Energy Update: Week of December 1

Friends,

Hope you enjoyed your brief Thanksgiving week rest. My Bracewell colleague Stephen Crain shared this Thanksgiving column from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1938, which I found particularly meaningful:

This will come to all of you on Thanksgiving Day … you will be giving thanks for the fact that you are citizens of the United States; that under a democracy you still have the right of suffrage and may express your opinion freely and without any fear of interference unless you advocate the use of force in the overthrow of your government. For all these things we are deeply grateful, and those of us who have health are grateful for that, and those of us who have people to love, and interests which keep us mentally active are grateful for that. Above all, we are grateful for the hope of constant growth in vision and understanding as individuals and as a national group. Lastly, we are thankful for our faith in ourselves; for the feeling that we can meet and solve our problems; that we can look at ourselves honestly and finally do away with discriminations and injustices which now exist in our own country, and for the belief that we can eventually grow to the stature required of those who are citizens of a real democracy.

Just a quick rivalry weekend sports recap: Ohio St, led by Ryan Day, finally exercised the Michigan demon in “The Game” (but will it haunt them in the Football playoff?) while Texas knocked off undefeated Texas A&M in the Texas version of “The Game.” Others rivalry results included Arizona over AZ St, USC over UCLA, Oregon defeated Washington, NC State over UNC, Ole Miss hammered Miss St to go to 11-1, Georgia slipped passed Georgia Tech and Alabama really worked hard {with a key 4^th Qtr., 4^th Down TD pass) to slide past Auburn in the Iron Bowl.

Get ready for a crazy times this week.  It all starts this morning with Secretary Chris Wright at the North American Gas Forum, which runs through Wednesday with Secretary Burgum and a bunch of industry CEOs speaking.

Tomorrow, CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program hosts a discussion on ExxonMobil’s 2025 Global Outlook with economist Tyler Goodspeed.

On Wednesday, the Nations Petroleum Council releases key findings and recommendations to reform oil and natural gas infrastructure permitting and gas-electric coordination in response to Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s request earlier this year. Presser at Noon at The Willard.

On Thursday, Pew Charitable Trust holds the launch of a new report that provides a global assessment of the plastic system and pathways for transformative change in the morning.  Meanwhile in the afternoon, economic analysts at Charles River Associates will roll out study looking at Offshore Wind’s impact on reliability and affordability in the Northeast and evaluates how offshore wind performs during high-stress conditions, how it interacts with existing fuel constraints, and how different resource portfolio choices shape system costs and blackout risk across the Northeast. Finally, CSIS hosts a fireside discussion with EIA Administrator Tristan Abbey and our friend Kevin Book.

Congress is back in action this week with a bunch of floor action on education issues (most importantly legislation protecting NIL for College athletes) and small business support. As for hearings tomorrow, a House Energy Subcommittee holds a hearing on America's energy grid infrastructure.  Also tomorrow, House Resources and Senate Energy hold a pending legislation hearings, while Wednesday the Senate Environment holds a hearing on TVA and NRC nominations and House Resources Oversight panel looks at unleashing American energy dominance and exploration. 

As for the White House, it is a big Kennedy Center week for Trump.  On Friday, he will go to the Kennedy Center for the FIFA World Cup drawing. On Saturday, he will attend the presentation of the Kennedy Center Honors medals to previously announced recipients. On Sunday, he returns to the Kennedy Center for the taping of the Kennedy Center Honors. Tomorrow efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay get a boost EPA’s David Fotouhi meets the governors of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware at the National Aquarium in Baltimore to revise plans. Finally, the USTR public hearings on the US, Mexico, Canada Trade Agreement will be on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  The hearings were originally scheduled for November 17^th.

Let’s see if we can make it through this week…  Call with questions.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932                                                                                                 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“It’s hard to see utility bills coming down this decade.”

Grid expert Rob Gramlich as quoted by conservative Commentator Laura Ingraham in an X post discussing data centers.

