Opinion pieces from leading editorialists across the industry.

The White House angrily pushed back at OPEC+ after the oil producer group announced its largest supply cut since 2020, lashing out at what President Joe Biden's administration described as a "shortsighted" decision.

CNBC

U.S. delivers angry rebuke of massive OPEC+ production cut — and it could backfire for Saudi Arabia

Scientists, economists and Indigenous activists met in Oxford in September to discuss a challenge central to solving climate change: how can the world rid itself of fossil fuels?

Resilience

Is the world on track for moving past coal, oil and gas production?

Some investors have started to see oil and gas stocks as income investment stocks rather than boom-and-bust cyclical stocks, as many others still believe.

Oil Price

Income Investors Are Returning To Oil And Gas Stocks

Mounting environmental pressures and the move away from fossil fuels could spell danger for historic vehicles

The Telegraph

Is this the end of the road for classic cars?

The Permian Basin in western Texas and eastern New Mexico is one of the world's most prolific unconventional oil- and natural gas-producing regions. The Permian Basin has become more productive because of the technological advancements in drilling and completion techniques, which allow operators to economically extract hydrocarbons from the low permeability reservoirs.

Advances in technology led to record new well productivity in the Permian Basin in 2021

One of the world's most mature deepwater basins, the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, has a lot of production life left and could help bridge the oil supply gap that is widening with the maturing of many currently producing assets globally. 

U.S. Gulf Of Mexico Can Help Fill Global Oil Supply Gap

Tuesday's incident at the twin undersea Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia to German through the Baltic Sea has led to lots of speculation, but only Russia has come out to discuss the damage. Their partners -- Germany's Wintershall and France's Engie, for example, have been mum on the subject.

Forbes

Nord Stream's European Partners Quiet On Pipeline Damage

America’s oil and gas drillers are growing increasingly uneasy about a potential recession as surging costs and persistent shortages of equipment and workers signal a slowdown in the oil patch just as the world is depending on the US to keep energy markets well supplied.

Plus, Hurricane Ian briefly disrupts US Gulf oil production

Financial Times

US oil industry braces for recession

Oil spills may be dramatic and devastating, but they're not the biggest contributor to ocean oil pollution -- not by a long shot.

Grist

Ocean oil pollution is growing  --  and not from oil spills

Methane leakage is likely to be the biggest burst of the powerful greenhouse gas on record in one of the most polluted bodies of water.

Al Jazeera

Nord Stream pipeline leaks are 'catastrophic for the climate'

 Liz Truss has refused to give details of how local consent would be given for fracking in a particular area, amid growing evidence that it will be pushed through as a national infrastructure project. In an interview with BBC Radio Lancashire, the prime minister said she was not familiar with the Preston New Road site in the county and had never visited.

The Guardian

‘It sounds like you don’t know’: Liz Truss falters on fracking consent question

Flaring, meant to burn off the planet-warming gas at industrial sites, doesn’t always work as intended, according to researchers.

The New York Times

Gas Flares Might Release More Methane Than Thought, Study Finds

The administration’s move has brought down gasoline prices. Some experts say continued withdrawals could test the nation’s energy security.

Even as Oil Prices Ease, U.S. Keeps Tapping Strategic Reserve

Famously described by Democratic political operative James Carville as “Philadelphia in the East, Pittsburgh in the West, and Alabama in the middle”, Pennsylvania since the fracking revolution has become the second largest producer of natural gas in the nation.

Energy Could Be An Issue In Pennsylvania - If The Republicans Can Run A Campaign

In today’s time of volatile crude markets and unstable geopolitical relations, reducing import dependence and driving energy security is the need of the hour.

The Economic Times

Fueling the way for India’s energy security  

Norway's prime minister has said its military will be more visible at oil and gas installations as politicians across Europe warned the suspected sabotaging of the two Nord Stream pipelines could herald a new stage of hybrid warfare targeting vulnerable parts of energy infrastructure in order to undermine support of Ukraine.

Nord Stream blasts could herald new phase of hybrid war, say EU politicians

Labour's ambitious plan for zero-carbon power by 2030 raises legitimate questions - which we'll come to shortly - but the commentary in rightwing newspapers is bizarrely wide of the mark.

Will Labour's energy plans work?

What would the current tensions in oil and gas markets mean for the region of Asia?

Nikkei Asia

Asia must prepare for looming oil and gas shortages

How the Quest for Resources Has Shaped the Continent


Foreign Affairs

Europe’s Unsolved Energy Puzzle

Tens of thousands gathered in the Czech capital for the second such protest in a month, spurred by an energy crisis and rising prices that are affecting countries across Europe.

