-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder wants to phase out coal-fired power generation in his state, Platts reports. The governor said natural gas and wind are “viable options” for Michigan, which gets about half of its electricity from coal. Snyder did not provide a timetable for phasing out coal. Platts notes that Snyder stands alone among five Republican governors who preside over Midwest states that depend heavily on coal for electricity.
-Three workers were injured in an explosion on Sunday at Petrobras’ Landulpho Alves refinery in Salvador, Brazil. Via Reuters, it was the second serious accident at the refinery in a week. The workers were using an electric rotary sander on the inside of a hydrogen tank that had been drained when the explosion occurred. Last Wednesday a fire broke out in the refinery’s paraffin unit. There were no injuries in that incident.
-Cheniere Energy finalized with EIG Management Co. the previously announced $1.5 billion equity investment in Cheniere’s Corpus Christi Liquefaction project. Federal authorities approved construction of the project earlier this month. Cheniere said it would make a final investment decision in the first half of this year.
-ExxonMobil began oil production at its Sakhalin-1 project’s Arkutun-Dagi field. Peak daily production from the field is expected to reach 90,000 barrels. Arkutun-Dagi will combine with the Chayvo and Odoptu fields at Sakhalin-1 to produce more than 200,000 barrels per day.
-American Energy Partners hired David Shiels as CEO of its affiliate American Energy — Midstream. Shiels previously served as CFO of Access Midstream Partners and Chesapeake Midstream Partners and has also held various finance roles at GE and Conoco.
