MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Jun 10, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]

OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Wind opponents sue Trump administration to block New York wind project; NATIONAL: White House walks back U.S.-built LNG carrier ambitions; In 2024, the United States produced more energy than ever before; INTERNATIONAL: China gas sector lobbies for more power plants to boost demand; Oil edges up as traders await outcome of USA-China trade talks; BofA sees Saudis embarking on long but shallow oil price war; Global tally of alt-energy rejections passes 1,000.

OTHER U.S. REGIONS

Wind opponents sue Trump administration to block New York wind project
Reuters
Fishing companies and offshore wind opponents filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on June 3, 2025, challenging its decision to lift a stop-work order and allow construction to resume on the $5 billion Empire Wind project off New York’s coast. The plaintiffs argue that the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management violated the Administrative Procedure Act by reinstating work permits without providing a basis, despite earlier concerns about environmental harm from Equinor’s project. The lawsuit seeks to restore the stop-work order, which was initially issued by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in April 2025 due to inadequate environmental analysis but lifted in May after negotiations with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, potentially tied to reviving a gas pipeline project. Equinor, the project developer, stated that Empire Wind underwent rigorous permitting and secured all necessary approvals, while the agency did not comment. [MDN: We don’t blame them one bit. We hope they win and this monster wind project (which harms the ocean environment) is blocked.]

NATIONAL

White House walks back U.S.-built LNG carrier ambitions
Maritime Executive
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has revised its proposed port fee structure, retracting an ambitious plan to require U.S.-built LNG carriers for LNG exports by 2029, following concerns from exporters about the feasibility of meeting this deadline. Initially, the USTR proposed that one percent of LNG exports be transported on U.S.-built LNG carriers (LNGCs), with export license suspensions for non-compliance. However, no such vessels currently exist, as the last U.S.-built LNGC was delivered in 1980, and the shipyard closed in 1986. Due to the technical and logistical challenges of restarting domestic LNGC production within four years, the USTR removed the license-suspension clause to ease industry concerns. Additionally, the USTR modified fees on foreign-built vehicle carriers (PCTCs) in the Maritime Security Program, shifting from a $150 per car equivalent unit to a net tonnage-based fee to simplify administration and prevent evasion. [MDN: The sad reality is that even though it would be great to have U.S.-built LNG carriers, it’s not going to happen anytime soon (within the next 5-10 years), if ever. We must deal with reality as it is, not as we want it to be.]

In 2024, the United States produced more energy than ever before
U.S. Energy Information Administration – Today in Energy
In 2024, the United States achieved a record-breaking energy production of over 103 quadrillion British thermal units, a 1% increase from 2023, driven by all-time highs in natural gas, crude oil, natural gas plant liquids (NGPL), biofuels, solar, and wind, as reported in the Monthly Energy Review. Natural gas, the largest contributor at 38%, maintained its dominance since surpassing coal in 2011, with production steady at nearly 38 trillion cubic feet. Crude oil, comprising 27% of output, hit 13.2 million barrels per day, primarily from the Permian region, reinforcing the U.S. as the world’s top producer. Coal production, at 10%, dropped to its lowest since 1964 at 512 million short tons. NGPL production rose 7% to 4 trillion cubic feet, while biofuels reached 1.4 million barrels per day, up 6%. Solar and wind outputs surged by 25% and 8%, respectively, boosting renewable energy records. [MDN: We are the world’s leading energy producer. Natural gas is #1.]

INTERNATIONAL

China gas sector lobbies for more power plants to boost demand
Bloomberg/Rigzone
China’s natural gas producers are pushing Beijing to expand gas-fired power plants to boost declining demand, as outlined in a proposal for the next five-year plan to be ratified in March 2026. The plan aims to increase gas-fired capacity by nearly 70 gigawatts by 2030, a 50% rise from 2025 levels, targeting the power sector, which consumes 18% of China’s gas. Slowing industrial activity, rising renewable energy, and reliance on coal have curbed gas demand, with LNG import forecasts for 2025 lowered due to warm winters and high inventories. For domestic drillers, expanding gas use in power generation offsets weaker growth in heating, stalled by slowing urbanization and improved air quality. While gas offers flexibility over coal and nuclear, its higher cost compared to solar and challenges in tapping shale and coalbed methane reserves, alongside storage limitations, pose significant obstacles to this expansion. [MDN: The Chinese are not stupid people (unlike Europeans and some Americans). They won’t be talked away from gas-fired power by the likes of Bloomberg lefties. Natural gas is vital to the future of China, and the U.S.]

Oil edges up as traders await outcome of USA-China trade talks
Bloomberg/Rigzone
Oil prices rose, with West Texas Intermediate futures increasing 1.1% to $65.29 a barrel, the highest since early April, driven by optimism from renewed US-China trade talks in London aimed at easing global economic tensions. Commodity trading advisers shifted from a 64% short position to neutral on WTI, potentially turning net-long if prices rise 3-4%, according to Bridgeton Research Group. Concurrently, concerns over Iran’s growing uranium stockpile, highlighted by the UN nuclear watchdog ahead of a Vienna meeting, raised fears of disrupted oil flows from the OPEC member. After earlier declines due to increased OPEC+ supply and demand worries linked to Trump’s tariff policies, crude markets are tightening as summer demand peaks approach. The US crude futures market shows tight short-term supplies, with July delivery prices $1 above the next month. Brent for August also rose 0.9% to $67.04 a barrel. [MDN: We’re a broke record, but prices for oil in the $60s is the sweet spot. We’re still there and will be for a while.]

BofA sees Saudis embarking on long but shallow oil price war
Bloomberg/Rigzone
Bank of America’s head of commodities research, Francisco Blanch, suggests that OPEC+, led by Saudi Arabia, is initiating a prolonged but moderate price war to recapture market share through incremental oil output increases, as evidenced by a recent decision to boost production by over 400,000 barrels per day, surpassing earlier plans. This move reverses years of supply restrictions aimed at maintaining high oil prices, targeting both US shale producers, who face higher production costs despite their robust condition, and other OPEC+ members who have gained market share during Saudi Arabia’s period of price support. Blanch indicates that this strategic shift is already impacting the US, with Baker Hughes Co. reporting the lowest oil rig count in approximately four years, signaling a decline in drilling activity as Saudi Arabia seeks to reassert its dominance in the global oil market. [MDN: It’s delicious! The more the thug dictators of Saudi Arabia (and other OPEC+ members) produce, the lower the price goes, and the more money they lose. Yet they are producing more in hopes of generating more revenue, as their citizens will revolt if they don’t receive generous government benefits. The Saudis are in a Catch-22.]

Global tally of alt-energy rejections passes 1,000
Robert Bryce Substack
Since early May, renewable energy projects have faced significant rejections worldwide, highlighting growing land-use conflicts. In Queensland, Australia, a $1 billion, 450-megawatt wind project with battery storage was rejected due to opposition from 88% of 142 local residents, including grazier John Ellrott, who emphasized the need to protect the Moonlight Range’s flora and fauna. In Will County, Illinois, a solar project in New Lenox Township was voted down 16-5 after over 80 residents cited concerns about declining property values. Similarly, in East Devon, UK, a lithium-ion battery storage project was rejected after a heated debate, with residents raising fears of fire risks and pollution, despite developer assurances of safety. These cases contribute to over 1,000 global rejections of alternative energy projects, as documented in the Renewable Rejection Database, underscoring the significant barriers posed by local opposition and environmental concerns to the expansion of renewable energy. [MDN: So-called renewable (we call it unreliable) energy is being rejected everywhere, across the globe. Why doesn’t mainstream media report on it? Because they are liars and it doesn’t fit their preferred narrative of dumping fossil energy in favor of renewables. However, the truth can and will come out.]