Energy

BHP to take bids on Fayetteville Shale play, other U.S. energy assets in June

BHP Billiton has begun the “exit process” for its U.S. onshore operations and expects to receive one or several bids later this summer for the Australian mining conglomerate’s money-losing shale…

John Bethel to leave Arkansas Public Service Commission

Arkansas Public Service Commission executive director John Bethel will step down from his post after 18 years in the position effective April 30, 2018. Bethel announced his pending departure in…

SWEPCO to ask Louisiana to approve $4.5 billion Wind Catcher project

Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO), a company of Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power (AEP), will ask the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) to approve the proposed Wind Catcher Energy Connection…

Natural gas storage levels fall 50% after cold winter

Natural gas storage levels as of March 31, or the end of the 2017-2018 heating season, declined 50.7% to 1.351 trillion cubic feet, from the same time in 2017, according…

Motorists to pay 10% more for gas this summer

U.S. motorists are expected to pay an average of $2.74 per gallon this summer for regular gasoline, the highest summer price in four years, according to the U.S. Energy Information…

Natural gas production rises to record levels in 2017

Two of three ways the U.S. Energy Information Administration measures natural gas production showed U.S. production reached record levels in 2017. Production measured as gross withdrawals rose to 90.9 billion…

DOE to spend up to $1.8 billion for exascale supercomputers

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is set to build at least two exascale supercomputers. On Monday (April 9), the federal agency announced spending up to $1.8 billion on a…

SWEPCO receives fourth consecutive Energy Star award

Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) has been named a 2018 Energy Star Partner of the Year — Sustained Excellence award winner for the utility company’s energy efficiency program in Arkansas….

Solar net metering facilities jumped 72.3% in NWA last year

The number of net metering facilities in Northwest Arkansas increased dramatically in 2017. According to annual filings with the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC), there were 517 net metering facilities…

University of Arkansas, Boozman, Womack announce additional $10 million in funding for SEFOR cleanup

University of Arkansas Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz, U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.) and U.S. Congressman Steve Womack (R-Rogers) on Wednesday (April 4) jointly announced an additional $10 million in funding to…

Electricity sales fell 2% in 2017

U.S. retail electricity sales declined 2% or by 80 billion kilowatt-hours in 2017, from 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The decrease was the largest drop since the…

Coal demand, exports to be flat through 2050

U.S. coal demand and exports are expected to remain flat through 2050, even as coal-fired plants are removed from operation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Coal demand and…

Production issues limit bioethanol use as fossil fuel substitute

Finding sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels needs to be resolved soon, according to a new book by University of Arkansas biologist Ruben Michael Ceballos. CRC Press recently released “Bioethanol and…

Net energy imports fall 35% as energy exports rise 27%

U.S. net energy imports declined 35% to 7.3 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2017, from 2016, falling to the lowest level since 1982, according to the U.S. Energy Information…

LNG exports more than triple in 2017

U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) increased 288% to 1.94 billion cubic feet per day in 2017, from 0.5 billion cubic feet per day in 2016, according to the…

Clean Line, DOE terminate controversial $2.5 billion wind project across Arkansas

Clean Line Energy and the Department of Energy (DOE) agreed Friday (March 23) to terminate the controversial $2.5 billion high-voltage wind power project across Arkansas, almost exactly three years after…

Coulson Oil gets retailer recognition

Shell Oil Corporation has named Arkansas-based Coulson Oil’s Road Runner Stores as “Top Retailer of the Year.” The award recognizes the top performing 5% of Shell Oil retailers across the…

Utility-scale solar photovoltaic systems cost up to 15% less per watt

Between 2010 and 2016, the per-watt cost of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems fell about 10% to 15%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The EIA based this information…

U.S. crude oil exports nearly double, Canada receives largest share

U.S. crude oil exports nearly doubled to 1.1 million barrels per day in 2017, from 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Last year was the second full year…

Value of U.S. energy exports to Mexico surpasses import value

Over the past three years, the value of U.S. energy exports to Mexico has exceeded the value of U.S. energy imports from Mexico, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration….