** An alleged terror attack temporarily disables a 100 MW solar array in Nevada that provides power to 13 Las Vegas casinos.
** The U.S. Department of Energy has rejected the first batch of bids from oil companies to resupply a small amount of oil to the nation’s emergency crude oil stockpile in February, according to a DOE spokesperson.
** North Dakota regulators schedule a public hearing for a utility’s $790 million plan to more than double the capacity of a natural gas plant and build an associated transmission line. (Mandan News)
** Much of the hydraulic oil that leaked from a hydroelectric dam into a Wisconsin river last November has been cleaned up.
** Colorado climate activists urge Denver’s city council to ban natural gas hookups in new construction and otherwise alter the building code to encourage electrification.
** New Englanders are contending with some of the highest electricity rates in the country this winter as they weather the transatlantic ripple effects of a global gas crunch.
** The American Farm Bureau Federation and machinery manufacturer Deere & Co signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday that ensures farmers have the right to repair their own farm equipment or go to an independent technician.
** As of January 1, a U.S. household can claim a tax credit of up to $150 for an energy audit conducted by a professional inspector.
** Another attempt to impose annual fees on electric vehicles in Montana saw its first legislative committee hearing Friday following Gov. Greg Gianforte’s 2021 veto of a similar measure — and extensive work done since by an interim committee to come up with what the sponsor says is a good compromise.
World
** QatarEnergy and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC announced today they will proceed on construction of a $6 billion integrated polymers complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.
** Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to squeeze Europe by weaponizing energy look to be fizzling at least for now. Mild weather, a wider array of suppliers and efforts to reduce demand are helping, with gas reserves still nearly full and prices tumbling to pre-war levels. After the sharp turnaround over the past month, Europe is likely already through the worst of the crisis.
** Tianqi Lithium Corp. has agreed to buy an Australian lithium explorer in a deal that could accelerate production of enough supply of the metal for around 10 million electric vehicles.
** Hoping to boost his country’s economic prospects and deepen its energy links with China, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhammedov arrived in Beijing on January 5 for a two-day state visit.