MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Sep 5, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Cambria County will complete switch to CNG buses for urban fleet in 2027; NETL database upgrade to help PA communities in Marcellus; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures edge up as storage meets expectations; IPAA announces new president and CEO; USA hits new crude oil production record; Shale oil pessimism could be overdone; US gas power capacity set for big jump as renewables growth slows; INTERNATIONAL: Oil slips ahead of OPEC+ supply talks; Shell mulls selling stake in Aussie LNG plant; Mexico fears the United States will stop the flow of natural gas; U.S. sanctions halt Colombia’s plans to import gas from Venezuela.
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION
Cambria County will complete switch to CNG buses for urban fleet in 2027
Johnstown (PA) Tribune-Democrat/David Hurst
The Cambria County Transit Authority (CamTran) plans to fully convert its urban bus fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG) by 2027, following approval to purchase three additional CNG buses for $750,000 each. Supplied by Gillig Corp. through a state contract, the buses are cheaper to fuel and maintain than diesel, simplifying operations since all 38 urban buses will share the same components. The transition also eliminates the need to stock diesel parts. Delivery delays until 2027 provide time to resolve route issues, including clearance challenges on Laurel Avenue. Meanwhile, CamTran’s 41-vehicle rural fleet will remain mostly diesel. [MDN: Smart move to switch from diesel to CNG (and not EVs) for the buses. Another way to view this is that homegrown PA Marcellus gas will be powering these buses.]
NETL database upgrade to help PA communities in Marcellus
National Energy Technology Laboratory
The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) announced an upgrade to its National Energy Water Treatment & Speciation (NEWTS) database, incorporating over 1,000 wastewater sample records from Marcellus Shale hydraulic fracturing operations in Pennsylvania, sourced from the PA DEP. NEWTS, designed to standardize geochemical and geospatial wastewater data across energy sectors, now supports popular modeling tools like OLI Studio and Geochemist’s Workbench. This addition helps communities analyze produced-water chemistry, develop remediation plans, and identify recoverable critical minerals, including lithium—potentially meeting 38–40 % of current U.S. lithium demand and offering a new revenue source. [MDN: This update to the NETL database may help communities figure out if they have valuable minerals in wastewater, which can generate revenue. Cool.]
NATIONAL
U.S. natural gas futures edge up as storage meets expectations
Wall Street Journal
U.S. natural gas futures eke out gains, extending their winning streak to seven sessions with little change in the near-term weather outlook and an inventory report in line with expectations. The EIA reported a 55 Bcf injection into storage for last week, increasing stocks to 3,272 Bcf or 173 Bcf more than the five-year average. “The next several storage reports should reflect light demand, giving inventories the chance to make up more ground on year-ago levels and potentially separate further from the five-year average,” Andy Huenefeld of Pinebrook Energy Advisors says in a note. Nymex natural gas settles up 0.3% at $3.073/mmBtu. [MDN: The NYMEX ticked up a penny yesterday. Better than going down! We’re still above $3. Whew.]
IPAA announces new president and CEO
Rigzone/Andreas Exarheas
The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) announced Edith Naegele as its new President and CEO, effective September 22, succeeding Jeff Eshelman, who will remain in an advisory role. Naegele currently serves as Vice President of Membership and Strategic Development at the American Gas Association and previously held senior leadership roles at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where she managed revenue development and member engagement. With prior experience in energy policy, Naegele will focus on strengthening member engagement and advocacy for the upstream oil and natural gas industry. IPAA leaders praised her leadership skills and industry expertise. [MDN: Congrats to Ms. Naegele. The IPAA is a premier organization in the oil and gas space. It’s a much better organization than the American Petroleum Institute (API) in our humble opinion.]
USA hits new crude oil production record
Rigzone/Andreas Exarheas
The U.S. set a new crude oil production record in June 2025, averaging 13.58 million barrels per day, the highest monthly output in EIA’s historical dataset. This milestone, driven by growth in Texas, New Mexico, and the Gulf of Mexico, reinforced the country’s position as the world’s top crude producer. Annual output also hit a record in 2024, averaging 13.235 million barrels per day. The DOE credited policy support for energy dominance, while the EIA projects further gains to 13.6 million barrels per day by December 2025. Analysts note strong resilience but warn of risks from global price volatility and energy transition. [MDN: Let’s celebrate! This new record high would not have happened without the miracle of shale drilling. President Trump seeks to extend our oil dominance by right-sizing regulations. Let the good times roll!]
Shale oil pessimism could be overdone
Forbes/Michael Lynch
Michael Lynch argues that current pessimism surrounding U.S. shale oil may be exaggerated, pointing out that recent production softness largely stems from economic headwinds rather than structural decline. He suggests that should oil prices improve, shale output is well positioned to rebound. Lynch emphasizes that forecasting oil supply—particularly shale—has historically tended to underpredict actual performance, drawing on past analysis by the Energy Policy Research Foundation and insights from fellow analyst Trisha Curtis. Ultimately, he cautions against reading too much into short-term weakness when assessing shale’s longer-term resilience. [MDN: Lynch, a long-time energy economist, is exactly right. We would add this…if the price of oil stays lower for longer, drillers will figure out how to make the lower price more profitable using technology and new innovations. That’s the beauty of capitalism and free enterprise—the best economic system ever devised by humans.]
