Richard Nemec began writing for NGI in 1995 and has 30 years experience in the energy industry. He holds BA from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and a MA in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; and completed MBA courses at Northwestern's Evening Graduate School of Management.
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Articles from Rich Nemec
Avista Natural Gas Peaking Plants, RNG in Revised Resource Plans
Avista Corp.’s four-state utility operations will rely more on natural gas peaking plants over the next five years in the absence of long-term energy storage, the Spokane, WA-based operator said in updated integrated resource plans (IRP). With forecasts for higher retail and residential per-customer demand versus the 2020 IRP, Avista Utilities said it would return…
April 8, 2021
California Resources Says ESG Efforts Reducing Oil Patch Carbon Footprint
California Resources Corp. (CRC), the state’s largest producer, said it is ahead of schedule in meeting a list of climate change goals by 2030 and shrinking its carbon footprint. Established four years ago, the environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives address water, renewable energy, methane emissions and carbon capture in the oilfield operations. Compared to…
April 6, 2021
California Pins 2020 Zogg Wildfire on PG&E Lines
The Zogg Fire in Northern California last summer, which killed four people and destroyed more than 200 buildings, was caused by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) distribution lines hit by falling tree branches, state officials said. The wildfire in parts of Shasta and Tehama counties prompted the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection…
March 30, 2021
BP Partnering in Two RNG Ventures; SoCalGas Interconnecting More Landfill Gas
BP plc is advancing plans to develop more renewable natural gas (RNG) projects in the United States. In the most recent deal, BP is joining Aria Energy to make RNG for transportation from captured methane from waste at three dairy farms in California. Nearly 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to be from…
March 29, 2021
Los Angeles Municipal Utility Aiming for Net-Zero Power Generation by 2045
The Biden administration and Los Angeles (LA) Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday said a federal study confirmed the city’s municipal utility could achieve 100% renewable power by 2045. Four years in the making, the LA 100% Renewable Energy Study, aka LA100, is an engineering-economic analysis overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy…
March 25, 2021
SoCalGas Looks to RNG, Hydrogen in Pledge to Net-Zero Carbon Emissions by 2045
Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) on Tuesday set aggressive carbon reduction goals, pledging that its natural gas utility operations would achieve net zero emissions by 2045. Citing the global United Nations climate accord reached in late 2015, the Sempra Energy utility joined other U.S. gas distributors that have made greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction commitments. The…
March 24, 2021
Post-Bankruptcy, California Resources Seeks to Remake Core E&P Operations
After working through a restructuring last year, California Resources Corp. (CRC) is looking to concentrate on reservoir management in core fields across the state, the CEO said Thursday. California’s largest exploration and production (E&P) company had a self-described soft landing after completing a Chapter 11 restructuring last year. Like most of the industry, last year’s…
March 19, 2021
Carbon Capture Said Key to California Climate Goals
To achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, California needs to embrace carbon capture and storage (CCS), according to a study by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Researchers urged the state to develop 10 CCS projects covering capture, transport and storage that would store 125 million tons/year of carbon dioxide (CO2). LLNL’s work dovetails with a…
March 18, 2021
North Dakota ‘Split’ on Federal Pause for Oil, Gas Permitting
As the Biden administration further examines the ramifications of its pause on oil and natural gas leases on federal lands, it will find North Dakota’s Bakken Shale has a “unique story to tell,” according to Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) Director Lynn Helms. Most of the federal lands in North Dakota are split estates, where…
March 18, 2021
Bakken Production Getting ‘More Gassy,’ as Expected
Oil prices have streaked upward in North Dakota’s Bakken Shale as production has hit a winter lull, according to the state’s Department of Mineral Resources (DMR). DMR Director Lynn Helms in the monthly production report for January, which was issued on Thursday, said oil production was down about 4% month/month (m/m) to 35.5 million bbl…
March 13, 2021