Slovakia and Hungary signaled they would resist pressure from US President Donald Trump to cut Russian oil and gas imports until the European Union member states find sufficient alternative supplies.  “Before we can fully commit, we need to have the right conditions in place — otherwise we risk seriously damaging our industry and economy,” Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova told reporters in Bratislava on Wednesday.  The minister said sufficient infrastructure must first be in place to support alternative routes. The comments amount to a pushback against fresh pressure from Trump for all EU states to end Russian energy imports, a move that would hit Slovakia and Hungary.  Hungarian Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas reiterated that his country would rebuff EU initiatives that threatened the security of its energy supplies. Sakova said she made clear Slovakia’s position during talks with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright in Vienna this week. She said the Trump official expressed understanding, while acknowledging that the US must boost energy projects in Europe.  Trump said over the weekend that he’s prepared to move ahead with “major” sanctions on Russian oil if European nations do the same. The government in Bratislava is prepared to shut its Russian energy links if it has sufficient infrastructure to transport volumes, Sakova said.  “As long as we have an alternative route, and the transmission capacity is sufficient, Slovakia has no problem diversifying,” the minister said. A complete cutoff of Russian supplies would pose a risk, she said, because Slovakia is located at the very end of alternative supply routes coming from the West.  Slovakia and Hungary, landlocked nations bordering Ukraine, have historically depended on Russian oil and gas. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, both launched several diversification initiatives. Slovakia imports around third of its oil from non-Russian sources via the Adria pipeline

Slovakia and Hungary signaled they would resist pressure from US President Donald Trump to cut Russian oil and gas imports until the European Union member states find sufficient alternative supplies.  “Before we can fully commit, we need to have the right conditions in place — otherwise we risk seriously damaging our industry and economy,” Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova told reporters in Bratislava on Wednesday.  The minister said sufficient infrastructure must first be in place to support alternative routes. The comments amount to a pushback against fresh pressure from Trump for all EU states to end Russian energy imports, a move that would hit Slovakia and Hungary.  Hungarian Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas reiterated that his country would rebuff EU initiatives that threatened the security of its energy supplies. Sakova said she made clear Slovakia’s position during talks with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright in Vienna this week. She said the Trump official expressed understanding, while acknowledging that the US must boost energy projects in Europe.  Trump said over the weekend that he’s prepared to move ahead with “major” sanctions on Russian oil if European nations do the same. The government in Bratislava is prepared to shut its Russian energy links if it has sufficient infrastructure to transport volumes, Sakova said.  “As long as we have an alternative route, and the transmission capacity is sufficient, Slovakia has no problem diversifying,” the minister said. A complete cutoff of Russian supplies would pose a risk, she said, because Slovakia is located at the very end of alternative supply routes coming from the West.  Slovakia and Hungary, landlocked nations bordering Ukraine, have historically depended on Russian oil and gas. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, both launched several diversification initiatives. Slovakia imports around third of its oil from non-Russian sources via the Adria pipeline

Listen to the article 2 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Per capita carbon dioxide emissions from energy consumption fell in every state from 2005 to 2023, primarily due to less coal being burned, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a Monday report.  In total, CO2 emissions fell by 20% in those years. The U.S. population increased by 14% during that period, so per capita, emissions fell by 30%, according to EIA. “Increased electricity generation from natural gas, which releases about half as many CO2 emissions per unit of energy when combusted as coal, and from non-CO2-emitting wind and solar generation offset the decrease in coal generation,” EIA said. Emissions decreased in every state, falling the most in Maryland and the District of Columbia, which saw per capita drops of 49% and 48%, respectively. Emissions fell the least in Idaho, where they dropped by 3%, and Mississippi, where they dropped by 1%. Optional Caption Courtesy of Energy Information Administration “In 2023, Maryland had the lowest per capita CO2 emissions of any state, at 7.8 metric tons of CO2 (mtCO2), which is the second lowest in recorded data beginning in 1960,” EIA said. “The District of Columbia has lower per capita CO2 emissions than any state and tied its record low of 3.6 mtCO2 in 2023.” EIA forecasts a 1% increase in total U.S. emissions from energy consumption this year, “in part because of more recent increased fossil fuel consumption for crude oil production and electricity generation growth.” In 2023, the transportation sector was responsible for the largest share of emissions from energy consumption across 28 states, EIA said. In 2005, the electric power sector had “accounted for the largest share of emissions in 31 states, while the transportation sector made up the

