Update: The White House budget office on Wednesday, Jan. 29, rescinded an order freezing federal grants.  Calumet Inc. subsidiary Montana Renewables LLC (MRL) has confirmed that the first tranche of a loan previously approved by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for expansion of a renewable fuels manufacturing plant in Great Falls, Mont., will undergo a ‘tactical delay.’  Finalized as of Jan. 10, $782 million—the first of a two-tranche loan guarantee—was expected to fund eligible expenses MRL previously incurred, upon payment of which MRL was expected to simultaneously make a $150-million equity investment with funds the operator currently holds, Calumet said earlier this month (OGJ Online, Jan. 13, 2025). Calumet said Jan. 28 that it had been informed by the DOE Loan Programs Office that the initial money will undergo a delay “to confirm alignment with White House priorities.” Calumet said it was informed that the delay “should be days or weeks.”  Questions about Executive Order alignment  Included in Jan. 20 Executive Orders, President Donald Trump pushed to pause federal loans and grants while the new administration conducts reviews to assess alignment with the administration’s policies as applicable by law. A memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget said the freeze pertains to climate change and green energy provisions, but confusion remains. Late Tuesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the move for existing programs until Monday afternoon, just minutes before the funding freeze was to go into effect, the Associated Press reported. Judge Loren AliKhan granted an administrative stay in a case, setting a hearing for additional arguments. In its update regarding the timing of the DOE loan, Todd Borgmann, Calumet’s chief executive officer, said “we are well aligned with White House priorities to support domestic agriculture, energy security, technical innovation and energy independence, all of which play a

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Lee Zeldin was sworn in as the 17th administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency Jan. 29, 2025, with President Trump’s picks to lead the Interior and Energy departments advancing toward Senate confirmation. The Senate approved Zeldin, a former US representative from New York, by a vote of 56-42. In an EPA press release Jan. 30, Zeldin said he was honored to serve, and said his EPA would prioritize “economic prosperity” as it works on environmental issues.  During his confirmation hearing, Democrats questioned Zeldin on climate change, given that Trump has repeatedly dismissed climate change as a hoax and Zeldin was paid for opinion pieces that criticized a variety of climate actions. Meanwhile, Trump’s choice to helm the Interior Department Doug Burgum was posed for confirmation Jan. 30, after the Senate voted 78-20 on Jan. 29 to move the nomination to the floor. Chris Wright, the nominee for the Energy Department, could also see Senate confirmation by Jan. 31, 2025. Burgum, the former North Dakota government and Trump’s campaign energy advisor, is tasked with opening more federal lands and waters to oil and gas development. At his confirmation hearing, Burgum said he would focus on increasing fossil fuel production on federal lands over renewables. One of Trump’s first moves as president was to issue executive orders withdrawing all areas of the Outer Continental Shelf from federal wind leasing while directing Interior and other agencies to boost fossil fuel development (OGJ Online, Jan. 21, 2025). During his two terms as governor, Burgum repeatedly sued the Interior Department over the department’s energy leasing rules. North Dakota is the third-largest oil-producing state, with output of over 1 million b/d, largely from the Bakken formation.  Burgum will chair Trump’s newly created National Energy Council that Trump said will “oversee the path to US energy dominance.” 

