** In the same week that the Biden administration reversed course on whether a ban on the sale of new gas stoves is under consideration, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed banning fossil fuel infrastructure, including lines that power gas stoves and furnaces, in smaller new residential buildings by 2025 and in larger ones by 2028.
** The world will need natural gas for a long time and more investment is required to ensure supply security and affordable prices during the global energy transition, the energy ministers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates said on Saturday.
** Freeport LNG has canceled some upcoming shipments, adding to the uncertainty over when the US liquefied natural gas exporter will resume shipments after an explosion last summer. At least two cargoes scheduled to load at the Texas terminal at the end of January and in early February have been canceled.
** The Biden Administration is finalizing the next five-year offshore leasing program, which has been delayed by several months already, creating yet another uncertainty for the U.S. oil industry which has had to grapple with numerous mixed messages from Washington since President Biden took office.
** Communities in Oregon are contemplating banning natural gas in new buildings. It’s the first such proposal in Oregon, but 20 states representing nearly a third of U.S. residential and commercial gas use had adopted similar legislation as of last August, according to S&P Global.
** Communities in Oregon are contemplating banning natural gas in new buildings. It’s the first such proposal in Oregon, but 20 states representing nearly a third of U.S. residential and commercial gas use had adopted similar legislation as of last August, according to S&P Global.
** Natural gas prices in the US have almost halved in just under a month, and the downward pressure may continue as incremental production is expected to far outstrip demand growth.
** The Tennessee Valley Authority defies critics, clean energy advocates and federal officials by announcing it will stick with fossil fuels and replace a retiring coal plant with a 1,450 MW natural gas plant.
** Tesla filings with Texas show the company plans to spend more than $770 million expanding its electric vehicle factory in Austin this year.
World
** To accelerate the global move toward sustainable vehicles, Toyota is suggesting simply replacing the inner workings of vehicles already on the roads with cleaner technology like fuel cells and electric motors. “I don’t want to leave any car lover behind,” Chief Executive Akio Toyoda said Friday, appearing on the stage at the Tokyo Auto Salon, an industry event similar to the world’s auto shows.
** In just over three weeks, seaborne deliveries of diesel from the European Union’s single biggest external supplier will be all but banned. From Feb. 5, almost all those imports will be banned in an attempt to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine. Replacing that much Russian fuel — imagine about 14,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools all brimming with diesel — is a mighty challenge.
** Last week, Indonesia’s government approved an offshore gas project with a price tag of over $3 billion. On the surface, that’s just business as usual. Below the surface, the move is a direct challenge to China’s territorial claims because the gas block is in the South China Sea.
** The Scottish government has announced a presumption against new oil and gas exploration as part of its new energy strategy. Scottish ministers say they can no longer support the previous position of “maximising economic recovery” of fossil fuel reserves.
** Mexico’s president said Thursday the government is in talks to persuade companies that have started lithium mining projects in Mexico to give up their plans.
** The world will need natural gas for a long time and more investment is required to ensure supply security and affordable prices during the global energy transition, the energy ministers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates said on Saturday.