ON THE PODCAST

Hydrogen Challenges, Outlook Offers Insight to Future – In this recent Bloomberg Switched On podcast, host Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of hydrogen research, Martin Tengler, to discuss some of his team’s recent work, including “Hydrogen Supply Outlook 2025: Blue Takes the Lead” and “Ammonia Supply Outlook 2025: Tenders Shape Demand.” Hydrogen was once the golden child of the energy transition. Yet high costs and limited policy support proved high hurdles for the technology’s progress, and global deployment has fallen well short of expectations.

FUN OPINIONS

Gridlock on Energy Risks Health – In joint op-ed on permitting reform in the Sante Fe New Mexican, the heads of three associations – Western Energy Alliance, the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association, and the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico– takes a unique look at the issue by exploring the health risks of vulnerable populations and using HHS data on home-powered medical equipment. It also highlights how infrastructure problems are exacerbated by red tape and litigation.

David Roberts Focuses on Electricity Demand – With load growth projections all over the map and politicians zeroing in on high electricity prices, Volts David Roberts takes a step back in an audio essay to ask how we should build the grid in the face of massive uncertainty. The answer lies in modular, distributed technologies that strengthen the system regardless of whether the AI bubble eventually bursts.

FROG BLOG

Horner: Blue States Facing Energy Reality – In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, our friend Chris Horner writes the politically-driven effort to force a transition from traditional power to wind, solar and battery has produced an energy crisis in blue America. Progressive-led states are beset by increasing electricity rates and declining reliability. Although their leaders uniformly blame President Trump, the costs have become so high that some on the left are finally scaling back these destructive policies. But it’s no guarantee sobriety will win the day.

Blas: China Accomplished Its Climate Goals in Brazil – In an X post, Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Javier Blas writes  the idea that the country that burns more coal than the rest of the world combined was going to fill any climate leadership was/is ludicrous. China has four main objectives at climate talks: a) preserve status as a developing country; b) keep discussion away from its domestic coal; c) seek foreign markets for its home-grown clean-tech; d) torpedo trade initiatives linked to emissions.

FUN FACTS

Data Center Power Demand by State/Region/Grid Operator: BloombergNEF says US power demand from data centers reaching 106GW by 2035 - a 36% jump from the previous outlook, published just seven months ago. The growth rate in demand reflects more than a surge in the number of data centers in the pipeline; it also highlights the new centers’ size. Of the nearly 150 new data center projects BNEF added to its tracker in the last year, nearly a quarter exceed 500MW - more than double last year’s share.

IN THE NEWS

ACORE Report Says Grid Operators Need to Speed Interconnections – A new ACORE report says regional grid operators will have to rethink how they operate the interconnection queue amidst a surging rise in demand coming from data centers, increased electrification and industrial reshoring. After years of minimal progress on interconnection queue backlogs, many U.S. regional grid planners have introduced limits on connection requests from new power generation and rules that allow certain projects to “jump” ahead in the queues. While options for rationing queue processing capabilities that are consistent with long-standing open-access principles exist, in many cases, the core tenets of fairness and competition are being compromised. The report reviews current proposals and offers recommendations for beneficial interconnection reform going forward including 1) establish what it calls an enhanced-readiness fast lane that is activated under certain grid conditions and allows for projects capable of addressing near-term reliability needs to move along, 2) permanently restructure the baseline queue so it aligns project intake with available and planned transmission capacity and 3) develop a scoring systems to prioritize commercially ready and policy-aligned resources.

OPEC+ to Temporarily Hold Production Boost – In its Sunday meetings, OPEC+ nations reaffirmed a decision to hold crude production steady for the first quarter of next year. The eight countries participating in voluntary production cuts had agreed in November to pause planned output hikes through March amid fears the oil market will be oversupplied next year. OPEC also approved a mechanism to assess members’ maximum production capacity to be used for setting output quotas from 2027. OPEC+ has been discussing the issue for years and it has proved difficult because some members such as the United Arab Emirates have increased capacity and want higher quotas.

