Author Archive: Tom Sanzillo
Director of Financial Analysis Tom Sanzillo has 30 years of experience in public and private finance, including as a first deputy comptroller of New York State, where he held oversight over a $156 billion pension fund and $200 billion in municipal bond programs.
IEEFA: ExxonMobil must change direction to thrive
For oil majors, rising prices no longer guarantee financial success
By virtually every measure, the global oil and gas industry had a dreadful 2020. Demand slumped; prices sagged; stockpiles swelled; profits evaporated; and, for the fifth time in seven years, the energy sector ended the year in last place in the stock market. Amid this rout, ExxonMobil stood out for its poor performance. The company’s stock lost 40 percent […]
IEEFA: Puerto Rico power authority continues end-run attempts around regulators with federally-funded natural gas plans
$850 million in federal funds targeted for 400-megawatt (MW) combined-cycle natural gas plant and 11 new peaker plants
In August 2020, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau approved a long-term plan for the island’s electrical system that called for greater investments in renewable energy and storage. The bureau worked for months to integrate analysis from a variety of stakeholders and eventually rejected new natural gas initiatives because of their costs and logistical challenges. Yet […]
IEEFA: After a terrible 2020, the oil industry’s story has turned political
For 2021, expect conflict and infighting to further muddy the industry’s prospects
It was a dismal year for oil and gas. As the pandemic sucked the wind from the sails of the global economy, oil demand slumped, stockpiles swelled, prices sagged, capital spending collapsed, debt ballooned, profits evaporated, and bankruptcies skyrocketed. After this torrent of bad news, the energy sector ended the year in last place in […]
IEEFA Puerto Rico: Credit support for PREPA, a sensible tool or another wasteful gimmick?
Commonwealth loan raises more questions about savings from T&D privatization
The week before Christmas, the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico (FOMB) quietly announced a plan for the commonwealth’s government to loan almost $1 billion to its electrical power authority (PREPA) to facilitate the privatization of the island’s transmission and distribution system. This plan was presented in a poorly documented filing that reveals that […]
IEEFA U.S.: Biden administration has historic opportunity to rebuild Puerto Rico electricity grid
Campaign promises of ‘low-cost, reliable and clean electricity’ must be kept
January 27, 2021 (IEEFA) — The devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017 highlighted Puerto Rico’s “antiquated, expensive and fossil fuel-dependent” electricity grid, providing the Biden administration with an historic opportunity to transform a vital part of the island’s economy. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) recommends in a new policy brief […]