Other energy notes

** U.S. natural gas futures jumped about 7% to a two-week high on Tuesday on forecasts for colder weather and higher heating demand through at least the end of December.

**  The American Petroleum Institute and the State Enterprise “Ukrainian Scientific Center for Standardization, Certification and Quality Problems” signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote the adoption of API natural gas and oil standards and closer cooperation across a range of training and safety activities.

** California oil and gas industry officials consider suing Los Angeles over its recent drilling ban and plan to phase out existing wells.

** The Ford F-150 Lightning was named MotorTrend’s 2023 Truck of the Year, the second electric pickup in a row to win.

** U.S. passenger cars and trucks made only small efficiency gains from 2016 to 2021, EPA data shows, with fuel economy gaining just 5% when an Obama administration deal called for 20%.

** West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin started a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Tuesday by stating he cannot understand why the Senate did not approve energy permitting reform as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

** Trade disputes and supply chain issues will cause solar installations to decline by almost a quarter this year compared with 2021.

** President Biden’s administration is nearing a final decision on a potentially game-changing oil and gas project that has now been under consideration across five presidencies. The proposed Willow project in the northeast section of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska would produce 180,000 barrels of oil each day, create $10 billion in tax and royalty revenues, and create 2,000 construction jobs and 300 permanent ones.

** Rail operator CSX Corp is changing its workforce attendance policy for unexpected, short-term medical absences next year after U.S. railroads’ sick-time policies became a flashpoint in national labor talks.

 

World

** In a global first, the European Union reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday to impose a carbon tax on imported goods. The move is intended to help European industries avoid being undercut by cheaper goods made in countries with weaker greenhouse gas emission rules.

** Short-term power prices in Europe soared again Wednesday even as a forecast of warmer temperatures and higher winds bring signs of relief from the region’s first major test of winter.

** The UK grid spent more than £27 million ($33.5 million) in just one day paying power stations to crank up supplies at short notice, a cost that will ultimately fall on already stretched consumers.

** India’s rapid advances in solar power production have been widely celebrated for showing how fast-developing economies can accelerate the decarbonisation of their energy systems without jeopardising economic growth.