Drax has signed a 20-year joint venture agreement with Power Minerals Ltd (PML) to develop a factory for processing legacy ash into supplementary cementitious material (SCM), or fly ash, an ingredient in low-carbon green cement. The factory will be built next to the Drax power station in Selby, Yorkshire on land leased from Drax. Under the agreement, PML will build, own and operate the new facility, while Drax will sell its legacy pulverised fuel ash (PFA) to the joint venture and provide power to the factory. The factory is due to enter service by the end of 2026, with an initial production capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year. According to the announcement, the facility will ultimately process millions of tonnes of PFA. The move marks the latest shift for Drax, following the power station’s gradual conversion to biomass since the mid-2010s. Drax says it is the single largest generator of renewable electricity in the UK. However, the power station has also been found to be the largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the UK by think-tank Ember Energy, based on an analysis of official data from the UK Emissions Trading Scheme registry and company annual reports.  Drax Group has also been fined by UK regulators for misreporting data on the forestry type and sawlog content it uses for its biomass. Nonetheless, Drax is continuing its push to bolster its green credentials. The company is also proposing to add carbon capture and storage (CCS) to the power station site. However, this bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) initiative still requires government funding, as well as a confirmed route to carbon storage, in order to go ahead. The announcement on the fly ash partnership represents a further step in Drax’s green push. The company noted in the announcement that cement

Alaska Gasline Development Corp. (AGDC) and Glenfarne Group LLC have signed agreements for the latter to acquire 75 percent of 8 Star Alaska, a company formed by AGDC to manage the planned Alaska LNG. Alaska LNG, approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission May 2020, is designed to deliver natural gas from the state’s North Slope to both domestic and global markets. It is the only federally permitted liquefied natural gas (LNG) project on the United States Pacific Coast, according to AGDC. “Glenfarne assumes the role of Alaska LNG’s lead developer and will lead all remaining development work of Alaska LNG from front-end engineering and design through to a final investment decision (‘FID’)”, AGDC said in an online statement. The company said FID is planned for this year. “AGDC remains a 25 percent owner of 8 Star Alaska and a key partner to Glenfarne on the project”, AGDC added. Alaska LNG has three subprojects: an LNG export terminal with a capacity of 20 million metric tons per annum (MMtpa) in Nikiski, an 807-mile 42-inch pipeline and a carbon capture plant with a storage capacity of 7 MMtpa. “In light of steadily declining gas production from Cook Inlet, which has historically been Alaska’s primary in-state natural gas basin, phase one of the project will kick off immediately, prioritizing the development and final investment decision of the pipeline infrastructure needed to deliver North Slope gas to Alaskans as rapidly as possible”, AGDC said. The LNG plant will be built at a later phase, AGDC said previously. “Oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay almost exactly 57 years ago and since then Alaskans have never given up on finding a way to also benefit from our North Slope natural gas”, commented Governor Mike Dunlea. “Alaska has made a significant investment to develop Alaska LNG

Jillian Owen has been brought on as the head of transition to operatorship at Viaro Energy. In her new role, she will focus on completing the company’s acquisition of Shell and ExxonMobil’s entire Southern North Sea portfolio. With over 25 years of experience in the energy sector, Owen joins Viaro from Apache Corporation, where she served as the UK country manager. Viaro Energy chief executive Francesco Mazzagatti said: “Jillian’s extensive expertise in joint venture management, late-life asset optimisation, and commercial leadership makes her an invaluable addition to Viaro Energy. “As we take on operatorship of these key assets, Jillian’s leadership will ensure a seamless transition and unlock new opportunities for growth and efficiency.” The acquisition of Shell and ExxonMobil’s Southern North Sea assets marks a significant step in Viaro’s long-term strategy. The acquisition includes the Shamrock, Caravel, Corvette, Brigantine, Leman, Galleon, Skiff, Carrack Main and East, Cutter, Barque and Clipper assets. Owen added: “The company’s ambitious growth strategy, commitment to energy security, and focus on innovation align perfectly with my experience and vision for the sector. I look forward to leading this transition and ensuring the continued success of Viaro’s expanding portfolio.” © Supplied by AREGShell business opportunity manager for the Jackdaw project Sven van den Bedem. Sven van den Bedem has been promoted to business opportunity manager for the Jackdaw project at Shell. As business manager he will be responsible for delivering the Jackdaw gas project, which comes with an estimated CAPEX of over £1 billion, and will be responsible for producing around 6% of the UK’s gas output once in operation. Over his 20-year career at the supermajor, van den Bedem has held multiple positions, including energy transition business opportunity manager. The future of the Jackdaw development was thrown into doubt after legal challenges to it and the

