Energy Transition

More than 300 businesses and investors, including U.S. utilities and energy infrastructure giants, have signed an open letter to President Biden urging the administration to nearly double the U.S. commitments in targeted reductions for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The letter’s 310 signatories represent more than $3 trillion in annual revenue and $1 trillion-plus in assets…

French supermajor Total SE is partnering with German engineering firm Siemens AG to explore ways to lower carbon emissions at liquefied natural gas (LNG) sites. Total said Tuesday it had signed a technical collaboration agreement with the Siemens Energy subsidiary to study “sustainable solutions” for carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction, with a focus on LNG facilities…

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) plans to issue monthly reports that expand upon biofuels data. EIA’s first edition of Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update was published Wednesday (March 31) with January data. “We developed the Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update because of the significant growth in U.S. production of renewable fuels,” said…

Former Rice Energy Inc. CEO Daniel Rice expects renewable natural gas (RNG) to play a bigger role in the energy transition as the push for decarbonization grows. The special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that he runs, Rice Acquisition Corp., on Wednesday announced plans to merge with landfill gas (LFG) specialists Aria Energy LLC and Archaea…

As numerous Latin American nations announce hydrogen projects with an eye toward the global market, Mexico is looking to join the party. “At a federal level, nothing is really happening,” Mexico energy expert Gonzalo Monroy told NGI’s Mexico GPI, “but there are initiatives at the local level.” One of those initiatives was the formal launch…

A unit of Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) is partnering in a pilot project that could produce 1 metric tons/month of ethylene using human-made carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of hydrocarbon feedstocks like natural gas and oil. Houston-based Cemvita Factory, a bio-engineering start-up, is working with Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV) on the bio-ethylene pilot facility, which…

California-based oil and gas explorer Foothills Exploration Inc. is forming New Energy Ventures LLC to participate in the transitioning energy sector.  The main focus of the new subsidiary is on alternative power generation and oilfield applications. According to Foothills, New Energy Ventures plans to partner with management teams to develop sustainable and low-carbon technologies. The…

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…

The Biden administration on Wednesday called for overhauling the corporate tax code that, among other things, would replace fossil fuel subsidies with incentives to promote renewable energy production. The Made in America Tax Plan, unveiled by Secretary of the Treasury* Janet L. Yellen, is designed to raise $2.5 trillion in revenue over a 15-year period.…