North America dropped 11 rigs week on week, according to Baker Hughes’ latest North America rotary rig count, which was released on May 2. The U.S. dropped a total of three rigs week on week and Canada dropped a total of eight rigs during the same period, taking the total North America rig count down to 704, comprising 584 rigs from the U.S. and 120 from Canada, the count outlined. Of the total U.S. rig count of 584, 567 rigs are categorized as land rigs, 14 are categorized as offshore rigs, and three are categorized as inland water rigs. The total U.S. rig count is made up of 479 oil rigs, 101 gas rigs, and four miscellaneous rigs, according to Baker Hughes’ count, which revealed that the U.S. total comprises 523 horizontal rigs, 46 directional rigs, and 15 vertical rigs. Week on week, the U.S. land rig count dropped by four, its offshore rig count increased by one, and its inland water rig count remained unchanged, the count highlighted. The U.S. oil rig count decreased by four week on week, its gas rig count rose by two, and its miscellaneous rig count dropped by one, the count showed. Baker Hughes’ count revealed that the U.S. horizontal rig count dropped by four week on week, while its directional rig count increased by one, and its vertical rig count remained unchanged during the period. A major state variances subcategory included in the rig count showed that, week on week,  Ohio and Texas each dropped three rigs, and Louisiana added three rigs. A major basin variances subcategory included in Baker Hughes’ rig count showed that the Utica basin dropped three rigs, the Permian basin dropped two rigs, and the Eagle Ford basin cut one rig week on week, while the Haynesville basin added

It seems to me that with recent electoral victories for Reform UK in England, and Ed Miliband’s comments implying that anyone who goes against net zero is a Reform UK supporter, we are entering an unfortunate period in British politics. A period where things start to focus on what is wrong, who is doing it, and why the ‘other side’ is to blame. It reminds me a little of growing up in Northern Ireland, where things revolved around whether you were ‘themuns’ or ‘usuns’. That worked out hugely well … So what we need is a mature and sensible debate. One which focuses on what needs to be done as opposed to one that blames others for problems. We are all part of the solution – whether (like me) you think we are abandoning oil and gas too soon, or whether you support the net zero approach. © Supplied by Owen Humphreys/PA WiReform UK leader Nigel Farage poses outside The Waterford Lodge, Morpeth, in Northumberland, whilst on the local election campaign trail. Because ultimately what we have to do is remember one thing. This is about the people of Aberdeen, the north-east and the UK. The workers impacted by policies, and the consumers impacted by higher prices. This is not a time for ideology. It is a time for pragmatism, realism and understanding. The first part of that is beginning to understand that we cannot abandon oil and gas overnight. We need to continue to exploit those reserves we have to meet (as OEUK says) some 50% of our energy needs. That provides stability of supply and security from the vagaries of others – and in this modern world of President Trump, we should not underestimate the impact of vagaries. © Shutterstock FeedDonald Trump signs an executive order to start

The PJM Interconnection on Friday said it selected 51 projects to join a fast-track interconnection review process as part of a broad effort to ensure the grid operator has adequate supplies to meet its needs. PJM has been warning that it faces looming power supply shortfalls as its supply isn’t keeping up with demand. That dynamic was reflected in the jump in clearing prices from PJM’s last capacity auction, which sparked backlash over rising electric bills and moves by the grid to boost supplies. Gas-fired generation accounted for 69% of the selected capacity, followed by battery storage at 19%, nuclear at 12%, and coal at 0.1%. The projects consist of 39 uprates to existing power plants and 12 new power facilities. PJM expects 90% of the projects will be operating by 2030. PJM selects 11.8 GW in Resource Reliability Initiative Gas-fired generation accounts for two-thirds of selected capacity. PJM estimates that the selected projects will provide 9.4 GW of unforced capacity, a measure of how much capacity the resources are expected to supply during periods of the highest reliability risk. The solicitation results will be discussed at a PJM Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday. Among selected projects, PJM opted to advance 450 MW in uprates at four power plants owned by Alpha Generation in Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio, according to Jack Lynch, a spokesman for the independent power producer. The projects, which were assessed based on certain reliability and commercial operation date criteria, will be added to the just-started interconnection Transition Cycle 2 process, which already contains about 550 projects totaling about 50 GW in nameplate capacity. PJM estimates the selected projects will be able to come online 18 months earlier than if the projects followed the grid operator’s normal interconnection process. The RRI attracted 94 applications totaling 26.6

