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Energy

Article, Energy

Nuclear’s future uncertain as natural gas surges

October 18, 2015

Prospects for a nuclear renaissance in the U.S. suffered another blow last week with the announcement by Entergy that it will shut down its Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Mass., by 2019. The New Orleans-based company blamed competition from low-price natural gas as well as state and regional policies that favor gas and renewable energy as the main reasons for its decision to pull the plug on a 680-megawatt plant that can power more than 600,000 homes. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Energy, Technology

Liquefied natural gas to take place of oil, coal?

October 4, 2015

Now may not be the best time to unveil plans to export liquefied natural gas from the U.S. But don’t tell Charles “Buddy” Roemer. The former governor of Louisiana will formally announce Monday one of the largest LNG-export proposals in the U.S., at a time when faltering demand for gas in Asia, as well as low prices, threaten the viability of ventures much further along the way than his. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Climate, Corporations, Energy

Vermont solar plan brightens green energy hopes

September 24, 2015

Once a leading producer of marble in the world, Rutland, Vt., is embracing a new reputation as the “Solar Capital of New England.” Festivities set for Tuesday will commemorate the designation, which may seem modest in comparison to Rutland’s industrial past. But for this city of 16,500, it illustrates a significant movement from old-style ways of providing electricity and perhaps a model for the rest of the U.S. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Energy

A Lone Star leader in solar

September 21, 2015

Doyle Beneby is a leader among U.S. utility executives when it comes to promoting solar energy, and he has the bruises to show for it. As the chief executive of CPS Energy in San Antonio since 2010, Beneby has made solar a priority for generating electricity and new jobs in Texas’ second largest city. (Read More)

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

Cuts in oil industry could get worse

September 8, 2015

The plunge in energy prices has forced companies drilling for oil and natural gas in the U.S. to cut spending substantially and lay off thousands of workers in Texas, North Dakota and other states that depend on the industry. And those companies will likely pull back even more if the banks they rely on for loans tighten their purse strings in anticipation of a slow recovery for oil prices. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Energy

Natural Gas: U.S. producing more than ever

September 2, 2015

The U.S. is producing more natural gas than ever in 2015, despite low prices that make it increasingly difficult for companies to spend money on drilling. In fact, the government’s Energy Information Administration forecasts a 5.4% increase in output this year compared to 2014. But new numbers from EIA suggest some trouble just ahead for gas production, especially in the resource-rich shale formations that have given rise to a U.S. renaissance in oil and gas production. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Energy, Utilities and Providers

Ex-Duke CEO: Here’s how to power the world

August 28, 2015

Jim Rogers spent 25 years as the chief executive of electric and natural gas utilities in the U.S., the last seven as head of Duke Energy, the biggest electric power company in the country. Now, in his retirement from the energy business, Rogers has taken on a new mission: Bringing electricity to the 1.2 billion people in the world who live without it. (Read More)

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by Bill Loveless
Energy, International, Podcast

Turmoil in world oil markets

August 28, 2015

With China’s economy cooling, and oil production still rising in the U.S. and in some OPEC nations, the outlook for world oil supplies and prices remains as uncertain as ever. In a new podcast series for the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, I discuss this continuing volatility with the founder of the think tank, Jason Bordoff. Stay tuned for more installments with newsmakers and analysts from around the world! (Listen Here)

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by Bill Loveless