doughaugh

[doughaugh]

⚛️ Is NY the Turning Point for U.S. Nuclear Power?

This week’s announcement from New York Governor Kathy Hochul marks a potentially historic shift. For the first time in over 15 years, a state is planning to build a major new nuclear power facility, directing the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to develop at least 1 gigawatt of new nuclear capacity. If successful, this project could be the signal flare that U.S. nuclear advocates have long been…

[doughaugh]

Follow the Money - Is the World Finally Investing Like it Believes in the Energy Transition?

The IEA’s World Energy Investment 2025 report is out—and it’s a data-rich 255 page reality check on how the world is actually putting its money where its energy mouth is. At a headline level, investment in the global energy sector is projected to hit a record $3.3 trillion this year. Of that, two-thirds—about $2.2 trillion—will go to clean energy. Expect many to proclaim victory for renewables,…

[doughaugh]

How will we Pave Our Roads after the Energy Transition?

What happens to asphalt when oil refineries shut down? As the global energy landscape shifts toward decarbonization, industries reliant on petroleum-derived products face both challenges and opportunities. One such critical product is asphalt binder, the glue that holds together the world’s roads, runways, and infrastructure. A recent report by the Asphalt Institute Foundation and Wood…

[doughaugh]

Does US Energy Dominance today lead to Chinese Dominance tomorrow?

In 2025 the United States stands at a pivotal moment in its journey toward energy dominance, a cornerstone of the Trump administration’s “America First” strategy. According to a recent Wood Mackenzie whitepaper, Horizons: Tough at the Top – The Threats to US Energy Dominance, the U.S. has emerged as a global leader in oil and gas production, outpacing traditional powerhouses like Saudi Arabia and…

[doughaugh]

The Energy Transition for Diesel looks very different in China

The latest data on oil and products demand in China reveals that some energy transition trends are starting to hit demand in heavy-duty transport and the trade war and tariffs are showing up in the petrochemical sector. We haven’t seen any trends in the US that would indicate a threat to diesel demand due to EV’s or any appreciable growth in LNG/CNG use, which has been growing slightly but not…

[doughaugh]

Natural Gas - A Bridge or a Backbone?

Natural Gas – A Bridge or a Backbone? With oil prices declining so much this year are there other upsides in the oil and energy outlook that might cushion the blow of lost revenues and earnings from oil? The latest report from Morgan Stanley would offer some promising possibilities for companies with significant roles in the natural gas industry from production and processing to transportation…

[doughaugh]

Oil Markets Start to Diverge in 2025: China vs. U.S. Trends

As global oil markets evolve in response to tariffs, sanctions, policy, geopolitics, and seasonal shifts, April 2025 reveals some intriguing differences—and a few similarities—between China and the U.S. With the first quarter behind us and data starting to come out for oil and products supply and demand trends it seemed useful to look across the two biggest drivers of these markets to do a…

[doughaugh]

Why our Energy Demand Models and the Climate Change Models they underpin are all Wrong

“Solar and Wind can meet our energy demand 100 times over.” We see this and many variations of it repeated endlessly across media. There is some objection and debate related to the challenges posed by intermittency, mining of all the resources, disposing of the obsolete equipment, to name a few. The claim and the objections to it make for an interesting debate but they are both premised on a…

[doughaugh]

As EV's share of New Vehicle Sales tops 50% in China, Just Maybe it's about National Security and not about Climate Change

When you see people celebrating the incredible growth of EV’s in China, which topped 50% share of new vehicle sales at the end of 2024,(Figure 1), it is likely that they are excited about the progress such a milestone represents in the battle against climate change. While the environmental benefits of to the planet of China using more electricity and burning less gasoline may well be helpful to…

[doughaugh]

The Fuel Transition - Arrived or Delayed?

The headlines in 2021 and much of 2022 were virtually unanimous, The Energy Transition was well underway. We had major oil companies declaring their commitment to Net Zero across the world. To the public it seemed like the discussion was over, the debate was done. To governments the deadlines for such a transition became definitive, some as early as 2030 with many others setting the goal line…

[doughaugh]

Utilities Face 26% Demand Increase by 2028

A recent study from Bain and Company indicates that utilities will need to increase generation by 26% by 2028. After a couple of decades of flat load demand, we see a significant shift in demand. There seems to be even faster demand growth behind it. AI is the biggest contributor to growth at 44% of the expected demand growth. It is also having the most impact on how utilities respond. It was the…

[doughaugh]

Energy Policy: Balancing Narratives and Realities

If we get energy right, many parts of American life, national security, our economy and our environment will improve. With a new administration on the way in there is a lot of focus on policy, surely a necessary requirement of success. What may be overlooked in the rush to “fix” the policies of the previous administration is the equally necessary need to tell a better story. From members of…

[doughaugh]

Peak Oil? Not likely this decade.

Peak Oil? Not likely this decade.

“While gasoline prices are set to increase this year, the price EIA forecasts is still 22% below the average seen for 2010-2019, while residential electricity prices are expected to be 7% above the ten-year average.” www.wsj.com/articles/peak-oil-driversand-voterscould-delay-it-for-years-11610101808

[doughaugh]

Is Apple now worth more than Entire Oil & Gas Industry?

Is Apple now worth more than Entire Oil & Gas Industry?

The common refrain from climate activists is that actions to reduce emissions are held back and sabotaged by the massive size and influence of the Oil & Gas industry. Market reality is making that claim increasingly hard to make. We now have single companies in the technology space that in terms of traded market value dwarf not only the likes of ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell or BP but the entire…

[doughaugh]

75% of what is required to transition to "Net zero Emissions" hasn't been invented or still requires massive innovation.

75% of what is required to transition to “Net zero Emissions” hasn’t been invented or still requires massive innovation.

The IEA put out a report in July that received less attention that it deserves.  Mostly likely because it features a strong dose of reality for those that believe just because wind and solar have dropped in price and that Tesla is now worth a gazillion dollars that the path to an electrified and emission free future is immediately before us.  It is not.  The gap between mature technologies that…

[doughaugh]

Largest Oil Producer in EU "Closing Down the oil industry for good" in bid to gain "moral authority"

Largest Oil Producer in EU “Closing Down the oil industry for good” in bid to gain “moral authority”

Denmark’s climate minister has announced that his country is, “closing down the oil industry for good by 2050.” Minister Dan Jorgensen referred to the “difficult” decision as the biggest of his career. Apparently climate activists were not satisfied with Denmark’s pledge to cut emissions by 70% by 2030 and Jorgensen and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen felt they needed to pledge a complete shut…

[doughaugh]

Looking for the Tipping Point tech for EV's? Watch Solid State Batteries

Looking for the Tipping Point tech for EV’s? Watch Solid State Batteries

When a start up like QuantumScape claim to have a revolutionary solid-state lithium-ion cell that can change EVs forever it seems like just more grist for the hype mill. However, when Toyota, Ford and Volkswagon all announce substantial progress on the same technical pathway it starts to look like we may begin to see a real tipping point from here.

All of these announcements share a common…