Here are the special guests, energy experts and community leaders for This Week In Energy April 12:
Kunal Patel, Dallas Federal Reserve breaks down the recent energy survey with host Jason Spiess. Special questions this quarter include an annual update on break-even prices by basin. Questions also focus on regulatory compliance costs, employee head count, mergers and acquisitions in the upstream sector and the impact of steel import tariffs.
Oil and gas production increased slightly in the first quarter, according to executives at exploration and production firms. The oil production index moved up from 1.1 in the fourth quarter to 5.6 in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the natural gas production index turned positive, rising from -3.5 to 4.8.
Costs increased at a faster pace relative to the prior quarter. Among oilfield services firms, the input cost index advanced, from 23.9 to 30.9. Among E&P firms, the finding and development costs index increased, from 11.5 to 17.1. Meanwhile, the lease operating expenses index rose from 25.6 to 38.7.
The equipment utilization index for oilfield services firms was relatively unchanged at -4.8. The operating margin index decreased from -17.8 to -21.5, indicating margins narrowed at a slightly faster rate. Meanwhile, the prices received for services index swung into positive territory, increasing from -13.0 to 7.1.
The aggregate employment index edged down from 2.2 in the fourth quarter to zero in the first quarter. This suggests employment was unchanged in the quarter. The aggregate employee hours index was relatively unchanged at 0.7. Meanwhile, the aggregate wages and benefits index was also relatively unchanged at 21.6.
On average, respondents expect a West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil price of $68 per barrel at year-end 2025; responses ranged from $50 to $100 per barrel. When asked about longer-term expectations, respondents on average said they expect a WTI oil price of $74 per barrel two years from now and $82 per barrel five years from now. Survey participants foresee a Henry Hub natural gas price of $3.78 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) at year-end 2025.
When asked about longer-term expectations, respondents on average said they anticipate a Henry Hub gas price of $4.30 per MMBtu two years from now and $4.83 per MMBtu five years from now. For reference, WTI spot prices averaged $67.60 per barrel during the survey collection period, and Henry Hub spot prices averaged $4.10 per MMBtu.
Krista Escamilla interviews Rooster Mcconaughey who shares his legendary journey in Oil & Gas, behind-the-scenes stories from the reality show "The West Texas Investors Club" to Ranching to Movies to Fatherhood.
As an Associated Press Award winning journalist for CBS7 News, Krista woke West Texans up each weekday morning for ten years with the latest news and weather.
in 2010, Krista was recognized for fair and balanced reporting by the Midland Independent School District and honored by the state of Texas as a member of the Media Honor Roll.
She serves the community as an emcee for many non-profit groups and is a public speaker who loves to help others achieve their dreams.
Krista’s strengths in business are utilizing her 25 years experience in broadcasting by mentoring and helping others promote their companies.
Click here for The Krista Escamilla Show
Dave Roberts, host of the Volts Podcast, is joined by “Texas Doug” Lewin to unpack the fascinating contradictions of a state that inadvertently became the nation's renewable energy powerhouse through a free market electricity system that its politicians now seem bent on strangling.
Bills before the legislature would require solar and wind developers to also build gas plants, impose extreme setback requirements only on renewables, and potentially cripple the state's economy just as data centers drive unprecedented demand growth.
I mean, first of all, Dave, I'm exhausted. There's been a lot over the last five years. Too much. And again, thanks so much for having me. I am a big fan of Volts and a subscriber there and really appreciate your work. I've learned so much from listening to the podcast, listening to you on Grist, et cetera. Yeah, look, five years, the last five years, that's an interesting time period to pick. Like most of us who work on Texas things, we mark time by Winter Storm Uri, which was just about four years ago, a little over four years ago.
That happened within that five-year period you picked. And that really has changed quite a bit and what's happened here. But I think we could talk about Winter Storm Uri. I think we probably should at some point. But yeah, over the last five years, we have gone from effectively having no battery energy storage on the grid to having over 10,000, actually today right about 11,000 megawatts of storage. At the time of Winter Storm Uri, we were at 200, four years later at 11,000 megawatts. Yeah. Solar at the time of Winter Storm Uri. You know, five years, you're talking like — I'm doing this from memory — but like 3 or 4,000 megawatts, we're now up to 30,000. So a 10x increase in solar in the last five years.
Wind has grown, but not at nearly that kind of rate. Five years ago, we were already at somewhere around 30,000 megawatts.
David Roberts
Yeah, wind's been pretty healthy in Texas for a while, right?
Doug Lewin
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Big growth in like the mid-2010s, even early 2010s, but in the 2020s, much less growth of wind. So basically, where we are right now is an easy way to think about it while it lasts — it'll be different in a few months — but right now it's about 40, 30, 10. 40 gigawatts of wind, 30 gigawatts of solar, 10 gigawatts of storage, a little bit more. So like 80 or so combined, which is, you know, if you had said to me, Dave, five years ago, "Hey, in 2025, you're going to be at 80 gigawatts of combined renewables and storage," I would have said, "I love your optimism, but I think you're a little crazy." But here we are.
Click here for the Volts Podcast
S&P Global research lead for methanol and derivatives Olivier Maronneaud and chemicals price reporter Andre Mikhail discuss methanol's potential as a low-carbon fuel, the current production landscape, and the need for effective regulation to bridge the cost gap between sustainable fuels and fossil.
The global methanol market is seeing emerging demand for low-carbon transportation fuels, with particular focus on marine fuels, driven by a need to decarbonize global shipping without disrupting supply chains. While conventional methanol has a history of being used as a transportation fuel, there are many new technologies designed to produce methanol with lower carbon intensity than conventional, oil-based marine fuels.
However, cost of production and supply availability remain barriers to adoption.
Click here for the S&P Global Podcast
Warren Martin, Kansas Strong: The KS Oil & Gas Resources Fund on his new PBS Series Turning Point with Dennis Quaid and work with Glenn Beck on activating energy enthusiasts.
Martin next explained the strategy behind their latest marketing campaign with political pundit Glenn Beck.
“We chose him because he has a strong following in that following, he has the tendency to be able to activate that following,” Martin said. “It's not a general broadcast for us. It's really geared towards the more conservative audience in the State of Kansas, with the goal of activating them, getting them to go to our website.”
Glenn Beck is a leading American media personality, political commentator, author, and founder of TheBlaze. He hosted "The Glenn Beck Program," which aired on CNN Headline News and later on Fox News Channel, showcasing his insights on American culture and politics.
“I've watched and listened to him for years as I do all kinds of media all over the place, and one of the things I've noticed is that he has a very loyal, strong following, and he can activate his audience to respond,” Martin said. “His audience responded to what happened in Israel. His audience responded to what happened in North Carolina with the hurricane. His audience has responded to so many things in very amazing ways.”
The Blaze network continues to feature Beck's commentary through live radio broadcasts and podcasts, offering storytelling and perspectives on current events. Additionally, TheBlaze TV provides a platform for Beck's views and discussions, aiming to engage audiences with candid opinions and analysis.
For more information on Kansas Strong, click here
Joe Sinnott, CEO, Witting Partners LLC and the host of The Energy Detox Podcast explains The 50-50-50 Energy Corps vision announced by EQT Corporation’s Toby Z. Rice and Switch Energy Alliance’s Dr. Scott W. Tinker, PhD last month at CERAWeek—50 MWh and $50K GDP per capita within 50 years to lift people out of energy poverty and help them thrive.
Key Components of the 50-50-50 Vision
50% Emissions Reduction: Targeting a 50% cut in global emissions by replacing coal with cleaner energy sources, particularly U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG).
50% Energy Access: Striving to provide reliable and affordable energy to 50% of the global population currently lacking access, thereby reducing energy poverty.
50 Years of Sustainability: Ensuring that the energy solutions implemented are sustainable and effective over the next 50 years, balancing environmental and economic considerations.
Strategic Emphasis
Natural Gas as a Transition Fuel: Rice emphasized the role of U.S. shale gas in displacing coal, noting that increasing LNG exports could significantly reduce global emissions.
Infrastructure Development: Highlighting the need for expanded energy infrastructure, such as pipelines and LNG facilities, to facilitate the global distribution of natural gas.
Integration with Renewable Energy: Dr. Tinker advocated for a balanced energy mix, combining natural gas with renewable sources like wind and solar to achieve reliability and sustainability.
Collaborative Approach
The initiative calls for collaboration among industry leaders, policymakers, and communities to implement practical solutions that address both energy security and climate goals.
The 50-50-50 Energy Corps vision represents a comprehensive strategy to transition towards a more sustainable and equitable global energy landscape.
This Week In Energy will air across 22 radio stations this weekend and drop on podcast Saturday morning.
This Week In Energy is a weekly newsmagazine radio podcast which qualifies for FCC mandated Public Affairs time. This Week In Energy addresses issues of public interest, such as safety, education, poverty, environment, mental health, and/or employment. Published files and recordings of interviews available as public files to increase accessibility to the public and to ensure the security of information.
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