** An Energy Transfer natural gas transmission pipeline exploded on Thursday, setting off a two-hour fire in a rural area on the west edge of Houston, according to state and local officials. The blaze was extinguished at about 12:10 p.m. CDT , according to the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and natural gas drilling and energy pipelines in the state. No injuries were reported from the explosion and fire.
** Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc said it bought another 12 million shares of Occidental Petroleum Corp this week, giving it an 18.7% stake in the oil company. The purchases were made on Tuesday and Wednesday and cost about $698 million, Berkshire said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
** A prominent mainline Christian denomination plans to divest from five oil companies it believes are not doing enough to address climate change. The vote to divest from Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Marathon Petroleum, Phillips 66 and Valero Energy comes after years of debate in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
** Toyota has become the third automaker, after Tesla and General Motors, to sell more than 200,000 plug-in electric vehicles, the threshold set by Congress for each automaker before triggering a phase-out period for the credit.
** Houston based GD Energy Products (GDEP), has opened a new aftermarket facility in Shreveport. This new 9,000 square foot facility will help increase customer service and support capabilities in the Louisiana and East Texas region.
** A controversial plan to expand logging in Yosemite National Park has been temporarily halted under a recent court order from a federal judge.
World
** Shell said it’s constructing the largest green hydrogen plant in Europe, which will generate 200 megawatts (MW) of power without emitting any carbon. The plant, to be completed in 2025, will even draw electricity from an offshore wind farm that Shell is also building.
** Ukraine opposes Canada handing over a turbine to Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom for natural gas supplies to Germany as the move would contravene sanctions on Russia, a Ukrainian energy ministry source told Reuters on Thursday.
** The U.S. Department of the Treasury extended the authorization of export and re-export of liquefied petroleum gas to Venezuela until July 2023.
** The global solar panel supply chain is too concentrated in China, the International Energy Agency has warned in a new report. The report, titled Solar PV Global Supply Chains, notes that China has been instrumental in bringing down solar PV production costs.
** Exxon Mobil Corp said it has delivered the first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) cargo to Changi Airport, as part of a one-year pilot programme to test the new fuel for planes.
** Colombia’s highest administrative court on Thursday ruled against a lawsuit looking to nullify rules that would allow fracking projects in the Andean country, effectively overturning a moratorium on the commercial development of non-conventional oil and gas deposits, it said in a statement.