Microsoft will continue to buy enough renewable energy for all its needs
Microsoft has pledged to "keep buying enough renewable energy to meet all of its electricity needs" after meeting this goal for the first year. Tech giants are ramping up capital expenditures on an AI driven expansion of power hungry data centres. Microsoft announced on Wednesday that they had met their 2025 goal of procuring 40 gigawatts through power purchase agreements, which are long-term contracts designed to help utilities bring forward new projects. Microsoft announced that 19 gigawatts of renewable energy have already been delivered to the grid. The rest will be supplied over the next 5 years, covering 26 countries.
Baker Hughes reports that US drillers have cut three oil rigs and added three gas rigs to their weekly count, while maintaining the same number of rigs.
Baker Hughes, a leading energy services company, said that the U.S. oil and gas companies this week reduced three oil rigs while adding three natural-gas rigs. The overall rig count remained unchanged. The 'oil and gas rig number, a leading indicator of future production, remained at 551 during the week ending February 13. Baker Hughes reported that the total count was down 37 rigs or 6% from this time last year. Baker Hughes reported that oil rigs dropped by three this week to 409, their lowest level since early January. Gas rigs, however, rose?by three, to 133, the highest level since July 2023.
EIA data show that US oil demand and production fell to multi-month highs in November.
Data from the Energy Information Administration on Friday showed that U.S. oil output fell to its lowest level since July in November, while oil demand dropped to its lowest level since April. The EIA reported that the crude oil output fell to 13,78 million bpd during November. This is down 82,000 compared to October's record 13.86 million. This is the first monthly decline in U.S. crude oil production since May 2025. It's also the largest fall since weather-related outages caused a slump in January 2025. The U.S. ranks as the top oil producer and consumer in the world.
Baker Hughes reports that US drillers added oil and gas rigs in the US for the second consecutive week.
Baker Hughes, a leading energy services company, said that U.S. firms added oil and natural gas rigs this week for a second consecutive week for the first since December. The number of oil and gas drilling rigs, a good indicator of future production, increased by two in the week ending January 30 to 546, its highest level since December. Baker Hughes reported that despite this week's increase in rigs the total count is still 36 rigs or?6% lower than this time last year. Baker Hughes reported that oil rigs remained at 411 in this week.
US natgas prices soar by 140% in the Arctic storm, increasing consumer costs
U.S. Natural Gas?Futures have jumped 140% in the last seven trading days. Cash gas and power prices also hit record highs this week, as an Arctic blast sent heating demands soaring, and frozen?oil?and?gas wells cut gas production to a 2-year low. Power prices are expected to rise sharply, putting pressure on consumers already paying higher bills due to the demand for power, particularly from data centers. Retail electricity prices are on the rise, rising faster than inflation since 2022. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has predicted that retail residential power prices will increase by another 4% this year, to a new record high.
US Northeast spot natgas, power and electricity prices reach record highs due to Arctic blast that boosts heating demand and freezes gaswells
U.S. spot gas and power prices soared in the northeastern region of the country as homes and businesses turned up their heaters. The cold Arctic air had frozen oil and gas wells, and pipes this week. This resulted in gas production dropping to a 2-year low. Pennsylvania's?has jumped by 47%, to a record of $59. In Pennsylvania and Maryland, the price of a megawatt-hour (MWh) soared by 146%. This compares to average cash gas prices in New England of $6.08/mmBtu and $2.79/mmBtu at the Eastern Gas?hub and the average next-day electricity prices at the PJM West?hub of $60.23/MWh by 2025.
US energy sector reels as winter storm knocks 2 million bpd crude production
Analysts and traders estimate that U.S. producers lost as much as 2 million barrels per day or 15% of their production during the weekend. This was due to a winter storm which ravaged the nation, straining the?energy grids and infrastructure. Energy Aspects estimates that oil production outages peaked at 2 million barrels per day on Saturday. The Permian basin is likely to have experienced the greatest share of this decline, at about 1.5 million bpd. Production losses decreased on Monday. Permian shutdowns were estimated at 700,000 bpd, and production is expected to be fully restored by the end of January.
US energy sector reels as winter storm knocks 2 million bpd crude production
Analysts and traders estimate that U.S. producers of oil lost up to two million barrels per day, or about 15% of the nation's production, over the weekend as a winter storm swept through the country, straining the energy infrastructure and the power grids. According to a report by?consultancy energy?Aspects, oil production outages peaked Saturday. The Permian basin is likely to have been the most affected, as it lost around 1.5 million barrels of oil per day. Monday saw a decrease in production losses, with the Permian Basin shut-ins estimated to be around 700,000 barrels per day. Production is expected to be fully restored on January 30.
Can West Virginia be green when Trump supports coal mining?
He is a member of Economic Development Greater East, an initiative that promotes projects in a region devastated by the decline in coal production. He said he was a fourth-generation coal miner who had moved from one mining job to another in the past. He met EDGE's founder Jason Tart when he returned to Berwind and with their support, he opened a chicken business. Startups and non-profits, like EDGE, have taken on projects aimed at clean energy and land reclamation. But Donald Trump wants the coal industry to be revived, if only to supply fuel for artificial intelligence systems that are energy hungry and data centers.
