Renewable Energy -- July 5, 2026

Locator: 51116RENEWABLES.

The cost of renewables:

Wind Energy Storage Facility Apparently Approved -- But We're Not There Yet -- January 7, 2026

Locator: 49828NDENERGY.

The Bismarck Tribune has this story behind a paywall: North Dakota regulators on Wednesday approved the state's first energy storage facility. where will that storage facility be?

Google Gemini, no paywall:

• Key data points:

• key developer: NextEra Energy
• purpose: to store excess energy from nearby wind farms
• 140 megawatts; Bis-Man for four hours 
• ND's first energy storage facility
• Emmons County, 20 miles NE of Linto
• second facility planned
• Burke County, 10 miles south of Columbus 

How much energy could be stored, link here:

It would store up to 140 megawatts of power from a nearby wind farm in times of increased demand. As an example, that much power could keep the Bis-Man area and the Mandan refinery running up to four hours, according to the Public Service Commission.

How much would the Linton project cost: $180 million. 

 

Trump Halts Orsted Wind Project Off Rhode Island -- Saturday, August 23, 2025

Locator: 48935WIND.

Payback is hell! Payback is delicious! Doug Burgum remembers very, very well how the Keystone XL pipeline was canceled even after all permits were obtained and construction had already begun. The Orsted "stop" is even more delicious: the project was almost complete. Sure, Judge Boasberg will step in but it will be tied up in court for a long time.

Tag: wind New England. Revolution Wind Project

This project has been mentioned several times on the blog. 

Links everywhere; here's one.

From the linked article:

Wow. Does this administration ever sleep?

See also this blog from just the other day, earlier this week.

Wednesday -- May 7, 2025

Locator: 48599B.

Real ID: kicks in today. Law passed in 2005. Every president kicked the can down the road. President Trump? First 100 days.

UK wind: top story of the day. Orsted cancels major UK offshore wind farm. Link here.

Rivian: unlike Lucid, having a few problems. Link here. Cuts EV delivery outlook; cites tariff impact.

AMD: huge jump in revenue, q/q. Link here. $3.7 billion vs $610 million one year ago.

Vistra: swings to 1Q25 loss. Link here.

*****************************
Back to the Bakken

WTI: $59.64.

New wells:

Thursday, May 8, 2025: 23 for the month, 123 for the quarter, 315 for the year,
41141, conf, CLR, Stangeland 11-7HSL,

Wednesday, May 7, 2025: 22 for the month, 122 for the quarter, 314 for the year,
41261, conf, BR, Tilton Diamond Forest 2A-ULW-R,
40714, conf, Silver Hill Energy, Tank E 156-98-1-12-5MBH,

RBN Energy: Whitewater and Company-led JV expand role in moving Permian gas to coast. Archived.

Several large, publicly held midstream companies play critical roles in transporting crude oil, natural gas and NGLs from the Permian Basin to markets along the Gulf Coast, and all of them are investing hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars to expand their Permian-to-Gulf infrastructure. But there’s a privately held outlier among them — WhiteWater Midstream, which has developed key gas pipelines in Texas and has been partnering with MPLX, Enbridge and others to own and develop a few more. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the growing portfolio of WhiteWater and the WPC joint venture (JV) and discuss highlights from our new Drill Down Report on Permian-to-Gulf infrastructure projects.

Even amid the economic uncertainty triggered by the ongoing trade war, a long list of publicly held midstreamers — Enterprise Products Partners, Energy Transfer, Targa Resources, Phillips 66 (P66) and ONEOK among them — are developing an even longer list of crude-, gas- and NGL-related projects in the Permian and from West Texas to the Gulf Coast. Gathering systems. Gas processing plants. Pipelines. Fractionators. Export terminals.

WhiteWater Midstream, whose name is familiar to everyone interested in the Permian, is a different animal — a giraffe among zebras, you might say. Austin-based and with financial backing from I Squared Capital and other private-equity sources, WhiteWater was formed in 2016 and has been involved in developing several key gas pipelines and other gas-related assets between the Permian and the Gulf Coast.

