trending Market Intelligence /marketintelligence/en/news-insights/trending/xikhqnZCHhmCoQMhuYmOJQ2 content esgSubNav
In This List

US public power seeks future in West; Moody's sees flat demand for thermal coal

Podcast

Next in Tech | Episode 49: Carbon reduction in cloud

Blog

Using ESG Analysis to Support a Sustainable Future

Research

US utility commissioners: Who they are and how they impact regulation

Blog

Q&A: Datacenters: Energy Hogs or Sustainability Helpers?


US public power seeks future in West; Moody's sees flat demand for thermal coal

Top News

'Whipsawed in Washington,' US public power seeks future in West

Feeling "whipsawed in Washington" as a result of the "radically" altered energy policies of the Trump White House compared to the Obama administration, U.S. public power utilities are steadfast in their mission to provide "environmentally responsible, reliable, and affordable power," said Sue Kelly, CEO of the American Public Power Association.

Bulked-up EQT expects to blow past Exxon as largest US gas producer in 2018

Muscled up from its $6.7 billion purchase of Marcellus Shale neighbor and rival driller Rice Energy Inc., EQT Corp. firmly established that it will be the U.S. top gas producer by volume, with nearly 4 Bcf/d of production expected in 2018, surpassing Exxon Mobil Corp.

Moody's predicts flat demand for thermal coal in 2018, volatility for met prices

U.S. thermal coal production and consumption are projected to remain relatively flat in the year ahead, while metallurgical coal will continue to experience price volatility, according to Moody's 2018 outlook.

Power

* The California Public Utilities Commission issued a proposal that would require Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to solicit bids for battery storage or other preferred resources to replace Calpine Corp.'s Feather River, Yuba and Metcalf gas-fired power facilities. The PUC is set to vote on the proposal at its Jan. 11, 2018, meeting.

* In a new proceeding before the Illinois Commerce Commission, utilities might be able to earn a return for investing in cloud-based services in addition to on-site hardware and software.

* The U.S. saw higher solar prices across all market segments, amid major policy uncertainty, according to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association's latest U.S. Solar Market Insight report. "[T]his quarter shows us what happens when policy uncertainty becomes a disruptive factor: prices rise, supplies shift and the market reacts accordingly," SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said.

* The Senate might vote to confirm some Trump administration nominees, possibly including three members for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, by the end of the year, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Dec. 13.

* The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Control Act by withholding fiscal-year 2017 appropriation for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E. The funds, which are now available for obligation, were impounded in response to President Donald Trump's budget request for fiscal-year 2018 that will eliminate ARPA-E.

* The city of Boulder, Colo., is seeking an additional 90 days from the Public Utilities Commission to negotiate with Xcel Energy Inc. over its municipalization efforts, according to the Boulder Daily Camera.

* The Arizona Supreme Court will review a ruling by the lower court that prohibits the state from requiring companies like SolarCity Corp. and Sunrun Inc. to pay property tax for the rooftop solar systems they lease to homeowners, The Associated Press reported.

* Public Service Electric and Gas Co. warned that about 2.5 million of its customers may be affected by a potential data breach involving the systems of TIO Networks Corp., a PayPal Holdings Inc. subsidiary.

* The Alberta Electric System Operator awarded a 20-year contract to Capital Power Corp.'s proposed 201.6-MW Whitla wind project following the first round of its renewable electricity program. The Whitla facility is expected to achieve commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2019.

* The newly launched Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum aims to convert Republicans to the potential benefits of renewable energy, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Natural gas/Oil

* The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. eight months to put in service a natural gas pipeline delivery point serving the Hanscom Air Force Base near Boston.

* The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council has determined that National Grid USA's proposed $180 million natural gas liquefaction facility does not violate state coastal policies, the Providence (R.I.) Journal reported.

* A Plains All American Pipeline LP subsidiary launched a binding open season for committed crude oil transportation from the Permian Basin to the Corpus Christi/Ingleside area, with origin points at Orla, Wink South, Midland, Crane and McCamey, Texas.

* Hilcorp Energy Co. affiliate Harvest Pipeline Co. and Vitol Inc. agreed to explore joint development of a crude oil terminal in the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas. The terminal is intended to satisfy growing need for export capacity along the Texas Gulf Coast.

* Federal Judge John Woodcock Jr. denied a motion filed by city of South Portland, Maine, to dismiss a lawsuit by Portland Pipe Line Corp. over an ordinance banning crude oil exports, the Portland Press Herald reported.

* The U.S. House Financial Services Committee advanced a bill that would repeal Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which requires resource extraction issuers to disclose payments made to governments for the commercial development of oil, natural gas or minerals.

Coal

* Gibson County Coal LLC, an Indiana-based Alliance Resource Partners LP subsidiary, has been issued a final permit by the Illinois Office of Mines and Minerals to mine under the Wabash River to reach thermal coal reserves in Wabash County, an official said Dec. 12.

* Canada and France announced a climate partnership to promote carbon pricing, coal phase-out, sustainable development and emission reductions in the marine and aviation sectors.

* SunCoke Energy Partners LP is now offering barge unloading services at its Convent Marine Terminal on the Gulf Coast as part of a multiyear agreement with Cooper Consolidated LLC.

* In a keynote speech at the Washington Coal Club's annual awards luncheon in Washington, D.C., Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg said that Trump administration's energy policies provide a "reason to be optimistic about coal."

Commodities

* A cracked North Sea crude oil pipeline and an explosion at a natural gas hub in Austria shook global commodities markets earlier this week, but international energy experts see the disruptions as temporary and a general reminder of vulnerabilities to oil and gas flows.

* Following a surprise net injection of 2 Bcf the week prior, the upcoming natural gas inventory report the U.S. Energy Information Administration will release at 10:30 a.m. ET on Dec. 14 is likely to detail a pull below historical averages.

* Power dailies could unwind Thursday, Dec. 14, amid expectations of sagging load in much of the country at the close of the workweek. Participants will also keep focused on natural gas market activity.

* Following a 3.7-cent gain to settle at $2.715/MMBtu in the prior session, NYMEX January 2018 natural gas futures notched modest losses overnight ahead of the Thursday, Dec. 14, open, as supportive weather outlooks could not offset anticipation of a lackluster pull from stocks when the next storage data is released at midmorning.

SNL Image

New from RRA

* The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority authorized Southern Connecticut Gas Co. a three-step, $11.2 million rate increase Dec. 13, thereby adopting the terms of an amended settlement.

Quoted

"We expect the energy transition will start to gather pace, so we will have to choose our oil and gas investments with that reality in mind. This means only proceeding with those investments that are climate-competitive, and shaping our oil and gas asset portfolio further to ensure financial resilience and compatibility with a 2-degree Celsius roadmap," Shell CEO Ben van Beurden told investors on Nov. 28.

The day ahead

* The EIA natural gas storage report is due out today.

* 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.

The Daily Dose is updated as of 7:30 a.m. ET. Some links may require registration or a subscription.