Lukoil to Sell International Assets
Russia's Lukoil is selling its international assets after the U.S. imposed sanctions on the company.Washington refused to approve the sale of assets to Swiss commodity trader Gunvor, throwing Lukoil's operations in disarray and leading to a scramble of potential buyers.The U.S. Treasury cleared potential buyers to talk to Lukoil until December 13. They will need separate approval for specific deals. U.S. oil major Chevron is studying options to buy some global assets of Lukoil, sources have said. U.S. private equity…
Blackstone invests $1.2 billion to build a power plant in West Virginia
Blackstone announced on Thursday that its unit will invest around $1.2 billion in building a power station in West Virginia. The asset manager is stepping up efforts to meet the surging demand for electricity due to artificial intelligence and industrial expansion. Utilities, large investors and data center operators have increased their funding to build more power capacity. The Wolf Summit Energy Project, a 600-megawatt natural gas combined-cycle plant in Harrison County, will provide power to Old Dominion Electric Cooperative which services about 1.5 million people across Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.
US sanctions threaten to disrupt Lukoil's international assets
The sale of Lukoil's overseas assets to Swiss commodity traders Gunvor has been blocked by Washington, which is a result of U.S. sanctions. Lukoil has a global footprint that includes upstream oil and natural gas projects, refineries, and fuel distribution networks in Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. The company produces a half-million barrels of crude oil per day, 0.5% of the global oil production, outside of Russia in countries like Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. Here are some details on its international assets.
EIA data show that US oil and gas production reached a new record high in August.
The Energy Information Administration reported on Friday that U.S. gas and oil production reached record levels in August despite fears of a market surplus. The record U.S. production of oil has been a major factor in the slumping commodity prices that we have seen this year. Brent crude, the global benchmark, traded just above $65, or 14% less than it did at the same time last. This is partly why the OPEC+ has decided to reverse years of severe supply cuts in order to regain market share. The EIA data revealed that the U.S. crude output increased by 86,000 barrels a day, to a new record of 13.8 million barrels per daily.
Millions of dollars in heating assistance for Americans who are at risk because of the shutdown
The government shutdown could cause millions of Americans to have difficulty accessing funding for their home heating as early as next month, said lawmakers and non-profit groups on Wednesday. In its 29th day of shutdown, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services could deny states $3.6 billion in funding under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). These funds are used to pay for winter heating bills and summer cooling costs. About 80% of the funds is spent in winter. States receive their allocations typically in November or October, and funds are distributed in November and December to households. U.S. Rep.
Due to the shutdown, Americans are at risk of losing millions in heating assistance.
The government shutdown could make it difficult for millions of Americans to access funds for heating their homes as early as next month, according to lawmakers and nonprofit organizations from both parties. In its 29th day of the shutdown, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is blocking the states from receiving $3.6 billion in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides financial assistance to low-income households. The funds are used to pay for winter heating bills and summer cooling costs. About 80% of the funds is spent in winter.
EQT anticipates that the 2026 natgas output will be in line with the 2025 exit rate
EQT Corp, a U.S. energy company, said Wednesday that it expected to maintain natural-gas production in 2026 at levels comparable with its exit rate for 2025. This is due to lower sales forecasts for the current quarter. At midday, shares of the Pennsylvania-based firm were down 3.8%. The company anticipates a total sales volume between 550 and 600 billion cubic foot equivalents (Bcfe) for the fourth quarter. This is lower than the 634 Bcfe of the third quarter. It also includes the impact from 15 to 20 Bcfe in strategic curtailments made during October as EQT continues to optimize its pricing around in-basin volatility.
EQT beats quarterly profit estimates on strong natural gas prices, sales volumes
The U.S. energy company EQT Corp. beat Wall Street expectations for the third-quarter profits on Tuesday. This was due to higher natural gas prices as well as sales volumes. Following the results, shares of the company increased by 1.9% on extended trading. According to the Energy Information Administration’s Short-Term Energy Outlook, both demand and production of natural gas in the United States are expected to reach record levels by 2025. Energy sector is benefiting from an increase in natural gas demand, supported by LNG imports. Also, power consumption has increased due to higher temperatures and data center operations.
States sue Trump to stop cancellation of $7 Billion Solar Grant Program
According to court documents, nearly two dozen states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for canceling a $7 billion grant aimed at increasing solar energy in low income communities. In a Thursday statement, California Attorney-General Rob Bonta announced that a group states who received grants through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar for All Program have filed two lawsuits. In August, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin officially announced the end of the Solar for All program. In an email, the agency stated that it will not comment on any pending litigation.
The United States has experienced a number of deadly industrial accidents this century
Officials said that multiple people died in an explosion at a military explosives facility in Tennessee on Friday. They also reported the absence of 19 other people. Here are some of the most notable industrial explosions that have occurred in the United States during this century. An explosion on the 23rd of March 2005 at a BP Refinery in Texas City in Texas City left 15 workers dead and 180 others injured. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board reported that a series of explosions took place during the restarting a hydrocarbon-isomerization unit.
States sue Trump to stop cancellation of $7 billion solar grant program
According to court documents, nearly two dozen states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for canceling a $7 billion grant aimed at increasing solar energy in low income communities. In a Thursday statement, California Attorney-General Rob Bonta announced that two lawsuits were filed by a group states who received grants through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar for All Program. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin officially announced the termination in August. In an email, the agency stated that it will not comment on any pending litigation.