The leaders of Murphy Oil Corp., Houston, are significantly increasing capital spending this year while they look to rectify operational issues that surfaced late last year. Murphy spent $965 million on capital projects in 2024, with $692 million of that figure allocated to projects in the United States. For 2025, president and chief executive officer Eric Hambly and his team expect total spending to be $1.135-1.285 billion, about 60% of which is allotted to the first 6 months of the year and 85% of which will go to development work. The midpoint of that spending forecast is an increase of 25% from last year but only 6% higher than 2023’s figure. In terms of geographies, Murphy will devote the most capital to its Gulf of Mexico assets, which are in line to get $410 million. Other offshore projects in Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire will be allocated about $115 million. Onshore, executives are devoting $360 million to the Eagle Ford basin and $140 million to the Kaybob Duvernay/Tupper Montney region in Canada. Plans call for nearly 80% of those $500 million to help drill 72 wells (operated and non-operated) and bring online another 77 wells. The broad goal is to put up low-single-digit production growth from these assets. On the exploration front, the Murphy team will start a three-well program in Côte d’Ivoire late this year and are planning a two-well effort in the Gulf of Mexico, among other things. Exploration spending for 2025 is forecast to total $145 million. “We have an ambitious exploration program ahead of us over the next 18 months,” Hambly said in a statement that called attention to Murphy’s varied holdings. “This optionality across multiple play types in key basins provides significant resource upside for our offshore business […] Exploration will remain a key differentiator and

The Welsh Government has taken an £8 million equity stake in what will become the largest consented tidal energy project in Europe. The Morlais tidal scheme is set to kick off operations next year and is owned and managed by Ynys Môn (Anglesey) social enterprise Menter Môn. The government has said it has made the investment to ensure progress on the tidal energy project. It said that the cash it has pledged will support the Cydnerth phase of the project, which will see the grid connection strengthened at Parc Cybi, Holyhead. This comes as part of the Welsh Government’s plans to “make Wales a world centre for emerging tidal technologies,” said cabinet secretary for economy, energy and planning, Rebecca Evans. The project manages an area of over 21 miles² of the seabed near Holy Island, Anglesey Dafydd Gruffydd, managing director of Menter Môn, added: “This funding supports our vision to position North Wales as a leader in tidal energy innovation, creating opportunities for growth and collaboration across the region.” The Morlais project has the potential to produce 240MW of electricity, enough to power up to 180,000 typical Welsh homes. The scheme aims to connect to a nearby substation and the national grid. Evans added: “Our investment will support Menter Môn Morlais to scale up capacity, and develop an industrial cluster for tidal energy and innovation in North Wales, whilst delivering jobs and growth through its pioneering technology, keeping the value local. “This will further benefit clean energy suppliers of all sizes and position Wales at the forefront of the energy transition.” The government said that the unique ‘plug and play’ model of the Anglesey site will reduce costs as developers scale up tidal energy roll-out in the region. “By supporting projects like Morlais, we are not only unlocking the potential

Aberdeen-headquartered energy services firm Three60 Energy is expanding its UK presence with an office in Teesside. Three60 said the “strategic expansion” is part of the company’s efforts to grow its presence in “regions with rich industrial heritage and significant growth potential”. Teesside is home to Teesworks, the UK’s largest freeport as well as the largest brownfield industrial site in Europe. The 4,500 acre Teesworks site sits on the banks of the River Tees, which was previously the location of the historic Redcar steelworks before it was demolished in 2023. Now, the largely private owners of the Teesworks site are redeveloping it to host multiple significant energy transition projects. © Supplied by ASCOTeesworks heavy lift quay. North Sea operators BP and Equinor are among the firms investing in projects ranging from green hydrogen production to carbon capture and storage (CCS). South Korean-owned SeAH Wind is also developing a £900m factory at Teesworks to produce monopiles for the offshore wind sector,. Three60 Energy Teesside By expanding into Teesside, Three60 said it is aiming to “support the region’s ongoing industrial and economic development”. Three60 said the Billingham office will focus on providing engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) solutions for the local market. Three60 managing director of EPCC Alasdair Smith said will look to recruit locally as it expands it capabilities in the area. “We are thrilled to establish our presence in Teesside and will harness the trusted local knowledge and expertise of a highly regarded industry veteran to further engage, develop, and expand our office, customer base and local talent pool,” Smith said. © Supplied by Three60 EnergyThree60 Energy staff at the company’s new office in Billingham, Teesside. “The investment in Teesside is a testament to our commitment to providing innovative and flexible solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers.