Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Energy Policy News

Natural gas producers ask Harris for answers on the battleground state

Drillers from Pennsylvania, an energy-rich state, called on Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris this week to explain her stance on natural gas. The energy industry touts it as a clean fuel but climate activists claim that the fuel is a threat to global warming. In January, President Joe Biden froze new LNG export permits to examine their environmental impact. This…

How Trump will try to undo Biden's environmental legacy

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Donald Trump, the presidential hopeful, has outlined an energy policy that focuses on maximizing U.S. power and fuel output. This includes dismantling Biden's main efforts to combat climate change. The Republican campaign for the former president has stated that President Joe Biden's efforts in supporting the adoption of electric cars while reducing the use of gas and coal poses a threat to the country's power grid during a time when energy demand is soaring.

UK energy prices rise 10% due to extreme weather and geopolitics

The British energy regulator Ofgem raised the price cap for household energy bills on Friday by 10%, from October 1, to a level of 2,250.64 pounds per year. This increase was blamed on extreme weather conditions and conflicts like the war in Ukraine. Brearley stated that the increase in price cap will be difficult for many families. The 10% increase for a dual-fuel household on Friday was slightly higher than analysts' expectations.

Report: China's declining coal plant approvals indicate a shift in energy policy

The sharp decline in the number of new coal plants in China indicates that the world's biggest builder polluting power stations is shifting its energy policy to more renewable development. However, coal will continue to play a major part, according a report on Thursday. China approved only 10 new coal-fired plants with a combined capacity of 9 gigawatts in the first six months of 2024, a drop of 83% from the previous year.

Harris' energy strategy is ambiguous from a strategic perspective, say her aides

Since Vice President Kamala Harris joined the White House race 25 days ago, she has been keeping energy executives on their toes. Was she the anti-pollution and climate change warrior Attorney General of California? Or was she the pragmatic number two in the Democratic Biden Administration that oversaw record U.S. production and exports of oil? Seven times in her speeches, she mentioned climate, but never energy, fracking, or oil.

The global oil demand must rise faster to absorb OPEC+'s hike

According to analysts, data and industry sources, the global oil demand growth must accelerate in the coming months, or else, the market may struggle to absorb a planned increase in oil production by OPEC+ starting in October. The United States and China, the two largest oil consumers in the world, failed to meet expectations for the growth of oil demand during the first seven-month period of the year. This was even before renewed fears about a U.S.

Has Green Hydrogen Sprung a Leak?

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The green hydrogen express is gathering pace, but it may have a worrying problem with leaks.As governments and energy companies line up big bets on the much-touted fuel of the future, some scientists say the lack of data on leaks and the potential harm they could cause is a blind spot for the nascent industry.At least four studies published this year say hydrogen loses its environmental edge when it seeps into the atmosphere.

OPEC Sees Global Oil Demand Growth Slowing in 2023

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World oil demand growth will slow in 2023, OPEC delegates and industry sources said, as surging crude and fuel prices help drive up inflation and act as a drag on the global economy.Fuel use has rebounded from the 2020 pandemic-induced slump and is set to exceed 2019 levels this year even as prices hit record highs. But high prices have eaten into growth projections for…

EU Energy Watchdog Sanctions Bosnia over Non-compliance with Rules

View of the Sarajevo city center and the parliament building -  Image by MuamerO/AdobeStock

The European Union's energy watchdog has extended sanctions against Bosnia for another two years over the Balkan country's failure to comply with the body's gas and electricity sector regulations.Bosnia has been sanctioned for much of the period since 2015 due to its persistent failure to amend legislation in accordance with the Second Energy Package in the gas sector, the Sulphur in Fuels Directive…

CaribX Ups Stake in Cape Licence Off Honduras

The Central American and Caribbean specialist exploration company CaribX said that it is increasing its share of the Main Cape Operating contract in Honduras.Following government approval CaribX will hold a 55% interest in the highly prospective licence area.CEO Rory Scott Russell said: "We are pleased to have closed this latest round of funding and delighted to have such…

How to Determine Which Countries Have the Best Energy Policies

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Which countries have the best energy policies? This is an interesting, and rather obvious, question, considering that every country’s energy practices impact the world in one way or another. But it’s one you don’t often hear asked.That is probably because it’s hard to compare countries in any sensible and fair way, given the differences in population, size, economy and resources.Still, the world needs to know who does it best.

