MIL-OSI Australia: Bill busting upgrades for Canberra’s social housing residents

Source: Government of Australia Capital Territory

As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

Released 03/03/2025 – Joint media release

Up to 7,500 households in the nation’s capital will benefit from bill busting energy upgrades, with the Albanese Government investing $12.9 million for rooftop solar and batteries across social housing in the ACT.

The program will bring down energy bills for good using Virtual Power Plants (VPP) to connect and combine renewable energy resources. By joining a VPP, households with solar panels and batteries can access savings on their energy bills.

This is lasting cost of living relief by ensuring some of the most vulnerable households are better insulated from bill shock, with homes that are fitted out to stay cool in the summer and warm in the cold Canberra winters.

The ACT Government will provide a greater weighting through the procurement process for products that are Australian made.

The new funding is part of the Commonwealth’s $500 million expansion of the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative (SHEPI) and will enable more than 100,000 social housing properties across Australia – almost 25% of the country’s social housing stock – to save on energy bills and reduce emissions.

Upgrades delivered under the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative could save tenants around $1,800 on their energy bills each year.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen:

“The Albanese Labor Government is bringing down bills for good through the renewable energy transformation.

“While Peter Dutton’s Coalition spruiks a $600 billion nuclear scheme that will prolong coal, make bills more expensive, risk blackouts and shrink our economy, we are delivering the clean, cheap, reliable and resilient energy system that Australians deserve.”

Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson:

“Every Australian deserves a home that is safe to live in, comfortable and cheaper to run, and energy efficiency upgrades can make a real difference to these outcomes.

“After the recent hot weather and knowing the challenge of winter is ahead, we’re reminded of just how vital these upgrades are in bringing year-round comfort and lowering bills to some of the most vulnerable households.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Homes and New Suburbs Yvette Berry:

“Every Canberran should have access to safe, secure, and affordable housing.

“Today’s announcement builds on our ongoing commitment to improve the comfort and energy affordability of public housing. Our new public housing builds maximise energy efficiency, including a 6-star energy rating and energy efficient appliances.

“The existing public housing stock is also being upgraded through the Home Energy Support Program, with ceiling insulation and or electrification upgrades already completed in over 2,500 properties since the program began in 2023.

“The latest SHEPI funding marks a further investment in public housing, that is critically important to our community’s overall economic and social wellbeing.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water, Suzanne Orr:

“The ACT Government is committed to ensuring no Canberrans are left behind as we transition to net zero. We welcome this significant further investment by the Australian Government which will see rooftop solar panels and batteries installed at thousands of social housing properties.

“These solar and battery systems will be operated as a Virtual Power Plant, delivering an innovative and long-term solution to reducing electricity costs and supporting grid reliability.”

– Statement ends –

Yvette Berry, MLA | Suzanne Orr, MLA | Media Releases

«ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

MIL OSI News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI: Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2024 Financial and Operating Results; Provides 2025 Guidance

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Midland, Texas, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (“NGS” or the “Company”) (NYSE:NGS), a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment, technology, and services to the energy industry, today announced financial results for the three months and year-ended December 31, 2024. The Company also provided guidance for its full year 2025, anticipating significant top- and bottom-line growth with strong momentum moving into 2026.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Highlights

Rental revenue of $38.2 million for the fourth quarter and $144.2 million for the full year 2024, representing increases of 21% and 36%, respectively, compared to the prior year comparable periods.

Net income of $2.9 million or $0.23 per diluted share for the fourth quarter and $17.2 million or $1.37 per diluted share for the full year 2024, representing increases of 68% and 263%, respectively, compared to the prior fourth quarter and full year 2023 periods.

Cash flow generated from operating activities of $9.4 million for the fourth quarter and $66.5 million for the full year 2024. This compares to net cash used in operating activities of $7.7 million for the fourth quarter and cash generated of $18.0 million for the full year 2023.

Adjusted EBITDA of $18.0 million for the fourth quarter and $69.5 million for the full year 2024; 2024 Adjusted EBITDA was 52% higher than 2023 and represented the highest level in the Company’s history. Please see Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted EBITDA, below.

Management Commentary and Outlook

“2024 was a transformational year for Natural Gas Services Group as we executed against our strategic objectives and significantly improved our market presence and financial performance,” stated Justin Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer. “During the year, we enhanced our team and infrastructure, further diversified and expanded our customer base, organically expanded into large horsepower electric units, maintained our industry-leading service levels, and materially increased the size of our overall fleet. I am quite proud of the NGS team as their unwavering dedication to our customers and their passion to excel are the driving forces of our results.”

“2024 was also a record year for NGS as our utilized rental fleet approached 500,000 horsepower and our Adjusted EBITDA increased by over 50% compared to 2023. Equally important, our business became significantly more capital efficient: our total debt increased by only $6 million over the course of 2024 and our leverage declined from 2.53x at the end of 2023 to 2.36x at 2024 year-end. The reduction of working capital was a material driver in the improvement in capital efficiency, and we believe there is more opportunity to monetize non-cash assets in the near term.”

“Looking forward, we see continued strength in the market. We believe our organic growth rate leads the industry and we are taking market share. This was made possible by the hard work of our service technicians and field service team, our leading compressor technology, and strong partnerships with our customers. We expect 2025 will be another year of significant growth in new large horsepower units and we have already signed material new unit contracts for 2026. We are excited for the future and believe we are well positioned to continue to increase shareholder value.”

Corporate Guidance – 2025 Outlook

In November 2024, the Company noted it expected 2024 Adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $67 – $69 million, total growth capital expenditures for the year to be in the range of $65 – $75 million, and total maintenance expenditures for the year to be in the range of $8 – $11 million. For the full year 2024, the Company reported Adjusted EBITDA of $69.5 million, growth capital expenditures of $60.5 million and maintenance capital expenditures of $11.4 million. Additionally, as of December 31, 2024, rented horsepower stood at 491,756, representing year-over-year growth of 17%.

The Company today provides the following commentary regarding its financial expectations for the 2025 Fiscal Year. For the year ending December 31, 2025, the Company expects growth capital expenditures, which are mostly comprised of new units (essentially all of which are under contract), to be in the range of $95 – $120 million. Once all these units are deployed with customers, which is expected by early 2026, the Company expects its rented horsepower to increase by approximately 90,000 horsepower, which represents an increase of approximately 18% versus year-end 2024. The timing of unit deployments is very heavily weighted to the second half of 2025 and early 2026. Accordingly, the majority of the impact of 2024 and 2025 growth capital expenditures will start to be reflected in Adjusted EBITDA in the second half of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.

Based on the timing of contractual orders and deployments in 2025, the Company expects 2025 Adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $74 – $78 million, which at the mid-point of the range, represents a 9% increase over 2024. This range is reflective of the timing of anticipated unit deployments.

	Outlook
FY 2025 Adjusted EBITDA	$74 – $78 million
FY 2025 Growth Capital Expenditures	$95 – $120 million
FY 2025 Maintenance Capital Expenditures	$10 – $13 million
Target Return on Invested Capital	At least 20%

The Company further notes that once all the 2025 growth capital expenditures are spent and the units are deployed, its “run rate” Adjusted EBITDA should increase at a rate (when compared to the fourth quarter of 2024) well in excess of the Company’s anticipated horsepower growth of 18% as noted above. The Company expects 2025 maintenance capital expenditures of $10 – $13 million and its targeted return on invested capital of at least 20% remains unchanged.

2024 Fourth Quarter Financial Results

Revenue: Total revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2024 increased 12% to $40.7 million from $36.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023. This increase was due primarily to an increase in rental revenues. Rental revenue increased 21% to $38.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 from $31.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 due to the addition of higher horsepower packages and pricing improvements. As of December 31, 2024, we had 491,756 horsepower (1,208 rented units) compared to 420,432 horsepower (1,247 rented units) as of December 31, 2023, reflecting a 17% increase in total utilized horsepower. Sequentially, total revenue was essentially flat for the comparable periods, primarily related to lower sales revenue offset by an increase in rental revenue.

Gross Margins: Total gross margins, including depreciation expense increased to $14.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to $13.3 million for the same period in 2023 and decreased from $14.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024. Total adjusted gross margin, exclusive of depreciation expense, for the three months ended December 31, 2024, increased to $23.0 million compared to $20.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, and $22.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024. For a reconciliation of Gross Margin, see Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted Gross Margin, below.

Operating Income: Operating income for the three months ended December 31, 2024 was $6.0 million compared to operating income of $4.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and operating income of $9.5 million, during the third quarter of 2024.

Net Income: Net income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, was $2.9 million, or $0.23 per diluted share compared to net income of $1.7 million or $0.14 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2023, and $5.0 million or $0.40 per diluted share for the third quarter of 2024. The increase in net income year-over-year was primarily related to higher rental revenue and rental gross margin, while the sequential decline was primarily related to the inventory allowance and decrease in sales gross profit related to the closure of our Midland fabrication operations, the intangible asset impairment, an increase in stock-based compensation, and an increase in depreciation.

Cash Flows: At December 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents were approximately $2.1 million, while working capital was $30.8 million. For the twelve months of 2024, cash flows provided by operating activities were $66.5 million, while cash flows used in investing activities was $71.4 million. This compares to cash flows provided by operating activities of $18.0 million and cash flows used in investing activities of $153.9 million for the comparable twelve-month period in 2023. Cash flow used in investing activities during 2024 included $71.9 million in capital expenditures.

Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA increased 11% to $18.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024, from $16.3 million for the same period in 2023. This increase was primarily attributable to higher rental revenue and rental adjusted gross margin. Sequentially, adjusted EBITDA declined by 1% when compared to $18.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024.

Debt: Outstanding debt on our revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2024 was $170 million. Our leverage ratio at December 31, 2024 was 2.36x and our fixed charge coverage ratio was 2.44x. The Company is in compliance with all terms, conditions and covenants of the credit agreement.

Selected data: The tables below show revenue by product line, gross margin and adjusted gross margin for the trailing five quarters. Adjusted gross margin is the difference between revenue and cost of sales, exclusive of depreciation.

	Revenues
	Three months ended
	December 31,	March 31,	June 30,	September 30,	December 31,
	2023	2024	2024	2024	2024
	(in thousands)
Rental	$ 31,626	$ 33,734	$ 34,926	$ 37,350	$ 38,226
Sales	2,921	2,503	2,270	1,843	997
Aftermarket services	1,674	670	1,295	1,493	1,435
Total	$ 36,221	$ 36,907	$ 38,491	$ 40,686	$ 40,658

	Gross Margin
	Three months ended
	December 31,	March 31,	June 30,	September 30,	December 31,
	2023	2024	2024	2024	2024
	(in thousands)
Rental	$ 12,366	$ 13,761	$ 13,211	$ 15,043	$ 14,865
Sales	553	253	(50)	(258)	(531)
Aftermarket services	421	163	269	151	296
Total	$ 13,340	$ 14,177	$ 13,430	$ 14,936	$ 14,630

	Adjusted Gross Margin (1)
	Three months ended
	December 31,	March 31,	June 30,	September 30,	December 31,
	2023	2024	2024	2024	2024
	(in thousands)
Rental	$ 19,199	$ 20,620	$ 20,698	$ 22,908	$ 23,107
Sales	620	323	21	(185)	(449)
Aftermarket services	440	170	283	169	321
Total	$ 20,259	$ 21,113	$ 21,002	$ 22,892	$ 22,979

	Adjusted Gross Margin %
	Three months ended
	December 31,	March 31,	June 30,	September 30,	December 31,
	2023	2024	2024	2024	2024
Rental	60.7 %	61.1 %	59.3 %	61.3 %	60.4 %
Sales	21.2 %	12.9 %	0.9 %	(10.0) %	(45.0) %
Aftermarket services	26.3 %	25.4 %	21.9 %	11.3 %	22.4 %
Total	55.9 %	57.2 %	54.6 %	56.3 %	56.5 %

	Compression Units (at end of period)
	Three months ended
	December 31,	March 31,	June 30,	September 30,	December 31,
	2023	2024	2024	2024	2024
Rented horsepower	420,432	444,220	454,568	475,534	491,756
Fleet horsepower available	520,365	542,256	552,599	579,699	598,840
Horsepower utilization	80.8 %	81.9 %	82.3 %	82.0 %	82.1 %

Units utilized	1,247	1,245	1,242	1,229	1,208
Fleet units	1,876	1,894	1,899	1,909	1,912
Unit utilization	66.5 %	65.7 %	65.4 %	64.4 %	63.2 %

(1) For a reconciliation of adjusted gross margin to its most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance GAAP, please read “Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted Gross Margin” below.

Non-GAAP Financial Measure – Adjusted Gross Margin: “Adjusted Gross Margin” is defined as total revenue less costs of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization expense). Adjusted gross margin is included as a supplemental disclosure because it is a primary measure used by our management as it represents the results of revenue and costs (excluding depreciation and amortization expense), which are key components of our operations. Adjusted gross margin differs from gross margin, in that gross margin includes depreciation and amortization expense. We believe Adjusted gross margin is important because it focuses on the current operating performance of our operations and excludes the impact of the prior historical costs of the assets acquired or constructed that are utilized in those operations. Depreciation and amortization expense does not accurately reflect the costs required to maintain and replenish the operational usage of our assets and therefore may not portray the costs from current operating activity. Rather, depreciation and amortization expense reflect the systematic allocation of historical property and equipment costs over their estimated useful lives.

Adjusted gross margin has certain material limitations associated with its use as compared to gross margin. These limitations are primarily due to the exclusion of depreciation and amortization expense, which is material to our results of operations. Because we use capital assets, depreciation and amortization expense is a necessary element of our costs and our ability to generate revenue. In order to compensate for these limitations, management uses this non-GAAP measure as a supplemental measure to other GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of our performance. As an indicator of our operating performance, Adjusted gross margin should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, gross margin as determined in accordance with GAAP. Our Adjusted gross margin may not be comparable to a similarly titled measure of another company because other entities may not calculate Adjusted gross margin in the same manner.

The following table calculates our gross margin, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, and reconciles it to Adjusted gross margin for the periods presented:

	Adjusted Gross Margin
	Three months ended
	December 31,	March 31,	June 30,	September 30,	December 31,
	2023	2024	2024	2024	2024
	(in thousands)
Total revenue	$ 36,221	$ 36,907	$ 38,491	$ 40,686	$ 40,658
Cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation	(15,962)	(15,794)	(17,489)	(17,794)	(17,679)
Depreciation allocable to costs of revenue	(6,919)	(6,936)	(7,572)	(7,956)	(8,349)
Gross margin	13,340	14,177	13,430	14,936	14,630
Depreciation allocable to costs of revenue	6,919	6,936	7,572	7,956	8,349
Adjusted gross margin	$ 20,259	$ 21,113	$ 21,002	$ 22,892	$ 22,979

Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted EBITDA: “Adjusted EBITDA” reflects net income or loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash equity-classified stock-based compensation expense, non-recurring restructuring charges including severance expenses, impairments, increases in inventory allowance and retirement of rental equipment. Adjusted EBITDA is a measure used by management, analysts and investors as an indicator of operating cash flow since it excludes the impact of movements in working capital items, non-cash charges and financing costs. Therefore, Adjusted EBITDA gives the investor information as to the cash generated from the operations of a business. However, Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under accounting principles GAAP, and should not be considered a substitute for other financial measures of performance. Adjusted EBITDA as calculated by NGS may not be comparable to Adjusted EBITDA as calculated and reported by other companies. The most comparable GAAP measure to Adjusted EBITDA is net income (loss).

The following tables reconciles our net income, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:

	Three months ended
	December 31,	March 31,	June 30,	September 30,	December 31,
	2023	2024	2024	2024	2024
	(in thousands)
Net income	$ 1,702	$ 5,098	$ 4,250	$ 5,014	$ 2,865
Interest expense	2,297	2,935	2,932	3,045	3,015
Income tax expense	431	1,479	1,294	1,383	283
Depreciation and amortization	7,160	7,087	7,705	8,086	8,469
Stock-based compensation expense	228	274	242	522	783
Severance and restructuring charges	—	—	33	—	—
Impairments	—	—	—	136	705
Inventory allowance	3,965	—	—	—	1,863
Retirement of rental equipment	505	5	—	—	23
Adjusted EBITDA	$ 16,288	$ 16,878	$ 16,456	$ 18,186	$ 18,006

	Year ended December 31,
	2023	2024
	(in thousands)
Net income	$ 4,747	$ 17,227
Interest expense	4,082	11,927
Income tax expense	1,873	4,439
Depreciation and amortization	26,550	31,347
Stock-based compensation expense	2,054	1,821
Severance and restructuring charges	1,224	33
Impairments	779	841
Inventory allowance	3,965	1,863
Retirement of rental equipment	505	28
Adjusted EBITDA	$ 45,779	$ 69,526

Conference Call Details: The Company will host a conference call to review its fourth-quarter and year-end financial results on Tuesday, March 18 at 8:30 a.m. (EST), 7:30 a.m. (CST). To join the conference call, kindly access the Investor Relations section of our website at www.ngsgi.com or dial in at (800) 550-9745 and enter conference ID 167298 at least five minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Please note that using the provided dial-in number is necessary for participation in the Q&A section of the call. A recording of the conference will be made available on our Company’s website following its conclusion. Thank you for your interest in our Company’s updates.

About Natural Gas Services Group, Inc.
Natural Gas Services Group is a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment, technology and services to the energy industry. The Company designs, rents, sells and maintains natural gas compressors for oil and natural gas production and plant facilities, primarily using equipment from third-party fabricators and OEM suppliers along with limited in-house assembly. The Company is headquartered in Midland, Texas, with a fabrication facility located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and service facilities located in major oil and natural gas producing basins in the U.S. Additional information can be found at www.ngsgi.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements herein (and oral statements made regarding the subjects of this release) constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” “predict,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “intend” or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions.

These forward–looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of uncertainties and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements, many of which are outside the control of the Company. Forward–looking information includes, but is not limited to statements regarding: guidance or estimates related to EBITDA growth, projected capital expenditures; returns on invested capital, fundamentals of the compression industry and related oil and gas industry, valuations, compressor demand assumptions and overall industry outlook, and the ability of the Company to capitalize on any potential opportunities.

While the Company believes that the assumptions concerning future events are reasonable, investors are cautioned that there are inherent difficulties in predicting certain important factors that could impact the future performance or results of its business. Some of these factors that could cause results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

conditions in the oil and gas industry, including the supply and demand for oil and gas and volatility in the prices of oil and gas;

our reliance on major customers;

failure of projected organic growth due to adverse changes in the oil and gas industry, including depressed oil and gas prices, oppressive environmental regulations and competition;

our inability to achieve increased utilization of assets, including rental fleet utilization and monetizing other non-cash balance sheet assets;

failure of our customers to continue to rent equipment after expiration of the primary rental term;

our ability to economically develop and deploy new technologies and services, including technology to comply with health and environmental laws and regulations;

failure to achieve accretive financial results in connection with any acquisitions we may make;

fluctuations in interest rates;

regulation or prohibition of new well completion techniques;

competition among the various providers of compression services and products;

changes in safety, health and environmental regulations;

changes in economic or political conditions in the markets in which we operate;

the inherent risks associated with our operations, such as equipment defects, malfunctions, natural disasters and adverse changes in customer, employee and supplier relationships;

our inability to comply with covenants in our debt agreements and the decreased financial flexibility associated with our debt;

inability to finance our future capital requirements and availability of financing;

capacity availability, costs and performance of our outsourced compressor fabrication providers and overall inflationary pressures;

impacts of world events, such as acts of terrorism and significant economic disruptions and adverse consequences resulting from possible long-term effects of potential pandemics and other public health crises; and

general economic conditions.

In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to other various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

For More Information, Contact:
Anna Delgado, Investor Relations
(432) 262-2700
IR@ngsgi.com
www.ngsgi.com

NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands) (unaudited)
	December 31,
	2024	2023
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 2,142	$ 2,746
Trade accounts receivable, net of provision for credit losses	15,626	39,186
Inventory, net of allowance for obsolescence	18,051	21,639
Federal income tax receivable	11,282	11,538
Prepaid expenses and other	1,075	1,162
Total current assets	48,176	76,271
Long-term inventory, net of allowance for obsolescence	—	701
Rental equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	415,021	373,649
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	22,989	20,550
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization	—	775
Other assets	6,342	6,783
Total assets	$ 492,528	$ 478,729
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	$ 9,670	$ 17,628
Accrued liabilities	7,688	15,085
Total current liabilities	17,358	32,713
Credit facility	170,000	164,000
Deferred income taxes	45,873	41,636
Other long-term liabilities	4,240	4,486
Total liabilities	237,471	242,835
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ Equity:
Preferred stock, 5,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding	—	—
Common stock, 30,000 shares authorized, par value $0.01; 13,762 and 13,688 shares issued as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively	138	137
Additional paid-in capital	118,415	116,480
Retained earnings	151,508	134,281
Treasury shares, at cost, 1,310 shares for each of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively	(15,004)	(15,004)
Total stockholders’ equity	255,057	235,894
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$ 492,528	$ 478,729

NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (in thousands, except per share amounts) (unaudited)
	Three months ended		Year ended
	December 31,		December 31,
	2024	2023	2024	2023
Revenue:
Rental	$ 38,226	$ 31,626	$ 144,236	$ 106,159
Sales	997	2,921	7,613	8,921
Aftermarket services	1,435	1,674	4,893	6,087
Total revenue	40,658	36,221	156,742	121,167
Cost of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization)
Rental	15,119	12,427	7,903	8,919
Sales	1,446	2,301	56,903	48,877
Aftermarket services	1,114	1,234	3,950	4,658
Total cost of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization)	17,679	15,962	68,756	62,454
Selling, general and administrative expenses	5,831	4,390	21,012	16,938
Depreciation and amortization	8,469	7,160	31,347	26,550
Impairments	705	—	841	779
Inventory allowance	1,863	3,965	1,863	3,965
Retirement of rental equipment	23	505	28	505
Loss (gain) on sale of property and equipment, net	45	(200)	(430)	(481)
Total operating costs and expenses	34,615	31,782	123,417	110,710
Operating income	6,043	4,439	33,325	10,457
Other income (expense):
Interest expense	(3,015)	(2,297)	(11,927)	(4,082)
Other income (expense)	120	(9)	268	245
Total other expense, net	(2,895)	(2,306)	(11,659)	(3,837)
Income before income taxes	3,148	2,133	21,666	6,620
Provision for income taxes	(283)	(431)	(4,439)	(1,873)
Net income	$ 2,865	$ 1,702	$ 17,227	$ 4,747
Earnings per share:
Basic	$ 0.23	$ 0.14	$ 1.39	$ 0.39
Diluted	$ 0.23	$ 0.14	$ 1.37	$ 0.38
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic	12,438	12,378	12,412	12,316
Diluted	12,586	12,435	12,543	12,383

NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (in thousands, except per share amounts) (unaudited)
	Three months ended		Year ended
	December 31,		December 31,
	2024	2023	2024	2023
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income	$ 2,865	$ 1,702	$ 17,227	$ 4,747
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	8,469	7,160	31,347	26,550
Impairments	705	—	841	779
Inventory allowance	1,863	3,965	1,863	3,965
Retirement of rental equipment	23	505	28	505
(Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment	45	(200)	(430)	(481)
Amortization of debt issuance costs	216	138	746	425
Deferred income taxes	182	430	4,237	1,838
Stock-based compensation	783	228	1,821	2,054
Provision for credit losses	—	293	433	492
(Gain) loss on company owned life insurance	(4)	186	(156)	235
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Trade accounts receivables	9,183	(11,438)	23,127	(25,010)
Inventory	1,355	1,939	2,477	(669)
Prepaid expenses and prepaid income taxes	1,177	274	152	(7)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	(18,580)	(12,478)	(17,727)	2,436
Other	1,144	(369)	477	174
NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES	9,426	(7,665)	66,463	18,033
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchase of rental equipment, property and other equipment	(14,544)	(25,380)	(71,894)	(153,943)
Purchase of company owned life insurance	(187)	(44)	(22)	(422)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment	(28)	246	476	477
NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(14,759)	(25,178)	(71,440)	(153,888)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from credit facility borrowings	20,000	36,000	28,000	139,000
Repayments of credit facility borrowings	(13,000)	—	(22,000)	—
Payments of other long term liabilities	(158)	(45)	(780)	(95)
Payments of debt issuance costs	—	(562)	(962)	(2,693)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	223	—	293	—
Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards	—	(1)	(178)	(983)
NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES	7,065	35,392	4,373	135,229
NET CHANGE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	1,732	2,549	(604)	(626)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD	410	197	2,746	3,372
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD	$ 2,142	$ 2,746	$ 2,142	$ 2,746

The MIL Network –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI NGOs: Campaign exposes “Dirty Dems” who betray the people for corporate donors

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

SACRAMENTO, CA — (March 17, 2025) Greenpeace USA, in collaboration with the California Working Families Party and Courage California, is launching a new campaign to hold legislators accountable for their campaign donations and voting records. The campaign, titled “Dirty Dems,” will shine a spotlight on Democratic lawmakers who have taken the most money from the oil and gas industry and voted against critical climate, economic justice and other progressive priority legislation.

Amy Moas, Ph.D., Greenpeace USA Senior Climate Campaigner said: “The Dirty Dems are selling out our future. This campaign will expose the politicians who deserved to be called out – the Democratic lawmakers who have chosen corporate money over the health and safety of their communities. We will no longer stand by while these legislators block vital progress that our families and communities demand.”

Jane Kim, State Director of the California Working Families Party, said: “The Working Families Party is shining a light on elected officials who put billionaire polluter profits ahead of the health and safety of California’s working families. Despite being a super blue state, it is alarming that the majority of our state legislature is supported by Bil Oil. Having a D next to your name isn’t enough- we need champions who will fight for our future.”

Starting this week, “Dirty Dems” will reveal at least one legislator each week, detailing their harmful votes, connections to the fossil fuel industry, and the damage they have caused to local communities. The first “Dirty Dem” to be exposed today is Assembly Member Stephanie Nguyen, who represents South Sacramento’s Elk Grove area. Since entering the legislature in 2022, Nguyen has already taken over $31,000 in donations from Big Oil, including $20,000 during the last legislative session alone. She has also accepted gifts from the Western States Petroleum Association, the largest trade association representing oil and gas in California.

Nguyen’s voting record paints a troubling picture. She has abstained from voting on a shocking number of critical climate and environmental protection bills, including those aimed at reducing toxic pollutants (AB 674), cleaning up idle oil wells (AB 1167 and AB 1866), and improving climate financial disclosure (SB 253 and SB 261). Nguyen also voted against protections for grocery workers (SB 725), against increasing the number of paid sick days (SB 616) and against strengthening labor law enforcement (AB594). These actions, or lack thereof, have directly harmed the very communities she was elected to serve.

Moas Said: “Real leadership means answering to the people, not to corporate donors, Assemblymember Nguyen and others like her are on the wrong side of justice. Their actions are allowing the climate crisis’ devastating effects to run rampant, delaying protections essential workers desperately need, and exacerbating the economic inequality our families face. The time to act is now, and we won’t stop until we’ve held every one of these Dirty Dems accountable.”

Contact: Gigi Singh, Communications Manager at Greenpeace USA
(+1) 631-404-9977, [email protected] Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.

MIL OSI NGO –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI: APA Corporation and Partners Lagniappe Alaska and Oil Search Announce Significant Oil Discovery in Alaska’s North Slope at Sockeye-2 Exploration Well; Partners Proceeding with Further Evaluation and Testing

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

HOUSTON, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — APA Corporation (NYSE, Nasdaq: APA) and its partners Lagniappe Alaska, LLC, an Armstong company, and Oil Search (Alaska), LLC, a subsidiary of Santos Limited, today announced preliminary results of the Sockeye-2 exploratory well. Apache holds a 50% working interest, operator Lagniappe and partner Santos each hold 25%.

The Sockeye-2 well was drilled to a depth of approximately 10,500 feet and successfully encountered a high-quality reservoir with approximately 25 feet of net oil pay in one blocky, Paleocene-aged sand with an average porosity of 20%. As compared to recent regional field analogues in the Brookian play, the porosity and permeability are both better than expected, with the permeability to be confirmed through a planned flow test. Additional zones of potential pay were also encountered in the shallower Staines Tongue formation.

The Sockeye prospect is amplitude supported across 25,000 to 30,000 acres, and confirms the partners’ geologic and geophysical models, derisking numerous additional prospects in the area. Wireline logging is complete and additional data collection is underway, including acquiring core and flow testing the well. The partners will provide further updates following the flow test results.

“The Sockeye-2 test is the second successful exploratory well drilled by the partnership on a 325,411-acre position on state lands. The first well, King Street-1, was a new field discovery with oil in two separate Brookian Zones. The Sockeye-2 well further demonstrates the potential of the play, presenting an exciting opportunity in an active area of the North Slope with significant existing infrastructure,” said Bill Armstrong, CEO of Armstrong Oil & Gas.

“We are very encouraged by the results at the Sockeye-2 well, which further proves our geologic and geophysical models and confirms a working hydrocarbon system. We look forward to the results of the flow test and sharing more information about the broader opportunity in Alaska,” added John J. Christmann, APA Corporation CEO.

About APA

APA Corporation owns consolidated subsidiaries that explore for and produce oil and natural gas in the United States, Egypt and the United Kingdom and that explore for oil and natural gas offshore Suriname and elsewhere. APA posts announcements, operational updates, investor information and press releases on its website, www.apacorp.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” “believes,” “continues,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “goals,” “guidance,” “may,” “might,” “outlook,” “possibly,” “potential,” “projects,” “prospects,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar references to future periods, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future plans, expectations, and objectives for operations, including statements about our capital plans, drilling plans, production expectations, asset sales, and monetizations. While forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by us that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, whether actual results and developments will meet our expectations and predictions depend on a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause our actual results, performance, and financial condition to differ materially from our expectations. See “Risk Factors” in APA’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of risk factors that affect our business. Any forward-looking statement made in this news release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. APA and its subsidiaries undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future development or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Contacts

Investor: (281) 302-2286
Media: (713) 296-7276
Website: www.apacorp.com

APA-G

The MIL Network –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: The cumulative exports (merchandise & services) during April-February2024-25 is estimated at USD 750.53 Billion, as compared to USD 706.43 Billion in April-February2023-24, an estimated growth of 6.24%

Source: Government of India (2)

Ministry of Commerce & Industry

The cumulative exports (merchandise & services) during April-February2024-25 is estimated at USD 750.53 Billion, as compared to USD 706.43 Billion in April-February2023-24, an estimated growth of 6.24%

The cumulative value of merchandise exports during April-February2024-25 was USD 395.63 Billion, as compared to USD 395.38 Billion during April-February2023-24, registering a positive growth of 0.06%

The cumulative Non-Petroleum exports in April-February2024-25 valued at USD 337.01Billion registered an increase of 6.43% as compared to USD 316.64Billion in April-February2023-24

Major drivers of merchandise exports growth in February2025 include Electronic Goods, Rice, Mica, Coal & Other Ores, Minerals including processed minerals, RMG of all Textiles and Coffee

Electronic Goods exports increased by 26.46% from USD 3 Billion in February2024 to USD 3.79 Billion in February2025

RMG of all Textiles exports increased by 3.97 % from USD 1.48 Billion in February 2024 to USD 1.53 Billion in February 2025

Rice exports increased by 13.21% from USD 1.05 Billion in February2024 to USD 1.19 Billion in February2025

Marine products exports increased by 3.40% from USD 0.49 Billion in February 2024 to USD 0.51 Billion in February 2025

Mica, Coal & Other Ores, Minerals including processed minerals exports increased by 24.25% from USD 0.40 Billion in February2024 to USD 0.50 Billion in February2025

Coffeeexports increased by 22.32% from USD 0.15 Billion in February2024 to USD 0.18 Billion in February2025

Posted On: 17 MAR 2025 6:44PM by PIB Delhi

India’s total exports (Merchandise and Services combined) for February2025* is estimated at USD 71.95 Billion, registering a positivegrowth of 3.16 percent vis-à-vis February2024.Total imports (Merchandise and Services combined) for February2025* is estimated at USD 67.52 Billion, registering a negative growth of (-)11.34 percent vis-à-vis February2024.

Table 1: Trade during February2025*

		February2025 (USD Billion)	February2024 (USD Billion)
Merchandise	Exports	36.91	41.41
Merchandise	Imports	50.96	60.92
Services*	Exports	35.03	28.33
Services*	Imports	16.55	15.23
Total Trade (Merchandise +Services) *	Exports	71.95	69.74
	Imports	67.52	76.15
	Trade Balance	4.43	-6.41

* Note: The latest data for services sector released by RBI is for January2025. The data for February2025 is an estimation, which will be revised based on RBI’s subsequent release. (ii) Data for April-February2023-24 and April-September2024 has been revised on pro-rata basis using quarterly balance of payments data.

Fig 1: Total Trade during February2025*

India’s total exports during April-February2024-25* is estimated at USD 750.53 Billion registering a positive growth of 6.24 percent. Total imports during April-February2024-25* is estimated at USD 839.89 Billion registering a growth of 7.28 percent.

Table 2: Trade during April-February2024-25*

		April-February2024-25 (USD Billion)	April-February2023-24 (USD Billion)
Merchandise	Exports	395.63	395.38
Merchandise	Imports	656.68	621.19
Services*	Exports	354.90	311.05
Services*	Imports	183.21	161.71
Total Trade (Merchandise +Services) *	Exports	750.53	706.43
	Imports	839.89	782.90
	Trade Balance	-89.37	-76.47

Fig 2: Total Trade during April-February2024-25*

MERCHANDISE TRADE

Merchandise exports during February2025 were USD 36.91 Billion as compared to USD 41.41 Billion in February2024.
Merchandise imports during February2025 were USD 50.96 Billion as compared to USD 60.92 Billion in February2024.

Fig 3: Merchandise Trade during February2025

Merchandise exports during April-February2024-25 were USD 395.63 Billion as compared to USD 395.38Billion during April-February2023-24.
Merchandise imports during April-February2024-25 were USD 656.68 Billion as compared to USD 621.19 Billion during April-February2023-24.
Merchandise trade deficit during April-February2024-25 was USD 261.06 Billion as compared to USD 225.81 Billion during April-February2023-24.

Fig4: Merchandise Trade during April-February2024-25

Non-petroleum and non-gems & jewellery exports in February2025 were USD 28.57Billion compared to USD 29.99Billion in February2024.
Non-petroleum, non-gems & jewellery (gold, silver & precious metals) imports in February2025 were USD 35.02Billion compared to USD 33.96Billion in February2024.

Table 3: Trade excluding Petroleum and Gems & Jewellery during February2025

	February2025 (USD Billion)	February2024 (USD Billion)
Non- petroleum exports	31.10	33.19
Non- petroleum imports	39.07	44.03
Non-petroleum & Non-Gems & Jewellery exports	28.57	29.99
Non-petroleum & Non-Gems & Jewellery imports	35.02	33.96

Note: Gems & Jewellery Imports include Gold, Silver & Pearls, precious & Semi-precious stones

Fig 5: Trade excluding Petroleum and Gems & Jewellery during February2025

Non-petroleum and non-gems & jewellery exports in April-February2024-25 were USD 310.09 Billion, compared to USD 286.55 Billion in April-February2023-24.
Non-petroleum, non-gems & jewellery (gold, silver & precious metals) imports in April-February2024-25 were USD 415.85 Billion, compared to USD 388.82 Billion in April-February2023-24.

Table 4: Trade excluding Petroleum and Gems & Jewellery during April-February2024-25

	April-February2024-25 (USD Billion)	April-February2023-24 (USD Billion)
Non- petroleum exports	337.01	316.64
Non- petroleum imports	489.96	458.80
Non-petroleum &Non Gems& Jewellery exports	310.09	286.55
Non-petroleum & Non Gems & Jewellery imports	415.85	388.82

Note: Gems & Jewellery Imports include Gold, Silver & Pearls, precious & Semi-precious stones

Fig 6: Trade excluding Petroleum and Gems & Jewellery during April-February2024-25

SERVICES TRADE

The estimated value of services export for February2025* is USD 35.03 Billion as compared to USD 28.33Billion in February2024.
The estimated value of services imports for February2025* is USD 16.55 Billion as compared to USD 15.23Billion in February2024.

Fig 7: Services Trade during February2025*

The estimated value of service exports during April-February2024-25* is USD 354.90 Billion as compared to USD 311.05 Billion in April-February2023-24.
The estimated value of service imports during April-February2024-25* is USD 183.21 Billion as compared to USD 161.71 Billion in April-February2023-24.
The services trade surplus for April-February2024-25* is USD 171.69 Billion as compared to USD 149.34 Billion in April-February2023-24.

Fig 8: Services Trade during April-February2024-25*

Exports ofTobacco (26.76%), Electronic Goods (26.46%), Mica, Coal & Other Ores, Minerals Including Processed Minerals (24.25%), Coffee (22.32%), Rice (13.21%), Jute Mfg. Including Floor Covering (12.41%), Other Cereals (11.65%), Meat, Dairy & Poultry Products (6.7%), Carpet (4.87%), Rmg Of All Textiles (3.97%), Marine Products (3.4%), Spices (0.98%) and Fruits & Vegetables (0.87%) record positive growth during February2025 over the corresponding month of last year.
Imports of Silver (-75.04%), Gold (-61.98%), Pearls, Precious & Semi-Precious Stones (-41.61%), Coal, Coke & Briquettes, Etc. (-35.63%), Petroleum, Crude & Products (-29.59%), Iron & Steel (-23.37%), Transport Equipment (-16.93%), Newsprint (-12.43%), Artificial Resins, Plastic Materials, Etc. (-6.21%), Professional Instrument, Optical Goods, Etc. (-5.01%), Machine Tools (-3.68%), Fruits & Vegetables (-0.93%) record negative growth during February2025 over the corresponding month of last year.
Services exports is estimated to grow by 14.10percent during April-February2024-25* over April-February2023-24.
Top 5 export destinations, in terms of change in value, exhibiting positive growth in February2025 vis a vis February2024 are U S A (10.37%), Australia (76.19%), Japan (26.55%), Brazil (10.85%) and Nigeria (10.75%).
Top 5 export destinations, in terms of change in value, exhibiting positive growth in April-February2024-25 vis a vis April-February2023-24 are U S A (9.1%), U Arab Emts (5.19%), U K (12.47%), Japan (21.67%) and Netherland (3.68%).
Top 5 import sources, in terms of change in value, exhibiting growth in February2025 vis a vis February2024 are Thailand (145.45%), China P Rp (7.83%), Brazil (162.18%), Ireland (117.17%) and Oman (30.24%).
Top 5 import sources, in terms of change in value, exhibiting growth in April-February2024-25 vis a vis April-February2023-24 are U Arab Emts (29.21%), China P Rp (10.41%), Thailand (42.4%), U S A (7.23%) and Russia (4.9%).

*Link for Quick Estimates

***

Abhishek Dayal/ Abhijith Narayanan

(Release ID: 2111954)

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Cuba Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Dr. Eduardo Martínez Díaz Calls on Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh: Focus on Biomanufacturing and Strengthening Science Collaboration

Source: Government of India (2)

Cuba Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Dr. Eduardo Martínez Díaz Calls on Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh: Focus on Biomanufacturing and Strengthening Science Collaboration

Strengthening Science Diplomacy: India, Cuba Eye Collaboration in Vaccine Development, Bioeconomy

Cuba Deputy PM Invites Dr. Jitendra Singh to Bio-Habana 2026 at Havana; Talks Focus on Biotech, Ayurveda, and R&D

Posted On: 17 MAR 2025 6:07PM by PIB Delhi

India and Cuba reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation in science and technology, particularly in biotechnology and biomanufacturing, as Cuba Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Eduardo Martínez Díaz called on the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh here today.

The meeting, held on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations, explored avenues to deepen collaboration in medical research, vaccine development, and sustainable biomanufacturing.

During the discussions, Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasized that collaborative research is indispensable for a science-driven society to have a global influence at scale. He noted that joining hands with the best in the world and pursuing complementary, targeted research will propel India’s scientific community to the next level of innovation, transformation, and skill development.

The Indian Minister also stressed that the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is increasingly focusing on collaborative research to tackle socio-economic and environmental challenges with long-term benefits.

Highlighting India’s progress in biotechnology, Dr. Jitendra Singh spoke about DBT’s initiatives, including its role as the nodal agency for the G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB). He noted that DBT played a key role in defining the bioeconomy framework within the GIB, contributing policy measures such as Lifestyles for Sustainable Development (LiFE), the BioE3 Policy, and the National Biofuels Policy.

These initiatives align with India’s vision of Green Growth and a Net-Zero carbon economy, underscoring India’s commitment to sustainable development, said Dr Jitendra Singh.

The Indian side also highlighted the country’s achievements in biomanufacturing, with the BioE3 Policy aiming to revolutionize the production of bio-based high-value products. The bioeconomy, which currently contributes 4.25% to India’s GDP, has grown from $10 billion in 2014 to $151 billion in 2023, achieving this milestone two years ahead of the 2025 target.

Dr. Eduardo Martínez Díaz provided insights into Cuba’s success in biotechnology, particularly its achievements in developing low-cost vaccines and pioneering cancer treatments. He highlighted Cuba’s focus on biomanufacturing and expressed interest in partnering with India to advance research and production capabilities.

Both sides discussed strengthening existing agreements in health, medicine, and biotechnology, building upon previous MoUs on traditional medicine, homeopathy, and scientific collaboration. Given Cuba’s growing interest in Ayurveda and Indian naturopathy, both nations expressed optimism about expanding engagement in this sector.

The Department of Biotechnology also emphasized its role in accelerating vaccine development and manufacturing through initiatives such as “Mission COVID Suraksha,” launched under Atma Nirbhar Bharat 3.0. Additionally, DBT’s Public Sector Enterprise, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), continues to promote and nurture India’s biotech startup ecosystem, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the sector.

Cuba extended an invitation to Dr. Jitendra Singh to visit Havana and lead an Indian delegation to Bio-Habana 2026, a global biotechnology conference.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from both countries. From the Cuban side, the delegation included Ambassador H.E. Mr. Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera, First Deputy Minister of Health H.E. Mrs. Tania Margarita Cruz Hernández, and key officials from Cuba’s biotechnology and research sectors. From the Indian side, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, and other senior officials participated in the discussions.

***

NKR/PSM

(Release ID: 2111926) Visitor Counter : 16

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI: Hallador Energy Company Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial and Operating Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

– Q4 2024 Total Revenue of $94.2 Million; FY’24 Total Revenue of $404.4 Million –
– Q4 2024 Operating Cash Flow up Materially to $32.5 Million; FY’24 Operating Cash Flow of $65.9 Million –
– Q4 2024 Adjusted EBITDA up ~3x YoY to $6.2 Million; FY’24 Adjusted EBITDA of $16.8 Million –

TERRE HAUTE, Ind., March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hallador Energy Company (Nasdaq: HNRG) (“Hallador” or the “Company”) today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024.

“2024 was a transformative year for Hallador as we continued our evolution from a bituminous coal producer to a vertically integrated independent power producer (“IPP”), while also advancing our products and services up the energy value chain,” said Brent Bilsland, President and Chief Executive Officer. “This deliberate transition aligns with market trends and reflects our conviction in the superior economics of the IPP business model. In fall 2024, we reached an important milestone in our transformation by signing a non-binding term sheet with a leading global data center developer on a transaction that would, if completed, sell a majority of our power production and accredited capacity at enhanced margins for more than a decade to come. We are making meaningful progress toward finalizing definitive agreements for this transaction within the exclusivity period that runs from January through early June 2025, further strengthened by our partner’s commitment to pay up to $5 million during this period. While navigating these complex transactions requires coordination across multiple stakeholders and while there can be no assurance that definitive agreements will be entered into, we remain encouraged by our partner’s commitment and believe this strategic partnership will drive long-term value for our shareholders.”

“The ongoing industry shift from dispatchable generators, such as coal and natural gas, to non-dispatchable resources like wind and solar, has increased the value of our Hallador Power subsidiary due to the enhanced reliability, resilience and consistency that we provide over the less predictable non-dispatchables. At the same time, the retirement of coal-based generation has reduced demand for coal supply, impacting the value of our Sunrise Coal subsidiary. In anticipation of these market dynamics, we proactively reduced production volume and shifted our focus away from the higher cost coal reserves, which lowered our operational cash costs in the fourth quarter. These strategic actions along with lower long-term coal price projections resulted in a fourth-quarter non-cash write-down of Sunrise Coal’s carrying value by approximately $215 million, which underscores the foresight of our transition to power generation in the coming years.”

Bilsland continued, “Looking ahead, our focus remains on maximizing the value of our Merom Power Plant while actively pursuing opportunities to acquire additional dispatchable generators that can add durability, scale, and geographic expansion to our electric operations. Additionally, we are forging strong relationships with sophisticated counterparties to secure favorable collateral terms and effectively manage our forward power sales in 2025 and 2026, which we believe will enhance our financial flexibility in the short to medium term. During 2024, we also reduced our bank debt by more than 50% to $44 million at year-end. We are excited about our continued transformation from a commodity-focused coal producer to an IPP with a secure fuel supply, a strategy we believe will unlock expanding energy market margins, drive sustainable growth, and enhance cash flow generation for our shareholders.”

Fourth Quarter 2024 Highlights

Hallador advanced its restructuring efforts for its subsidiary Sunrise Coal, focusing on production optimization and cost reductions to strengthen its operations.
- During 2024, the Company reduced its coal production volume by approximately 40% and shifted its focus away from the higher cost portions of its coal reserves. This optimization of coal production reduced Hallador’s operational cash cost structure to better align its coal strategy to support its internal electric generation.
- As a result of reducing coal production, optimizing its reserve base, and the declining price of contracted coal sales, Hallador realized an approximate $215 million non-cash write down in the fourth quarter associated with the carrying value of its Sunrise Coal subsidiary.
The Company continues to shift its revenue mix to prioritize electric sales as an independent power producer.
- Fourth quarter electric sales were $69.7 million or 74% of total Q4 revenue, compared to $37.1 million or 31% of total Q4 revenue in the year-ago period.
- Fourth quarter Coal sales were $23.4 million or 25% of total revenue, compared to $81.3 million or 68% of total revenue in the year-ago period.
Hallador continues to focus on forward sales to secure its energy position.
- At year-end, Hallador had total forward energy, capacity and coal sales to 3rd party customers of $1.1 billion through 2029, up from $937.2 million at the end of the third quarter.
- Subsequent to year end, Hallador signed an exclusive commitment agreement with a leading global data center developer, effective January 2, 2025. This agreement is in furtherance of the previously announced non-binding term sheet signed during the third quarter of 2024, reflecting an important milestone as both the Company and the developer seek to finalize a definitive transaction agreement to support the delivery of energy and capacity (through a utility partner) to a potential data center development within the State of Indiana. The completion of this proposed transaction is subject to, among other matters, the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements and there can be no assurance that definitive agreements will be entered into or that the proposed transaction will be consummated on the terms or timeframe currently contemplated, or at all.
The Company continues to strengthen its balance sheet.
- Total bank debt was $44.0 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $70.0 million at September 30, 2024 and $91.5 million at December 31, 2023.
- Total liquidity was $37.8 million at December 31, 2024 compared to $34.9 million at September 30, 2024 and $26.2 million at December 31, 2023.


Financial Summary ($ in Millions and Unaudited)

	Q1 2024			Q2 2024			Q3 2024			Q4 2024
Electric Sales	$	60.7		$	59.4		$	71.7		$	69.7
Coal Sales– 3^rd Party	$	49.6		$	32.8		$	31.7		$	23.3
Other Revenue	$	1.3		$	1.0		$	1.4		$	1.8
Total Operating Revenue	$	111.6		$	93.2		$	104.8		$	94.8
Net Income (Loss)	$	(1.7	)	$	(10.2	)	$	1.6		$	(215.8	)
Operating Cash Flow	$	18.5		$	26.1		$	(11.2	)	$	32.5
Adjusted EBITDA*	$	6.8		$	(5.8	)	$	9.6		$	6.2

_________________________________

_*_{Non-GAAP financial measure, defined as operating cash flows} _{less effects of certain subsidiary and equity method investment activity, plus bank interest, less effects of working capital period changes, plus other amortization}

Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered an alternative to net income, income from operations, cash flows from operating activities or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP. Our method of computing Adjusted EBITDA may not be the same method used to compute similar measures reported by other companies.

Management believes the non-GAAP financial measure, Adjusted EBITDA, is an important measure in analyzing our liquidity and is a key component of certain material covenants contained within our Credit Agreement, specifically the minimum quarterly EBITDA. Noncompliance with the covenants could result in our lenders requiring the Company to immediately repay all amounts borrowed. If we cannot satisfy these financial covenants, we would be prohibited under our Credit Agreement from engaging in certain activities, such as incurring additional indebtedness, making certain payments, and acquiring and disposing of assets. Consequently, Adjusted EBITDA is critical to the assessment of our liquidity. The required amount of Adjusted EBITDA is a variable based on our debt outstanding and/or required debt payments at the time of the quarterly calculation based on a rolling prior 12-month period.

Reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure, Adjusted EBITDA, to Income (Loss) before Income taxes, the most comparable GAAP measure, is as follows (in thousands) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.


Reconciliation of GAAP “Income (Loss) before Income Taxes” to non-GAAP “Adjusted EBITDA” (In $ Thousands and Unaudited)

	Year Ended
	December 31,
	2024			2023
NET INCOME (LOSS)	$	(226,138	)	$	44,793
Interest expense		13,850			13,711
Income tax expense (benefit)		(9,404	)		4,465
Depreciation, depletion and amortization		65,626			67,211
EBITDA		(156,066	)		130,180
Other operating revenue		(275	)		10
Stock-based compensation		4,454			3,554
Asset impairment		215,136			—
Asset retirement obligations accretion		1,628			1,804
Other amortization		(46,310	)		(30,613	)
(Gain) loss on disposal or abandonment of assets, net		(50	)		398
Loss on extinguishment of debt		2,790			1,491
Equity method investment (loss)		746			552
Settlement of litigation		2,750			—
Other reclassifications		(8,043	)		—
Adjusted EBITDA	$	16,760		$	107,376


Solid Forward Sales Position – Segment Basis, Before Intercompany Eliminations (unaudited):

	2025		2026		2027		2028		2029		Total
Power
Energy
Contracted MWh (in millions)		4.25		3.36		1.78		1.09		0.27		10.75
Average contracted price per MWh	$	37.24	$	44.43	$	54.66	$	52.94	$	51.33
Contracted revenue (in millions)	$	158.27	$	149.28	$	97.29	$	57.70	$	13.86	$	476.40

Capacity
Average daily contracted capacity MWh		773		727		623		454		100
Average contracted capacity price per MWd	$	201	$	230	$	226	$	225	$	230
Contracted capacity revenue (in millions)	$	55.95	$	61.12	$	51.40	$	37.33	$	3.47	$	209.27

Total Energy & Capacity Revenue

Contracted Power revenue (in millions)	$	214.22	$	210.40	$	148.69	$	95.03	$	17.33	$	685.67

Coal
Priced tons – 3rd party (in millions)		2.95		2.50		2.50		0.50		—		8.45
Avg price per ton – 3rd party	$	51.04	$	55.49	$	56.74	$	59.00	$	—
Contracted coal revenue – 3rd party (in millions)	$	150.57	$	138.73	$	141.85	$	29.50	$	—	$	460.65

TOTAL CONTRACTED REVENUE (IN MILLIONS) – CONSOLIDATED	$	364.79	$	349.13	$	290.54	$	124.53	$	17.33	$	1,146.32

Priced tons – Intercompany (in millions)		2.30		2.30		2.30		2.30		—		9.20
Avg price per ton – Intercompany	$	51.00	$	51.00	$	51.00	$	51.00	$	—
Contracted coal revenue – Intercompany (in millions)	$	117.30	$	117.30	$	117.30	$	117.30	$	—	$	469.20

TOTAL CONTRACTED REVENUE (IN MILLIONS) – SEGMENT	$	482.09	$	466.43	$	407.84	$	241.83	$	17.33	$	1,615.52

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act“), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act“). Statements that are not strictly historical statements constitute forward-looking statements and may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words such as “expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,” “guidance,” “target,” “potential,” “possible,” or “probable” or statements that certain actions, events or results “may,” “will,” “should,” or “could” be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, those relating to our ability to execute definitive agreements with respect to the non-binding term sheet with a leading global data center developer. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and analyses made by Hallador and its management in light of experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors appropriate under the circumstances that involve various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, those set forth in Hallador’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Hallador undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements except as required by law.

Conference Call and Webcast

Hallador management will host a conference call on Monday, March 17, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time to discuss its financial and operational results, followed by a question-and-answer period.

Date: Monday, March 17, 2025
Time: 5:30 p.m. Eastern time
Dial-in registration link: here
Live webcast registration link: here

The conference call will also be broadcast live and available for replay in the investor relations section of the Company’s website at www.halladorenergy.com.


Hallador Energy Company Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets As of December 31, (in thousands) (unaudited)

	2024			2023
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	7,232		$	2,842
Restricted cash		4,921			4,281
Accounts receivable		15,438			19,937
Inventory		36,685			23,075
Parts and supplies		39,104			38,877
Prepaid expenses		1,478			2,262
Assets held-for-sale		—			1,540
Total current assets		104,858			92,814
Property, plant and equipment:
Land and mineral rights		70,307			115,486
Buildings and equipment		429,857			537,131
Mine development		92,458			158,642
Finance lease right-of-use assets		13,034			12,346
Total property, plant and equipment		605,656			823,605
Less – accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization		(347,952	)		(334,971	)
Total property, plant and equipment, net		257,704			488,634
Equity method investments		2,607			2,811
Other assets		3,951			5,521
Total assets	$	369,120		$	589,780

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of bank debt, net	$	4,095		$	24,438
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		44,298			62,908
Current portion of lease financing		6,912			3,933
Contract liabilities – current		97,598			66,316
Total current liabilities		152,903			157,595
Long-term liabilities:
Bank debt, net		37,394			63,453
Convertible notes payable		—			10,000
Convertible notes payable – related party		—			9,000
Long-term lease financing		8,749			8,157
Deferred income taxes		—			9,235
Asset retirement obligations		14,957			14,538
Contract liabilities – long-term		49,121			47,425
Other		1,711			1,789
Total long-term liabilities		111,932			163,597
Total liabilities		264,835			321,192
Commitments and contingencies (Note 22)
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, $.10 par value, 10,000 shares authorized; none issued		—			—
Common stock, $.01 par value, 100,000 shares authorized; 42,621 and 34,052 issued and outstanding, as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively		426			341
Additional paid-in capital		189,298			127,548
Retained earnings (deficit)		(85,439	)		140,699
Total stockholders’ equity		104,285			268,588
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	369,120		$	589,780


Hallador Energy Company Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations For the years ended December 31, (in thousands, except per share data) (unaudited)

	2024			2023
SALES AND OPERATING REVENUES:
Electric sales	$	261,527		$	267,927
Coal sales		137,448			361,926
Other revenues		5,419			5,025
Total sales and operating revenues		404,394			634,878
EXPENSES:
Fuel		49,343			103,388
Other operating and maintenance costs		118,364			199,855
Cost of purchased power		10,888			—
Utilities		15,914			17,730
Labor		116,164			152,417
Depreciation, depletion and amortization		65,626			67,211
Asset retirement obligations accretion		1,628			1,804
Exploration costs		260			904
General and administrative		26,527			26,159
Asset impairment		215,136			—
(Gain) loss on disposal or abandonment of assets, net		(50	)		398
Settlement of litigation		2,750			—
Total operating expenses		622,550			569,866

INCOME (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS		(218,156	)		65,012

Interest expense (1)		(13,850	)		(13,711	)
Loss on extinguishment of debt		(2,790	)		(1,491	)
Equity method investment (loss)		(746	)		(552	)
NET INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES		(235,542	)		49,258

INCOME TAX EXPENSE (BENEFIT):
Current		(169	)		(164	)
Deferred		(9,235	)		4,629
Total income tax expense (benefit)		(9,404	)		4,465

NET INCOME (LOSS)	$	(226,138	)	$	44,793

NET INCOME (LOSS) PER SHARE:
Basic	$	(5.72	)	$	1.35
Diluted	$	(5.72	)	$	1.25

WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING
Basic		39,504			33,133
Diluted		39,504			36,827


Hallador Energy Company Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows For the years ended December 31, (in thousands) (unaudited)

	2024			2023
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income (loss)	$	(226,138	)	$	44,793
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Deferred income tax (benefit)		(9,235	)		4,629
Equity method investment (loss)		746			552
Cash distribution – equity method investment		—			625
Depreciation, depletion and amortization		65,626			67,211
Asset impairment		215,136			—
Loss on extinguishment of debt		2,790			1,491
(Gain) loss on disposal or abandonment of assets, net		(50	)		398
Amortization of debt issuance costs		1,747			3,233
Asset retirement obligations accretion		1,628			1,804
Cash paid on asset retirement obligation reclamation		(1,407	)		(3,384	)
Stock-based compensation		4,454			3,554
Amortization of contract asset and contract liabilities		(70,203	)		(97,018	)
Director fees paid in stock		150			—
Change in current assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable		4,499			9,952
Inventory		(13,610	)		15,548
Parts and supplies		(227	)		(10,582	)
Prepaid expenses		784			1,186
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		(14,580	)		(18,992	)
Contract liabilities		103,181			33,804
Other		643			610
Net cash provided by operating activities	$	65,934		$	59,414


Hallador Energy Company Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows For the years ended December 31, (in thousands) (continued) (unaudited)

	2024			2023
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Capital expenditures	$	(53,367	)	$	(75,352	)
Proceeds from sale of equipment		4,239			62
Proceeds from held-for-sale assets		3,200			—
Investment in equity method investments		(542	)		—
Net cash used in investing activities		(46,470	)		(75,290	)

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Payments on bank debt		(147,000	)		(59,713	)
Borrowings of bank debt		99,500			66,000
Payments on lease financing		(5,633	)		—
Proceeds from sale and leaseback arrangement		5,134			11,082
Issuance of related party notes payable		5,000			—
Payments on related party notes payable		(5,000	)		—
Debt issuance costs		(673	)		(6,013	)
ATM offering		34,515			7,318
Taxes paid on vesting of RSUs		(277	)		(2,101	)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		(14,434	)		16,573
Increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash		5,030			697
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, beginning of year		7,123			6,426
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, end of year	$	12,153		$	7,123

CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	7,232		$	2,842
Restricted cash		4,921			4,281
	$	12,153		$	7,123

SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
Cash paid for interest	$	10,511		$	9,966

SUPPLEMENTAL NON-CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
Change in capital expenditures included in accounts payable and prepaid expense	$	356		$	1,882

About Hallador Energy Company

Hallador Energy Company (Nasdaq: HNRG) is a vertically-integrated Independent Power Producer (IPP) based in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Company has two core businesses: Hallador Power Company, LLC, which produces electricity and capacity at its one Gigawatt (GW) Merom Generating Station, and Sunrise Coal, LLC, which produces and supplies fuel to the Merom Generating Station and other companies. To learn more about Hallador, visit the Company’s website at http://www.halladorenergy.com/.

Company Contact

Marjorie Hargrave
Chief Financial Officer
(303) 917-0777
MHargrave@halladorenergy.com

Investor Relations Contact

Sean Mansouri, CFA
Elevate IR
(720) 330-2829
HNRG@elevate-ir.com

The MIL Network –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: President Trump Is Delivering Needed Economic Relief

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
Americans are continuing to see the benefits as the economic agenda of President Donald J. Trump and his administration comes into focus. After years of soaring prices and economic pain, the Trump Administration’s focus on cutting regulations and unleashing American energy is leading to stability for Americans’ bottom lines.
EGGS: The average wholesale price of eggs recorded another huge drop today as the Trump Administration fulfills its plan for long-term affordability by reversing the previous administration’s flawed approach.
On January 21, 2025, the wholesale price for eggs was $6.55/dozen; today, it’s $3.45/dozen — a $3.10/dozen (–47.3%) decrease.
The average wholesale price for eggs has declined for three straight weeks.
GAS: The nationwide average for gas continues falling as the Trump Administration implements its American energy agenda.
The nationwide average for gas has declined for four straight weeks — down ten cents from one month ago and 42 cents from one year ago.
More than two-thirds of gas stations in the U.S. have gas at $2.99/gallon or less, according to GasBuddy.
Average gas prices are currently at their lowest level for March in four years. At this point in Biden’s presidency, gas prices had already gone up 49 cents.
Average prices are below $3/gallon in a majority of states.
Alabama: Today: $2.74; One year ago: $3.18; Record: $4.63 (6/14/22)
Alaska: Today: $3.39; One year ago: $3.80; Record: $5.61 (6/19/22)
Arizona: Today: $3.34; One year ago: $3.71; Record: $5.39 (6/17/22)
Arkansas: Today: $2.72; One year ago: $3.08; Record: $4.54 (6/14/22)
California: Today: $4.66; One year ago: $4.90; Record: $6.44 (6/14/22)
Colorado: Today: $2.93; One year ago: $3.06; Record: $4.92 (6/21/22)
Connecticut: Today: $3.00; One year ago: $3.36; Record: $4.98 (6/14/22)
Delaware: Today: $2.87; One year ago: $3.29; Record: $4.99 (6/14/22)
District of Columbia: Today: $3.20; One year ago: $3.61; Record: $5.26 (6/13/22)
Florida: Today: $3.10; One year ago: $3.47; Record: $4.89 (6/13/22)
Georgia: Today: $2.89; One year ago: $3.36; Record: $4.50 (6/15/22)
Hawaii: Today: $4.52; One year ago: $4.69; Record: $5.62 (7/9/22)
Idaho: Today: $3.18; One year ago: $3.37; Record: $5.25 (7/1/22)
Illinois: Today: $3.24; One year ago: $3.71; Record: $5.56 (6/13/22)
Indiana: Today: $2.93; One year ago: $3.53; Record: $5.24 (6/9/22)
Iowa: Today: $2.88; One year ago: $3.19; Record: $4.76 (6/15/22)
Kansas: Today: $2.79; One year ago: $3.16; Record: $4.67 (6/15/22)
Kentucky: Today: $2.68; One year ago: $3.14; Record: $4.80 (6/11/22)
Louisiana: Today: $2.71; One year ago: $3.13; Record: $4.56 (6/15/22)
Maine: Today: $3.03; One year ago: $3.28; Record: $5.09 (6/16/22)
Maryland: Today: $3.02; One year ago: $3.51; Record: $5.02 (6/14/22)
Massachusetts: Today: $2.96; One year ago: $3.25; Record: $5.05 (6/12/22)
Michigan: Today: $3.03; One year ago: $3.64; Record: $5.22 (6/11/22)
Minnesota: Today: $2.96; One year ago: $3.21; Record: $4.76 (6/15/22)
Mississippi: Today: $2.63; One year ago: $3.03; Record: $4.53 (6/12/22)
Missouri: Today: $2.79; One year ago: $3.21; Record: $4.68 (6/16/22)
Montana: Today: $3.11; One year ago: $3.48; Record: $4.98 (6/19/22)
Nebraska: Today: $2.93; One year ago: $3.19; Record: $4.79 (6/17/22)
Nevada: Today: $3.73; One year ago: $4.18; Record: $5.68 (6/16/22)
New Hampshire: Today: $2.92; One year ago: $3.18; Record: $5.00 (6/13/22)
New Jersey: Today: $2.91; One year ago: $3.25; Record: $5.06 (6/13/22)
New Mexico: Today: $2.83; One year ago: $3.25; Record: $4.83 (6/15/22)
New York: Today: $3.11; One year ago: $3.37; Record: $5.04 (6/14/22)
North Carolina: Today: $2.75; One year ago: $3.32; Record: $4.67 (6/13/22)
North Dakota: Today: $2.99; One year ago: $3.30; Record: $4.80 (6/15/22)
Ohio: Today: $2.90; One year ago: $3.22; Record: $5.07 (6/9/22)
Oklahoma: Today: $2.66; One year ago: $3.08; Record: $4.67 (6/15/22)
Oregon: Today: $3.72; One year ago: $4.06; Record: $5.55 (6/15/22)
Pennsylvania: Today: $3.21; One year ago: $3.58; Record: $5.07 (6/12/22)
Rhode Island: Today: $2.92; One year ago: $3.21; Record: $5.02 (6/13/22)
South Carolina: Today: $2.72; One year ago: $3.24; Record: $4.61 (6/12/22)
South Dakota: Today: $2.93; One year ago: $3.23; Record: $4.80 (6/16/22)
Tennessee: Today: $2.70; One year ago: $3.09; Record: $4.64 (6/12/22)
Texas: Today: $2.65; One year ago: $3.07; Record: $4.70 (6/15/22)
Utah: Today: $3.03; One year ago: $3.34; Record: $5.26 (7/1/22)
Vermont: Today: $3.13; One year ago: $3.30; Record: $5.06 (6/14/22)
Virginia: Today: $2.89; One year ago: $3.37; Record: $4.87 (6/14/22)
Washington: Today: $4.08; One year ago: $4.30; Record: $5.56 (6/16/22)
West Virginia: Today: $2.85; One year ago: $3.26; Record: $4.93 (6/15/22)
Wisconsin: Today: $2.87; One year ago: $3.32; Record: $4.92 (6/12/22)
Wyoming: Today: $3.01; One year ago: $3.11; Record: $4.90 (7/1/22)

And it hasn’t even been 60 days since President Trump began his second term.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CCI approves acquisition of steel-making coal portfolio of Anglo American plc in Australia by Peabody MNG Pty Ltd and Peabody SMC Pty Ltd

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 17 MAR 2025 8:35PM by PIB Delhi

The Competition Commission of India has approved acquisition of steel-making coal portfolio of Anglo-American plc in Australia by Peabody MNG Pty Ltd and Peabody SMC Pty Ltd.

The proposed transaction involves the acquisition by Peabody MNG Pty Ltd (Peabody MNG) and Peabody SMC Pty Ltd (Peabody SMC) (collectively, Acquirers), of a portion of assets and businesses associated with Anglo American plc’s (Anglo) steel-making coal portfolio in Australia (Proposed Combination).

The Acquirers are newly incorporated special purpose vehicles formed for the purposes of the Proposed Combination. Each of them is ultimately owned by Peabody Energy Corporation (Peabody). Peabody, [together with its affiliates, (the Peabody Group)], the ultimate parent company of the Peabody Group, is a global producer and supplier of metallurgical and thermal coal. The Peabody Group’s activities in India are primarily focused on the sales of coal by way of imports.

The assets being acquired as part of the Proposed Combination consist of a portion of Anglo’s assets and businesses associated with its steel-making coal portfolio in Australia (Target Business). The Target Business is currently owned and controlled by Anglo and its subsidiaries, which is a global mining company. In India, the Target Business supplies coal by way of imports.

Detailed order of the Commission will follow.

*****

NB/AD

(Release ID: 2112022) Visitor Counter : 27

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CCI approves the proposed acquisition of 100% shareholding of O2 Power Midco Holdings Pte. Ltd. and O2 Energy SG Pte. Ltd. by JSW Neo Energy Limited.

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 17 MAR 2025 8:34PM by PIB Delhi

The Competition Commission of India has approved the proposed acquisition of 100% shareholding of O2 Power Midco Holdings Pte. Ltd. and O2 Energy SG Pte. Ltd. by JSW Neo Energy Limited.

The Proposed Combination involves the acquisition by JSW Neo Energy Limited of 100% shareholding of O2 Power Midco Holdings Pte. Ltd. (O2 Midco) and O2 Energy SG Pte. Ltd. (O2 Energy).

JSW Neo Energy Limited (JSW Neo/Acquirer), is a wholly owned subsidiary of JSW Energy Limited (JEL) (a listed entity) which belongs to the JSW Group. JEL (through its subsidiaries) is inter alia engaged in power generation and transmission through conventional and nonconventional sources.

O2 Power Midco Holdings Pte. Ltd. and O2 Energy SG Pte. Ltd. (collectively, referred as Targets), through their subsidiaries, are engaged in renewable power generation (wind and solar power generation).

Detailed order of the Commission will follow.

