S&P Global Market Intelligence presents the most read stories for the week ended Jan. 3.

1. AEP CEO believes more 'comfortable' approach to wind should win over regulators

American Electric Power Co. Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Nicholas Akins said shooting down another large, planned wind investment "would be a mistake" for Texas regulators.

2. The decade of shale: How natural gas went from Barnett to bust

The boom of oil and natural gas shale production in the 2010s is now seen as the single biggest development in U.S. energy markets in recent decades. In the first of a two-part series, S&P Global Market Intelligence looks at where it all began — with unrestrained growth in natural gas production — and how such a liberating turn of events would eventually restrain the producers that helped deliver it.

3. Power asset valuations expected to stabilize in 2020 as renewable market matures

Valuations for power generation assets are expected to remain fairly strong through 2020 but are unlikely to climb much higher, according to several power finance bankers and attorneys. Meanwhile, wind assets ripe for repowering and merchant wind assets are poised to play a more prominent role in the power M&A market.

4. LNG-by-rail transportation approaches US shale plays

U.S. regulators are getting closer to the release of a rule that would broadly allow transportation of LNG by rail, which some in the natural gas industry hope will result in safer and less costly movement of the fuel in parts of the country where pipeline shipments are restricted.

5. US shuts nearly 4,000 MW of coal capacity in November

The U.S. power sector saw 3,973 MW of coal capacity retire in November while 732 MW of mostly wind and solar was added, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data.