The US and China agreed to jointly cut carbon emissions in order to combat climate change, a historic pact that has many excited and many outraged. But China’s commitment to cap greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 means the country will need to build out power generation infrastructure in unprecedented ways. “That means building even more nuclear… Keep reading →
Dow Chemical has gotten a lot of press about their position against “unfettered” LNG exports from the US. The chemical giant fears its competitively cheap natural gas feedstock advantage could erode if US gas were exported in volumes that cut into domestic supply, creating scarcity relative to demand for things like petrochemicals, plastics and other… Keep reading →
The pace of change in the North American natural gas business has accelerated in recent months, with the US Department of Energy approval process for exports to non-free trade agreement countries failing to stop the achievement of major project milestones and new technology innovations driving market expansion. Four projects have been approved by DOE for… Keep reading →
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy gives out Champion of Energy Efficiency awards annually for “leadership and accomplishment in the energy field”. This year’s winners have made big strides in energy efficiency advocacy, policy and actual implementation of energy efficiency programs. Let’s face it…it’s not quite as sexy as the Oscars. But energy efficiency is… Keep reading →
The window for US exporters to enter the global LNG marketplace will not be open forever, so why is it taking so long to approve these projects? Several high-profile energy experts mulled this and other economic, geopolitical and environmental questions at a recent Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy gathering. The US Department of… Keep reading →
The debate over natural gas exports from the US has broken out of the energy sector and begun to raise temperatures across the political spectrum, with a high profile Congressional hearing this week underlining the stakes at play in a Department of Energy policy decision on the economic standing of natural gas export projects.
Despite being painted as absolutely opposed to exports of domestically produced natural gas and its position as a leader in the manufacturing sector’s opposition to unrestricted approval of export projects, Dow Chemical actually favors exports to free trade partners but is concerned about the impacts of unchecked exports to non free trade countries, the company’s Vice President for Government and Public Affairs Kevin Kolevar told Breaking Energy in a recent briefing. Keep reading →
As some of the most tempting government financial incentives begin to fade from the renewable energy space ahead of deadlines at the end of 2012, bankers and project developers specializing in renewable energy projects are reworking their models.
The 1603 program that gave cash grants in lieu of tax credits and the production tax credit that underpinned the wind industry are both on the sidelines as financiers review upcoming projects still in the pipeline. The pipeline of proposed projects is flush, but shifting priorities, transmission limitations and near-invisible overall power demand growth are weighing on a sector already struggling to compete with low natural gas prices. Keep reading →