Figure 1. WhiteWater and WPC JV Assets and Projects. Source: RBN

First came Agua Blanca (dark-purple line in Figure 1). This pipeline system delivers natural gas from a number of processing plants in the Permian’s Delaware Basin to the Waha Hub. Agua Blanca started in 2018 as a 72-mile system with a capacity of 1.4 Bcf/d; it has been expanded several times since then and now has more than 200 miles of pipe and a capacity of more than 3 Bcf/d. The pipeline is currently owned by WhiteWater (75%), Enbridge (15%), and MPLX (10%). The three companies also share ownership of the 400-MMcf/d Carlsbad Gateway gas pipeline system (light-blue line) in the Delaware, which feeds residue gas into Agua Blanca. 

AI Is An Energy Story -- Monday, April 28, 2025

Locator: 48531B.

WTI: $63.07.

New wells:

• Tuesday, April 29, 2025: 94 for the month, 94 for the quarter, 301 for the year,
• 40669, conf, Grayson Mill, Scott 13-24 9HR,
• 25074, conf, Grayson Mill, Sand Creek State 153-96-16-3H,
• Monday, April 28, 2025: 92 for the month, 92 for the quarter, 299 for the year,
• 41068, conf, BR, Tilton 3E, 
• Sunday, April 27, 2025: 91 for the month, 91 for the quarter, 298 for the year,
• 40728, conf, Phoenix Operating, Axel Ferrari 25-36-15H,
• 40727, conf, Phoenix Operating, Axel Ferrari 25-36-1 4H,
• Saturday, April 26, 2025: 89 for the month, 89 for the quarter, 296 for the year,
• 41148, conf, BR, Devils Backboe 5B,
• 40726, conf, Phoenix Operating, Axel Ferrari 25-36-1 2H,
• 40725, conf, Phoenix Operating, Axel Ferrari 25-36-1-1H-LL,
• 40707, conf, Phoenix Operating, Axel Ferrari 25-36-1 3H,
• 40491, conf, Oasis, Lee N 5201 21-5 2B, 

RBN Energy: counting on a boom in natural gas demand for power?

Rising demand for electricity to serve data centers, manufacturing and other power-consuming sectors of the economy is spurring the development of scores of gas-fired plants — up to 100 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity by 2040. How much power those new plants will actually generate — and, with that, how much natural gas they will require — remain open questions, however. A recent study indicates that the vast majority of incremental power demand over the next 15 years could be supplied by solar and wind and that gas demand for power may remain pretty much flat. But the Trump administration’s dim view of most renewables — and clear preference for fossil fuels — suggest otherwise. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss gas demand for power in the late 2020s and 2030s.

Trump: first 100 days as of April 30, 2025. His term has just begun. He's farther along on his second term path than he was at similar point in his first term

RWE: for the US -- wind is dead. 

Solar: plan B. Needs natural gas back up.

Someone has the wrong data, and I certainly can't sort it out. Link here. I'm particularly concerned about the "USA" projection.

For The Archives -- I'm Lovin' It -- oilprice.com -- April 25, 2025

Locator: 48520WIND.

This is for the archives. Everyone of my readers has seen this story. If not, they're not paying attention. LOL.

Lede: 

Germany's RWE just pulled the plug on its U.S. offshore wind business.

Quietly. No fireworks, no headlines about thousands of turbines scrapped—just a dry admission that it's "halting activities" in American waters.

For one of Europe’s biggest green energy giants to walk away from a market as large as the U.S., in the middle of an energy transition no less, is not just a business decision.

It’s a red flag.

The exit—confirmed by a speech manuscript published ahead of a yet-to-be-delivered speech by the company’s CEO—comes as RWE rethinks where and how it deploys capital. In March, the company slashed $11 billion off its low-carbon investment plan, citing rising costs, hostile regulatory environments, and a spike in its required return on investment from 8% to 8.5%. In other words: too risky, too expensive, too slow. [Sounds like the US oil sector, under Biden, Kerry, Pocahontas, and many others.]

