US military veterans are often a great fit for oil & gas industry jobs and Pennsylvania has developed numerous programs to help make that connection. “The traits that the military imparts on the men and women — loyalty, courage, safety, commitment, leadership, teamwork — are all valued by employers in this industry,” said Dave Pistner, director of energy initiatives at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport. “It’s a natural fit for our troops leaving active service.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

A group of men posing as Russian oil executives were recently caught attempting to fleece a Singaporean business that was looking to purchase oil. “The scammers allegedly forged the Russian company’s seal and signed a $2 million agreement with the Singaporean enterprise, which provided them in January with an advance payment of $500,000.” [Moscow Times]

Duke Energy announced it will spend $500 million dollars on 8 separate solar projects, 3 of which it will build and own, and 5 projects with which it signed power-purchase agreements. “The company will acquire and construct three solar facilities — totaling 128 megawatts (MW) of capacity — including the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) facility east of the Mississippi River. The three facilities will be located in Bladen, Duplin and Wilson counties. Duke Energy also signed power-purchase agreements with five new solar projects in the state, representing 150 MW of capacity. Together, the eight projects will have a capacity of 278 MW. The $500 million commitment includes the investment in the three facilities and the value of the five long-term power-purchase contracts.” [Renewable Energy World]