Solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps and batteries are all made of metal and—unlike a barrel of oil or ton of coal—metals can be recycled. Countries heavily dependent on imports of crucial decarbonisation minerals are...more
GOP Attorneys General Sue Labor Department Over ESG Rule - “GOP senators, joined by Manchin, oppose the new rule, which gives asset managers more freedom.” Why this is important: The article describes reaction to...more
The International Energy Agency has released its 2022 Coal analysis and forecast. It is sobering. By the time 2022 is over, world-wide coal consumption will have exceeded 8 billons tonnes for the first time. In other words,...more
The United States Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) issued a June 9th report (“Report”) titled: Electric Power Sector CO2 Emissions Drop as Generation Mix Shifts from Coal to Natural Gas - EIA states that in...more
A Bad Day for Big Oil - "ExxonMobil, Chevron lose key shareholder votes and Dutch court orders Shell to cut emissions faster." Why this is important: Issues related to climate change embroiled three oil companies this...more
Asia's switch from coal to natural gas is driven by stricter emission standards, low natural gas prices, and more efficient new natural gas turbine technology. The overwhelming consensus seems to be that thermal coal is on...more
Welcome to our first issue of 2021! We have been publishing a weekly edition of Currents since 2017 and hope that you find it informative and helpful. Our goal for 2021 is the same -- provide access to interesting and...more
U.S. Court Suspends Key Permits for Equitrans Mountain Valley Pipeline - "A U.S. federal appeals court issued a stay of key water crossing permits needed to complete construction of Equitrans Midstream Corp’s 300-mile...more
FACEBOOK AND CARNEGIE MELLON PARTNER TO USE AI FOR STORAGE SOLUTIONS - On 14 October 2020, Facebook and Carnegie Mellon University released publicly a dataset of 1.3 million electrocatalyst simulations, a result of a...more
China's New Coal Projects Make Up 90% of Global Total for First Half of 2020: Study - "Global coal-fired generation capacity saw a net decline of 2.9 gigawatts from January to June, the first drop on record for a six-month...more
ExxonMobil, Partners Discover Carbon Capture Technology for Industrial Sources - "A possible breakthrough in technology that could capture more than 90% of carbon dioxide emitted from industrial sources has been announced...more
Chevron’s Patience Pays Off with Bargain Deal for Noble Energy - "Like Anadarko, Noble is also a major player in the oil-rich DJ Basin of Colorado, as well as the oil-rich southwestern piece of the Eagle Ford Shale region." ...more
Dominion Energy and Duke Energy Cancel Construction of Atlantic Coast Pipeline - "Despite a recent win for the project in the US Supreme Court, ongoing delays, litigation and an expected increase in costs threatened the...more
Manufacturing Holds Key to Recovery of Oil and Gas Markets, Revealed at This Week's ADIPEC Energy Dialogue - "'2008 was much more of a hit to the financial sector and manufacturing. This time it is the reverse. The big...more
China Resumes LNG Imports from the U.S. - "Chinese buyers have resumed imports of liquefied natural gas from U.S. exporters, as Beijing started granting waivers to a 25% import tariff." Why this is important: In the...more
Energy-Related CO2 Emissions ‘Flatlined’ Last Year, IEA Says, Raising Hopes About Climate - "Global emissions remained at approximately 33 gigatonnes in 2019 despite the world economy growing by 2.9%, the IEA said." ...more
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Remains Halted as Developers Wait on Court Decisions - "There are currently two federal permits under review--one issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and one issued by the U.S. Forest...more
Grid disruption which results in blackouts is big news and often leads to public uproar and much finger pointing. The lightning strike that led to a blackout in parts of the UK in early August was widely reported and is the...more
Oil Drops More Than 3% After State Secretary Pompeo Says Iran Is Ready To Negotiate About Its Missile Program - "Oil prices turned lower on Tuesday, falling by about $2 a barrel as U.S. President Donald Trump said progress...more
Trump Aides Try to Quash Tax Hike Rumors Amid Infrastructure Talks "The White House is reassuring conservative leaders that it has no plans to hike the gas tax to help fund a massive infrastructure package that President...more
Climate Change Regulatory Issues & Updates - Green New Deal—The Next Phase of America's Climate Change Debate - The Green New Deal resolution, introduced in February to both houses of the U.S. Congress, signifies a...more
Trump Said to Seek Limits on State Power in Pipeline Approvals - "Trump's order comes as the president continues to chafe at regulatory barriers he says throttle the full potential of American 'energy dominance,' while...more
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal Would Reshape the Economy in 10 Years. That Could Shock the Energy Sector. "The concern is that Ocasio-Cortez's plan to achieve climate goals in just 10 years will not only tee up...more
Trump Eyes Action to Limit States' Powers to Block Pipelines - "The Trump administration is considering taking steps to limit the ability of states to block interstate gas pipelines and other energy projects, according to...more
How DC Unleashed Fossil-Fuel Exports Despite Climate Worries - "Since Donald Trump took office in 2017, exports of LNG and crude oil have surged, rivaling the likes of Saudi Arabia and Russia." Why this is important: The...more