RWE's CEO, Markus Krebber, had already warned last fall that Trump’s return to power could delay or derail projects on the U.S. East Coast. Now, the company is making that pivot official. All U.S. offshore wind operations are paused—indefinitely—and RWE will instead chase safer, more lucrative projects in places like Germany, where it just broke ground on a new 22.8-MW onshore wind farm.

Blaming the failure of an inefficient business plan on Trump. So, what else is new?

*************************
Meanwhile

Link here.

Again, for the archives, my readers have already seen this story.

Global Climate Change Economy Teeters -- January 30, 2025

Locator: 48443GREEN.

Global climate change economy teeters: Bloomberg link here.  

**********************
For The Archives

Link here.

**************************
For The Archives

Link here.

I flew with the 525 TFS, Bitburg Air Base, Germany, from 1984 - 1986, and again, from 1989 - 1993, also Bitburg AB, Germany. My primary a/c was the F-15. 

 In the photo below, the F-15 is the second a/c from the POV of the aircrew member pictured.

The 525 TFS mascot: an English bulldog, or "the bulldog."

Link here.

Electric Rates By State -- EIA -- Most Recent Data For October, 2024

Locator: 44556ELECTRICITY.

Observations:

The New England numbers, particularly Rhode Island, were so egregious in the original post, I was wondering if I made a mistake in my math. Nope. 

Link here. Offshore wind comes at high cost to Northeast taxpayer.

Today, Rhode Island’s residential electricity costs nearly two and half times more than the U.S. average. Over the past decade, the state’s electricity prices have risen 81 percent, two-and-a-half times the rate of increase of the average U.S. residential price. Why is it so expensive? Renewable energy and green mandates. Is it going to get more expensive? Yes, and offshore wind will be the primary driver.

Link here. Offshore wind project will save New England taxpayers $3.75 / month / capita.

Link here. Same.

Original Post

Link here. 

From October, 2022, to October, 2024, two years later, residential electricity rates increased by:

• 65% in Rhode Island (this was a big story on the blog a year ago)
  
• 56% in California (charging all those EVs at night)
  
• 40% in Texas (that's what wind energy does for you)
  
• 26% in Virginia (largest LDC electricity draw in the US)
  
• 18% in Arizona (think TSMC)
• 13% in Minnesota (do they get a lot of electricity from North Dakota?)
  

Meanwhile, over the same period, residential electricity rates decreased by:

• 2% in North Dakota
• 5% in Missouri

The raw data has been double / triple checked as reported by the EIA. Calculations need to be checked; I often make simple arithmetic errors.

Just two of the many Rhode Island off-shore wind stories since 2014. If you want to see more, search on the blog: Rhode Island wind. This is exactly what happened to Germany.

From the blog, August 2, 2020:

Wind power: expensive! This is from the NY Post so almost "no one" will pay attention, but those who do will think it's a fake story -- wind costing upwards of $500 / MWh.

Of course, in North Dakota where coal and natural gas is used, one can see electricity as low as $30 / MWh. One can track electricity rates in New England and in New York.

From the linked NY Post article:

Consider Rhode Island’s 30-megawatt, six-turbine offshore wind project located off Block Island and operated by Deepwater Wind. A decade ago, Rhode Island’s public utility commission rejected the project, concluding that the sky-high prices it would charge the local electric utility would adversely affect consumers. Yet the Rhode Island legislature ignored consumer interests and forced the commission to approve a 20-year contract.

At the start, in 2016, the local utility paid $245 per megawatt-hour for the project’s electricity, with a guaranteed increase of 3.5 percent each year. In 2035, the last year of the contract, the price will be an eye-popping $470 per MWh. By contrast, the average price of wholesale electricity in New England last year was about $31/MWh. In New York, average prices ranged between $22 per MWh upstate to $51 per MWh in Gotham.

Elsewhere, the dozen offshore projects now under development have lower-priced contracts, but they are still far higher than market prices. In New York, the first-year prices for the 816 MW Empire Wind and 880 MW Sunrise Wind projects will be $99/MWh and $110/MWh, respectively. And that’s cheap compared to electricity from some other wind projects in the Atlantic, which range from $77.76/MWh to $202/MWh.

From the blog, December 18, 2016:

A big "thank you" to a reader spotting this one. From IER, December 16, 2016, a most expensive offshore wind farm becomes operational. Data points (these are my original data points; some are in error, see updates above):

• off the coast of Rhode Island
• Block Island Wind Farm
• 30 MW facility -- repeat, a 30MW facility
• five large offshore turbines; GE Renewable Energy; operated by Deepwater Wind
• to supply energy to 1,000 full-time residents of Block Island (this was an error; see update at link)
  
• years and years of state / federal / town hall meetings / yada, yada, yada
• $300 million 
• $10,000/kw
• 10 times more than the cost of a new natural gas combined cycle unit
• 58% more costly than what the EIA expects a first-of-a-kind offshore wind unit to cost

********************************
The Book Page

So, what am I reading during the holiday break?

A Hell of a Storm: The Battle For Kansas, The End of Compromise, and the Coming of the Civil War, David S. Brown, c. 2024. 

The New India: The Unmaking of the World's Largest Democracy, Rahul Bhatia, c. 2024. Part of the trilogy I have put together.

The Greeks: A Global History, Roderick Beaton, c. 2021.

Sharks of the World: A Complete Guide, David A Ebert, Mare Dando and Sarah Fowler, c. 2013. With Sophia. 

The Shakespeare Guide to Italy: Retracing The Bard's Unknown Travels, Richard Paul Roe, c. 2011.

The Greeks: A Global History, Roderick Beaton, c. 2021.

The Day The Music Died -- December 28, 2024

Locator: 44555BP.

This is old news but it's popping up again on social media.

Just a reminder, the day the music died.

And just another reminder, what BP used to stand for ("Beyond Petroleum"). Now? Back to Petroleum.

But, apparently, one thing at a time:

Danish Debacle -- August 23, 2024

Locator: 48441WIND.

Link here. 

EVs -- The Wall Street Journal -- August 22, 2024

Locator: 48485EVS.

Updates

August 23, 2024: link here. Another write-down.

Original Post

Link here.

Canceling plans .... not just delaying development and/or production but canceling plans.

Ford Motor’s decision this week to kill a highly touted future electric vehicle is a sign that the industry’s pullback on EVs is deepening.

The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker said Wednesday it is canceling plans for an electric, family-hauler sport-utility vehicle that Chief Executive Jim Farley once touted as a “personalized bullet train.”

The move added to the drumbeat of news from carmakers of delayed or scrapped investments into EV models, factories and battery projects.

General Motors, Volkswagen, Mercedes and other automakers also have curbed their EV ambitions in recent months.

Taken together, the walked-back plans are an acknowledgment that the big investments outlined at the start of the decade got ahead of the consumer’s appetite for a full switch to EVs.

While surveys have shown that as many as half of U.S. consumers are open to buying an electric car, their relatively high prices and concerns over charger availability are dissuading many. EV sales in the U.S. and other regions are still growing, but the pace of the increase has decelerated sharply, despite many new models hitting the market.

Reminder from earlier this summer --

• July 25, 2024: holy mackerel! Ford reports massive losses on EVs and warranty costs.   
  

****************************
Wind 

The debacle worsens. 

Wind -- August 15, 2024

Locator: 48427WIND.

".... Orsted had to cancel two major projects in the US last year after delays and supply chain issues added unmanageable costs. The latest trouble shows developers still can't predict all the costs in this generation of major projects." 

• key words / phrases:
• unmanageable costs
• supply chain issues (still? how long will they use this excuse)
• still can't predict all the costs
• this generation? of major projects -- what generation is this?

Link here.

California Off-Shore Wind -- August 13, 2024

Locator: 48402CA_WIND.

Link here. 

Don't underestimate the Californians. Money is no object if they get a crazy idea. Exhibit A? The Bullet Train.

