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
California’s Kern County to Resume Permitting Oil, Gas Wells in April
California’s oil and natural gas hotspot Kern County is set to resume issuing permits to drill in April after adopting enhanced rules that could allow more wells to be permitted every year. The five-member Board of Supervisors on Monday unanimously adopted the ordinance, which includes restrictions that could increase the costs for oil and natural…
California Regulators Push Utilities to Bolster Summer Grid Reliability
In an attempt to avoid a repeat of last summer’s rolling blackouts, California regulators have proposed a set of actions by the power utilities to add grid safety and reliability. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) proposal addresses added efforts to shave demand in peak load periods of summer heat. Earlier the CPUC had ordered…
NRG Sells 4,850 MW of Natural Gas, Oil Generation, Eyes Root Cause of Texas Freeze
Princeton, NJ-based NRG Energy Inc. said it has sold 4,850 MW of natural gas and oil power plant generation in the Northeast and California for $760 million. The sale was revealed during a 4Q2020 earnings conference call in which CEO Mauricio Gutierrez also called for a systemwide root cause analysis of the electric and natural…
Total, Clean Energy Partner to Develop U.S. RNG Sites
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and its largest shareholder, Total SE, on Thursday formalized a 50-50 joint venture (JV) to develop U.S. renewable natural gas (RNG) production facilities and downstream fueling infrastructure. The initial commitment is $100 million, which may increase to $400 million as development opportunities progress. “The finalization of this JV with Total, which…
U.S. Power Grid Said to Need Reinforcements to Ensure Reliability
Accelerating innovation is among the long list of recommendations needed to strengthen the U.S. power grid, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report, mandated by Congress, came in the wake of the winter freeze last month that severely strained the power grid in Texas and other states. In the report,…
NW Natural Looking to Decarbonize Natural Gas, Pushing for National Effort
NW Natural CEO David Anderson used a quarterly earnings conference call on Friday to discuss the importance of the natural gas industry’s move to decarbonize as a way to mitigate climate change. The Portland, OR-based operator plans to be carbon neutral by 2050 in keeping with state mandates, said Anderson, who chairs the American Gas…
Clean Energy Inks RNG Transit Supply Pact, while Orlando, FL, Assessing Fuel Savings in Adsorbed NatGas Pilot
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has signed a fuel supply agreement to provide renewable natural gas (RNG) to the nation’s largest public transit bus fleet at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro). The Newport Beach, CA-based operator agreed to provide an estimated 47.5 million gallons of RNG for the 2,400-bus fleet as part…
Sempra Putting Most Capex in California, Texas Utilities
San Diego-based Sempra Energy said it plans to target nearly 90% of its capital investments this year in its three major utilities operating in California and Texas. In its current capital expenditure (capex) plan for 2021 through 2025, most of the budget would be earmarked for Dallas-based Oncor Electric Delivery Co. LLC at $9.8 billion.…
Avista CEO Touts Natural Gas, Cites Concerns About Electrification Push
Coming off better-than-expected earnings in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, Avista Corp. executives indicated Wednesday they are undeterred by current electrification trends, reaffirming that the utility arm remains all-in for natural gas. CEO Dennis Vermillion said he thinks the climate change mitigation push to minimize greenhouse gas emissions needs a “holistic approach” that would take…
Facing Tests in 2020, Portland General Adjusted to Improve Service
After battling the pandemic, civil unrest, trading losses and historic wildfires last year, Portland General Electric (PGE) survived last week with wind, ice and snow storms that ravaged its territory. PGE CEO Maria Pope during a fourth quarter earnings conference call on Friday said Oregon’s largest power utility dealt with “punishing winds, ice, and snow,”…