Reported

Well permitting in Texas during January was up sharply from a year ago, as were well completions. December crude oil production was also up sharply compared with a year ago, but natural gas production slipped, according to the latest figures from the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC).

EOG Resources Inc. reported a net loss of $505.0 million (minus $1.88/share) during 4Q2012, compared with net income of $120.7 million (45 cents/share) for the preceding fourth quarter. The loss included a large write-down of $849.4 million for Canadian properties. It resulted in full-year 2012 net income of $570.3 million ($2.11/share), down considerably from $1.09 billion ($4.10/share) for the full-year 2011.

California air quality officials reported that for the fourth consecutive year carbon emissions from power plants in the state have declined dramatically. A full-year figure for 2012 is still being calculated, according to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which is the lead agency implementing the state’s precedent-setting 2006 climate change law (AB 32). As measured by CARB, power plant carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions in 2011 totaled 34.9 million metric tons of CO2e (MTCO2e), compared to 52.3 million MTCO2e four years earlier. Subsequently, the totals dropped to 49.3 million MTCO2e in 2009 and down further to 44.6 million MTCO2e in 2010. Power plants are the biggest stationary source of MTCO2e emissions, followed by refineries and hydrogen plants, whose total emissions are also down compared to 2008 but have steadily risen during the last three recorded years (2009-2011).

Texas crude oil production during November was up from a year ago while natural gas production declined; during December, oil well completions were up while gas well completions declined, and the number of drilling permits issued was down from a year ago, according to the latest figures from Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC).

Nexen Inc. and CNOOC Ltd. have pushed back by 30 days the completion of the Canadian company’s C$15.1 billion takeover by the arm of state-controlled China National Offshore Oil Co.

FERC has approved ISO New England’s (ISO-NE) proposal to share real-time information on natural gas-fired power generation resources with interstate gas pipeline operators in order to head off concerns about unreliable generation dispatch.

Baker Hughes Inc., the third largest oilfield services provider in North America, on Wednesday reported a big decrease year/year in earnings, in part because of a 25% oversupply of pressure pumping equipment used in unconventional natural gas and oil plays.

Gulf of Mexico operator McMoRan Exploration Co. on Friday reported a big loss in the final three months of 2012 because of impairments and a sharp revenue decrease related in part to its gassy shallow-water operations.

Gulf of Mexico operator McMoRan Exploration Co. on Friday reported a big loss in the final three months of 2012 as well as for the year on impairments and a sharp revenue decrease related in part to its gassy shallow-water operations.