Headlines -- July 18, 2024

Locator: 48178WIND.

Tag: Putin oil Russia wind

If Putin can hang on just a bit longer, the next administration will throw him a lifeline. Link here. Americans simply want less expensive gasoline.

Wind. Link here. Not a good print for the Biden administration. Speaking of which, has anyone heard anything from the president in the last 24 horus? Cape Wind: poster child for the failed wind industry in the US.

ERCOT --Wind Will Be The Limiting Factor Later This Evening -- May 26, 2024

Locator: 47182ERCOT.

Link here. 

Generally speaking, as the sun goes down in Texas, the wind picks up, providing the extra "kick" needed to meet demand going into the evening. Tonight, it looks like wind could be a limiting factor. Texas electricity demand won't exceed supply but cost will be exorbitant as the spread narrows in the early evening.

Major Advances In Battery Technology And Improving Financials Make Renewable Energy A No-Brainer -- May 5, 2024

Locator: 47069RENEWABLES.

Link here.

Proposed McLean County Wind Farm Permit Denied -- Not Likely To Be End Of Story -- But Vote Was Unanimous -- April 18, 2024

Locator: 47035WIND.

Link here. From The Bismarck Tribune.

Plans to put what would be North Dakota's largest standalone wind farm in the heart of coal country ran into a stumbling block when the McLean County Commission unanimously voted to deny a preliminary project area permit ....

The move has potential impacts to North Dakota's largest coal-fired power plant, which was saved from shutdown just a few years ago.

..... proposed Discovery Wind Farm, which would be built by Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy and have the potential to send 426 megawatts of electricity to the Twin Cities area in Minnesota.

Supporters -- many of whom signed easements to put turbines on their property -- highlighted the potential economic benefits the project would bring to the more than 100 landowners who signed contracts and to local businesses, as well as the tax dollars going to the county and schools -- around $735,000 a year for 30 years.

Executives from the area's prominent coal industry also provided comments in favor of the wind farm.

If one can't "get" a wind farm under these conditions -- it speak volumes about the future of renewable energy projects in oil country.

But key words: "preliminary" "stumbling block" suggest "this" is not yet over. But "unanimous" has an "ominous" tone for those pushing the project.

Personally, I would be happy if they built the wind farm in Minnesota. Or Virginia.

***************************
A Map Of US Time Zones

Link here.

Isn't there some law that was passed in 1864?

Renewable Energy -- Wind And Solar -- Will Get A Lot Of Press -- But It's Hit A Wall -- February 23, 2024

Locator: 46880WOLAR.

Link here. 

There are so many stories along this line, and I'm bored with reporting / link them, so this is simply for the archives and to remind myself that "wolar" has hit a wall.

And here's France:

Three New Permits; Five Permits Renewed; Three Permits Canceled; Nine Producinng DUCs Reported As Completed; MRO With Spectacular Wells In The Killdeer Area -- January 30, 2024

Locator: 46689B.

Wind: wow, look at these Germany numbers. I must be missing something. Link here.

MPC: I figured this was the reason, but I did not know for sure. Great to see this confirmed. Link here.

Ohio-based oil refiner Marathon Petroleum (MPC) saw its Q4 profits exceed analyst expectations, the company reported on Tuesday—thanks in part to OPEC's production cuts.

The U.S. refiner reported a net income of $3.84 per share—or $1.5 billion—for the last quarter of 2023, while analysts estimated a figure far lower, at just $2.20 per share. This overachievement came even as global refining capacity increased, thanks to production cuts by OPEC+ combined with healthy demand, which helped to offset struggling fuel prices.

Marathon's crude oil capacity utilization came in at 91%, for a total throughput of 2.9 million bpd for Q4, while net income attributable to company settled at $1.45 billion. This compares with $3.32 billion in Q4 2022.

*****************************
Back To The Bakken

WTI: $77.82.

Active rigs: 39.

