The next three decades will be vital for the US energy sector. Decreasing reliance on fossil fuels, limiting emissions that cause global warming and lessening dependence of imported oil are all at the top of the Obama administration energy agenda. This graphic explores the various energy sources in the US, the leading companies and the most powerful policy makers.
Your chance to quiz the world’s biggest maker of smart meters
I am pleased to say that Cameron O’Reilly (right), chief executive of Landis+Gyr, has joined Steve Cunningham (left), the company’s UK & Ireland CEO, in the hotseat for next week’s readers’ Q&A.
The two are at the very top of the world’s biggest smart meter maker by market share. This is your chance to ask them about anything from how quickly it might be able to install 1m meters for British Gas, to the future of smart meters and grids worldwide, to the company’s plans for a flotation or sale.
Email all your questions to energysource@ft.com by Sunday, April 17th.
Michael Bromwich answers your questions – Part two
In this week’s readers’ Q&A session, Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, answers your questions.
In this second post, he discusses the reliability of blowout preventers (BOPs), the future of drilling in Alaska, and whether commercial concerns dictate his decision making.
Earlier, he talked about how his organisation balances safety concerns with political ones, what technological improvements have been made since the BP oil spill and whether new regulations on BOPs will delay the issue of new permits.
Next week, Steve Cunningham, chief executive of Landis+Gyr, the world’s biggest smart meter maker, will be in the hotseat. Email your questions to energysource@ft.com by the end of Sunday, April 17th.
But for now, over to Michael:
Michael Bromwich answers your questions – Part one
In this week’s readers’ Q&A session, Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, answers your questions.
In the first of two posts, he discusses how his organisation balances safety concerns with political ones, what technological improvements have been made since the BP oil spill and whether new regulations on blowout preventers (BOPs) will delay the issue of new permits.
In the second post, published above, he talks about the reliability of BOPs in general, the future of drilling in Alaska, and whether commercial concerns dictate his decision making.
Next week, Steve Cunningham, chief executive of Landis+Gyr, the world’s biggest smart meter maker, will be in the hotseat. Email your questions to energysource@ft.com by the end of Sunday, April 17th.
But for now, over to Michael:
US drilling regulator: New rules have not affected production
The chief regulator of US offshore oil drilling has dismissed warnings from the industry about the risk to oil output from delays in issuing new permits.
Reacting to warnings that a two-year delay could put at risk up to 680,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day by 2019, Michael Bromwich, director of the US ocean energy regulator, pointed out that no output had so far been lost. He also insisted he would not be swayed either by companies or politicians when making permitting decisions.
Energy headlines: Dudley survives stormy BP meeting
- BP chief endures stormy meeeting – FT
- BP’s Dudley still standing after grilling – FT
- Sir Bill Castell carries the can for ‘British Petroleum’ – The Telegraph
- Macondo workers try to rebuild lives – FT
- Spillionaires: those who used BP money to get rich quick – The Times
- Salazar calls for international offshore standards – Argus
- Countries push risk-based rules on drilling – Reuters
- Eni seeks to ship Libya oil to Italy – WSJ
- No love lost in Libya for West’s oil firms – WSJ
- Toshiba re-examines nuclear targets – FT
- Siemens rethinks nuclear ambitions – WSJ
- Italy to cap solar incentives costs – Reuters
- World Bank warns of threat from biofuels – The Times
- What are ‘outsourced emissions?’ – The Guardian
Winners and losers from BP AGM
The first BP AGM since the oil spill, and the first one with Bob Dudley at the helm, has come to a close. With the various disputes and controversies surrounding the company at the moment, did Mr Dudley come out of it with his reputation enhanced? And what about the other parties represented? Here is our take:
Green jobs boost for the UK
More than three quarters of small and medium sized cleantech businesses in the UK plan to recruit in the next 12 months, according to a report*.
The findings, from a survey of 312 companies by the CleanTech Group on behalf of the Carbon Trust, will give a boost to government hopes for a recovery founded on green jobs.
Benj Sykes, director of innovations at the Carbon Trust, told Energy Source:
This is evidence that green growth is going to be an engine for growth. There is a recognition that this is an agenda that is not going to fail because of financial constraints.
Dudley survives stormy BP AGM
As we near the end of BP’s AGM, one thing we can report is that Bob Dudley is still standing. Which is more than can be said of several protesters against the development of Canadian oil sands who were carted out, in some cases lifted off their feet, after shouting across Mr Dudley as he tried to defend such developments.
It has not been an easy ride for Mr Dudley in his first AGM as CEO, nor for the chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg. Several representatives of Gulf of Mexico communities were banned and if the company thought barring such people would limit criticism on this front they were wrong. One of the toughest moments for the board came when one woman read out a testimony excoriating the company from the father of Gordon Jones, one of the rig workers who was killed almost a year ago today.
By Stefan Wagstyl and Catherine Belton
Rosneft’s decision on Wednesday to give BP another month to try to complete their controversial cooperation plan gives everybody involved a breathing space.
But such is the acrimony between BP, its existing Russian partners led by oligarch Mikhail Fridman, and warring Kremlin clans, that it’s unclear a deal can be done. Perhaps it can be completed only when the Moscow political temperature subsides after next year’s presidential election.
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Insight into the financial, economic and policy aspects of energy and the environment.
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