IEA: U.S., China to the LNG Lead by 2024

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The United States and China will become the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters and importers, respectively, in five years, according to projections by the International Energy Agency (IEA).U.S. LNG exports are expected to rocket to over 100 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2024, dislodging current market leaders Australia and Qatar, Jean-Baptiste Dubreuil…

Offshore Wind – A Brief History

Credit: Used with permission of Worldsfairchicago1893.com

Happy 80th birthday Maritime Reporter & Engineering News! Eighty years is a significant publishing and business accomplishment!Birthdays always cause a look back. An 80-year review starts in 1939, the close of one very challenging decade, the start of events still reverberating today. History’s most important history is contained in the last 80 years.Energy dominated every one of those decades.

Transition to a Hydrogen Future Has Begun

There is a growing international consensus that clean hydrogen will play a key role in the world’s transition to a sustainable energy future, said  Noé van Hulst, who chairs the High-Level Advisory Panel for the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s forthcoming hydrogen study.Hulst, the Hydrogen Envoy for the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy, The Netherlands, said that it is crucial to help reduce carbon emissions from industry and heavy transport…

MAN ES Invests in Hydrogen

"We view this partnership with H-TEC SYSTEMS as a strategic milestone and as our entry into the hydrogen economy," says Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions, commenting on its acquisition of 40 percent of H-TEC SYSTEMS. Image: MAN Energy Solutions

MAN Energy Solutions is acquiring 40 percent of the shares of the electrolysis technology company H-TEC SYSTEMS. A contract confirming the partial acquisition was signed in Augsburg by Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions, and Ove Petersen and Heinrich Gärtner, executive managers of the GP JOULE Group. The contract also makes provisions for a majority or complete takeover of H-TEC SYSTEMS at a later date.

Rising US Oil Clout on Show in Houston

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A glance at the attendee list at one of the world's largest energy industry events in Houston this week left little question about the growing influence of the United States over global oil politics.Present: top U.S. diplomat Mike Pompeo. Absent: leading Saudi and Russian officials, and most OPEC nations.As the United States weans itself off foreign oil imports - thanks…

NOIA Statement on Trump’s SOTU Address

National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Randall Luthi

Increase Access to All Offshore Energy Sources for American Energy Greatness.National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Randall Luthi issued this statement following President Trump’s State of the Union address:“In his second State of the Union address, President Trump reiterated his bold vision for American energy dominance in conjunction with facilitating new energy infrastructure.

Barclays Rejects Arctic Drilling

U.K.-based international bank Barclays  announced a new energy policy that significantly restricts the bank’s financing for the exploration or extraction of oil and gas in the Arctic.The policy  rules out funding for companies seeking to drill in the Arctic Refuge as well as other climate change threats.According to the British multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in London…

​​​​Petrobras Wants to Operate 3 Blocks in 6th Pre-salt

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Brazil state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA said on Monday it plans to exercise its preferential rights to operate three blocks in the next pre-salt deep water auction, due later this year, under a production-sharing contract scheme.In a statement, Petrobras said it had told the National Council for Energy Policy (CNPE) that it wanted to operate, with a 30 percent stake, the Aram, Norte de Brava and Sudoeste de Sagitário blocks.

Ørsted Shelves Taiwan Projects

(Photo: Orsted)

Danish energy group Orsted will put new major projects in Taiwan on hold after it failed to sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) for two offshore wind farm projects, the company said on Wednesday.Taiwan, which has made a big push to attract investments into renewable technology, last year awarded Orsted the right to install 900 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity at its Changhua 1 and 2a projects…