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Tom Sanzillo and Clark Williams-Derry
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 […]
Press Release and Simon Nicholas
Overcapacity, along with increased reliance on expensive coal and LNG imports, threaten to increase the cost of power generation
20 January 2021 (IEEFA Bangladesh): Overcapacity in Bangladesh’s power system has worsened and threatens to deteriorate further according to a new briefing note released by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) today. Data from the Bangladesh Power Development Board’s (BPDB) latest annual report shows that overall power capacity utilisation in fiscal year […]
Guest Commentary: Gerard Kreeft
Shows how to pivot from an oil company to an energy company
Last summer, French oil and gas giant Total SE announced a $7 billion impairment charge for two Canadian oil sands projects. This might have seemed like an innocuous move, merely an acknowledgement that the projects hadn’t worked out as planned. Yet it opened a Pandora’s box that could change the way the industry thinks about […]
Press Release and Thu Vu
Great enthusiasm will be met by regulatory, financing and market challenges
19 January 2020 (IEEFA Vietnam): Liquified natural gas (LNG) suppliers and gas power developers looking at making Vietnam an essential LNG market should not expect to replicate the success of renewable energy seen recently in the country, finds a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Author Thu Vu, Energy […]
Tim Buckley
India risks Rs4 trillion new investment in yet more stranded fossil fuel assets
Federal Home Minister Amit Shah’s suggestion that India should invest 4 trillion rupees (US$55billion) in expanding new and existing coal mines, as well as high-risk, speculative, domestic ‘clean coal’ projects over the next decade to create a hoped for ‘second life’ is, in our view, entirely inconsistent with the country’s policy direction and ignores the […]
Seth Feaster
Utility commission launches investigation of Comanche Unit 3 costs; seamless replacement of power adds to case for early closure
Xcel Energy’s troubled Unit 3 at the Comanche Generating Station in Colorado was offline for almost an entire year after being closed for repairs—even as customers started paying the $11.7 million cost of fixing previous problems. The latest in a long saga of failures at Comanche 3 started on Jan. 13, 2020, when it was […]
Press Release and Bruce Robertson
Pakistan and Bangladesh have already cancelled tenders for LNG imports
14 January 2020 (IEEFA): Emerging markets such as Vietnam, Pakistan and Bangladesh that are turning to liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a source of power are likely to be hit by higher and more volatile prices going forward, according to a new briefing note from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Author […]
Johanna Bowyer
ESB reform direction updated to incorporate stakeholder feedback and state government renewables investment schemes
The national electricity market (NEM) is in a state of flux. According to the Australian government’s Energy Security Board (ESB), over 60% of existing thermal generating resources (mainly coal) in the NEM are likely to exit over the next two decades as Australia transitions towards renewable generation (mainly wind and solar) and storage. This transition […]
Cathy Kunkel and Tom Sanzillo
$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 […]
Thu Vu
9.3 gigawatts peak of solar capacity, equal to 6 coal power plants, installed in less than a year
Vietnam’s solar power industry has sprung another surprise. As of 31 December 2020, the closing date for eligibility to the second solar feed-in-tariff program, a total of 9.3 gigawatts peak (GWp) (or 7.4GW) of rooftop solar capacity had been connected to the national power system, the state utility Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has confirmed. There […]
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 […]