Energy In-depth: Wind generation share exceeds 10% in 11 states

Editor’s note: Each Friday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Energy In-depth,” a round-up of energy and regulatory news.

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EIA: WIND GENERATION SHARE EXCEEDS 10% IN 11 STATES
In 2015, 11 states generated at least 10% of their total electricity from wind. As recently as 2010, only three states had at least a 10% wind share.

Iowa had the largest wind generation share, at 31.3%, and South Dakota (25.5%) and Kansas (23.9%) had wind generation shares higher than 20%. Two additional states, Texas and New Mexico, are on track to surpass a 10% wind generation share in 2016, based on data through July.

Wind generation in Texas, the highest wind electricity-producing state, made up 24% of the national total wind generation and 9.9% of Texas’s total electricity generation in 2015.

At the national level, wind’s share of total U.S. electricity generation has risen every year since 2001. Wind facilities produced 190,927 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity in 2015, accounting for 4.7% of net U.S. electric power generation. This level represents a doubling of wind’s generation share since 2010, when the share was 2.3%.

Based on monthly data through July, wind has provided 5.6% of U.S. generation in 2016. States with the highest wind generation shares are located in the Central High Plains and the Rocky Mountains, regions that have high wind resources. The increase of wind power in the United States has been driven by a combination of technology and policy changes, including the Federal Production Tax Credit (PTC), Investment Tax Credit (ITC), and state-level renewable portfolio standards (RPS) have led states to build more wind capacity.

AIPRO ELECTS 2017 OFFICERS, BOARD
The Arkansas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners (AIPRO) recently elected the following officers for 2017: President Mike Callan, Stephens Production Co., Fort Smith; Secretary Richard Walt, J. David Reynolds Co., Camden; and Past President Andy Miller, Southwestern Energy, Little Rock.

Elected to the 2017 Board of Directors were: Chris Rogers, Bonanza Creek Energy, Magnolia; Rick Bauman, ARKLATX Operating Co., Smackover; Nathan Caldwell, Weiser-Brown Operating Co., Magnolia; Howard Vernon, Foundation Energy Management, Fort Smith; Bill Hanna, Hanna Oil & Gas, Fort Smith; Gayle Mason, Mid-States Energy, Fort Smith; Jared Young, XTO Energy Inc., Oklahoma City; Lynnae Willette, BHP Billiton, Houston; and Danny Ferguson, Southwestern Energy, Little Rock. AIPRO is the only nonprofit organization serving all segments of the state’s oil and natural gas industry.

EXXONMOBIL ANNOUNCES MAJOR OIL FIND OFFSHORE NIGERIA
Exxon Mobil Corp. announced Thursday (Oct. 27) a significant discovery with a potential recoverable resource of between 500 million and 1 billion barrels of oil on the Owowo field offshore Nigeria. The Owowo-3 well, which was spud on Sept. 23, encountered about 460 feet (140 meters) of oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. Owowo-3 was safely drilled to 10,410 feet (3,173 meters) in 1,890 feet (576 meters) of water. The Owowo field spans portions of the contract areas of Oil Prospecting License 223 (OPL 223) and Oil Mining License 139 (OML 139). The well was drilled by ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater Ventures) Limited and proved additional resource in deeper reservoirs.

Owowo-3 extends the resource discovered by the Owowo-2 well, which encountered about 515 feet (157 meters) of oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. ExxonMobil holds 27% interest and is the operator for OPL 223 and OML 139. Joint venture partners include Chevron Nigeria Deepwater G Limited (27%), Total E&P Nigeria Limited (18%), Nexen Petroleum Deepwater Nigeria Limited (18%), and the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company Limited (10%).