Spanish power and gas utility Iberdrola SA, through its subsidiary Avangrid Inc., has launched commercial operation at the 202 MWdc-150 MWac Powell Creek Solar project in Putnam County, Ohio. The facility raises Iberdrola’s installed capacity in the United States to 10.5 gigawatts (GW), with nearly 600 megawatts added in the last six months, according to an online statement by Avangrid. Powell Creek, near Miller City, is now generating enough electricity for the annual consumption of 30,000 homes according to Avangrid. The farm has over 300,000 panels. “Powell Creek is a timely addition to the regional electric grid ahead of peak summer demand and represents new American energy capacity that will help to meet the growing power needs from data centers, domestic manufacturing, and electrification”, Avangrid said. Avangrid expects the project to make about $31 million in local taxes and around $1.1 million in annual lease payments. “In a unique relationship, Miller City is capturing significant revenue from the project which it will use to construct a new sewer line to encourage new home and business development. Growth was historically limited there because the village’s homes, businesses, and school run on individual septic systems”, it added. Powell Creek is Avangrid’s second energy project in Ohio, after the 304 MW Blue Creek built 2012. Avangrid now has over 500 MW of installed capacity in the state, enough to power 100,000 homes annually according to the company. Elsewhere Avangrid earlier in May announced five projects with a total investment of $41 million to install additional capacity and improve the reliability of the power grid in Ithaca, New York. Avangrid expects the Ithaca projects to benefit over 42,000 customers of New York State Electric & Gas, an Avangrid unit that operates about 35,000 miles of electric distribution lines and 4,500 miles of electric transmission lines

North America cut two rigs week on week, according to Baker Hughes’ latest North America rotary rig count, which was published on June 6. The U.S. dropped four rigs week on week, while Canada added two rigs during the same timeframe, taking the total North America rig count down to 673, comprising 559 rigs from the U.S. and 114 rigs from Canada, the count outlined. Of the total U.S. rig count of 559, 544 rigs are categorized as land rigs, 13 are categorized as offshore rigs, and two are categorized as inland water rigs. The total U.S. rig count is made up of 442 oil rigs, 114 gas rigs, and three miscellaneous rigs, according to Baker Hughes’ count, which revealed that the U.S. total comprises 505 horizontal rigs, 41 directional rigs, and 13 vertical rigs. Week on week, the U.S. land rig count reduced by four, and its offshore rig count and inland water rig count remained unchanged, the count highlighted. The country’s oil rig count dropped by nine, its gas rig count increased by five, and its miscellaneous rig count remained unchanged, week on week, the count showed. The U.S. horizontal rig count dropped by three week on week, its directional rig count decreased by one week on week, and its vertical rig count remained unchanged during the same timeframe, the count revealed. A major state variances subcategory included in the rig count showed that, week on week, Oklahoma and Texas each dropped two rigs, Utah dropped one rig, and Louisiana added one rig. A major basin variances subcategory included in Baker Hughes’ rig count showed that, week on week, the Eagle Ford and Permian basins each dropped three rigs, the Granite Wash basin dropped one rig, and the Cana Woodford and Haynesville basins each added two rigs. Canada’s

Vermilion Energy Inc. said it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its U.S. assets for cash proceeds of $87.61 million (CAD 120 million). The assets produce approximately 5,500 barrels of oil equivalent (boepd), consisting of 81 percent oil and liquids, and an estimated approximately 10 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) of proved developed producing reserves as of Dec. 31, 2024, Vermilion said in a news release. The company said it expects the transaction, which has an effective date of January 1, to close in the third quarter, subject to the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. The transaction agreement includes CAD 10 million of contingent payments based on WTI prices over the two-year period starting July 1. Vermilion said the transaction, combined with the sale of its East Finn assets in 2023, completes the company’s exit from the USA. The company said it plans to focus on its core gas-weighted assets in Canada and Europe. Net proceeds from the transaction will be directed towards debt repayment to “further accelerate deleveraging efforts and strengthen Vermilion’s balance sheet,” the company said. Meanwhile, Vermilion said it is adjusting its 2025 capital budget to a range of CAD 630 to 660 million, reflecting a reduction of approximately CAD 100 million from the mid-point of our previous capital budget range of CAD 730 million to 760 million. The reduction reflects the removal of all remaining exploration and development capital associated with the Saskatchewan and U.S. divested assets post-closing, the company said. Vermilion said it expects full-year and second-half 2025 production to range between 117,000 and 122,000 boepd, 68 percent natural gas-weighted in the second half of 2025. The company said it estimates that over 90 percent of production will come from its global gas portfolio and over 80 percent of capital is

