** Power generated by wind turbines in the United States hit a milestone last week, becoming the second-highest source of electricity in the country for a 24-hour period, according to the Energy Information Administration.
** New Fortress Energy Inc. is new to the LNG-export game, but its billionaire chief has big plans. Within a couple of years, he aims to supply as much as 11 million metric tons of the superchilled fuel annually — the equivalent of almost 16% of total U.S. exports.
** The White House held a classified briefing on Wednesday with some U.S. lawmakers on the dire risks to the American economy from semiconductor supply chain issues as it pushes Congress for $52 billion in funding to subsidize production.
** A court on Tuesday blocked a plan from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) to combat climate change by curbing carbon emissions, saying the regulation was “pending further order of the court.”
** Toyota customers soon won’t be able to get U.S. federal tax credits for buying electric or hybrid vehicles. The automaker expects that sometime before the end of June it will reach a 200,000-vehicle cap on the credits, Bob Carter, Toyota’s head of North American sales, said Wednesday.
** General Motors restarts production and shipments of its Bolt electric vehicle and expects sales to rebound after vehicle fires prompted a high-profile recall last year.
World
** Saudi Arabia’s state oil producer is set to hike prices across regions as the kingdom’s advantage in the market grows amid the Ukraine crisis, blowing past an April record.
** Shell will write down up to $5 billion after its decision to leave Russia – more than previously disclosed. The oil major said Thursday (April 7) the post-tax impairments of between $4 billion and $5 billion in the first quarter will not impact the company’s earnings – due to be announced in early May.
** A proposed pipeline to deliver natural gas from deposits in the east Mediterranean to European markets is too expensive, not economically viable and will take too long to help countries seeking alternatives to Russian gas any time soon, stated U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland after talks with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
** The Canadian government on Wednesday approved a $12 billion offshore oil project proposed by Norway’s Equinor ASA, after an environmental assessment concluded it would not cause significant adverse effects.
** Argentina is grappling with shortages of diesel fuel that powers tractors and trucks just as the soybean and corn harvests pick up in the powerhouse crop exporter.
** Russian gas deliveries to Europe via the Yamal-Europe pipeline reversed direction to flow from Germany to Poland on Thursday morning and supplies via Ukraine also eased, all in line with requests from customers.
** The UK could reconsider its 2019 moratorium on fracking as it is leaving “all options on the table” to boost its domestic oil and gas supply and reduce dependence on foreign energy in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