Protests in Prague Signal a Troubled Winter Ahead in Europe

An attack on gas lines under the Baltic Sea exposes the vulnerability of an already jittery Europe. Some officials suggested Moscow was to blame, but with little evidence, others urge caution.

Sabotaged Pipelines and a Mystery: Who Did It? 

Inefficient applications of biomass must be replaced by modern and clean energy solutions, since they harm people’s health, damage the environment and reduce social well-being.

IRENA

Five Cross-cutting Barriers to Bioenergy Deployment and How to Address Them

U.S. officials downplayed the potential for immediate impacts from the leaks hobbling the two Nord Stream natural gas lines. But the incidents are adding to worries about winter.

Politico

'Everything is pointing to Russia': U.S., EU officials on edge over pipeline explosions

“This small, temporary storm impact on oil production provides no excuse — no excuse — for price increases at the pump,” Biden said.

Don't ‘gouge the American people,’ Biden warns oil industry as Ian nears

The G7's price cap on Russian energy exports is an example of Western policymakers trying to have their cake and eat it, too. It's also one that is likely to fail.

Russian Price Cap Could Be Biden’s Biggest Energy Folly Yet

In the hydrocarbon-rich fields of Texas, natural gas was always treated like the dregs that crews had to deal with as they pulled oil out of the ground. The two often emerge from wellheads together, and so for decades drillers would simply burn off the gas or sell it at cost. Oil, and all the riches that came with it, was always the big prize.

World Oil

Natural gas from Texas shale fields becoming more coveted than oil

A short respite from rising oil and gasoline prices is about to end as 2022 comes to a close.  The reasons are numerous, but almost all of them relate directly to the supply chain.  Mainstream estimates suggest a return to $100 per barrel for the Brent which would inflate gasoline prices back to around $5 per gallon on average in the US.

Gasoline Prices Could Return To $5 Per Gallon

What was once considered as a passerby in oil production is now becoming critical to the stability of economies.

Bloomberg

Dregs of US Oil Patch Are More in Demand Than Crude Itself

The UK has announced plans to become a net energy exporter by 2040. This includes lifting the 2019 ban on fracking and offering 100 new North Sea exploration licenses.

RigZone

UK Looking To Be Net Energy Exporter By 2040, Problems Ahead

After months of conflict in Ukraine, and an increasing movement away from Russian energy by several world powers, some countries have made it clear that they are not willing to cut ties with Putin when it comes to energy. 

Not Everyone Is Ditching Russian Energy

Aramco CEO Nasser: the oil market is not in balance, and supply is getting tighter because there is little in the way of new supply to make up for natural depletion.
"That would be the road to hell for America," JP Morgan's CEO Jamie Dimon said last week, referring to a suggestion that all big banks divest from the oil and gas industry.

Oil Prices Are About To Reverse Course

Offshore gas fields in the Mediterranean could become one of several new energy sources for European countries as they seek independence from Russia.

An Israel-Lebanon Border Deal Could Increase Natural Gas Supplies

The leaks in the Nord Stream under the Baltic Sea heightened fears of shortages because of the clash with Russia, and showed how vital infrastructure could be at risk.

Nord Stream Pipeline Breaks Look Deliberate, Europeans Say

Qatar's ability to act as the perfect substitute for the EU's lost Russian gas supplies is highly limited.

Is Germany's Ambitious LNG Plan Too Little Too Late?

Here’s why the vast sums spent on energy alternatives have been a counterproductive bust.

Energy Renewables: Too Much Hot Air

Liz Truss's claims gas from fracking could flow in six months has been called into doubt - with one company estimating it could take as long as 18 months.


The Independent

Fracking firm warns of 18 month wait to produce gas despite Tory claims of six

When the chief executive of Aramco said earlier this week that years of underinvestment had damaged the balance between supply and demand in the oil market, it should have been a wake-up call to those in decision-making positions. Instead, the secretary-general of the UN bashed the oil industry once again for "feasting" on record-high profits and urged governments to make them pay for this.

An Oil Supply Shock May Be Imminent

France's TotalEnergies has signed a new investment deal in Qatar's natural gas production expansion as Europe scrambles to find new energy sources to replace Russian supplies.

French energy giant signs new natural gas deal with Qatar

Malaysia and Indonesia were the first countries in Southeast Asia to announce that carbon capture and storage (CCS) would play a role in decarbonising their industrial sectors. BP in Indonesia, and Petronas in Malaysia, announced landmark projects in the oil and gas industry. 

