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The United States third largest coal mining company Cloud Peak has filed for bankruptcy as it has been struggling to meet its loan payment obligations. Cloud Peak owns and operates three mines in the Powder River Basin, namely the 30 Mt/year Antelope, the 18 Mt/year Cordero Rojo mines in Wyoming and the 10 Mt/year Spring Creek Mine in Montana. In 2018 Cloud Peak was responsible for almost 7.5% of total coal output in the US at 50 Mt. The mines will continue normal operations throughout the process and the move is still subject to court approval.

Cloud Peak Energy has received US$35m in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing from prepetition secured noteholders, with US$10m to be available on an interim basis. The DIP financing and funds from current operations are expected to provide sufficient liquidity to continue operations in the ordinary course during the sale process..

Coal production in the US decreased by 2.6% in 2018 (684 Mt). After a sharp decline over 2008-2016 (from 1 075 Mt to 660 Mt), the country recorded a slight increase in production in 2017 (6%). The main production areas are Wyoming, followed by West Virginia and Kentucky. Most of the production is located in the Western region and the Powder River basin. Coal reserves are around 220 Gt (end of 2018), with an additional 30 Gt for lignite.

Poland state-run utility Tauron may divest from some of its unprofitable coal mining assets in Poland. The utility is considering exiting the coal business to improve its financial situation and reduce its PLN11bn (US$2.88bn) debt.  …

Slovak power utility Slovenské Elektrárne will receive a temporary public service obligation (PSO) from the Slovak electricity regulator to provide from 870 GWh/year to 1,100 GWh/year of electricity from indigenous fuels sources (i.e. coal) to the Bystričany node of the national electricity grid. The PSO was approved by the European Commission (EC). …

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has updated its methodology of estimation of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and removals through the publication of the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. As nations are meant to report national GHG emissions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)…

According to European wind power assocaition Wind Europe, Germany is jeopardizing Europe’s chance as well as its own chance to achieve the renewables targets set for 2030. Indeed, wind power capacity additions in Germany significantly slowed down in the first quarter of 2019 with only 134 MW of new onshore wind capacity installed.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Egypt has launched an offering for 10 oil exploration blocks over 30,000 km2 of exploration area in the Red Sea.

US Engineering company KBR has been selected under an engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning (EPCC) contract to develop the fourth 5 Mt/year LNG train at the Freeport LNG project in Texas (United States). The signing of the fixed price EPC contract will be concluded within the second quarter of 2019 and will be followed by a Limited Notice to Proceed (including&nb…

India gas transmission company Gas Authority of India, Ltd. (GAIL) has awarded INR105bn (US$1.5bn) in contracts to developers for the completion of its 2,655 km Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga (PMUG) project. …