Top News

Researcher: Draft DOE report downplays onsite fuel's role in grid resilience

Onsite fuel storage at power plants does not play a critical role in grid resilience, according to the head of a research group that helped prepare a draft report on a study requested by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Mixed signals from regulators, crumbling infrastructure create Calif. gas morass

California needs lots of natural gas — and the infrastructure to deliver it — but perhaps only to 2045.

Coal deliveries to US power plants fall 9.8% YOY in H1

Coal deliveries to U.S. power plants decreased nearly 10% in the first six months of 2018 compared to the year-ago period, reversing the year-over-year growth in the first six months of 2017.

Oil industry warns Alaskan measure to protect salmon may stifle projects

Alaskans will vote Nov. 6 on a proposal aimed at mitigating the impact of large-scale development on the state's salmon fisheries. While advocates said the state needs to enact "clear, science-based standards" to guide permitting, companies engaged in oil and gas production said additional rules are unneeded and could delay projects and increase costs.

Quoted

"In the time it would have taken just for the DOE regulations to take effect, we've saved 27.8 TWh of electricity," Doug Johnson, vice president of technology policy at the Consumer Technology Association, said of efforts by manufacturers of set-top TV boxes to improve the devices' energy efficiency through voluntary measures.

Power

* Higher taxes and less-competitive regulation have hampered the growth of Canadian utilities when compared with their U.S. counterparts, Fortis Inc. President and CEO Barry Perry said.

* Consumer groups say the decision of California utilities to cut power in areas facing high fire risk is more about self-protection. Utility equipment has been frequently pointed as the culprit for wildfires in the state. "They were disappointed in the Legislature. They clearly want more. They want no liability," Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, told The New York Times.

* If U.S. companies are to realize their sustainability aspirations, which include an ambitious renewable energy purchasing target of 60 GW by 2025, they must engage in transmission planning across the country, according to a new report by the Wind Solar Alliance.

* The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has been advised by a consultant to reject EDF Renewable Energy's proposed 25-MW offshore wind project because it is too expensive for ratepayers, NJ Spotlight reported.

* British power producer Drax Group PLC is buying almost 2.6 GW of pumped storage, run-of-river hydro and gas-fired generation in the U.K. from Iberdrola SA subsidiary Scottish Power for £702 million.

Natural gas

* Exelon Corp. expects its proposed Annova LNG plant near Brownsville, Texas, to stay on target for a final investment decision in late 2019, even after Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff found the three export ventures in the area would result in "certain significant cumulative impacts" to the environment and community.

* Tallgrass Energy LP and Silver Creek Midstream LLC are expanding their Powder River Basin joint venture to own the Iron Horse Pipeline, the Powder River Express Pipeline, and crude oil terminal facilities in Guernsey, Wyo.

* EOG Resources Inc. has positioned itself well in several major plays, but the independent producer may be in the process of shifting much of its focus to the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

* Half of the growth in worldwide demand for liquefied natural gas is driven by China, the Vancouver Courier reported, citing consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.

* TOTAL SA is in discussions to acquire a stake in a liquefied natural gas terminal in India, S&P Global Platts reported.

* Cuadrilla Resources Ltd., an exploration and production company, has started its hydraulic fracturing operations at the Preston New Road site in England. This is the first fracking activity in the U.K. since 2011, according to The Associated Press.

Oil

* Data from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement released Oct. 15 shows Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas production that had been shut-in due to Hurricane Michael continues to improve, with an estimated 198,000 barrels of oil per day and 168 MMcf/d of gas still offline.

* Qatar Petroleum will begin managing and operating the Idd El-Shargi North Dome field offshore of Qatar in October 2019 as Occidental Petroleum Corp. chose not to renew its development and production sharing agreement.

* Petróleos de Venezuela SA is preparing a $950 million payment this October to holders of its 2020 bond, Reuters reported, citing sources at the company and in the local financial sector.

* The explosion site at the Irving Oil Ltd. refinery in New Brunswick remains off limits a week after the incident, according to The Canadian Press.

* Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd. finalized a $5.6 billion agreement to buyout rival Showa Shell Sekiyu KK, Reuters reported.

Coal

* Mission Coal Co. LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Oct. 14, just days after reaching a settlement with a coal company owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice in a case it had previously warned could lead to bankruptcy.

* The Trump administration is looking at increasing U.S. fossil exports to Asia by using West Coast military installations, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and two Republican lawmakers told AP.

* China Coal Energy Co. Ltd. expects to book an attributable net profit of between 4.90 billion Chinese yuan and 5.30 billion yuan in the nine-month period that ended Sept. 30, representing a year-over-year increase of between 55.6% and 68.3%.

ChartWatch

Money continued to move out of the oil and gas pipeline industry's largest exchange-traded fund during September amid concerns about transportation bottlenecks and a November ballot initiative in Colorado that threatens to limit future production in the state.

New from RRA

* Several interested parties testified before the Washington, D.C., Council's Committee on Transportation & the Environment on Oct. 9 regarding proposed legislation that would implement the most aggressive renewable portfolio standard in the nation.

The day ahead

* Early morning futures indicators pointed to a higher opening for the U.S. equity markets. To view more SNL equity market indexes, click here. To view more SNL Energy commodities prices, click here.

Click here to read about today's financial markets, setting out the factors driving stocks, bonds and currencies around the world ahead of the New York open.

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