WASHINGTON – The Energy Department announced yesterday that it has issued a final authorization for Dominion Cove Point LNG, LP to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States. The Cove Point LNG Terminal in Calvert County, Maryland is authorized to… Keep reading →
As the EPA’s long-awaited rule to control emissions from existing power plants draws near – the official announcement is expected Monday – stakeholders and lobbyists on both sides of the debate are sharpening their swords. The issue has also taken on considerable political significance ahead of the November elections. Fossil fuel interests are releasing estimates… Keep reading →
As the death toll in a coal mine explosion in the western Turkish town of Soma climbs toward 300, devastated workers and residents are lashing out at the country’s leadership. Widespread protests have broken out in several cities as people blame the government for prioritizing profit over safety. Numerous coal mining operations have been privatized,… Keep reading →
A new study using flyover methodology found methane emissions from oil and gas development activity in Colorado’s Front Range exceed estimates by regulators. “These discrepancies are substantial,” said lead author Gabrielle Petron, an atmospheric scientist with NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. “Emission estimates or ‘inventories’ are… Keep reading →
Google struck a deal for 407 MW of wind power – reportedly its largest clean energy contract to date – with MidAmerican Energy, a firm mostly owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate. The power will be used at Google’s Iowa data center. “The deal includes both direct energy generation from MidAmerican’s wind farms and… Keep reading →
While Maryland isn’t among the country’s leading producers of oil and natural gas, the industry’s employment and economic impact in the state is significant. That impact, as measured by a PwC study: 75,400 jobs supported in 2011 (most recent year for which comprehensive data is available), accounting for 2.2 percent of the state’s total employment. Nearly… Keep reading →
Berkshire Hathaway energy unit MidAmerican Power Holdings has agreed to buy wind turbines with an estimated value of more than $1bln from Siemens. IFM Investors has agreed to invest $1.3 billion in equity funding for the proposed three-train Freeport LNG natural gas liquefaction and export plant in Texas, sourced from a consortium of project finance ledners. The funding in question… Keep reading →
The US Department of Energy announced yesterday that it had issued a conditional approval for LNG exports to countries with which the US does not have a free trade agreement from Dominion’s Cove Point LNG project. This brings the number of projects with non-FTA export approval to four – Sabine Pass, Freeport, Lake Charles and… Keep reading →
Moody’s analysts are have weighed in on prospects for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the US, forecasting that chemical companies and utilities could see some negative impact from higher domestic natural gas prices, but not enough to bring down their credit ratings.
Moody’s expects US LNG export capacity to rise to 6.3 billion cubic feet per day by 2020 – equivalent to 178.4 million cubic meters per day, compared with global exports totaling 330.8 billion cubic meters per day in 2011, according to BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy. “We do not expect the volume of exports from North America will have a significant impact on the global LNG trade during this decade,” the rating agency said in a report, The Prospect of US LNG Exports Influences Pricing and Gas Markets Worldwide. Keep reading →
