Dear State Public Utility Commission Chairmen and Chairwomen, Risk management isn’t a new concept for any of the utility companies you regulate, nor I’m sure, is it new for you and your team. When large storms or fires cause power outages, you monitor how quickly electric utilities return service to customers. When proposals for new… Keep reading →
Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista faces regulatory scrutiny for potential illegal activity at petroleum company OGX. From luncheons with Madonna to reportedly selling his $19 million yacht for scrap, Batista’s highly-publicized fall from grace continues. [New York Times] Chinese national oil champion CNPC just bought into Novatek’s Yamal LNG venture, giving French Total and CNPC 20%… Keep reading →
Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s has released a report that seeks to answer an important question: are there any more big, profitable shales on the order of a Bakken or an Eagle Ford to be found in the US? The primary feature of the two plays that makes them so attractive is their oil… Keep reading →
It’s no longer, if, but rather when. In study released in late July 2013, DB’s US-based Vishal Shah estimates that three-quarters of the world’s solar market will be “sustainable” within 18 months, meaning they can operate with little or no subsidy. In 2 years, he reckons, the market will have flipped from one being largely… Keep reading →
Natural gas inventories, or the volume of gas periodically injected, stored and withdrawn in various parts of the US, is a major price determinant. Storage dynamics also vary significantly by region, from production centers with ample salt cavern storage capacity to demand centers like the northeast where cold winters require utilities to maintain enough supply… Keep reading →
Only in Russia can state-controlled oil company executives buy stock in the firm with money borrowed from a bank whose capital is largely generated by the country’s state-controlled natural gas company. That would never fly in the US. Remember the controversy about former Vice President Dick Cheney’s Halliburton relationship? The Moscow Times reports: A recent 3.1… Keep reading →
The first visible chink in the oil and gas sector’s stance on the Keystone XL pipeline project’s inevitability turned up this week in that house journal of capitalism, the Wall Street Journal. In his provocatively titled article, “U.S. Refiners Don’t Care if Keystone Gets Built,” Ben Lefebvre lists the host of ways that the sector… Keep reading →
Bad day for Venezuela, and for former president Hugo Chavez’s legacy: A massive power outage cut off electricity for almost 70% of the country’s population yesterday. “A lack of investment and training in the electric grid has contributed to more than 500 blackouts registered in Venezuela as of June this year.” [Christian Science Monitor] And… Keep reading →
NYSERDA has reached a major milestone, completing 50,000 home energy efficiency projects under the ENERGY STAR Program. On August 26, 2013, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced the completion of the 50,000th project under the ENERGY STAR Home Performance Program. The achievement marks a major milestone for the program, which was… Keep reading →
By: Katie Holliday Uncertainty over rising tensions in Syria has driven oil prices to fresh highs in recent weeks, but analysts say the bullish sentiment is expected to stay regardless of whether or not the scenario escalates into a full blown war. “Even if there is a war in Syria or no war in Syria… Keep reading →
