Energy news in brief

** Premier Oil has announced plans to buy two oilfield assets from BP in the North Sea for $625m (£474m).The oil company said on Tuesday it would snap up BP interests in five fields in the Andrew area, which is currently producing around 18,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. It said it would also buy BP’s interest in a significant production and infrastructure hub in Shearwater, adding 25 million barrels of oil equivalent in reserves.

** Auto repair shops across South Lake Tahoe are busy fixing vehicles this week after a fuel mix-up at an area Safeway gas station. Notices posted on the pumps at the Safeway located along Lake Tahoe Boulevard said in part, “Due to a delivery error, any diesel fuel, 89 or 91 octane gasolines purchased between 8:00 PM on December 30th and 11:00 AM on January 2nd may be contaminated.” Owner of Sierra Nevada Tire and Wheel, Geoff Bodle, said timing is of the essence when repairing a diesel fuel mix-up.

** An Illinois congressman introduces a bill to authorize $6 billion annually to support the wide-scale deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

** Enbridge says a roughly 40-foot portion of drill rod will remain in the lakebed of the Straits of Mackinac after the company is unable to retrieve it.

** Hilcorp and BP tell Alaska regulators their proposed $5.6 billion North Slope pipeline deal needs no public hearing despite public calls for more transparency.

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