Standard Lithium Ltd. has announced the successful production of battery-quality lithium sulfide using Telescope Innovations Corp.’s new trademarked low-temperature method. “Standard Lithium has been working with its research and development partner, Telescope Innovations, to develop new and novel conversion technologies to make next-generation battery materials”, Vancouver, Canada-based Standard Lithium said in a press release. “This new conversion process has now been successfully used to convert lithium hydroxide produced by Standard Lithium at its southern Arkansas Demonstration Plant, into battery-quality lithium sulfide. “Samples of the lithium sulfide have been shipped to solid-state battery companies in Asia and North America for ongoing testing and validation purposes”. “This development of new IP and technology with our research partner, Telescope Innovations, exemplifies our approach to becoming the leading new lithium company in North America”, said Standard Lithium president and chief operating officer Andy Robinson. “Whilst our principle area of focus, and capital allocation, is building the first DLE [direct lithium extraction] project in North America at our South West Arkansas Project Phase 1 with our joint venture partner Equinor, we understand that constant technological evolution is integral to staying at the forefront of this rapidly evolving industry. “This recent work led by Telescope demonstrates that we are able to take lithium chemicals produced from the Smackover Formation in southern Arkansas, and then transform them into the feedstocks required by the next generation of batteries”. Telescope’s DualPure production method used feedstocks including lithium hydroxide monohydrate from Standard Lithium’s demo plant in Arkansas. The process can also use lithium carbonate. DualPure’s processing temperatures do not reach 100 degrees Celsius, avoiding thermal risks, according to Telescope. “Lithium sulfide is a key raw material required for many next-generation solid-state battery chemistries, but despite the importance of lithium sulfide in the next generation of battery technology, it is only produced

The Northeast Power Coordinating Council Inc. (NPCC) forecast in its 2025 Summer Reliability Assessment that Northeastern North America – New England, the state of New York, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Québec, and the Maritimes – will have adequate electricity this summer. NPCC’s summer peak electricity demand is projected to be 104,600 MW, about 400 MW lower than last summer. The installed capacity to meet the region’s demand is approximately 157,000 MW, a decrease of 1,300 MW since last summer, primarily due to the retirement of the Pickering G1 and G4 nuclear units in Ontario. Forecasts indicate sufficient transmission and spare capacity to meet peak demand and operating reserves, with spare operable capacity estimated between 4,700 MW and over 17,000 MW, NPCC said in a media release. “NPCC’s assessment indicates our Region has spare capacity for this summer, which can be used to help mitigate reliability risks that may result from unexpected unavailability of key facilities, fuel supply interruptions, generation maintenance, or higher than anticipated demand”, Charles Dickerson, NPCC President and Chief Executive Officer, said. Because of its winter peak demand, Québec is predicted to comfortably cover the anticipated electricity demand, allowing for the transfer of excess electricity supplies to other regions if necessary, NPCC noted. The evaluation took into account a broad spectrum of related risks, such as demand exceeding expectations, uncertainties in projected demand, unforeseen outages of generator plants, transmission limitations between adjacent regions and within NPCC, the execution of operational procedures, the anticipated effects of demand response initiatives, and extra capacity unavailability alongside diminished transfer capabilities, NPCC said. “NPCC continues to see sustained growth in distributed photovoltaic resources”, Phil Fedora, NPCC Chief Engineer and Senior Vice President of External Affairs, said. “The reduction to NPCC’s summer peak demand due to behind-the-meter photovoltaic resources is estimated to be over

BEL Valves announced in a release sent to Rigzone recently that it had “lock[ed]… in [a] GBP 5 million ($6.7 million) North Sea oil installation”. The company noted in the release that it has supplied 11 actuated and 19 manual slab gate valves to the Murlach oil field development in the North Sea, adding that the valves feature local control panels, range in diameter from two to 12 inches, and can withstand up to 690 Bar pressure in Duplex and Super Duplex materials. BEL Valves highlighted in the release that the Murlach oil field development is a joint venture between BP Exploration Operating Company and NEO Energy, “with the first oil extraction expected in 2025”. It is situated around 135 miles east of the Aberdeenshire coastline and lies in a water depth of 305 feet to 311 feet, the release pointed out. “The Murlach Field Development Project is a really significant North Sea project and to have our slab gate valves playing such a vital part in its operational safety is a great reflection of the trust the industry has in our products,” David Gallagher, Project Director of BEL Valves, said in the release. “We’ve been manufacturing valves for the oil industry since the mid-1960s and our reputation for quality and reliability is second to none,” he added. “And with our ability to design and manufacture bespoke solutions, deliver fast-track orders, and provide full life cycle support, it’s understandable why BEL Valves is held in high esteem by infrastructure specifiers and contractors all over the world,” he continued. “The importance of high pressure, safety critical shut down valves can never be underestimated,” Gallagher went on to state. “The fact we’re known throughout the global oil and gas industry for delivering products that do exactly that, while also being supported by