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Supply chains are screwed up. Inflation has returned with a vengeance. And the politics of energy in the U.S. are all over the place, with demands for energy companies to do more today even as plans are being made to phase them out of existence tomorrow. This is today’s world — traditional energy markets learning to live with the impact of renewables, decarbonization and sustainability initiatives, while at the same time dealing with the aftermath of a pandemic and the consequences of a war with a totally uncertain trajectory — and it’s likely to be with us for a long time to come. That was the focus of our Spring 2022 School of Energy and it’s the subject of today’s RBN blog. Warning: Today’s blog includes a couple of blatant plugs for a newly available replay of our recent conference in Houston.

Efforts to limit the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the climate while meeting growing energy demand rest largely on key partnerships between the oil and gas industry and emerging climate technology companies. The transition to responsibly sourced gas — natural gas that is produced, gathered, processed, transported and distributed utilizing methods that meet the highest environmental standards and practices — does more than just lower emissions as part of that net-zero goal. RSG helps upstream gas businesses and downstream customers demonstrate their commitment to sustainability measures in ways that resonate with investors, regulators and the general public. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the road to a net-zero world and how Project Canary assessments can help ensure that natural gas remains a part of that journey.

Concerns about climate change have taken center stage in recent years, with the global economy under mounting pressure from governments, investors, and the wider public to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and transition to cleaner energy sources. With the understanding that a transition will take a long time and that the world will still need oil and gas in the interim, traditional energy companies are increasingly seeking ways to clean up their current operations as much as possible. That’s where responsibly sourced gas (RSG) comes into play — natural gas that is produced, gathered, processed, transported, and distributed in a way that meets the highest environmental standards and practices, resulting in reduced GHG emissions. In today’s RBN blog we’ll look at the emergence of RSG as an important opportunity for oil and gas companies looking to be responsible environmental stewards and how Project Canary’s certification standards measure their progress in achieving those goals.

Energy marketeers are faced with a conundrum. Should the focus be on producing, processing, and marketing the hydrocarbon-based energy that the world needs today? Or is it time to go an entirely different direction toward net-zero emissions, renewables, and battery-powered everything? The answer, of course, is both. That means living, working, and producing hydrocarbon-based products in today's world while at the same time preparing for and investing in the world to which we’re headed. You might think of it as kind of a mild case of schizophrenia; we live in one reality, but we must think in terms of an entirely different future reality. That was a core theme for RBN’s Fall 2021 School of Energy: Hydrocarbon Markets in a Decarbonizing World. In today’s RBN advertorial blog, we provide our key findings and highlights from the conference curriculum.

Energy markets are red hot and are showing no signs of cooling off anytime soon. Natural gas prices have soared 20% to $ 4.615/MMbtu in just the last couple of weeks and could soon breach $5/MMBtu. In the NGL market, propane prices are up to $1.17/gal, the highest level for the month of September since 2011, with the possibility of shortages threatening domestic suppliers this winter. Even crude oil has continued to find support near the $70/bbl range, providing remarkable drilling and completion economics for well-positioned E&Ps. All these markets are data-intensive, and it can be a challenge to keep up with the most important developments. That’s what our ClusterX app is all about. It delivers to your phone or browser everything we believe is important as soon as the information hits RBN databases. And it is free! In today’s blog, we’ll look at some of the key capabilities of ClusterX, including a number of new features we’ve added.  Warning: Today’s blog is a blatant advertorial for ClusterX. 

Beginning in 2020 and so far through 2021, we at RBN have devoted a lot of our energy to covering the latest developments in environmental, social and governance (ESG) trends in the energy sector. That’s no accident – in fact, it’s been a necessity. As we recently discussed in Bullet the Blue Sky, environmentally focused initiatives have taken center-stage as society, investors, and governments demand higher standards from companies. The consequences to businesses that don’t heed the new paradigm could be dire for both their reputations and their pocketbooks. As a result, companies up and down the energy value chain have begun examining their operations to identify areas of improvement, particularly as it relates to their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In today’s blog, we’ll focus on one of the most significant of GHGs – methane. We will look at what’s being done to monitor and address those emissions, and how companies may ultimately benefit by reining them in.