Environmentalists are pressuring the Biden Administration to halt permitting for planned crude oil export facilities after successfully lobbying for a temporary suspension of LNG export project approvals. The Biden Administration should re-evaluate the approval process and halt issuing permits to deepwater oil export facilities, campaign groups led by Sierra Club said in a letter to the Department of Transportation and the White House.   The climate activists sent the letter a month after the United States Maritime Administration…

The California Public Employees' Retirement System has threatened to vote against the re-election of Exxon chief executive Darren Woods to the company’s board unless it dropped its lawsuit against two activist investors. The Financial Times reported that the threat was a response to Exxon’s retaliation against Arjuna Capital and Follow This, the Dutch Big Oil activist pressure group. In January, the two investors filed a proposal for Exxon shareholders to vote at the annual general meeting on May 29 to have Exxon commit to…

Last month, we reported that scores of beleaguered solar companies in Europe were looking to abandon their home countries and set up shop in the United States amid intense competition from Chinese solar manufacturers as well as favorable solar and clean energy policies in the U.S. To wit, Swiss solar module maker Meyer Burger has revealed plans to stop panel production in Germany and relocate to the United States after failing to garner support from Berlin. Similarly, Norway’s Freyr Battery has stopped…

The Trans Mountain Expansion Project, now finally completed after years of delays, is expanding access to markets for Canadian oil producers and is set to boost the price of Canada’s heavy crude oil for years to come, top executives at the major energy firms say. The expanded pipeline is tripling the capacity of the original pipeline to 890,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 300,000 bpd to carry crude from Alberta’s oil sands to British Columbia on the Pacific Coast.  The Federal Government of Canada bought the Trans Mountain…

Chinese electric vehicles are the talk of the world—or at least that part of it that is busy trying to transition from hydrocarbons-fueled to electric transport. For the most part, that talk is worried, because after turning China into the biggest EV market in the world, local carmakers are eyeing global expansion. Now, there's one more reason to worry: Chinese EV makers are squeezing out foreign brands at home, too. The Financial Times reported this week how Chinese car dealers were dropping foreign ICE brands in favor of local electric models.…

As Canada’s oil and natural gas production hit record high levels, the country is taking pains to amplify its status as a global oil and natural gas superpower. One part of this greater initiative includes an ongoing effort to transform the sector to be less reliant on U.S. markets and infrastructure through strategic expansion of its own industry at a time when the United States is taking a step back. Canada took a major step in that direction on May first when the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project (TMX) finally became…

Via Metal Miner Nickel prices followed other base metals up throughout April, with a nearly 15% month-over-month rise. By late April, prices hit their highest level since September, although they subsequently began to retrace as upside momentum cooled. Overall, the Stainless Monthly Metals Index (MMI) rebounded, with a 9.58% jump from April to May. Outokumpu, Acerinox Post Q1 Results Outokumpu and Acerinox, the parent company of North American Stainless, recently released their first-quarter results. While both producers noted constrained output…

As many as 25 Republican U.S. states sued on Thursday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), challenging the Administration’s strict rules on emissions from power plants. The attorney general of the states filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Reuters reports. At the end of April, EPA announced final rules on emissions reductions of power plants which would force coal-fired power plants that plan to run in the long-term and all new baseload gas-fired plants to capture…

Tokyo University of Science scientists have discovered a stable, highly conductive lithium-ion conductor in the form of a pyrochlore-type oxyfluoride. It’s an innovation addressing the need for non-sulfide solid electrolytes. All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries offer enhanced safety and energy density compared to liquid electrolyte counterparts, but face challenges like lower conductivity and insufficient electrode contact. The non-sulfide solid electrolytes, offer higher conductivity and stability and pave the way for advanced all-solid-state…

India is gearing up to tackle its most significant power deficit in 14 years this June, propelled by a decline in hydropower generation, according to government sources. With projections indicating a shortfall of 14 GW during nighttime hours, the nation's power sector faces a critical challenge, necessitating urgent measures to avert potential outages. The impending deficit is exacerbated by delays in commissioning 3.6 GW of new coal-fired plants, originally slated for operation before March. The situation underscores the critical importance of…

