Evergy announced it will build a 10-megawatt solar farm near its coal-fired power plant in northeast Kansas City. The company stated that half of the energy from the solar farm will go to serve the firm’s entire base of 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri reported the Kansas Reflector. Click here for Kansas Reflector
Category: General
Senators review nation’s hydropower abilities
Oklahoma U.S. Sen. James Lankford and others on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will explore hydropower during a hearing on Tuesday. Led by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, the committee hearing will examine the opportunities and challenges for maintaining existing hydropower capacity, expanding hydropower at non-powered dams and increasing pumped storage hydropower. The …
Tesla unveils giant Megapack battery project in South Texas
While the new Tesla car-manufacturing plant near Austin, Texas is about to open for production, the company has also gone public with a giant Megapack battery project south of Houston. Online publication electrek described it as one of the biggest yet…an 81-Megapack project. Click here for electrek
Tuesday’s other energy headlines
** Regional prices of crude oil pumped in Western Canada and in North Dakota have risen this week to lower their discounts to the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, after freezing winter temperatures disrupted crude flows from Alberta’s oil sands and the Bakken shale play in the United States. ** Coal burned for electricity spiked 17% in 2021, …
Fiery train derailment near Wichita Falls
No injuries were reported in a fiery train derailment near Wichita Falls, Texas. The accident occurred near the small town of Oklaunion and resulted in several cars carrying denatured alcohol bursting into flames. No evacuations were needed according to the Wichita Falls Times Record. Fire crews from Wichita Falls, Vernon and Sheppard Air Force …
Texas Railroad Commission takes necessary stand on oilfield earthquakes
The move by the Texas Railroad Commission to crack down on wastewater disposal wells in the state’s share of the Permian Basin is long overdue according to one writer. It’s a move that echoed what Oklahoma regulators did some years ago following a surge in earthquakes in the state’s oil and gas drilling regions. …
Oil ended lower Friday leaving Oklahoma energy stocks with mixed results
Crude oil trading left U.S. prices right at about the $79 a barrel mark on Friday, down slightly from Thursday but still with a 5% gain for the week. It also left Oklahoma energy stocks confused, resulting in a mix of gains and losses. Analysts blamed supply worries over the deadly unrest in Kazakhstan …
Baker Hughes reports increased nationwide rig count
The most recent rig activity report from Baker Hughes showed an increase of 2 to to 588 oil and gas rigs nationwide while Oklahoma’s count was unchanged at 49. The Oklahoma numbers compared to 18 reported one year ago by Baker Hughes. Texas remained of course the state with the largest count at 274 …
New Mexico gets nearly $1 million settlement with Hillcorp Energy
Texas oil and gas company Hilcorp Energy agreed to pay $932,500 to settle violations relating to remediation plans at six of its New Mexico facilities. The settlement was announced by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Oil Conservation Division. It said the settlement of the notice of violation, or NOV, involved sites in …
New Mexico wind complex comes online
Another major wind project has become operational in central New Mexico. Pattern Energy Group LP announced its Western Spirit Wind complex of four wind parks in the state is completed, making it the largest single-phase renewable energy project in the U.S. reported Renewables Now. Click here for Renewables Now.