Energy Voice

Indonesia lagging Malaysia as CCS starts to grip Southeast Asia

Replacing petroleum fuels with electricity is crucial for curbing climate change because it cuts carbon dioxide emissions from transportation – the largest source of U.S. global warming emissions and a growing source worldwide. Even including the impacts of generating electricity to run them, electric vehicles provide clear environmental benefits.



The Conversation

Surging sales of large gasoline pickups and SUVs are undermining carbon reductions from electric cars

The impact of the ongoing war is hitting the EU and the US hard. How are they responding?

The Hill

What divergent crude oil and natural gas prices portend for the EU and US

Data, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence. Three often talked about trends that have catapulted businesses to the top of the market chain. How will these technologies help optimize oil and gas processes?

Midlander: Data platforms can optimize upstream efficiency

The federal government’s restrictions on extracting and transporting oil and gas can play a huge role in driving up gas and diesel prices for American families and businesses, and the more power the government seeks to exercise, the more those impacts are felt by all of us.

The Daily Signal

How Government Restrictions on Domestic Drilling Drive up Gas Prices

How is the Russian-Ukraine feud upsetting the world's fuel markets? and how is a major player in the Middle East profiting?

The Economist

The war in Ukraine has reshaped the world’s fuel markets

Licences for fracking encroach on some of the most environmentally protected areas in England including national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
As the government lifted the ban on drilling for shale gas, the Guardian analysed where drilling might take place in months and years to come.

Fracking could impact many protected areas across England as ban is lifted

Practical snippets from the lives of giants who have worked in fracking – not for years but for decades.

How Fracking Creates Value: Three Insights From Three Frac Legends – Daneshy, Montgomery, And Smith.

Russia has ramped up oil shipments to Asia since Europe imposed sweeping sanctions, but still needs to re-route over a quarter of its crude exports away from Europe when a full oil embargo hits in December. Where will it go?

Reuters

When EU embargo comes, where will Russia sell its crude oil?

The bill drew criticism from both sides of the aisle, but it's unclear how it would affect U.S. emissions.

Is Manchin's permitting bill overdue reform or an underhanded deal?

 On September 21st the economy ministry announced the complete nationalisation of Uniper, Europe’s biggest and most gas-addled power utility. More controversially, five days earlier the government said it was seizing control of stakes held in three German refineries by Rosneft, Russia’s state-owned oil giant.

Germany's government seizes Russian energy assets

Senior bankers and traders said exchanges, clearing houses, and brokers had increased initial margin requirements to 100%-150% of contract value from 10-15%.

"Dysfunctional" Futures Market May Lead To Sharp Energy Price Swings

Editorial | Oil & Gas

Editorial | Sustainability

No greater challenge faces humanity than reducing emissions without backsliding into preindustrial poverty. One tiny country is leading the way.

What Does Sustainable Living Look Like? Maybe Like Uruguay

Editorial | Renewables

The tiny island nation of Barbados could wield a big green hydrogen stick while demonstrating that energy and food security can coexist

CleanTechnica

Barbados Seeks Green Hydrogen With Sheep, Too

The largest trade body for the UK’s growing hydrogen sector has published a series of policy recommendations for scaling technologies that enable the production, storage and end-use of low-carbon hydrogen.

Edie

British hydrogen industry sets out policy demands for Liz Truss’s Government

Ensuring an appropriately capitalised and funded green hydrogen industry will be critical to Africa profiting from the world’s decarbonisation needs. But how to get there?

ESI Africa

Hydrogen’s price vs cost factor

The government-backed agency helping to fund the motor industry towards a zero-emission future has warned that with likely shortages of lithium for electric battery production, Britain must lead a transition to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

The Times

Lithium shortages ‘will mean cars must switch to hydrogen’

The retail giant says the renewable form of diesel fuel it's going to use is up to 95% less carbon intensive.

Amazon Will Power Trucks With ‘Electrofuel’ Diesel To Curb Carbon Emissions

Australia will be one of the most competitive markets on the planet for the production of clean hydrogen but has “no time to lose” if it wants to carve out a space in the changing world of energy trade flows, according to McKinsey’s global head of hydrogen.

Australian Financial Review

‘No time to lose’ in race to meet Australia’s hydrogen potential

Crises can force a rethink and drive technological change. Google search results show that global interest in “green hydrogen” was never greater than just before Russia invaded Ukraine. At the time, everyone was asking themselves: “How can global markets replace Russian gas?”

The Promise Of Green Hydrogen

How to Unleash the Potential of New Energy Technology

Can Green Hydrogen Save the Planet?

