapshot of the U.S.
The US claims that there are significant oil and gas reserves in Wyoming.
The U.S. Interior Department announced on Wednesday that a new federal assessment identified significant oil and gas reserves in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado which are technically recoverable but have not yet been discovered. Interior Department announced on Wednesday. The U.S. Geological Survey's Mowry Composite Total Petroleum System, which is also known as the Mowry Composite Total Petroleum System, could boost domestic energy supplies and align with the Trump Administration's plan to increase drilling and mining on federal lands. The Mowry Composite TPS includes most of southwest Wyoming, as well as small parts of Utah and Colorado.
Executives say that AI will lead to cheaper and faster oil production. CORRECTED.
Executives at the CERAWeek Conference in Houston explained that artificial intelligence has accelerated oil and gas drilling, and has prompted companies to reconsider areas they previously deemed too expensive or difficult to develop. AI was a major topic in several sessions of the largest energy conference. Oil producers are looking for ways to stay profitable amid a plummeting price of oil and concerns that U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs may slow down global energy demand. Ann Davies, BP’s senior vice-president of wells, revealed that the UK oil giant BP uses AI to predict problems and steer drill bits before they occur.
Executives say AI will lead to cheaper and faster oil production.
Executives at the CERAWeek Conference in Houston explained that artificial intelligence has accelerated oil and gas drilling, and is prompting companies take a second glance at areas they previously deemed too expensive or difficult to develop. AI was a major topic in several sessions of the largest energy conference. Oil producers are looking for ways to stay profitable amid a plummeting price of oil and concerns that U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs may slow down global energy demand. Ann Davies, BP’s senior vice-president of wells, revealed that the UK oil giant BP uses AI to predict problems and steer drill bits before they occur.
US Supreme Court dismisses state climate lawsuits against oil companies
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid from 19 Republican-led state led by Alabama, to stop five Democratic-led state from pursuing lawsuits against major oil companies for deceiving public about the role that fossil fuels played in climate change. The justices refused to hear a case filed directly at the Supreme Court by Republican attorneys general. This case targeted cases filed against Exxon Mobil and other companies such as Chevron, ConocoPhillips Shell, BP, Shell, ConocoPhillips. These lawsuits were brought by California, Connecticut Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
Baker Hughes and Frontier Infrastructure form a carbon capture partnership
Baker Hughes announced on Monday a partnership between Frontier Infrastructure and the United States' largest carbon capture and storage solutions (CCS). Oilfield Services provider adds that it will provide technology solutions for carbon capture projects, power generation and datacenters. Baker Hughes announced that it will leverage key technologies in well design, carbon dioxide compressing and long-term monitoring for Frontier's Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub to be located in Wyoming. The company said it would use gas turbines for 256 megawatts in order to meet the increasing demand of electricity across the U.S.
Trump appoints US Oil Advocate to Lead Public Land Bureau
Kathleen Sgamma is a vocal advocate of oil and gas for Western States. She will be heading the Interior Department Bureau of Land Management which oversees the use of nearly 250 million acres of country's public lands. Sgamma is the head of Western Energy Alliance which represents oil companies operating on federal land. He had criticized Biden's and Obama's efforts to reserve public land for conservation rather than open more acres for energy developments. Sgamma, as the head of BLM, will be responsible for overseeing federal leasing programs in oil and gas, mining and grazing, and renewable energy.
Looney, former BP boss, to lead US data company Prometheus Hyperscale
The U.S. data company announced on Sunday that former BP CEO Bernard Looney will chair Prometheus Hyperscale. Prometheus Hyperscale announced that Looney, the former CEO of British energy giant BP, resigned from his position in 2023, after serving four years as the company's chief executive, for failing to disclose all details about past personal relationships. He will now provide strategic guidance in developing the growth plans of the data-driven firm. Prometheus Hyperscale announced that Looney's new position will include assisting with work at the company’s $10 billion flagship data center in Evanston Wyoming.
Trump selects Burgum as Interior Secretary
Donald Trump, the president-elect, announced on Thursday that North Dakota governor Doug Burgum will be his choice for Interior Secretary. Burgum is a former wealthy software executive. Trump, dressed in a tuxedo, said that the Department of Interior would be headed by him. He added that an announcement would be made on Friday. Burgum has presented himself as a conservative businessman who is traditional. He was a candidate for the Republican nomination for president before quitting. Now he is a Trump loyalist, attending fundraisers and promoting Trump on TV.
