Category

Article

Article, Consumer, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Energy

Oil sector may see spurt in M&A activity

February 1, 2016

Shareholders for the British-based BG Group paved the way for the biggest energy merger in more than five years the other day when they approved the acquisition of their oil and gas company by Royal Dutch Shell for $50 billion. When Shell announced plans for the takeover last April, the proposed deal was widely seen as a possible harbinger of mergers and acquisitions across the industry. But aside from an earlier and still pending bid by the oil service provider Halliburton to buy one of its rivals, Baker Hughes, for $35 billion, no such trend has emerged, despite the plunge in oil prices that has taken place over the last 18 months and its devastating impact on many companies. (Read More)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Energy, Utilities and Providers

Huh? Utilities spur power savings, see profits

January 29, 2016

For nearly 125 years, electric utilities have operated according to one basic business principle: the more power they sell, the more money they make. But the industry founded by Thomas Edison in 1882 now faces the potential for the kinds of upheaval that have transformed telecommunications, transportation, TV programming and other industries. Will the utility as we know it disappear? (Read more)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Economy / Finance, Policy, Regulations, Utilities and Providers

2016: Another volatile year for energy

January 19, 2016

The year 2016 promises to be an eventful one for energy in the U.S. and nations throughout the world, with more turbulence in oil and natural gas markets, new opportunities for solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy, and increasing challenges for the electric grid. The extraordinary slump in oil and natural gas prices is likely to continue this year, with both good and bad implications, depending on which side of the pump is important to you. For consumers, low prices will mean more savings when they fuel their vehicles and homes. But for oil and gas producers, and the entire industry that supports their operations, low prices will dampen the resurgence of U.S. production and lead to more layoffs, bankruptcies and mergers. How extensive is the toll of the price decline on the U.S. shale revolution? How quickly…

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Energy, Policy, Regulations, Utilities and Providers

Why this Ohio utility lauds carbon controls

January 17, 2016

The year 2016 will be a crucial one for electric utilities as they prepare to meet new Environmental Protection Agency regulations requiring them to cut their carbon emissions more than ever. Among the milestones in EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which the agency issued last year, is a requirement for states to submit plans by September to comply with the policy’s requirement to reduce emissions by 32% by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. Utilities will play a big part in the development of those plans. (Read more)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Economy / Finance, Energy, Government and Politics

‘Worst is over’ on oil plunge, CEO says

January 13, 2016

When it comes to putting the best foot forward in difficult times, Harold Hamm does so as surely as anyone in the U.S. oil industry. Since oil prices began spiraling down last year, the CEO of Continental Resources has predicted a recovery sooner than many analysts would venture, and he’s sticking to that point of view even now as the cost of a barrel of crude has sunk to 12-year lows. “The worst is over, I believe,” Hamm said the other day as oil markets struggled to take account of the escalation in tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran and turmoil in the Chinese economy. (Read more)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Energy, Government and Politics, Utilities and Providers

Cheap gas, oil craters: 2015 rocked energy sector

January 3, 2016

The year 2015 has been a tumultuous one for energy throughout the world, including in the U.S. A new era of abundant supplies is emerging here, bringing with it low prices, at least for now. All this comes as the U.S. and other nations take stock of climate change, and the role that producing and using energy plays in the phenomenon. With that in mind, here’s a look back at 10 big developments in energy in the U.S. in 2015. (Read More)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Energy, Technology, Utilities and Providers

Internet of Things puts energy grid to test

December 21, 2015

Electric grids in the U.S. and other countries face more challenges than ever when it comes to providing power reliably and affordability. Aging infrastructure, increasing environmental requirements and the influx of solar and other forms of renewable energy all make running an electric utility smoothly increasingly difficult. Add to that test the explosion of data and the need to generate, store and process it on a real-time basis. (Read More)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Energy

U.S. impact after oil exports resume? Jury’s out

December 16, 2015

U.S. oil producers are preparing to celebrate the end of 40 years of restrictions on exports of crude oil, thanks to a provision in a massive government spending bill awaiting congressional approval. With oil prices recently at seven-year lows and showing no signs of recovery soon, domestic producers say the policy change would give them the same access to global markets that their foreign competitors have enjoyed for years. But the benefits may be more hypothetical than certain, at least for now. (Read more)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Energy

Energy industry loses an executive-suite maverick

December 6, 2015

The resignation of David Crane as chief executive of NRG Energy last week illustrates the risks that leaders of U.S. electric-power companies face in a changing industry. Crane stepped down amid a nosedive in the company’s stock, a slump that reflected investor discomfort over his efforts to transform the company from a traditional supplier of electricity to one increasingly focused on rooftop solar systems, electric-vehicle charging and home energy management. (Read more)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless