MARKETWIRE ALERTS

MARKETWIRE ALERTS 

MarketWire Afternoon News for September 15^th

Updated at 5:30 PM ET 

HEADLINES:

–EPA Approves New Emission Tech for TGL’s VLCC Port

–Blackstone to Acquire Hill Top Energy for $1Bn

— EIA: U.S. Per Capita CO2 Emissions Down 30% Since 2005

NEWS:

EPA Approves New Emission Tech for TGL’s VLCC Port

The Texas GulfLink (TGL) said its upcoming deepwater port was licensed by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday (9/15) to use a first-of-a-kind vapor capture and control technology that sets new emission standards during loading of very large crude carriers (VLCCs).

With the Clean Air Act permit that allows the use of the technology, TGL will be able to load very large crude carriers up to 85,000 bbls per hour, or 365 million a year at the proposed deepwater port, while significantly reducing the emission of volatile organic compounds. “This project will increase energy production while fulfilling EPA’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment,” EPA Regional Administrator Scott Mason said in a statement.

The EPA said it would be the first use of the technology alongside a very large crude oil carrier while it is being loaded and tethered to a single-point mooring buoy at a deepwater port. Similar technology has been used on shuttle tankers in the North Sea for over 20 years with over 96% emission-control efficiency.

Blackstone to Acquire Hill Top Energy for $1Bn

Blackstone announced Monday (9/15) that private equity funds managed by Blackstone Energy Transition Partners have agreed to acquire Hill Top Energy Center – a 620-megawatt natural gas power plant in Western Pennsylvania- from global private investment firm Ardian, in a transaction valued at nearly $1 billion.

This transaction follows Blackstone’s previously announced $25 billion investment in July to advance Pennsylvania’s digital and energy infrastructure. The initiative is expected to support the growing demand of artificial intelligence and to catalyze an additional $60 billion investment across the Commonwealth.

Hill Top is one of the newest combined cycle gas turbine plants, which is expected to support the power needs related to data center development and other use cases in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland electric market.

Blackstone also recently made an investment in Potomac Energy Center 774-megawatt natural gas power plant in Loudoun County, Virginia, and has been in late-stage development or construction for nearly 1,600 megawatts of new-build power generation capacity over the last three and a half years in the United States.

EIA: U.S. Per Capita CO2 Emissions Down 30% Since 2005

Per capita carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from energy use fell in every U.S. state between 2005 and 2023 as coal-fired generation declined and was replaced by natural gas, wind, and solar, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Monday. Overall, U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions dropped by 20% while population grew by 14%, resulting in a 30% per-person decline.

The shift came largely from reduced coal use in the power sector, replaced by natural gas and growing wind and solar generation. Maryland led the nation with a 49% per capita reduction, recording the lowest emissions of any state at 7.8 metric tons in 2023. The District of Columbia maintained the lowest level overall at 3.6 metric tons.

Transportation was the largest source of CO2 emissions in 28 states last year, overtaking power generation in many coastal regions where coal plants closed. The power sector remained the top source in 18 states, mostly net electricity exporters with heavy coal generation, while industrial activity dominated in four energy-intensive states.

Nationwide, power sector emissions have fallen more quickly than transportation since peaking in 2007. The EIA projects a modest 1% increase in total U.S. CO2 emissions in 2025, reflecting higher fossil fuel use from crude oil production and growing electricity demand.