Energy Secretary Chris Wright sought to reassure US oil companies during a visit to Oklahoma, saying turmoil from President Donald Trump’s trade war is apt to be fleeting and the administration fully supports more crude output. “The uncertainty you are seeing around tariffs — that’s a short term issue,” Wright said during an interview with Bloomberg Television at an energy conference in Oklahoma City. He later added: “We’re doing everything we can to encourage production.” Wright, who previously ran one of the world’s biggest fracking-service providers, said the uncertainty roiling the broader market is because the US in the midst of negotiating more favorable trade deals. He predicted it would only last “a few more weeks.”  When it comes to oil production, Wright said the Trump administration is focused on tearing down barriers to make it cheaper and easier to pump crude and natural gas. Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appeared at the event hosted by shale billionaire Harold Hamm as oil prices have plunged more than 10% this month in the wake of Trump’s trade war and a decision by OPEC to beef up a production increase scheduled for later this year. For 14 consecutive days, West Texas Intermediate futures have settled below $65 a barrel — the price many companies need to break even on new wells.  Those lower prices coupled with the trade war have caused significant unease across the industry, threatening to undercut the president’s own goal to ramp up fossil-fuel production. Two of the largest oilfield service providers, Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Co., warned this week that tariffs were impacting their bottom line. Matador Resources Co., a Texas shale company, announced Wednesday it was dropping one of its nine drilling rigs. And last month, a host of oil bosses delivered scathing critiques of Trump’s policies

Steve Thomson has joined Amplus Energy as its facilities and modifications manager within Aberdeen. In his new role, Thomson will lead the yard campaign for the recently acquired floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Petrojarl I, and will support its future deployments and long-term operations. His appointment reflects Amplus Energy’s focus on operational excellence and safe, efficient project delivery. Thomson said: “Joining Amplus Energy in this role is a great opportunity to be part of a team with such a clear operational focus. “The Petrojarl I has real potential, and I’m looking forward to getting involved with the yard phase and ensuring we are in the best position for a successful deployment.” In March this year, Amplus Energy announced a strategic partnership with V.Ships Offshore to oversee the transition of the Petrojarl l. The company acquired the vessel, built in 1986, from Altera Infrastructure. The company is scheduled to take control of the FPSO by June. Amplus Energy managing director Steve Gardyne added: “Steve brings exactly the right blend of technical depth, leadership, and operational focus that is required for leading the yard campaign for FPSO Petrojarl I. His experience will be invaluable as we prepare Petrojarl I for its next mission and continue to build out our capability as a high-performance FPSO operator.” © Supplied by EnerMechEnerMech senior vice-president for project performance Mehul Tamboli. Mehul Tamboli has been appointed as senior vice-president for project performance at Aberdeen-based EnerMech. Based in Houston, Tamboli joins EnerMech with over 20 years of global experience leading project management, finance and commercial operations within the oil and gas industry, both in the upstream and midstream sectors. In his new role at EnerMech, he will serve as the project management subject matter expert (SME) for the business and will assist with the development and

The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) said Thursday it has expanded the allowable pressure differential for single-wellbore oil production from multiple reservoirs in the Gulf of America’s deep waters, saying the policy change will boost output. The pressure differential limit for downhole commingling in the Paleogene Wilcox deepwater play has been raised from 200 pounds per square inch (psi) to 1,500 psi. “This change, the result of extensive technical consultation with offshore industry leaders, could increase production output by roughly 10 percent, which would translate into over 100,000 barrels per day production increase over the next 10 years”, the DOI’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said in an online statement. “Additional gains are possible as operators provide further data”. The BSEE cited a study by researchers at the University of Texas’ Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department. The study, published September 2023, claimed commingled production maximizes per-well production compared to sequential schemes. Over 30 years commingling improves oil recovery by 61 percent, and by more than 21 percent over 50 years, according to the study. “The policy shift is grounded in modern reservoir performance analysis and updates outdated guidance based on a 2010 government study”, the BSEE said. “Under the updated rules, operators can now safely produce from multiple reservoirs with greater pressure differences, provided they meet new conditions including fluid compatibility certification, pressure monitoring and regular performance reporting to BSEE”. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said, “This is a monumental milestone in achieving American Energy Dominance. We’re delivering more American energy, more efficiently, and with fewer regulatory roadblocks”. The BSEE added, “This policy will not only increase production but also enhance resource conservation by expediting development from each reservoir – helping prevent waste and get more value from every well”. “By delivering more oil from current operations without

