Energy briefs

** Nearly three weeks after a geyser shoy 100 feet into the air from a Reeves County, Texas oilfield, it is still gushing. The blowout is at an old well, once owned by a Kinder Morgan subsidiary.

** Labor advocates say training unionized oil and gas workers to plug orphaned oil and gas wells would help create jobs and economic security for workers in the field. 

** Energy company PSEG unveils the proposed route for a controversial 70-mile transmission line in Maryland that has drawn opposition from landowners, farmers, and environmental advocates.

** Three years after Illinois passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which aims for 40% renewable energy by 2030, the state isn’t meeting its annual clean energy goals. Just 7% of the state’s retail electricity came from wind and solar in 2023-2024, far less than a goal of 22% included in CEJA, according to data from the Illinois Power Agency.

** General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor (F) will likely have a tough time convincing investors when they report results that Detroit’s pricing power for gasoline cars is still strong and losses from their EV ventures are dwindling. GM is set to release its results for the July to September period on Oct. 22, while crosstown rival Ford will report on Oct. 28.

World

** Venezuela detained former Oil Minister Pedro Tellechea over the weekend as part of an internal purge at the state oil company after President Nicolás Maduro’s disputed reelection. Tellechea, a technocrat from the petrochemical sector, served as oil minister until Aug. 27, when he was replaced by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.

** India’s top policy think tank has proposed halting the fitting of equipment to cut sulphur emissions at coal-fired power plants, according to a document seen by Reuters, reigniting debate over the country’s commitment to cleaning its dirty air.

** More than 40 climate scientists are urging Nordic ministers to prevent global warming from causing a major change in an Atlantic Ocean current, which could trigger abrupt shifts in weather patterns and damage ecosystems.

** German automakers should not be afraid of competition from China, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday at the opening of Mercedes-Benz’s first battery recycling plant, an investment he described as part of Germany’s new industrial policy agenda.

** Saudi Aramco is bullish on China’s oil consumption after the government introduced a raft of stimulus measures aimed at reviving Asia’s biggest economy, Chief Executive Officer Amin H. Nasser said.

** Qatar is finding it hard to agree new deals to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Japan and South Korea as rising competition from the U.S. and elsewhere with more flexible contract terms challenges Doha’s decades-old dominance of the market. Qatar was once the top LNG supplier to Japan and South Korea, but buyers are showing preference for supplies from the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.