US federal energy revenues to fall 10% by 2024 but remain among the highest ever
The U.S. Interior Department reported that federal revenue from energy production in public lands and water fell 10% to $16.4 billion during the last fiscal year. Interior Department announced on Friday. This was the fourth-highest year since 1982, and the lowest total since 2021. Biden's administration has implemented policies that will help the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, while reducing new leasing of federal lands. Donald Trump, the President-elect Donald Trump, has pledged to increase oil and gas production through a relaxation of regulations. In the fiscal year that ended September, the U.S.
TerraPower has held informal discussions with Turkey and other countries about small reactors
TerraPower, the Bill Gates backed company that is looking to build small modules reactors for nuclear power, has held informal discussions with several countries in Europe including Turkey. A company spokesperson confirmed this on Thursday. In an earlier report, it was reported that Turkey has been drafting a new law to encourage the construction of SMRs as a complement to plans to build nuclear power plants. TerraPower's spokesperson responded to a question by saying that they had "had informal conversations" with many European countries including some Turkish stakeholders…
Gates-backed nuclear company, ASP Isotopes, plans plant to manufacture nuclear fuel
TerraPower, a Bill Gates-funded reactor company, and ASP Isotopes announced on Wednesday that they had struck a deal for the production of a new fuel. This fuel is currently only produced in Russia in commercial quantities, but will be used in a future generation of nuclear power stations. Both major U.S. political groups support nuclear power, but Russia is the sole major supplier of fuel for the new reactors that companies are planning to build, which is called HALEU (high assay low-enriched uranium). Companies in the United States are racing to produce HALEU to meet the demand for next-generation small modules reactors…
US energy deals fall to $12 billion in Q3 after a year-long frenzy
Enverus, a leading analytics firm, said that U.S. oil deals slowed dramatically in the last quarter as a result of fewer firms being offered and a consolidation wave lasting ten months. Andrew Dittmar, principal analyst at Enverus Intelligence research, reported that the quarter ending Sept. 30 saw the lowest number of deals in six quarters. After 2023, when $192 billion was spent on deals in West Texas and New Mexico's Permian Basin, the biggest shale formation in the U.S. He added that these mega deals are causing acquirers to review their portfolios in order to eliminate unwanted assets.
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 in 2023 and represents the steepest growth rate ever in EV adoption in the country. AFDC data show that the number of public EV chargers has increased by just 22% in the same time period to 176 032 units.
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 in 2023 and represents the steepest growth rate ever in EV adoption in the country. AFDC data show that the number of public EV chargers has increased by just 22% in the same time period to 176 032 units.
Biden administration finalizes the solar lands plan and touts progress
The administration of U.S. president Joe Biden announced on Thursday that it had finalized plans to expand solar power on federal lands across 11 western states. This is part of an overall push to accelerate the permitting and construction process for large infrastructure projects. The White House is looking to speed up the approval of projects ranging in scope from wind and solar farms to power transmission as part of its efforts to combat climate change and decarbonize the energy sector. It also wants to promote the "Investing in America' agenda in advance of the November election. The U.S.
TSX sluggish as gains in CPI are offset by energy shares
Canada's main index of stocks was down on Tuesday, as the losses in energy shares tempered gains from consumer price data which showed that inflation had cooled to a low of 40 months in July. This raised hopes for a rate cut next month. At 9:56 am. The S&P/TSX Composite index rose 3.48 points or 0.02% to 23,119.87 ET (13.56 GMT), hovering near its record highs. The annual rate of inflation in Canada dropped to 2.5%, but it rose 0.4% monthly, which indicates that the Bank of Canada may lower rates in September. This week, we will get the retail sales figures.
Chevron to Buy PDC Energy in $7.6 bln Deal
Chevron Corp said on Monday it would acquire PDC Energy Inc in an all-stock transaction for $7.6 billion, including debt, adding new drilling inventory to its U.S. oil and gas reserves.The company has been under pressure on Wall Street to show it can keep expanding production after 2027 as its main shale holdings in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico near their peak output. The PDC Energy deal is the second in three years that bulks up Chevron's shale operations in Colorado and Wyoming. Chevron is already…
