Nick Cunningham

Latest articles from Nick

• Big Oil Sheds Assets to Fix Balance Sheets

  Published 13 February 2014 | viewed 17,414 times

  The oil industry may be in the midst of entering a new phase of high costs and slower growth. New oil discoveries are harder to…

• DOE Approves Sixth LNG Export Terminal

  Published 11 February 2014 | viewed 10,122 times

  On February 11 the U.S. government gave a green light to Sempra Energy’s LNG export terminal in Louisiana. The approval is the sixth over the…

• Wind and Gas Forcing Out Nuclear in Midwest

  Published 08 February 2014 | viewed 19,020 times

  Exelon Corporation is considering closing some of its nuclear power plants because they have become unprofitable. Despite what CEO Christopher Crane said during its fourth-quarter…

• As Drought Hits, Fracking Poses Threat to Water Supply

  Published 06 February 2014 | viewed 13,532 times

  A new report finds that hydraulic fracturing is posing a growing risk to water supplies in several regions around the country. Only, instead of groundwater…

• Coal Industry in Structural Decline

  Published 04 February 2014 | viewed 21,730 times

  Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI) reported a big loss for the fourth quarter of 2013, its eighth straight. The numbers came in lower than many analysts…

• Despite Setbacks South Korea Commits to Nuclear Power

  Published 01 February 2014 | viewed 8,639 times

  South Korea gave a green light on January 29 to a $7 billion plan to build two new nuclear reactors, a sign that Korea will…

• Shell Cancels Arctic Drilling Campaign Amid Declining Profitability

  Published 30 January 2014 | viewed 14,239 times

  Royal Dutch Shell reported a 71% decline in net-profit in the fourth quarter when it released its earnings statement on January 30, 2014. The company…

• Iraqi Government Threatens Action Against Kurds as Oil Exports Set to Begin

  Published 28 January 2014 | viewed 26,253 times

  Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs firmly stated the central government will take action, “including fiscal measures,” if Kurdistan begins exporting oil without coming…

• Chinese Regulator Warns about Credit Risks of Coal Companies

  Published 25 January 2014 | viewed 18,796 times

  Coal prices in China declined by 16% in 2013 as the economy cooled and the government stepped up efforts to curtail air pollution, according to…

• Rising Costs Hit Balance Sheets of Major Oil Companies

  Published 23 January 2014 | viewed 23,814 times

  Quarterly earnings for Royal Dutch Shell have declined sharply due to large expenditures, delays, and lower than expected production. The oil-giant reported that it expects…

• Energy Experts Call for Executive Action on Clean Energy

  Published 21 January 2014 | viewed 13,095 times

  A group of energy experts released a thick report that details a laundry list of ways that the President can take executive action to push…

• DOE Funds Carbon Capture Project Amid Fight Over Future of Coal

  Published 17 January 2014 | viewed 11,185 times

  On January 16, 2014 the U.S. Department of Energy approved $1 billion in funding for a carbon capture and sequestration project in Meredosia, Illinois. The…

• California Water Crisis May Head off Potential Oil Boom

  Published 16 January 2014 | viewed 20,943 times

  Drilling for oil in California dates back to the late 19th Century, allowing it to become the country’s top producer by the beginning of the…

• Market Disruptor: Nuclear Restarts Spells Trouble for LNG

  Published 15 January 2014 | viewed 26,400 times

  There are two major factors that have emerged in the last five years that have sparked a surge in LNG investments. First is the shale…

• EPA Issues New Rule to Require Chemical Disclosures for Offshore Fracking

  Published 11 January 2014 | viewed 29,382 times

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a rule on January 9, 2014 requiring oil and gas companies using hydraulic fracturing off the coast of California…

• Coal Makes a 2014 Comeback

  Published 09 January 2014 | viewed 20,763 times

  While environmental regulations and cheap natural gas have worked together to kill off coal in the United States, coal is not dead yet. The rapidly…

• Natural Gas Pipeline Bottlenecks Lead to Price Spikes in New England

  Published 07 January 2014 | viewed 31,571 times

  As the polar vortex shoots bone-chilling cold air southward into the United States, millions of people are cranking up the heat, and in New England,…

• Wave of Violence Threatens Ambitious Iraqi Oil Goals

  Published 04 January 2014 | viewed 18,988 times

  A wave of violence has swept parts of Iraq at the start of 2014 as the central government fights back against Al-Qaeda aligned militants in…

• State Involvement Key for Decommissioning Old Nuclear Plants

  Published 02 January 2014 | viewed 12,775 times

  The beginning of 2014 marks the final year of operation for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, ending a contentious battle between the state and…

• Natural Gas Prices Rise to Highest Levels in Over Two Years

  Published 26 December 2013 | viewed 25,834 times

  December 2013 saw the highest spot price for natural gas in over two years, as a cold weather returns to many parts of the East…