NGOs write open letter to UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP-FI) calling for bolder measures to ensure banks' net zero pledges are met

A global coalition of NGOs has this week written to many of the world's largest banks, including HSBC, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America, urging them to restrict their financing of fossil fuel projects in order to align with the recently strengthened membership criteria of the UN-backed Race [...]

Business Green

NGOs step up calls for banks to restrict financing of fossil fuels

Latest analysis from Westwood Global Energy Group (Westwood), the specialist energy market research and consultancy firm, reveals that blue hydrogen projects account for over 16 GW of total announced hydrogen capacity in the UK and Norway, equivalent to approximately 90% of the hydrogen projects total for the same region. The UK alone accounts for 13GW capacity

Hydrogen Central

Current Pipeline of Blue Hydrogen Projects Projected to Exceed 2030 Targets in The UK

It's Wednesday, September 14, and Germany's experiment with inexpensive public transit was a boon for the climate.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, became the third U.S. city to endorse a carbon neutrality goal for shipping last week, joining the California cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach in unanimously passing a so-called "Ship It Zero" resolution.

Minneapolis calls for zero-emissions shipping

Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

EcoWatch

A Low-Carbon Chemical Industry Could Create 29 Million Jobs, Study Finds - EcoWatch

Louisiana will get a chance to flex its offshore wind muscles, through a new green hydrogen hub funded by the Build Back Better Regional Challenge.

Build Back Better Lives Again, Now With Green Hydrogen

The chemical maker Dow is teaming with X-energy to use small modular reactors for industrial applications — a model for other manufacturers and a potential replacement for retiring coal plants.

Why Advanced Nuclear Reactors Benefit Industry And Coal-Dependent States

Last Friday, 4 September, the Government of Ireland closed its Consultation1 on Developing a Hydrogen Strategy for Ireland. The consultation comes hot on the heels of the Government setting a new target to install 2GW of green hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

Lexology

Response to the Government of Ireland's Consultation on Developing a Hydrogen Strategy for Ireland

Platinum has a key role in unlocking hydrogen’s contribution to global net zero targets, according to The World Platinum Investment Council.

H2-View

Platinum key to unlocking hydrogen’s potential

A tax credit tucked into Inflation Reduction Act could turbocharge the nascent clean hydrogen industry and turn it into a multitrillion-dollar business in the coming decades.

The clean hydrogen energy economy was a dream. The climate bill could make it a reality this decade

The UN's Cop27 summit, set for early November in Egypt, will be a chance for developing countries to push for climate justice as they suffer the consequences of environmental damage largely created by the developed world.



The Standard

Africa readies to push climate justice agenda at COP27

Hydrogen Europe has written a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claiming parts of the upcoming Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) legislation risk making the industry less competitive than its US counterparts.

Renews

Hydrogen Europe warns of impact of new EU legislation

UAE climate change envoy says Cop summit in 2023 must be practical and ‘leave no nation behind’

The National

Dr Sultan Al Jaber: We have a responsibility to provide billions of people with energy

New protocols for net zero practices are based are designed to help property owners and organisations deliver on decarbonisation goals

Natural Carbon Solutions launches new net zero certification scheme

This week’s Current Climate, which every Saturday brings you the latest news about the business of sustainability.

LG’s $4.4B Battery Plant, Taming Volcanic Brine And More Fuel Cells For Trucks

The German industrial giant plans to make the electric power devices at its South Carolina auto parts plant for Nikola and other truckmakers.

Bosch Is Investing $200 Million To Make Fuel Cells For Hydrogen Trucks In South Carolina

The federal government is developing Clean Energy Regulations (CER) to help move the electrical grid to net-zero emissions. The regulations, among other measures, will encourage adding more renewable energy to the grid, which will eventually replace coal and natural gas electricity generation in Canada.

National Observer 

Canada needs a massive battery

Switching to cleaner hydrogen energy in several sectors can meaningfully support the transition to a net zero future.

Deloitte

Hydrogen: It’s clean, powerful and abundant in nature

China and India have the potential to become world leaders in “clean” hydrogen, said Jane Nakano, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

“I think both China and India have potential to become major powers … not just as potential supplier and also exporters of clean hydrogen, but also [as] consumers [and] users of clean hydrogen,” Nakano told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Friday.

China and India could become clean hydrogen leaders — but the industry has a long way to go, says CSIS

Market price for subsidised green H2 produced on US Gulf Coast can undercut grey hydrogen immediately and continue to cut costs from there, S&P calculates

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