Kenderdine, Ross Receive WCEE Awards – The Women’s Council of Energy and the Environment (WCEE) announced last week that former DOE official Melanie Kenderdine and current Secretary for the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department is its Woman of the Year.  It also said SEIA’s Abby Hopper will be its Champion Award.  The awards were announced last week at the annual awards celebration. 

Solar Electrical Generation Set New Records In September, First Three-Quarters of 2025 – EIA’s latest monthly "Electric Power Monthly" report (with data through September 30, 2025), once again confirms that solar is the fastest growing among the major sources of U.S. electricity. In September alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar (i.e., >1-megawatt (MW)) ballooned by well over one-third (36.1%) compared to September 2024 while “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar PV increased by 12.7%. Combined, they grew by 29.9% and provided nearly one-tenth (9.7%) of the nation’s electrical output during the month, up from 7.6% a year ago. Moreover, utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 35.8% while that from small-scale systems rose by 11.2% during the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by almost a third (29.0%) and produced a bit over 9.0% (utility-scale: 6.85%; small-scale: 2.16%) of total U.S. electrical generation for January-September - up from 7.2% a year earlier.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

NatGas Forum is Set – The North American Gas Forum will be held today to Wednesday in Washington, D.C.. to look at issues driving strategy and investment across the U.S. energy landscape. As policy shifts and infrastructure demands intensify, these sessions will set the tone for pragmatic, solutions-driven dialogue. Energy Secretary Chris Wright kicks of the agenda with a fireside chat this morning. Other speakers include Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, AGA CEO Karen Harbert, ACP head Jason Grumet, AXPC head Anne Bradbury and a bunch of industry experts (including our friend Khary Cauthen of Cheniere).

CSIS to Host ExxonMobil Energy Outlook – Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program hosts a discussion on ExxonMobil’s 2025 Global Outlook with Tyler Goodspeed, Chief Economist at ExxonMobil for a conversation about the report’s key findings and how, despite the major shocks of the last decade, global energy trends remain persistent. The ExxonMobil Global Outlook is a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of long-term energy trends that explores how economic development, policy, and evolving technologies will shape global energy and emissions through 2050. The discussion will focus on the projections in the Global Outlook, including the changes in the global energy mix, the continued role of oil and gas, the growth of renewables, and efforts to reduce global CO₂ emissions and energy poverty.

Nuclear Forum Looks at Global Energy Surge – The U.S. Nuclear Industry Council holds its New Nuclear Capital Summit tomorrow in New York looking at meeting the global surge in 24/7 energy demand. Former NRC Commissioner Jeffrey Merrifield kicks the event off at 9:00 a.m. and current Commissioner David Wright is the Lunch Keynote.

Forum Tackles Geothermal – The Colorado School of Mines’  Payne Energy Institute holds a forum tomorrow at  looking at geothermal energy issues at its 2025 Geothermal Solutions Symposium. This symposium will focus on identifying those challenges and invites innovators in this space to share their work towards finding solutions. With bipartisan support for geothermal and technological advancements in next-gen systems, the time to explore these difficult questions is now. CO Gov. Jared Polis is the Keynoter and our friend Morgan Bazilian hosts.  

Forum to Look at Energy, Tech Comms – Heatmap holds another live virtual webinar on energy and climate tech comms in 2026 tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. The event will look at what is coming and how to get ahead. This is the latest edition of Heatmap’s Climate Communications Series, with FischTank PR. It will bring together experts in climate and energy marketing for a discussion on the trends, risks, and opportunities shaping the sector in 2026.

Senate Energy Looks at Legislation – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee holds a hearing on pending legislation tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. See the List here.

NPC Report to Address DOEW Request on Permitting, Meeting Demand – On the morning of Wednesday at the Willard Hotel’s Ballroom, the National Petroleum Council (NPC) will release key findings and recommendations to reform oil and natural gas infrastructure permitting and gas-electric coordination in response to Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s request earlier this year. NPC will share progress on its Future Energy Systems report.  The NPC is made up of nearly 200 appointed leaders, and they will meet at 9:00 a.m.  Following the meeting, the reported will be discussed at a press event in the Willard’s Buchanan Room around noon. Speakers will include Williams CEO and NPC Chair Alan Armstrong, TC Energy CEO François Poirier,  Southern Gas CEO Jim Kerr  and EQT CEO Toby Z. Rice.

Senate Hosts Nominees for TVA, NRC – The Senate Environment Committee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. focused on nominations for the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Lee Beaman and Douglas Weaver testify. 

National Journal to Talk AI – On Wednesday at 1:00 p.m.,  National Journal holds its final 2025 segment of its Trump 2.0: From Platform to Policy webinar series. This episode will deep-dive into Reshaping Federal AI Strategy, a topic that has emerged as one of the most consequential policy areas in Trump’s second administration. Dean Ball, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation and former Senior Policy Advisor on AI and Emerging Technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. We’ll examine how this administration’s AI agenda is driving regulatory change, shaping U.S. strategy in the global AI race, and affecting the industries leading the AI economy.

House Resources Looks at Energy Dominance, Sea Lions in Pacific NW – On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., House Resources’ Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight hearing on unleashing American energy dominance and exploring new frontiers. Earlier at 10:00 a.m., the panel on Water and Wildlife will look at sea lion predation in the Pacific Northwest. 

Forum Looks at EU Sustainability Policies – On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. CET/8:00 a.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center will host a panel in Berlin to discuss the European Union’s evolving sustainability policies and their impact on competitiveness. This livestreamed conversation will examine how complex regulations affect trade and business costs amid the ongoing sustainability omnibus review. Senior leaders and policymakers will share views on Europe’s competitiveness and expectations for the sustainability framework.

Secretary Wright, Gevo CEO, Senators, Reps to Address Energy, AI Forum – U.S. Energy Stream holds the 6^th Energy Innovation & AI Forum 2025 on Wednesday and Thursday at the Cosmos Club and it will feature Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Forum has been established as the premier bipartisan, off-the-record platform in Washington, DC, convening U.S. Senators, Members of Congress, and top executives from the energy, finance, manufacturing, and technology. During the Forum, we dive deep into the strategies, policies, and breakthroughs that strengthen  the energy security and economic growth for the United States and our allies. Gevo CEO Pat Gruber, Sens. Pete Ricketts and Tim Sheehy  (R-NE) and a bunch of House members will speak.

USTR Holds Delayed Public Hearing on USMC Agreement – The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday looking at the operation of the Agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada (USMCA) in the main hearing room of the US ITC, beginning each day at 9:00 a.m. The original USTR a public hearing was scheduled for November 17, 2025 but was delayed by the government shutdown.

Pew Launches Plastics Report – On Thursday at 10:00 a.m.. the Pew Charitable Trust  holds the launch of Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025: An Assessment of the Global System and Strategies for Transformative Change, a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts that provides a global assessment of the plastic system and pathways for transformative change. This expanded, five-year follow up to Pew’s 2020 report brings together the latest evidence to provide a deeper understanding of the scale of the environmental, economic, health and social impacts of plastic and supports governments, negotiators, businesses and institutions as they work to address these. 

New Study to Look at Offshore Wind Reliability, Affordability in NE – On Thursday at 2:00 p.m., economic analysts at Charles River Associates will roll out study looking at Offshore Wind’s impact on reliability and affordability in the Northeast. The study evaluates how offshore wind performs during high-stress conditions, how it interacts with existing fuel constraints, and how different resource portfolio choices shape system costs and blackout risk across the Northeast.

CSIS Hosts EIA Director – The CSIS Energy Security and  Climate Change Program will host a forum featuring EIA Administrator Tristan Abbey on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Kevin Book, Managing Director of ClearView Energy Partners will conduct a fireside leadership discussion on the future of the EIA.

Heatmap Looks at Clean Energy Projects – On Thursday at 3:30 p.m., Heatmap holds a webinar for a candid look at the new challenges facing clean energy projects nationwide—and the real-world strategies being used to keep deployment moving. This webinar will bring together industry leaders to discuss how the clean energy movement is adapting to political headwinds, including the coalitions, messaging, and tools being used to protect renewable development, accelerate permitting, and sustain momentum despite shifting federal priorities. Speakers include our friend and SEIA CEO Abby Hopper. 

