energy

Xcel Energy, continues to build on the more than 20 percent of energy supply deriving from wind energy with a $743 million wind project in Colorado. This announcement comes after those in 2017 and 2018 with the Rush Creek Wind Farm, a 600-megawatt project within the state. Currently seeking Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approval, Xcel Energy hopes to begin building another 500-megawatt wind farm in northeast Colorado set on a 2020 timeline.

The Richardton Ethanol Plant, a Red Trail Energy project  in North Dakota looks at capturing carbon dioxide from the ethanol plant. Carbon capture technology helps reduce the carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere, helping reduce the plant’s overall carbon footprint. Once captured, the carbon will be stored in an injection well.

Rising more than 70 cents in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, gas prices have spiked to an average of $4.02 per gallon last week according to AAA. The switch from winter to summer blend gasoline has impacted prices nationwide, with the national average up to $2.84 last week. With strict gasoline standards, issues with supply at refineries cannot easily be “made up for” so simply, resulting in higher gas prices for consumers across the state.Looking to support higher gas prices – click here.

2018 saw increased natural gas production in the United States with the Marcellus and Utica Shale, as well as Permian Basin. Increased demand through the summer was met with record-level production levels out of the U.S., and provided back up during the winter cold snaps like the Polar Vortex.

With two executive orders, Trump aims to continue America’s energy dominance and help streamline pipeline projects that have faced constant and harsh anti-development and ant-energy rhetoric. Last year the United States became the world’s leader in both oil and natural gas production. The other order gives Trump the authority to approve or deny energy projects that cross U.S. borders.