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…
Oil Drillers, Bitcoin Miners Bond over Natural Gas
On U.S. oil patches stretching along the Rockies and Great Plains, trailers hitched to trucks back up toward well pads to capture natural gas and convert it on the spot into electricity.The trailers - carrying pipes, generators and computers - are called “mining rigs.” But their owners aren’t there to drill for oil. They are using stray natural gas unwanted by oil companies to power their search for another treasure: cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.Cryptocurrencies are virtual coins exchanged without middlemen, such as central banks, to purchase goods and services.
Shell to Shut Its Convent, La. Refinery Amid Pandemic
Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday it will shut down its refinery in Convent, Louisiana, the largest U.S. facility to close since the coronavirus pandemic first hit and devastated economic demand worldwide.The shutdown, to occur this month, comes after Shell failed to find a buyer.The refinery is the ninth in North America either to announce a shutdown or to be idled since the pandemic, which has delivered a heavy blow to fuel demand globally. The United States is the world's largest fuel consumer.Shell said it failed to find a buyer for the 211…
US Grants Royalty Relief to Hard-hit Drillers
The Trump administration has granted royalty relief to several drilling companies producing oil and gas on federal lands in recent weeks, according to a government database, as the industry seeks help weathering low energy prices.The move shows drillers are taking the government up on its offer to consider royalty cuts on a case-by-case basis after the Interior Department rejected industry calls for blanket relief covering all federal leases.The U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved royalty rate cuts on at least 76 federal drilling leases in the state of Utah in recent weeks, according to the database.
ProPetro Cuts Almost 150 Workers
ProPetro Holding Corp this month cut about 150 workers, people familiar with the matter said on Monday, the latest sign of growing trouble in the oilfield services sector as U.S. shale producers reduce drilling.The job cuts reflect slowing shale activity due to weak prices for oil and gas, and producers exhausting their spending budgets for the year, one of the people said.Midland, Texas-based ProPetro said last week it would cut the number of hydraulic fracturing fleets operated this quarter by as much as 28%, far surpassing analysts' expectations.
Milito Named NOIA President
Veteran energy industry association executive Erik Milito has been named as the new president of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) and will to take the helm of the offshore energy association effective November 1, 2019.“Erik is a strong leader and an effective communicator, qualities that make him a great fit for NOIA President and will serve our membership well. I am confident in his ability to inspire the NOIA membership and convey to the public the important role that offshore energy plays in America and beyond…
Anadarko Shareholders to Vote on Oxy Deal
Anadarko Petroleum Corp shareholders will vote Aug. 8 on the oil and gas producer's planned $38 billion sale to Occidental Petroleum Corp - the biggest oil and gas deal of the year.Occidental avoided its own shareholder vote on the deal by securing a controversial $10 billion financing agreement with Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, which allowed it to raise the cash portion of its offer.While an Anadarko holders' vote for the proposed deal is very likely, the price has angered several Occidental investors, including billionaire activist Carl Icahn…
Luthi Steps Down as NOIA Head
The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) announced that Randall Luthi will leave the organization next month, after serving as the group’s president for nearly 10 years. Luthi will return to his home state of Wyoming to serve as Chief Energy Advisor to Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.The offshore energy group NOIA represents more than 250 companies involved in the exploration and development of offshore energy, including oil and gas as well as renewables. Luthi represented the US offshore industry over two Administrations as a big supporter of the all-of-the-above energy approach.
'We Are the Rightful Owners' of Anadarko -Oxy CEO
Occidental Petroleum Chief Executive Vicki Hollub on Friday touted her $38 billion deal for Anadarko Petroleum Corp and defended the pricey terms she negotiated in a 90-minute session with billionaire investor Warren Buffett to secure the deal without seeking shareholder approval.Hollub, 59, beat out larger rival Chevron Corp with a long-shot bid that some Occidental investors called risky because it saddles Occidental with $46 billion in new debt. By deftly lining up allies and cash, she put together a strategy that on Thursday prompted Chevron to withdraw."We can operate this better than anybody else.
Senate Confirms Wheeler to lead EPA
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed President Donald Trump's candidate, a former coal lobbyist, to lead the nation's top environmental regulator, infuriating Democrats and conservation groups who said his policies were endangering public health.Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, a Washington insider with years of experience working as a congressional staffer, was nominated by Trump in January to permanently replace Scott Pruitt, who resigned in July after widespread criticism for alleged ethical missteps."As acting administrator of EPA…
US Rig Count Rises for First Week in Three
U.S. energy firms added oil rigs for the first time in the past three weeks despite sharp declines in crude futures prices to their lowest since the summer of 2017.Drillers added 10 oil rigs in the week to Dec. 21, bringing the total count to 883, General Electric Co's Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its closely followed report on Friday. This was the biggest weekly gain in rig numbers since early November.More than half the total U.S. oil rigs are in the Permian Basin, the country's biggest shale oil formation.