Three new permits, #40487 - #40489, inclusive:

• Operator: Grayson Mill (2); Oasis
• Fields: Westberg (McKenzie); Camp (McKenzie)
• Comments:
• Grayson Mill has permits for twwo WWahuus wells, SESE 12-152-97, 
• with one to be sited 318 FSL and 664 FEL andd one sited 308 FSL and 515 FEL;
• Oasis with one permit for a Lee S well,, SWNW 8-152-101, 
• to be ssited 20032 FNL and 266 FWL.

Five permits renewed:

• Lime Rock (3): a State, a Kary, and an Emil permit; the first two in Cabernet, Dunn County; and the third, Murphy Creek, also Dunn County:
• Hunt (2): two Patten permits, Parshall; Mountrail County;

Three permits canceled:

• Whiting: two Gullikson permits and one P Bibler permit; the Bibler in Williams County; the Gullikson permits inn McKenzie County

Nine producing wells (DUCs) reported as completed:

• 37645, 2,280, BR, Tailgunner 2A TFH, North Fork, no production data,
• 37646, 422, BR, Tailgunner 2B MBH, North Fork, no production data,
• 37649, 0 (no typo), BR, Tailgunner 2E TFH, North Fork, no production data,
• 39443, 2,391, MRO, Bunk 34-33H, Bailey,

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	11-2023	7	9479	9438	13168	8180	7289	862

• 39444, 3,023, MRO, Luptak 34-33H, Bailey,

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	11-2023	17	25821	25710	38170	17688	15786	1841

• 39445, 4,076, MRO, Margery 24-33H, Bailey, no production data,
• 39469, 3,349, MRO, McConnell 11-4H, Killdeer,

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	11-2023	26	45670	45474	93852	34458	30732	3607

• 39628, 2,482, MRO, Amandus 31-17H, Killdeer,

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	11-2023	30	25941	26011	78823	16658	16289	261
BAKKEN	10-2023	29	35003	35088	129764	20851	20409	286
BAKKEN	9-2023	4	4214	3938	25731	2054	1992	36

• 39630, 3,857, MRO, Mueller 41-17H, Killeer,

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	11-2023	30	36673	36727	69486	21662	21187	336
BAKKEN	10-2023	25	41358	41133	81899	23020	22537	313

 Wells of interest:

• 17883, 402, MRO, Theresa Tuhy 14-33H, Bailey, t5/09; cum 283K 4/23;, recently back on line; too soon to see any halo effect. 

• 17316, 561, MRO, L. R. 21-16H, Killdeer, t10/08; cum 546K 7/23; still off line;

“Things” Are Moving Way Too Fast — November 27, 2023

Locator: 46194TECH.

Late night reading. Very, very interesting.

• A mutual fund (e.g., BRK) doesn’t need a hoard of cash. But tech companies do.
• More on this tomorrow. 

**************************
Other Headlines

Dead: small modular new reactors. Will die on the vine for the same reasons most EV start-ups won't survive. Peter Zeihan.

Falling: Micron.

Amazon: palm reading. Remember Jason Bourne?

Amazon: record-breaking sales in 11-day stretch leading up to and including Black Friday.

Burned out?  How to cancel digital subscriptions.

Burning out? ONE cutting 25% of its workforce. A lot packed into that short article.

Supply chain issues? Lego. Link here. This is amazing considering we’re already in a recession (Charlie Munger). I do not ever recall seeing so many Lego sets on backorder. Including the new $629.99 (no typo) Eiffel Tower. The good news: free shipping. And no sales tax if you live in Montana. Will ship by December 11, 2023. The Hogwarts Express is already back to $499.99 after dropping to $399.99 during the Black Friday promotion.Yes, on back order.

Promising: dividends in 2024 — Barron’s.

Energy: anticipate stellar performance in 2024 — Barron’s. This article was posted several months ago.

Renewable energy: investing rout this past year is causing a panic. FT. Link here.

Record: Americans flying.

Delfin Project: update.

Rivian: can it survive five more years?

Boeing: more room to run. Barron's: says another 25%.

UK wind: link here.