A Free-Market Energy Blog

The ‘Energy Transition’: Learning and Retreat at BP

By -- February 22, 2023

“Physical and economic realities must not only be considered but controlling. Wishing and hoping for change is not a successful business strategy, and the past few years have awakened BP management to that reality.”

“Leaning in” is a phrase BP plc CEO Bernard Looney likes to use to describe how his company is embracing the energy transition. BP is transitioning from an “international oil company” to an “international energy company,” according to Looney. This means more renewable energy and less oil and gas. Looney invoked “leaning in” in February 2020 when he introduced new strategic aims for BP to reach “net zero carbon emissions on an absolute basis by 2050 or sooner.” 

The Plan

In Looney’s presentation, “Reimagining energy, reinventing BP,” he said BP needed to reinvent itself as a clean-energy producer because climate change demanded it. …

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Green Energy: Greatest Wealth Transfer to the Rich in History

By Steve Goreham -- February 21, 2023

“Since 2000, the world has spent more than $5 trillion on green energy. More than 300,000 wind turbines have been erected, millions of solar arrays were installed, more than 25 million electric vehicles (EVs) have been sold, hundreds of thousands of acres of forest were cut down to produce biomass fuel, and about three percent of agricultural land is now used to produce biofuel for vehicles.”

We are in the midst of history’s greatest wealth transfer. Government subsidized wind systems, solar arrays, and electric vehicles overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy members of society and rich nations. The poor and middle class pay for green energy programs with higher taxes and higher electricity and energy costs. Developing nations suffer environmental damage to deliver mined materials needed for renewables in rich nations.

Since 2000, the world has spent more than $5 trillion on green energy.…

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Still More Vogtle Nuclear Delays (how will it end?)

By Kennedy Maize -- February 20, 2023

“The failure of the uncompleted V.C. Summer Units #2 and #3 ($10 billion), and the continuing woes at Vogtle, have marked the complete failure of Congress to create a ‘nuclear renaissance’ through the 2005 Energy Policy Act. The act provided for up to $8 billion each in ‘loan guarantees’ for new nuclear plants.”

“Nuclear ‘loan guarantees,’ it turns out, is a politically constructed term to cover the fact that the ‘guarantees’ are actually Treasury funds, and loan payments are made to the Treasury.”

The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. And Southern Company announces further delays in the startup of Georgia Power’s Vogtle Units 3 and 4, the only nuclear power plant under construction in the U.S.

In its annual financial report issued Feb. 16, Southern said it will push back the startup date for Unit 3 of the two-unit, Westinghouse AP-1000 reactor project to May or June of this year. …

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Are Electricity ISOs/RTOs Government Central Planning?

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- February 17, 2023
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A Texas Politician in Electricity (missing a chaired meeting with the PUCT)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- February 16, 2023
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An Exchange with Michael Webber (UT- Austin) on the February 2021 Texas Blackouts

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- February 15, 2023
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Gas Stoves: The Beloved Blue Flame is Just Better

By Mark Krebs and Tom Tanton -- February 14, 2023
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Energy and Environmental Review: February 13, 2023

By -- February 13, 2023
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Kevon Martis Responds to ‘Heated’ Ad Hominem

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- February 10, 2023
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‘Al Gore and the End of Climate Policy’ (autopsy time)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- February 9, 2023
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