Energy
News
Kemmerer Officials Hope TerraPower Deal Could Attract AI Data Center
As Bill Gates-backed TerraPower continues building a first-of-its-kind nuclear plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, it has struck a deal with the nation’s largest independent data center provider. Local officials hope that could lead to an AI data center there.
Renée JeanJanuary 22, 2025
Wyoming's Powder River Basin Sitting On Untapped Oil And Gas Potential
The oil and gas industry has been talking up the potential of the Powder River Basin for 20 years. Even so, Wyoming’s busiest play still only has about 11 rigs running. It’s going to take more than an oil-friendly administration to increase production.
Renée JeanJanuary 14, 2025
Feds OK Wyoming Idea To Use Old Wind Turbines To Fill In Coal Mines
Wyoming’s innovative plan to allow coal mines to accept wind turbine blades as fill material has cleared the Biden administration, almost four years after the state approved it.
Renée JeanJanuary 14, 2025
Rocky Mountain Power To Cancel Planned Retirements Of Its Wyoming Coal Plants
Rocky Mountain Power announced last week that it’s cancelling the retirements of its Wyoming coal-fired power plants. But that doesn’t mean they’ll be burning coal long into the future.
Leo WolfsonJanuary 09, 2025
Industry: Court Ruling BLM Illegally Halted Oil And Gas Lease Sales Is Too Late
A judge ruled Tuesday that the BLM illegally suspended a 2022 Wyoming oil and gas lease. While pleased with the decision, the governor and industry officials said Friday it’s too little, too late to reverse the damage done by the Biden administration.
Renée JeanJanuary 03, 2025
Wyoming Project Gets Boost In Race To Be First For U.S. Rare Earths Production
What could be one of the world’s richest rare earths deposits announced Friday a partnership for a Wyoming pilot plant. It’s a boost for Wyoming to be first in the U.S. to help stand up domestic rare earths production sooner.
Renée JeanDecember 21, 2024
Cluster Of Wind Turbines Sitting Idle Outside Casper Won’t Turn Anytime Soon
A cluster of turbines sitting idle in the December winds outside Casper will remain idle into the next year. Chevron is citing “telemetry issues” with PacificCorp for why they’ve not been used for much of the past few years.
Dale KillingbeckDecember 20, 2024
Barrasso Says Targeting Gas Exports Act Of A “Bitter Administration On Its Way Out”
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso doesn’t like a Tuesday U.S. Department of Energy report calling for fewer exports of liquified natural gas. He calls it “a biased study from a bitter administration on its way out the door.”
David MadisonDecember 19, 2024
Innovative Short Wind Turbines Are In For A Tough Test — Wyoming Winter
Airloom Energy will test its innovative wind turbines in winter — the perfect shakedown for an 80- to 100-foot-tall invention born in Wyoming. The novel Bill Gates-backed concept could make today’s 500-foot-tall wind towers obsolete.
Renée JeanDecember 18, 2024
John Bear Thinks Micro Plants Could Help Wyoming Coal, Create Power Autonomy
State Rep. John Bear is promoting the development of micro coal-fired power plants to serve Wyoming communities across the state. It’s a concept he says could help stabilize coal, attract industry and create power autonomy.
Leo WolfsonDecember 17, 2024
Wyoming Trona Mine Closer To Being Powered By 8 Tiny Nuclear Reactors
Tata Chemicals announced Friday that it has signed a new letter of intent for using up to eight nuclear microreactors to power its Green River trona operation. Tata is the first company in the U.S. to pursue small-scale industrial nuclear power.
Leo WolfsonDecember 13, 2024
Uranium Energy Corp. Finalizes $175M Buyout Of Wyoming Processing Plant
Uranium Energy Corp. has finalized a $175 million buyout of Rio Tinto’s Wyoming assets, which includes its Sweetwater County processing plant. The sale gives Uranium Energy the nation’s largest production capacity of uranium.
Renée JeanDecember 09, 2024
China’s Ban On Rare Earth Exports Good News For Huge Wyoming Projects
China issued a ban Tuesday on exporting to the U.S. critical rare earth minerals for semiconductors, infrared, fiber optics and military explosives. But representatives of Wyoming’s huge rare earths projects say the ban is good news for them.
Renée JeanDecember 04, 2024
Turkish Company Offers $285 Million To Buy Interest In Huge Wyoming Trona Mine
Sisecam, a Turkish company, is offering $285 million to buy out a minority stake in one of Wyoming’s huge new trona mines.
Renée JeanDecember 02, 2024
BLM Outlaws Coal In Powder River Basin; Gordon Says Prepare For A Fight
The BLM has made it official Tuesday — it’s ending new coal leases in the Powder River Basin, with an eye to producing no more coal after 2041. Gov. Mark Gordon says those are fighting words.
Renée JeanNovember 27, 2024
Bill Gates-Backed TerraPower Strikes Deal To Get Laser-Enriched Uranium
Bill Gates-backed TerraPower and the nuclear plant it's building in southwest Wyoming have secured another potential source of uranium. It’s struck a deal to get laser-enriched uranium.
Renée JeanNovember 24, 2024
F.E. Warren Air Force Base Exploring Geothermal Power To Boost Resiliency Against Catastrophe
Cheyenne’s F.E. Warren Air Force Base, which houses the nation’s nuclear missiles, is exploring geothermal energy to build up the military base’s resiliency. Geothermal power could ensure the base is functional, even if the overall power grid goes down.
Renée JeanNovember 23, 2024
14-Year-Old Casper Wind Farm Has Not Turned A Blade In At Least 3 Years
The 11 wind turbines on the northeast side of Casper once represented the region’s first step into renewable energy. Now, some say they are an eyesore that has idled for at least three years.
Dale KillingbeckNovember 20, 2024
Wyoming Coal Jobs Down Nearly 8% Over Last Nine Months, 25% Since 2017
Wyoming’s coal workforce is down nearly 8% over the last nine months. And since 2017, there are 25% fewer people working coal jobs.
Greg JohnsonNovember 20, 2024
Barring “A Miracle,” Wyoming Coal Will Miss 200M Tons For First Time Since 1992
Wyoming is on track to miss producing 200 million tons of coal for the first time since 1992. “Short of a miracle,” that’s what’s going to happen, says one of the nation’s leading energy economists.
Greg JohnsonNovember 17, 2024
Natrona County Planners OK 2,000-Acre Solar Farm West Of Casper
A proposal to put a 2,000-acre solar farm and battery storage facility west of Casper was OK’d by Natrona County Planners on Tuesday. The 199 MW facility with 100 MW of storage would be on private ranch land.
Dale KillingbeckNovember 14, 2024
Enhanced Oil Recovery Is Coming To Wyoming To Unlock Trapped Oil and Gas
Oil and gas wells typically leave behind 85% or so of available resources. Enhanced oil and gas recovery is key to more economical wells, and several companies are eyeing field tests in Wyoming for that.
Renée JeanNovember 12, 2024
More Details Emerge About Blockbuster Anschutz PRB Oil And Gas Deal
Occidental Petroleum has offered more details to Cowboy State Daily about the blockbuster oil and gas deal that has Anschutz acquiring Oxy/Anadarko assets in the PPB. Occidental says it’s keeping 150,000 acres it considers “core."
Renée JeanNovember 07, 2024
Trump Signals Huge Support For Oil & Gas During Victory Speech, Wyoming Industry Leaders Thrilled
It didn’t take long for former President Donald Trump to hype up America's oil and gas industry after he won the 2024 presidential election Tuesday. Wyoming industry leaders say Trump's victory is also a win for U.S. oil and gas.
Renée JeanNovember 06, 2024