Energy NEWS

Vulcan Energy Resources’ (VUL) pilot plant team has achieved target specification for a direct lithium extraction (DLE) feed into its pilot plant.Vulcan is aiming to become the world’s first lithium producer with net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Its Zero Carbon Lithium Project is set to produce a battery-quality lithium hydroxide chemical product from its combined geothermal energy and lithium resource.

A 5MW/7.45MWh battery storage project near Milton Keynes – Thrive Renewables’ first – has this month entered into construction. Initial ground works and site preparation have begun, and will be followed by the earthing installation. The project is expected to be fully operational in August of this year, with Wicken to provide flexibility and balancing services, charging the batteries when clean energy is abundant and exporting it back to the grid during peak usage times.

Engineering firm Ramboll will provide high-level support to the VindØ consortium in planning the world’s first energy island in the North Sea. The Danish company is providing detailed studies of possible activities on the island, also due to be called VindØ, which is slated to include windfarms with a combined generating capacity of 10GW. The company is also looking at including a data centre in plans for the project.

BJ Energy Solutions' first 40,000 Horsepower (HHP) TITAN fleet began a phased deployment in the Haynesville on Jan. 5, becoming fully operational by Jan. 31. The fleet has surpassed a cumulative 7,000 TITAN pump hours and is the first fleet to use 100% natural gas for fracturing completions in the Haynesville.

Following a traditional Hawaiian blessing, Clearway Energy Group broke ground on two utility-scale solar projects in Mililani and Waiawa, Hawai‘i, advancing the state’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045. The 39 MW Mililani I Solar and 36 MW Waiawa Solar Power sites will be paired with a combined 300 MWh of storage, becoming among the first utility-scale battery storage and solar on the island.

MEXICO CITY: Mexico's lower house of Congress on Wednesday approved changes to existing legislation that could allow the government to revoke private oil companies' permits to import gasoline and other fuels.The initiative, part of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's efforts to strengthen state influence over the energy market at the expense of private capital, passed with 292 votes in favor, 153 votes against and 11 abstentions.

Clearway Energy Group (Clearway) has closed financing and begun repowering construction on Pinnacle, a 55 MW wind farm in Keyser, West Virginia, US. Pinnacle represents the first repowering project for Clearway in West Virginia and marks the company’s fourth overall repowering effort. “We’re thrilled to deepen our roots in West Virginia by extending the life of Pinnacle,” said Valerie Wooley, Vice President of Origination at Clearway.

At least one-fifth of the world’s 2,000 largest public companies, representing sales of nearly $14 trillion, now have net-zero commitments, according to a new report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) and Oxford Net Zero. It added that majorities of those companies also have interim targets, a published plan and a reporting mechanism, with just over a quarter meeting a full set of ‘robustness criteria’.

Top Indian officials are discussing whether to set a goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, yet little analytical work has been done on just what the country will have to do to meet that target. In February, the International Energy Agency found it’s possible for India to zero out its emissions by the mid-2060s.

Titan Division of Hunting Energy Services, today introduced its new PowerSet Recon addressable power charge. Enabled by Hunting’s ControlFire Recon technology, PowerSet Recon is industry’s only fully addressable power charge, which can be interrogated downhole with ControlFire software and at the surface with Hunting’s VeriFire panel. Complete with a built-in initiation device that eliminates the need for plug switches and igniters, PowerSet Recon is available in sizes #10F (fast-burning) and #20, and is compatible with Hunting’s T-Set setting tools.

Renewable energy firm, ReNew Power, on Monday said it has entered the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) list of companies recognised for using new technologies to achieve sustainable growth. It added that it is the world’s first clean energy company and one of the only two Indian firms to be recognised by the WEF’s Global Lighthouse Network this year.

Adani Green Energy on Monday said it has commissioned a 100-megawatt (MW) wind power project in Kutch, Gujarat. It added that with this project, the company has reached an operational wind generation capacity of 497 MW and a total operational renewable capacity to 3,345 MW.The plant has a power purchase agreement with the solar energy corporation of India at Rs 2.82 per unit.

Chandrapur: The Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS) constantly working to maintain performance and efficiency of energy production has successfully achieved success in PAT cycle-II standards.The plant has 1,88,900 positive EScerts (energy saving certificate) at an estimated cost of Rs18.89 crore.

India’s petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said that there is an increased push for adopting “hydrogen fuel mix."This comes in the backdrop of India’s National Hydrogen Energy Mission in the works, which may mandate fertilizer, steel and petrochemicals industries to shift to green hydrogen use.

Jennifer Granholm used her first speech as U.S. Energy Secretary to warn oil and gas companies they risk being left behind unless they embrace a transition to cleaner sources of energy, while also offering them an opportunity to partner with the new administration. Granholm’s remarks come as the Biden administration seeks to reassure hundreds of thousands of workers in oil, gas, and coal who feel imperilled by his fight against climate change, which includes a plan to rid the economy of carbon emissions by 2050.

Abu Dhabi’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed, has cemented his control over the emirate’s state energy company by becoming chairman of a newly-established board of directors. The decision comes after Abu Dhabi in December merged the Supreme Petroleum Council, which used to set the government’s energy policy, with a new Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs. Other members of the executive board include Khaldoon Al Mubarak, head of Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co., and Suhail Al Mazrouei, the UAE’s energy minister.

Transaction covers all of Equinor’s operated and non-operated acreage, totaling 242,000 net acres, and associated midstream assets in the Bakken. “Equinor is optimizing its oil and gas portfolio to strengthen profitability and make it more robust for the future,” says Anders Opedal, president and chief executive officer of Equinor. The effective date of the transaction is 1 January 2021. Closing is subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including authority approvals.

Wind farms and massive arrays of solar panels are cropping up across s the world. Joe Biden, has directed the Interior Department to identify suitable places to host 20 gigawatts of new energy from sun, wind, or geothermal resources by 2024 as part of an effort to move away from a carbon-based economy and electrical grid.