US gas power capacity set for big jump as renewables growth slows
Reuters/Gavin Maguire
U.S. power developers are gearing up to sharply increase natural gas and hydropower generation while scaling back plans for solar and wind, according to Global Energy Monitor data as of mid-2025. Natural gas capacity in development has surged to just over 114,000 MW—more than double a year earlier—and now leads all planned additions. Utilities are also adding roughly 36,000 MW of hydropower and nearly 8,000 MW of nuclear, prioritizing dispatchable sources amid rising demand and shifting federal energy policy. Meanwhile, renewable capacity in the pipeline has dropped from about 186,000 MW to 155,000 MW, though battery storage is expanding with roughly 8,000 MW of new capacity expected by year-end. [MDN: The worm has turned and sanity has returned to energy producers. Natural gas is cheap and clean and fast to add to a grid. Unreliable renewables are expensive and unreliable. Rational thinking is slowly coming back in the energy community. It’s gratifying to see.]
INTERNATIONAL
Oil slips ahead of OPEC+ supply talks
Bloomberg/Mia Gindis, Alex Longley
Oil prices fell as concerns grew that OPEC+ may boost supply at its upcoming meeting, adding to worries about oversupply later this year. West Texas Intermediate futures dropped 0.8% to $63.48 a barrel, pressured by weaker U.S. jobs data, rising crude inventories, and swelling diesel stockpiles. Algorithmic traders accelerated the selloff, with analysts warning of further large-scale selling. Ongoing OPEC+ production hikes, combined with increased output from non-member producers and softening demand amid U.S. tariffs, have fueled predictions of a growing glut. Brent crude also slipped, closing at $66.99, as markets await clarity on OPEC’s supply strategy this weekend. [MDN: Slight ups and slight downs, but always in the $60s. Perfect.]
Shell mulls selling stake in Aussie LNG plant
Bloomberg/Stephen Stapczynski
Shell Plc is considering selling its 16.67% stake in Australia’s A$34 billion ($22 billion) North West Shelf LNG export plant, a share potentially worth over $3 billion. Although Shell is expanding its global LNG business to meet rising demand, the project’s transition to a third-party tolling model—where buyers pay liquefaction fees—does not align with its strategy. The move follows Shell’s 2023 sale of its Browse LNG stake, also tied to the project. Operator Woodside Energy has been consolidating ownership, recently acquiring Chevron’s stake, but has faced challenges aligning partners on the long-term strategy for Australia’s largest and oldest LNG facility. [MDN: An interesting move given Shell is all about LNG. But as the story indicates, the way the plant is being run is contrary to Shell’s strategy.]
Mexico fears the United States will stop the flow of natural gas
The Economist
Mexico’s reliance on U.S. natural gas has surged, with imports reaching 2.34 trillion cubic feet in 2024, nearly 40% higher than 2018, making gas the backbone of its power system at over 60% of electricity generation. Once self-sufficient, Mexico’s output fell as Pemex prioritized oil, pushing the country to build pipelines to tap Texas shale gas. Energy reforms in 2013 aimed to boost domestic supply but were reversed under President López Obrador, leaving production stagnant and renewables sidelined. Current President Claudia Sheinbaum pledges to expand storage, pipelines, and output, yet dependence persists, hindered by limited storage, Pemex’s weaknesses, and policy uncertainty. [MDN: Yeah, well, Mexico SHOULD be concerned that we could turn off the taps. We don’t think that will happen, but it is a potent threat to make Mexico behave (especially on issues like illegal alien crossings and narco-terrorism). Ultimately, Mexico doesn’t have anything to worry about. We like selling our gas to other countries, and the U.S./Mexico have a long history of us selling our gas to them.]
U.S. sanctions halt Colombia’s plans to import gas from Venezuela
Reuters/Pipeline & Gas Journal
Colombian state-run Ecopetrol is blocked from acquiring Venezuelan-owned fertilizer producer Monomeros or purchasing natural gas from Venezuela due to U.S. sanctions, according to Chairwoman Monica de Greiff. Although Colombia’s government signed a confidentiality agreement with Venezuela in July to explore Monomeros’ potential acquisition, sanctions targeting Venezuelan state entities, including Monomeros’ owner Pequiven, prevent the transaction. Ecopetrol also cannot import gas directly from Venezuela for the same reason, despite Mines and Energy Minister Edwin Palma’s optimism that imports could start by year-end. Colombia faces a possible 20% gas deficit by 2026 amid declining domestic exploration and a shift away from fossil fuels. [MDN: Two words…sanctions work. If Colombia got its head out of its collective rear-end, it would buy U.S. LNG.]