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Posts Tagged ‘carbon capture’

BOE energy news update

Posted in California, CCS, climate, energy policy, natural gas, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on April 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Santa Ynez Unit items (thanks to John Smith for the links):

Cuts in carbon capture spending coming? These are cuts that both climate activists and skeptics can support.

In a peer reviewed paper, AI (Grok-3) debunks the man-made climate crisis narrative.

Doug Burgum: Hydraulic fracturing technology is “one of the reasons why the U.S. shale revolution is a miracle. But that miracle keeps on getting better and better. It’s the thing that has literally turned around the economy.” Posted here 15 years ago: Natural Gas Bonanza – Why Aren’t We Celebrating?

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GB Energy bravado may not comfort North Sea workers

Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, UK, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Juergen Maier, chairman of GB Energy, “a planned British government-owned renewable energy investment body,” is promising to revive Aberdeen with “green energy” jobs, and to create “something special for the years ahead.”

Maier: “Floating offshore wind, green hydrogen, and carbon capture should be as synonymous with Aberdeen’s future as oil and gas have been with its past.” This is an interesting comment given that the success of the industries he is promoting is far from assured; nor is the continuation of government edicts and subsidies on which they are dependent.

How many times have we been told that the government driven energy transition would create thousands of jobs? How many workers in economically important industries have been told to transition to politically favored professions? How many Keystone Pipeline workers found the promised “green energy jobs?” Why were coal miners condescendingly told to “learn to code?”

Perhaps Mr. Maier should broaden his message by showing support for development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, and for sustaining production of oil and gas, on which the UK will be dependent for many years. As Louise Gilmour wisely opined in her column in the Scotsman:

“We need more of it because even the most ardent supporters of renewable energy, the most vocal proponents of net zero, quietly admit oil and, especially, gas will be needed for a couple of decades at least. That obvious truth, that inarguable necessity, is not, apparently, enough for ministers to encourage UK production, however, or temper their rhetoric around renewables.“

“Allowing our rigs and refineries to power down and relying on other countries to keep the lights on still seems a little, well, counter-intuitive. We will import oil and gas but not produce it while happily exporting contracts, skills and jobs overseas? The practical impact of Labour’s refusal to grant new exploration licences in the North Sea might remain unclear but the message it sent was absolutely crystal.“

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Does Exxon fear the collapse of the CCS house of cards?

Posted in CCS, climate, conferences, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged , , , , , , on November 14, 2024| 4 Comments »

Exxon CEO Darren Woods’ is concerned that US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement would threaten carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), the foundation for which is government mandates and generous taxpayer subsidies.

Exxon projected a $4 trillion carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) market by 2050. The company was a primary driver behind the late additions to the 2021 Infrastructure Bill. That bill authorized carbon disposal on the OCS, exempted such disposal from the Ocean Dumping Act, and authorized $2.5 billion for commercial CCS projects.

Exxon sought an edge over CCS competitors by improperly acquiring 163 OCS oil and gas leases (map below) for carbon disposal purposes. Conversion of these leases is not authorized, which means they will expire at the end of their primary (5 year) term absent legislative or regulatory action.

The only solid support for CCS is from companies hoping to benefit from subsidies and charges to industries and individual energy consumers. It’s time to end the Federal government’s CCS programs.

199 oil and gas leases were wrongfully acquired at Sales 257, 259, and 261 with the intent of developing these leases for carbon disposal purposes. Repsol was the sole bidder at Sale 261 for 36 nearshore Texas tracts in the Mustang Island and Matagorda Island areas (red blocks at the western end of the map above). Exxon acquired 163 nearshore Texas tracts (blue in map above) at Sales 257 (94) and 259 (69).

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Good CBC feature on Texas artificial reefs

Posted in climate, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, rigs-to-reefs, tagged , , , , on June 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

This CBC story, which includes excellent video interviews, was brought to my attention by Newfoundlander Howard Pike, an engineer and offshore safety leader.

Rigs-to-Removal (carbon)?

We know a lot about Rigs-to-Reefs, and the importance of active and reefed platforms in providing the habitat, shelter, and food that is necessary to increase biodiversity and productivity. However, the carbon reduction potential of artificial reefs has received little attention.

The linked CBC story is particularly interesting in that it includes interviews with artificial reef researchers who are assessing the carbon capture aspects. To date the results are encouraging:

As for the impact on climate change, the researchers say they have found some evidence that an artificial reef could hold more carbon compared to a natural reef.

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