Dive Brief: Legislation the Texas House of Representatives passed on a bipartisan basis on Tuesday could position the Lone Star State as a national leader on advanced nuclear energy, industry advocates said Wednesday.  House Bill 14 would establish a state office to promote advanced nuclear supply chain and power generation projects in Texas and create a fund to provide grants of up to $200 million for eligible nuclear construction projects. The bill heads to the Texas Senate with about six weeks to go in the 2025 regular legislative session. Dive Insight: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas added 43 GW to its five-year load growth forecast last year, or more than one-third of an expected 128 GW of U.S. load growth through 2029, Grid Strategies said in December.  New data centers (18 GW), cryptocurrency mines (6 GW), hydrogen production (5.8 GW), other industrial facilities (5.7 GW) and oil and gas facilities (2.8 GW) will drive the bulk of the expected load growth through 2029, ERCOT said earlier this month in an updated forecast. On Thursday, the Public Utilities Commission of Texas approved three 765-kV transmission lines — the state’s first — to reduce congestion in the rapidly-electrifying Permian Basin oil patch. “As Texas considers its energy future, the time has come to invest in nuclear power — an energy source capable of ensuring grid reliability, economic opportunity, and energy and national security,” Texas Nuclear Association President Reed Clay said in a statement Wednesday. Advanced nuclear firms have already proposed or begun developing projects in Texas.  The farthest along is Natura Resources’ 1-MW, molten salt-cooled thermal research reactor under construction since late last year at Abilene Christian University. In February, Texas A&M University invited Aalo Atomics, Kairos Power, Natura and Terrestrial Energy to build reactors on its RELLIS campus near College Station,

The UK’s leading clean energy event returns to the SEC this May for two days of networking, connections, and uninterrupted business with the renewable energy community. This year’s event is set to be bigger, with over 12,000 visitors expected, 600+ expert speakers and 270+ innovative exhibitors Developers, investors and buyers are coming to the conference to discover the latest trends and solutions. You’ll be able to meet with representatives and colleagues in the industry management, sales or procurement. The event in Glasgow will also see buyers from sectors such as local government authorities, consultancy services, power suppliers, software developers, OEMs, and education, hoping to check out the next big thing in renewable energy solutions. All-Energy helps to connect your technology and solutions to the UK renewable energy industry to better engineer an integrated Net Zero energy future. Driving progress across the industry Tina Abulashvili, event organiser, said: “At All-Energy, we’re proud to collaborate with a group of expert Ambassadors representing five key sectors driving the energy transition: Offshore Wind, Onshore Wind, Grid & Networks, Hydrogen, and Decarbonisation & Sustainability. “These Ambassadors act as advocates for the events, bringing invaluable insights and ideas from their areas of expertise to help shape the direction of the conference. They’re actively involved in developing content, contributing to conference sessions, and helping us spotlight the issues, innovations, and opportunities that matter most. “From editorial features and articles to on-stage discussions, our Ambassadors are at the heart of our mission—to drive meaningful dialogue and progress across the industry.” Introducing Iain Sinclair, Global Energy Group © Supplied by Global Energy GroupIain’s conference session, Offshore Wind 2: Are We There Yet? The Long Port Infrastructure Journey, will take place on Wednesday 14 May. Iain Sinclair’s professional expertise, sector knowledge – and infectious enthusiasm for clean energy – make him

Valero Energy Corp. on Thursday reported a loss attributable to shareholders of $595 million, or $1.9 per share, for the first quarter, impacted by $1.13 billion in pre-tax impairments. The write-downs came from the Benicia and Wilmington refineries in California. On April 16 Valero said it had notified the California Energy Commission of its intent to “idle, restructure, or cease refining operations at Valero’s Benicia Refinery by the end of April 2026” and that it was evaluating “strategic alternatives” for the rest of its assets in the state. Before impairments, net profit landed at $282 million, or $0.89 per share assuming dilution. That is down 77.86 percent from Q1 2024 as margins fell. Valero’s stock closed lower at $113.36 on the New York Stock Exchange on results day. In its conventional fuel production segment the San Antonio, Texas-based company logged a refining margin per barrel of throughput of $9.78 in the January-March 2025 period, compared to $14.07 in Q1 2024. Production rose year-on-year to 2.85 million barrels a day. Meanwhile renewable diesel sales averaged 2.44 million gallons per day, down from 3.74 million gallons per day in Q1 2024. For the remaining segment, ethanol, Valero reported an average production volume of 4.47 million gallons per day, stable compared to Q1 2024. The refining segment recorded an operating loss of $530 million. The renewable diesel segment also took an operating loss of $141 million. The ethanol segment generated $20 million in operating income. Operating activities registered $952 million in net cash, down from $1.85 billion for Q1 2024. Revenues totaled $30.26 billion, compared to $31.76 billion for Q1 2024. Ethanol contributed $1.23 billion, while $900 million came from renewable diesel. “We delivered positive results for the first quarter despite heavy maintenance activity across our refining system and a challenging margin environment