IN THE FUTURE

Semafor to Look at Permitting Reform – Semafor holds a forum on Tuesday December 9^th at 4:00 p.m. powering America’s future. This program will unpack what’s at stake. Conversations will explore where streamlining the permitting process can unlock opportunity, the political and regulatory hurdles that remain, and the creative, practical solutions with genuine support across the aisle. Govs. Josh Shapiro and Kevin Stitt will address the issues.

CEN Webinar Looks at Transmission – The Conservative Energy Network holds a webinar on Thursday December 11^th at 1:00 p.m. looking at the high cost of inaction on the transmission grid and how they undercut America's growth. This webinar will unpack how postponing transmission development raises costs, shrinks benefits, and limits our ability to meet tomorrow’s demands and what conservative policy leaders can do about it.

Forum to Look at Clean Energy, EE Issues – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) holds a briefing on Friday December 12^th at Noon looking at the state of federal clean energy and energy efficiency tax credits. This briefing will review how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act modified or altogether ended 12 key tax credits, including those for electric vehicles, renewables, biofuels, hydrogen, nuclear energy, and energy efficiency. The briefing will share ways companies and consumers are adapting to this new landscape, as well as the short- and long-term implications for the energy industry, developers, and manufacturers. Panelists will also explore the outlook for using federal tax policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy bills for households and businesses, and increase resilience to climate impacts while advancing U.S. competitiveness on the global stage.

December 14-22 – Hanukkah

CSIS to Holds 2025 Critical Mineral Summit – The CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program holds its flagship event, Critical Minerals: 2025 Year in Review & Looking Ahead to 2026 on Monday December 15^th. This full day gathering will bring together policymakers, industry executives, and thought leaders to reflect on key trends in critical mineral markets and policy over the past year and explore what lies ahead. The event will feature a series of fireside chats and keynotes from Jarrod Agen, Executive Director of the White House’s National Energy Dominance Council, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), alongside panel discussions with leaders from government and industry. Speakers will explore how the minerals landscape has shifted in defense, domestic processing, and diplomacy, as well as offer a forward-looking forecast as the U.S. strengthens its mineral production and processing capabilities to meet evolving demand.

C3 Holds Energy Leadership Forum – On Monday December 15^th at the Spy Museum, C3 hosts the American Leadership in Energy Innovation Summit where the event will explore the policies needed to ensure families and businesses have access to affordable, reliable power and how the United States can achieve energy dominance.

Nuke Group Holds Annual Winter Meeting – The U.S. Nuclear Industry Council holds its Annual Winter Members Meeting in Washington, DC on December 16^th.

DOE Critical Minerals Forum Set – On Tuesday December 16^th at 1:00 p.m., DOE’s Critical Materials Collaborative will convene stakeholders and address how to strengthen education and workforce development efforts to meet the urgent demand for a skilled and abundant domestic critical minerals and materials (CMM) supply chain workforce. The virtual event will spotlight DOE’s current and upcoming efforts to build a strong CMM workforce, share perspectives from educators and innovators driving progress in this field, and invite a broader community of workforce partners to join the conversation and help amplify these efforts nationwide, while also informing opportunities for potential collaboration with other federal agencies.

December 25 – Christmas Day

January 1 – New Year's Day

API Holds State of Energy Event – The American Petroleum Institute holds its annual 2026 State of American Energy forum on Tuesday January 13, 2026 at The Anthem starting at 8:00 a.m.

Chamber Sets State of American Business – The US Chamber holds Its annual State of American Business event on Thursday December 15^th at the Chamber HQ.  Chamber CEO Suzanne Clark hosts key leaders from different sectors and certainly energy is likely to a major topic. 

AGA Talks 2026 NatGas Outlook – the American Gas Assn holds its 2026 Natural Gas Policy Outlook at it DC office on Thursday January 15^th at 11:00 a.m. In addition to the year outlook, AGA will introduce its new Chair.