** U.S. oil producer Apache Corp on Friday said it was suspending drilling in the North Sea and reducing its British workforce because high taxes have made the operation less competitive. The unit of APA Corp did not say how many workers would be cut as a result of the move.
** The White House on Friday said electric-vehicle charging stations using Tesla standard plugs would be eligible for billions of dollars in federal subsidies as long as they included the U.S. charging standard connection, CCS, as well.
** Dynegy Midwest Generation, LLC, owner of the retired Vermilion Power Station, announced it has agreed to and obtained judicial approval of a comprehensive settlement regarding alleged violations of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act at the former power plant.
** One of the first climate change trials in U.S. history is underway in Helena, Montana, where 16 young people are seeking to hold the state accountable for fossil fuel-friendly policies that they say have exacerbated global warming and dimmed their futures.
** After years of delays, a plan to build America’s first commercial-size floating wind turbine off the Maine coast could be scrapped because the project has become too large, complicated and expensive.
** A judge reverses his April order halting construction on NorthWestern Energy’s Laurel natural gas plant in Montana, citing a new state law that bars agencies from considering climate impacts in environmental reviews.
World
** U.S.-based oil major Chevron will invest more than $500 million to develop the Trapial block in western Neuquen province, home to the massive Vaca Muerta shale basin, Argentina’s economy ministry announced on Friday.
** Chinese car makers including Chery have held talks with UK officials about manufacturing in Britain in a potential boost for the country’s under-pressure auto industry. Talks are understood to be at an early stage. However, they could lay the groundwork for potential investment in the future.
** German investigators are examining evidence suggesting a sabotage team used Poland as an operating base to damage the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
** Nigeria’s downstream oil regulator has alleged ExxonMobil Corp was involved in the illegal lifting of petroleum products from an offshore terminal, according to a letter of complaint to the petroleum ministry seen by Reuters. Exxon denied the accusation, saying in an emailed response that its “operations are carried out in full compliance with the law”.
** The number of fossil fuel companies setting net-zero emissions targets has risen sharply over the past year, but most fail to address key concerns, making them “largely meaningless”, a report by Net Zero Tracker showed on Monday.
** Severe power shortages in northern Vietnam are beginning to ease, allowing manufacturers to extend operating hours after blackouts curtailed production. Thousands of factories in the region, which houses plants owned by Samsung Electronics Co. and suppliers to iPhone-maker Apple Inc., have gone without sufficient power since nationwide outages began last month.