A federal district judge on Thursday ruled against a Biden administration sale of oil and gas drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico, faulting the government with failing to sufficiently analyze its possible effects on the climate and endangered whales.  However, US District Judge Amit P. Mehta in Washington left open the question of what to do about the two-year-old sale, instead directing additional arguments on the best remedy. Options could include invalidating leases sold in the auction or ordering those contracts be revised to include more limitations. The sale, which Congress mandated as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, made 13,600 blocks spanning approximately 73.3 million acres available. Ultimately, 32 companies, including Chevron USA, Inc., participated in that March 29, 2023 auction, paying the government $250.6 million for 299 leases.   But Mehta said the Interior Department violated the National Environmental Policy Act by insufficiently analyzing the auction. Among the problems, Mehta found, was that Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management didn’t fully consider potential energy market changes in its analysis of the potential greenhouse gas emissions that would result from activity on new oil and gas leases.  Mehta also said the bureau had made a “glaring omission” in not incorporating another agency’s assessment about the habitat and location of the endangered Rice’s whale. The bureau focused its impact analysis on the species’ core habitat, even though there was “credible evidence” it could be persistently found outside the area, the judge said.  Although the Inflation Reduction Act required the sale, Mehta emphasized that the Interior Department still retained discretion to set terms and impose limits on available acreage.  The challenge was brought by six environmental organizations. George Torgun, an a lawyer with Earthjustice, called the ruling “a welcome moment of justice for the Gulf ecosystem and frontline communities who have

GM Energy has joined Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s vehicle-to-everything bidirectional charging pilot program for electric vehicles in Northern and Central California, the utility provider announced March 13. Eligible residential customers enrolled in PG&E’s vehicle-to-everything (V2X) pilot will receive discounts of up to $4,500 off the price of a GM Energy home charging bundle and vehicle-to-home enablement kit, which is usually priced at $7,299. The base incentive is $2,500 for installing the equipment, with up to $2,000 of additional incentives available for residents of disadvantaged communities and early adopters. Vehicle-to-home charging technology is intended to serve as a backup source of power that can, for example, supply energy to homes during power outages. But according to the companies involved in the pilot project, it can do much more. “For utilities, legislators, customers and others, this pilot is an opportunity to see the full value of our V2H technology beyond just providing power to a home during power outages,” GM Energy Vice President Wade Sheffer said in a statement. “This can be a tool that helps overall grid resiliency and showcases the unique advantages of EVs while, in the future, may even reduce the overall total cost of EV ownership.” The partnership highlights how utilities are increasingly working with automakers to determine strategies to reduce demand on the energy grid and help accelerate the shift to EVs. PG&E is also working with Ford in a similar partnership, and has partnered with BMW since 2015 to study smart charging. GM EVs currently eligible for the program include the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado, Equinox, Blazer and GMC Sierra Denali, as well as the 2024-2025 Cadillac Lyriq. However, GM Energy soon plans to add all of the automaker’s EVs to the pilot. Residents participating in the pilot must also enroll in PG&E’s Emergency Load Reduction Program, which offers incentives for customers

TotalEnergies SE has announced an investment outlay of EUR 160 million ($172.34 million) for 6 battery energy storage system projects under construction in Germany. The projects have a combined capacity of 221 megawatts (MW). They are being developed by Kyon Energy, acquired by the French energy major last year. Construction started at the end of 2024 and commissioning is planned for early 2026, according to TotalEnergies. “The launch of these projects marks a major milestone in TotalEnergies’ development of battery energy storage capacity in Germany, where the Company has operations in the production, trading, aggregation and commercialization of clean firm power”, TotalEnergies said in a press release. “This storage capacity will allow TotalEnergies to contribute to the resilience of the German power system, by reducing congestion and adding flexibility in order to quickly boost the country’s renewables sector”. TotalEnergies said it has 2 gigawatts of storage capacity under development and 321 MW under construction in Germany. “The implementation and integration of all these battery projects will allow us to supply our customers with clean firm power, contributing directly to our targeted 12 percent profitability in this activity”, commented chair and chief executive Patrick Pouyanné. In Germany, TotalEnergies expects to have 7 GW of onshore wind and solar in development and 200 MW of installed or under construction after the completion of its acquisition of VSB Group. Announcing the EUR 1.57 billion purchase from Swiss asset manager Partners Group on December 4, 2024, TotalEnergies noted, “VSB has over 475 MW of renewable capacity in operation or under construction mainly in Germany and France, and a pipeline of 18 GW of wind, solar and battery storage technologies mainly across Germany, Poland and France”. “This transaction will strengthen TotalEnergies Integrated Power value chain in Germany, which represents half of VSB’s portfolio”, TotalEnergies said then.