Chord Energy Corporation announced a “strategic acquisition of Williston Basin assets” in a statement posted on its website recently. In the statement, Chord said a wholly owned subsidiary of the company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire assets in the Williston Basin from XTO Energy Inc. and affiliates for a total cash consideration of $550 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments. The consideration is expected to be funded through a combination of cash on hand and borrowings, Chord noted in the statement, which highlighted that the effective date for the transaction is September 1, 2025, and that the deal is expected to close by year-end. Chord outlined in the statement that the deal includes 48,000 net acres in the Williston core, noting that “90 net 10,000 foot equivalent locations (72 net operated) extend Chord’s inventory life”. Pointing out “inventory quality” in the statement, Chord highlighted that “low average NYMEX WTI breakeven economics ($40s) compete at the front-end of Chord’s program and lower the weighted-average breakeven of Chord’s portfolio”. The company outlined that the deal is “expected to be accretive to all key metrics including cash flow, free cash flow and NAV in both near and long-term”. “We are excited to announce the acquisition of these high-quality assets,” Danny Brown, Chord Energy’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said in the statement. “The acquired assets are in one of the best areas of the Williston Basin and have significant overlap with Chord’s existing footprint, setting the stage for long-lateral development. The assets have a low average NYMEX WTI breakeven and are immediately competitive for capital,” he added. “We expect that the transaction will create significant accretion for shareholders across all key metrics, while maintaining pro forma leverage below the peer group and supporting sustainable FCF generation and return of capital,” he continued.

Listen to the article 4 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Generative AI models are able to produce effective retrofit decisions but do less well identifying which ones can produce the best result most quickly and at the least cost, according to analysis by researchers at Michigan State University. The study, “Can AI Make Energy Retrofit Decisions? An Evaluation of Large Language Models,” is one of the first to examine how large language models, or LLMs, perform in determining efficient and effective building energy retrofits.  Identifying the optimal retrofit solution can be critical from a cost standpoint. Light to medium retrofits can unlock between 10% and 40% in energy savings, or $0.49 to $1.94 per square foot of savings on average, according to JLL research published last September. Despite these savings, these actions aren’t being implemented at the scale required to meet decarbonization targets because of their capital-intensive nature, the report says. Decision-making complexity and the inadequacy of data and tools are also problem, according to the report. To determine the potential of generative AI in addressing these limitations, MSU researchers tasked seven LLMs with generating energy retrofit decisions under two contexts: a technical context focused on maximum CO2 reduction and a sociotechnical context focused on minimum packback period.  The AI-generated retrofit decisions were evaluated based on whether they matched the top-ranked retrofit measure or fell within the top three or the top five measures. The researchers then used a sample of 400 homes from ResStock 2024.2 data, spanning 49 states, to evaluate LLM performance based on accuracy, consistency, sensitivity and reasoning.   Researchers evaluated each LLM by issuing prompts, which included an overview of 16 potential retrofit packages and building-specific information. The overview described each retrofit measure’s features like heat pump efficiency, whether

CPS Energy has signed an agreement to acquire four natural gas power plants operated by ProEnergy in the ERCOT area for $1.387 billion. The facilities have an aggregate capacity of 1.632 gigawatts, according to a joint statement. “Located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market, the acquired assets include state-of-the-art, recently constructed peaking natural gas plants in Harris, Brazoria and Galveston Counties”, the companies said. “The acquired assets are dual-fuel capable, providing CPS Energy future optionality to transition to a hydrogen fuel blend that would enable reduced carbon emissions”. San Antonio, Texas-based CPS Energy has a prior agreement with Modern Hydrogen, announced July 22, to use the latter’s technology to convert natural gas into hydrogen. CPS Energy president and chief executive Rudy D. Garza said of the agreement with ProEnergy, “By acquiring recently constructed, currently operating modern power plants that utilize proven technology already in use by CPS Energy, we avoid higher construction costs, inflationary risk, and long timelines associated with building new facilities – while also enhancing the reliability and affordability of the CPS Energy generation portfolio”. “As we add resources to meet the needs of our fast-growing communities, we will continue to look to a diverse balance of energy sources that complement our portfolio, including natural gas, solar, wind and storage, keeping our community powered and growing”, Garza added. CPS Energy earlier issued a request for proposals (RFP) to secure up to 400 MW of wind generation capacity through one or more PPAs (power purchase agreements). “The RFP marks the first time in over a decade that CPS Energy has specifically sought proposals for wind projects. CPS Energy’s target to contract up to 400 MW of wind capacity would bring the utility’s total wind generation to 1,467 MW”, it said in a press release July 31. “The