The American Petroleum Institute put the below map together, showing the locations of the 21 proposed US LNG export plants, including the 4 that have received DOE approval for exports to non-free trade agreement nations.
Each location on the map includes “a summary of anticipated capital investments, jobs, and export volumes associated with each U.S. site, as well an estimated value of potential exports, based on application documents,” according to API.
Read more on Breaking Energy.
Video of a Tesla luxury electric car burning after an apparent battery problem went crazy time all over the internet and major news organizations across the US yesterday. But while a battery malfunction at the darling of the electric car industry would be news worthy, what if it was a hoax designed to profit from short-selling Tesla stock, which plummeted in the wake of the incident? Importantly, the company reportedly said in a statement that the fire was caused when the driver struck road debris which triggered the battery fire.
Read more on Breaking Energy.
A regulatory framework that penalizes carbon dioxide emissions would improve nuclear’s competitiveness in the US, but greater policy clarity may be required for new nuclear investments to replace shuttered facilities like San Onofre and Yankee.
Nuclear is not without its detractors, which have a laundry list of concerns, ranging from potential for terrorist attacks to safe waste disposal. And recent media commentary has been rife with stories about the end of US nuclear being nigh, often citing the the difficulty of competing with cheap natural gas in electricity generation.
Read more on Breaking Energy.
Where do we begin? Breaking Energy featured the Russian energy business in a recent Quote of the Day and it’s not that we’re picking on the country, but the murky world of Kremlin insiders – many former KGB personnel – running oil and gas companies with shares listed on public exchanges is nothing short of fascinating.
The latest bizarre tale again features Igor Sechin – head of Rosneft and close Putin ally – who is now accused of corporate misconduct regarding Rosneft’s takeover of TNK-BP, which made it the largest “public” oil company in terms of reserves and production.
Read more on Breaking Energy.
The plane uses a biofuel blend of JP-5 aviation fuel and camelina oil.
An examination of liquid biofuels published in Strategic Studies Quarterly, a peer-reviewed journal for security professionals, has concluded that they fail to provide meaningful benefits when pitted against petroleum products.
“The United States cannot achieve energy security through biofuels, and even the attempt is ironically achieving effects contrary to ‘clean’ and ‘green’ environmental goals and actively threatening global security,” writes US Navy Captain T. A. “Ike” Kiefer.
Read more on Breaking Energy.
Silver Spring Networks topped Inc. Magazine’s rankings.
The editors at Inc. magazine have released their rankings of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in America. The list offers an interesting snapshot of where growth is taking place in the energy sector.
The boom in America’s unconventional oil and gas development is clearly evident on the list. Out of the 110 energy companies mentioned, there were dozens of firms providing drilling services, pipeline construction services, and consulting on fossil energy development. With the U.S. now producing more liquid fuels than Saudi Arabia, the growth of those companies isn’t surprising.
Read more on Breaking Energy.
When it comes to the question of whether pipeline or rail is safer for moving crude, the answer depends somewhat on the source, but pipelines are broadly understood to come out ahead, not only on safety, but also on cost and efficiency. However, newfound oil abundance in areas not traditionally associated with oil and gas make a strong case for using both transportation methods.
A fatal train derailment and explosion in Quebec last month has focused attention on crude-by-rail, prompting a flurry of data releases and commentary about whether it is as safe a mode of crude transportation as pipelines are.
Read more on Breaking Energy.
Pigs (the ones you send through pipelines for maintenance and inspection purposes) may not be capable of finding the sorts of cracks that led to a 5,000 barrel spill from ExxonMobil’s Pegasus pipeline in March. “Smart pigs are the linchpin of the industry’s efforts to monitor pipes, but they aren’t reliable for finding all serious flaws.” [Wall Street Journal]
Some of our readers really aren’t going to like this…a piece by Peter Singer, a bioethics professor at Princeton, about why a War on Coal is necessary. “To develop new coal projects is unethical, and to invest in them is to be complicit in this unethical activity.” [Project Syndicate]
Read more on Breaking Energy.
Chesapeake Energy – one of the largest US independent natural gas producers – continues restructuring in the wake of founder, chairman and CEO Aubrey McClendon’s departure. The company just let go 4 top executives, including the COO, EVP of production, SVP of drilling and SVP of human and corporate resources.
“Termination without cause would provide Dixon [COO] with compensation estimated at nearly $12 million, while Fisher’s [EVP of production] compensation package is estimated at more than $5.6 million, according to Chesapeake’s most recent filing,” as reported by The Oklahoman.
Read more on Breaking Energy.
As US natural gas production swelled in recent years – largely a result of shale gas development – and prices fell amid burgeoning supply, producers moved rigs to economically greener pastures. In a world of comparatively high oil prices, this meant more liquids rich natural gas resources that produced ethane, butane, propane and pentanes, known as natural gas liquids, which fetched higher prices than dry natural gas. NGLs are used to produce plastics and petrochemicals.
Read more on Breaking Energy.