India is gearing up to tackle its most significant power deficit in 14 years this June, propelled by a decline in hydropower generation, according to government sources. With projections indicating a shortfall of 14 GW during nighttime hours, the nation's power sector faces a critical challenge, necessitating urgent measures to avert potential outages. The impending deficit is exacerbated by delays in commissioning 3.6 GW of new coal-fired plants, originally slated for operation before March. The situation underscores the critical importance of…

In 2023, solar energy accounted for three-quarters of renewable capacity additions worldwide. Most of this growth occurred in Asia, the EU, and the U.S., continuing a trend observed over the past decade. In this graphic, Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti illustrates the rise in installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in China, the EU, and the U.S. between 2010 and 2022, measured in gigawatts (GW). Bruegel compiled the data.. Chinese Dominance As of 2022, China’s total installed capacity stands at 393 GW, nearly double that of the EU’s…

Hydrogenone Capital Growth, the investment trust focused on cash into clean hydrogen, has reported a strong performance of its underlying holdings, even though its share price has struggled. The trust’s net asset value (NAV) has grown 0.6 percent since the start of the year, and 3.6 percent since March 2023, it reported in a quarterly portfolio update today. Hydrogen companies in the portfolio Elcogen (19.4 per cent of NAV), HiiROC (15.3 per cent of NAV) and Sunfire (20.9 per cent of NAV) all gained new strategic investments in the period.…

The West African nation of Benin has blocked China’s first shipment of crude oil from Niger amid an ongoing border dispute with Niger following a coup that has put a military junta in power and shaken relations with other African nations.  China’s first imports of crude oil from Niger’s military junta arrived in Benin in three vessels but were prevented by the authorities from docking at the port.  “If you want to load your oil in our waters, you can’t view Benin as an enemy and at the same time expect your…

The West African nation of Benin has blocked China’s first shipment of crude oil from Niger amid an ongoing border dispute with Niger following a coup that has put a military junta in power and shaken relations with other African nations.  China’s first imports of crude oil from Niger’s military junta arrived in Benin in three vessels but were prevented by the authorities from docking at the port.  “If you want to load your oil in our waters, you can’t view Benin as an enemy and at the same time expect your…

The West African nation of Benin has blocked China’s first shipment of crude oil from Niger amid an ongoing border dispute with Niger following a coup that has put a military junta in power and shaken relations with other African nations.  China’s first imports of crude oil from Niger’s military junta arrived in Benin in three vessels but were prevented by the authorities from docking at the port.  “If you want to load your oil in our waters, you can’t view Benin as an enemy and at the same time expect your…

Tesla just fired the staff in charge of its recharging network? No explanation. Best explanation: recharging stations lose money. There’s a chicken and egg problem here. You can’t sell electric vehicles without them. Or perhaps this is an accounting problem. Yet fear of being stranded without a place to recharge may be the most powerful reason not to buy an electric vehicle.  Without a ubiquitous charging network, electric vehicles will remain limited in market share. Shouldn’t the developers of the vehicles underwrite recharging…

As Canadian oil sands companies pour money into optimization and efficiency, S&P Global Commodity Insights has upgraded its 10-year output for a 15% increase in oil sands production by 2030.  In a Thursday report, S&P Global said it now expected Canadian oil sands to produce 3.8 million barrels per day by 2030–or 500,000 barrels per day more than currently–due to optimization efforts.  The 15% increase compares to S&P Global’s earlier forecast that oil sands would see a 3% increase in production by 2030.…

As Canadian oil sands companies pour money into optimization and efficiency, S&P Global Commodity Insights has upgraded its 10-year output for a 15% increase in oil sands production by 2030.  In a Thursday report, S&P Global said it now expected Canadian oil sands to produce 3.8 million barrels per day by 2030–or 500,000 barrels per day more than currently–due to optimization efforts.  The 15% increase compares to S&P Global’s earlier forecast that oil sands would see a 3% increase in production by 2030.…

Barclays’ chair defended its record on climate change, saying there is “plenty of concrete evidence” it is on track to meet its financed emissions targets, at a feisty annual meeting that saw a number of protesters removed. At the bank’s AGM in Glasgow on Thursday, chair Nigel Higgins responded to a string of questions and loud heckles from climate campaigners slamming Barclays’ financing of fossil fuel extraction companies. He asked several individuals chanting phrases including “blood on your hands” and…