-A report by the Washington Post examines the growing sense of urgency among proponents of European fracking amid tensions with Russia. British Prime Minister said there is a “duty” to frack in his country, which the WaPo story says has enough recoverable reserves to “light cities from London to Warsaw for decades.” Poland’s prime minister recently proposed a six-year ban on special taxes for shale gas producers. Although some companies have exited Poland due to disappointing returns, Chevron recently signed a deal there to search for shale gas in the southwestern part of the country.
-Suncor Energy has begun planned maintenance at its Edmonton, Alberta, refinery. The company said approximately 1,400 employees and contractors will be involved in the eight-week project.
-Willbros sold off downstream assets in Tulsa, Okla., to pay down $25 million in loan debt. The sale includes the union refinery maintenance turnaround service line, along with a fabrication facility and tools and equipment. Willbros did not name the buyer.
-American Electric Power will be using more coal in the near term than it has previously estimated. Via Platts, AEP spokeswoman Tammy Ridout said on Monday the company has revised its percentage of coal use through 2020 to 51%, up from the 46% it has estimated for more than a year. Coal currently makes up 65% of AEP’s generation mix, but the EPA’s new emissions rules will force about 6,500 megawatts of older coal units to be retired.