The White House’s 2026 budget proposal, released Friday, seeks to cut $19.3 billion from the Department of Energy’s budget by making deep reductions to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.  Compared to 2025 enacted funding levels, the budget proposal cuts around $15.2 billion of DOE’s IIJA funding, $2.6 billion from its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, $1.1 billion from its Office of Science, and $389 million from the Office of Environmental Management. The IIJA cuts would cancel “Green New Scam funds committed to build unreliable renewable energy, removing carbon dioxide from the air, and other costly technologies burdensome to ratepayers and consumers,” the budget proposal says, and “[end] taxpayer handouts to electric vehicle and battery makers,” along with canceling the Carbon Dioxide Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. “This amount consists of unplanned and unobligated balances, meaning the cancellation would not impact any currently awarded projects,” the proposal notes.  The EERE reduction “reorients EERE programs to early-stage research and development programming, eliminating funding for Green New Scam interests and climate change-related activities like the Biden Administration’s Justice40,” the proposal says. “This proposal would support technologies that promote firm baseload power and other priorities established in relevant Executive Orders, such as bioenergy.” The proposal doesn’t clarify what falls under the umbrella of “Green New Scam,” but the Office of Science’s budget has also been cut to “[reduce] funding for climate change and Green New Scam research.” Under this budget, DOE’s funding would be reduced by 9.4% overall, though it proposes a 25% bump for the National Nuclear Security Administration. With NNSA funding excluded, DOE’s budget would be cut by a total of 18.2%. “The Budget maintains U.S. competitiveness in priority areas such as high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, quantum information science,

Around 30 workers at the Sullom Voe oil and gas terminal on Shetland have backed a union recognition agreement with their employer Sodexo. The Unite union said the workers, who provide catering and facility management services, voluntarily negotiated with Sodexo. The union members include workers in roles such as catering, cleaning, warehouse and logistics, garage services, and pest control. Unite industrial officer Isabella Sutherland said the Sodexo agreement is “another big step forward for all workers” at the EnQuest-operated oil terminal. “We are pleased that the agreement was voluntarily negotiated with the company and it was overwhelmingly backed by our members,” Sutherland said. “The agreement provides a stronger platform for Unite to secure better working conditions for our members across Sullom Voe.” The Sodexo agreement comes after Unite negotiated a separate agreement covering around 20 Wilson James Security employees. The workers provide security services on site for EnQuest to patrol the premises in order to ensure the security and safety at the Sullom Voe terminal. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the union is “driving up the quality of jobs, pay and conditions in the Shetlands”. The recognition agreements follow numerous rounds of industrial action at the Sullom Voe terminal in recent years. Last year, dozens of Worley employees staged a 24-hour walkout at Sullom Voe in a dispute over pay and working conditions. Meanwhile, around 30 Equans employees at Sullom Voe secured a new wage deal in February last year which included a 9% wage uplift Sodexo has been approached for comment.

Ecopetrol SA’s finances are at risk from a $2.2 billion claim from Colombia’s tax agency, according to the state oil producer’s main workers union.    The union, known as USO, said in a May 4 statement that tax agency DIAN is charging Ecopetrol 9.4 trillion pesos for value added tax on gasoline imported since 2022 to supply the local market. This decision is a “biased interpretation of the tax statute,” the union said.  Ecopetrol didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. DIAN said it is planning to publish a statement later Monday.  Colombia’s budget deficit ballooned to 6.8 percent of gross domestic product last year, the highest since the pandemic, and overshooting the limit imposed by the nation’s anchor, known as the “fiscal rule,” which is meant to limit the government’s ability to run up debt.  Ecopetrol’s shares fell 1.7 percent in early Bogotá trading. Its dollar bonds are among the worst performers Monday in Latin America, according to a Bloomberg Index. What do you think? We’d love to hear from you, join the conversation on the Rigzone Energy Network. The Rigzone Energy Network is a new social experience created for you and all energy professionals to Speak Up about our industry, share knowledge, connect with peers and industry insiders and engage in a professional community that will empower your career in energy. MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Bloomberg