MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, has agreed to buy nearly 450 2.3-megawatt wind turbines – with an estimated collective value of over $1 billion – from Siemens. “MidAmerican is expanding in wind as costs fall.” [Bloomberg] China’s move to tackle air pollution could push major Australian coal mining operations from… Keep reading →
The Senate has unanimously approved a bill to implement the U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement aimed to facilitate offshore drilling cooperation in the Gulf of Mexico. On October 12, 2013, the Senate unanimously approved S. 812 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to implement the 2012 U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement. The agreement establishes a legal… Keep reading →
Two of the oil industry’s more colorful chief executives – Total’s Christophe de Margerie and Eni’s Paolo Scaroni – provided some choice remarks on a range of energy-related topics yesterday at a Council on Foreign Relations event, The Future of Energy. They were joined by Michael Levi, director of the Council’s program on energy security… Keep reading →
BP and the US federal government are at odds over how much oil was actually spilled into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010: BP says 2.45 million barrels, the US government says 4.2 MM bbl. “Clean Water Act fines…range from a maximum of $1,100 for every barrel… Keep reading →
Tax reform may not be the sexiest topic, but it’s an extremely important issue for oil and gas companies with strict investment criteria and some of the highest up-front costs of any industry. The words “subsidies” and “incentives” are often mixed up and thrown around in the energy business to either promote or denounce policies… Keep reading →
EIA data shows 40 percent growth in oil and gas industry employment from 2007 through 2012, compared to one percent growth in total private sector employment. On August 8, 2013, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report comparing job growth in the oil and gas industry with total private sector employment growth, drawing on… Keep reading →
Last Friday, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell reacted to the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s rejection of the state’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) exploration plan. Parnell has been pushing to open up a section of ANWR to exploration, and submitted a proposal earlier this year to the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 3-D seismic… Keep reading →
Mexico is heading towards much-needed energy sector reform, and with two of the country’s three major political parties in broad alignment on energy goals, major changes to the sector look more likely than ever, according to attorneys in the energy practice of law firm Mayer Brown. Mexico is major oil producer, and one of the… Keep reading →
By Kiran Moodley Following UK firm IGas’ news that a larger amount of shale gas than previously thought may be available in the north of England, the British Geological Survey (BGS) has urged caution. IGas said there could could be between 15 and 170 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas in an area of 300… Keep reading →
