Mexican lawmakers have passed an energy reform bill that will open up the country’s oil and gas resources to foreign investment, ending a 75-year monopoly by state-controlled Pemex. According to the Wall Street Journal, the voting process involved both fistfights and accusations of treason. [Wall Street Journal] Plans for the 99-story Pertamina Energy Tower, to… Keep reading →
Intensified competition between Russian gas giant Gazprom and Russian gas independent Novatek is showcasing the advantages to producers of LNG pricing flexibility, according to Eurasia Group Global Energy and Natural Resources analyst Leslie Palti-Guzman. Natural gas analysts frequently point out that there are three different pricing regions for gas – North America, Europe and Asia.… Keep reading →
One thing that is very clear from political discussions about the burden higher gasoline prices put on US consumers is that there are few on Capitol Hill who are likely to push for higher gasoline prices. But Oregon state representative Earl Blumenauer is going against the grain, with a proposal to phase in a $0.15 per… Keep reading →
The US Department of Energy announced $150 million in clean energy tax credits to 12 companies for investment in domestic manufacturing equipment today at the American Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness Summit, a joint initiative of the DOE and the Council on Competitiveness. The Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit program – with $2.3 billion in total… Keep reading →
The latest budget deal struck in congress – which has yet to pass the House and Senate – does not repeal oil and gas industry tax breaks, but would mean an end to the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research Program, a public-private partnership seeking to develop technology for harnessing energy… Keep reading →
New York City’s largest solar facility to be deployed at Freshkills Park will increase the city’s current renewable capacity by 50 percent. On November 25, 2013, Mayor Bloomberg announced NYC’s largest solar energy facility will be installed at Freshkills Park, Staten Island. The 10 MW facility, with potential to generate five times more power than… Keep reading →
In October 2013, exactly 40 years after the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced that the US produced more crude oil than it imported. According to EIA, estimated domestic crude oil output averaged 7.7 million barrels per day in October – the highest in 25 years – while oil imports were 7.6.… Keep reading →
Upstream oil and gas capital costs declined in the first nine months of this year, but this likely precedes another move upward, according to consultancy IHS. The cost of building upstream oil and gas facilities dipped slightly – by less than 1% – between the first and third quarters of 2013, representing the first decline… Keep reading →
Renewable energy sources and natural gas should be considered as complements and not rivals. A hybrid gas-electric clean energy provides a workable engineering solution while 100% Renewables models based heavily on wind, solar and efficiency fall short of the meeting the functional needs of a modern technology intensive society. Natural gas and renewables are already… Keep reading →
Rare earth minerals are essential components of a number of emerging energy technologies, from the latest in wind turbines to electric vehicles to batteries and compact fluorescent lightbulbs. But a paucity of known and developed rare earth mineral deposits has led to concerns of potential global shortages. Vouchercloud has put together an infographic illustrating the… Keep reading →