*****

NB/AD

(Release ID: 2112020) Visitor Counter : 32

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: English Translation of Press Statement by Prime Minister during India-New Zealand Joint Press Statement

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 17 MAR 2025 7:26PM by PIB Delhi

Your Excellency, Prime Minister Luxon,
Delegates from both the countries,
Friends from Media,
Namaskar!
Kia Ora!

I warmly welcome Prime Minister Luxon and his delegation to India. Prime Minister Luxon has had a long relationship with India. We all witnessed, how a few days ago, he celebrated the joyous festival of Holi in Auckland! Prime Minister Luxon’s affection towards the people of Indian origin living in New Zealand can also be seen from the fact that a large community delegation has accompanied him to India. It is a matter of great pleasure for us to have a young, energetic and talented leader like him as the Chief Guest of the Raisina Dialogue this year.

Friends,

Today we held in-depth discussions on various areas of our bilateral relations. We’ve decided to strengthen and institutionalise our defense and security collaboration. In addition to joint exercises, training, and port visits, a roadmap for bilateral defense industry collaboration will be developed. Our navies are working together in the Combined Task Force-150 for maritime security in the Indian Ocean. And, we are happy that a New Zealand naval ship is making a port call in Mumbai in two days.

Friends,

We have decided to begin discussions for a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement between the two countries. This shall increase the potential for bilateral trade and investment. Mutual cooperation and investment shall be encouraged in fields such as Dairy, Food Processing, and Pharma. We have given priority to mutual cooperation in the areas of Renewable Energy and Critical Minerals. Joint work shall be done in Forestry and Horticulture. I am confident that the large business delegation accompanying the Prime Minister shall get an opportunity to explore and understand the new possibilities in India.

Friends,

Whether it is cricket, hockey, or mountaineering, the two countries share a long-standing bond in sports. We have agreed to strengthen cooperation in sports coaching, player exchange, and areas such as sports science, psychology, and medicine. We have decided to celebrate 100 years of sports relations between our two nations in 2026.

Friends,

The Indian community living in New Zealand is making a valuable contribution to the country’s social and economic development. We have agreed to work swiftly on an agreement to simplify the mobility of skilled workers and address issues related to illegal migration. We shall also focus on enhancing UPI connectivity, promoting digital transactions, and boosting tourism. Our ties in the field of education are long-standing, and we invite universities from New Zealand to establish campuses in India.

Friends,

We stand united against terrorism. Whether it is the Christchurch terrorist attack of March 15, 2019 or the Mumbai attack of November 26, 2008, terrorism in any form is unacceptable. Strict action must be taken against those responsible for such attacks. We will continue to cooperate in combating terrorism, separatist, and extremist elements. In this regard, we have also shared our concerns about anti-India activities by certain illegal elements in New Zealand. We’re confident that we will continue to receive the full cooperation of the New Zealand Government against such illegal elements.

Friends,

We both support a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. We believe in the policy of development, not expansionism. We welcome New Zealand joining the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative. Following its membership in the International Solar Alliance, we also congratulate New Zealand for joining the CDRI.

Friends,

Finally, in the language of Rugby, I would say – both of us are ready to “Front up” for a bright future in our relationship. We are ready to step up together and take responsibility for a bright partnership! And, I am confident that our partnership will prove to be a match-winning partnership for the people of both countries.

Thank you very much!

DISCLAIMER – This is the approximate translation of Prime Minister’s remarks. Original remarks were delivered

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Global: Plans to link electricity bills to where you live are unlikely to bring down prices – and that’s a big problem for net zero

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nicholas Harrington, Research Associate in Electricity Market Reform, University of Glasgow

Diana Mower/Shutterstock

A proposed reform to the way electricity is priced in Britain could see households pay a different bill based on their postcode.

Presently, Britain’s electricity system operates as a single market across England, Wales and Scotland. Around 30% of electricity is traded through half-hourly auctions, known as the spot market, while the remaining 70% is traded in forward markets via contracts covering weeks, months, or even years of demand in advance.

The price of electricity is, broadly speaking, determined by the spot market, as forward market contracts are hedged on the basis of current and expected future spot market prices.

“Zonal pricing” would divide the British market into multiple separate zones instead, each with its own spot and forward markets to serve demand within it. In effect, zonal pricing would split one large market into a series of smaller, interconnected markets.

Whether it is the right approach depends on what you expect it to achieve, and where your interests lie. The UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, tasked with the decision, has three main objectives: decarbonising the country’s power sector, securing the supply of power and lowering the prices consumers pay.

I’m an academic investigating the factors that influence the UK’s ability to decarbonise the housing sector, in particular, the way people heat their homes. I’m most concerned with the affordability of electricity, since I take the view that the lower the price of electricity, the easier our journey to net zero emissions will be – and vice versa.

A lower electricity price would make clean heating systems (such as heat pumps, which run on electricity) more attractive to consumers and reduce the scale of insulation and draughtproofing required to make the running cost of these systems competitive with gas boilers. My research suggests that the UK’s high electricity price is behind the country’s comparably low rate of heat pump adoption.

Zonal pricing, as an electricity market reform, seems unlikely to lower electricity prices and drive decarbonisation on its own. Closer scrutiny of the electricity system and its mechanisms suggests it may only make things more complicated.

The root cause of high bills

At €0.321 (£0.27) per kilowatt-hour (kWh), the UK has the second-highest electricity price when compared to European Union countries. The EU average is €0.218 per kWh, meaning UK electricity costs around 47% more than it does for most of our EU neighbours.

Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (which triggered a spike in energy prices) starting more than three years ago now, electricity prices across the UK remain about 53% higher than pre-crisis levels. If the UK is generating more electricity from renewables each year — and renewable electricity is the cheapest on the market — why do prices keep rising instead of falling, as one might expect?

The UK’s high electricity prices are the result of system marginal pricing, which lies at the heart of the spot market. At the end of each half-hourly auction, all electricity that is bid into the market is purchased at the price of the last unit required to meet demand.

Since total demand is rarely met by renewables, the much more expensive gas generators typically set the price. It’s like going to a fruit market to buy ten apples, finding the first nine for £1 each, the last one for £3, and then having to pay £30 for the lot, rather than the expected £13.

Because forward markets follow the spot market, and the spot market operates under system marginal pricing, UK consumers end up paying gas-generated electricity prices 98% of the time.

Will zonal pricing lower these prices? On its own, no. This is because all zones under the scheme will still have spot markets operating under the marginal pricing model. Zonal pricing doesn’t address the fundamental problem that’s keeping electricity prices in Britain so high.

Advocates of zonal pricing argue that it will encourage investment in the infrastructure required to lower electricity prices – namely, storage and transmission.

Grid-scale and home batteries, pumped hydro and thermal energy storage help reduce final electricity prices by storing excess renewable energy for use when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining, so grid operators don’t have to rely on expensive gas-generated electricity to fill supply gaps. Meanwhile, transmission lines and cables ensure that renewable electricity is delivered where it is needed.

By creating price differences between zones, so the argument goes, the market receives clear signals about where such investments would be most profitable.

Would zonal pricing help build more of these?
EOSMan/Shutterstock

This argument, however, assumes that electricity prices will fall in some zones, and that the market has a strong incentive to invest in high-price areas.

I’m compelled to ask two questions. What prevents zones that generate a lot of renewable electricity from selling their supply at higher prices in other zones, which could prevent renewables from meeting total demand and lead to the same price distortions currently seen due to marginal pricing?

And if investments in storage and transmission are underwhelming when electricity prices are high everywhere, why would they suddenly become more likely when prices are only high in specific areas?

Overall, I think the argument in favour of zonal pricing is unconvincing as it doesn’t address the structural issue underlying the UK’s high electricity prices: spot markets that operate according to system marginal pricing.

If zonal pricing neither lowers consumer electricity prices nor significantly stimulates investment in storage and transmission on its own — and does not alter the geographic and planning factors that determine wind and solar farm locations — then it is unclear what it would achieve beyond adding complexity to an already complex electricity system.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

Nicholas Harrington receives funding from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSCR).

– ref. Plans to link electricity bills to where you live are unlikely to bring down prices – and that’s a big problem for net zero – https://theconversation.com/plans-to-link-electricity-bills-to-where-you-live-are-unlikely-to-bring-down-prices-and-thats-a-big-problem-for-net-zero-251922

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Cramer Cosponsors Four Bills to End Biden EV Mandates

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

BISMARCK, N.D. – The Biden administration repeatedly issued regulations directing the mass adoption of electric vehicles (EV) by consumers. These regulations forced manufacturers of cars and trucks to build more and more EVs, and even ban the sale of gasoline powered vehicles. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) co-sponsored four bills to protect consumer choice in automotive markets and roll back the misguided, overbearing rules.

“For four long years, the Biden administration pushed EV mandate after EV mandate, attempting to force consumers toward costly vehicles,” said Cramer. “These bills roll back Washington’s burdensome, heavy-handed rules, putting consumers and their choice in the driver’s seat.”

The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act, led by U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), repeals the Biden Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final tailpipe emissions standards for passenger cars and trucks, which are a de facto mandate for electric vehicles, and ensures future tailpipe regulations do not limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on their engine type.

U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) bill, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, preserves consumer choice and maintains competition in the automotive markets by preventing the implementation of the Biden EPA’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, which bans the sale of all conventional gasoline-powered cars by 2035.

The Freedom to Haul Act, introduced by U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), will safeguard the trucking industry from impractical and costly mandates by preventing the implementation of the Biden EPA’s “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3” rule, a de facto EV mandate on the trucking industry.

Finally, U.S. Senator Mike Lee’s (R-UT) Stop California from Advancing Regulatory Burden (Stop CARB) Act eliminates Clean Air Act waiver exemptions which allow California and other states to dictate national emissions standards. California has over 100 active waivers that set higher emissions standards than the EPA, increasing costs and decreasing consumer choice in vehicles.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: NREL Researchers Advance Substrate Engineering Pathways To Improve Power Electronics

Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

As the growth in global electricity need and supply continues to accelerate, efficient power electronics will be key to improving grid efficiency, stability, integration, and resilience for all energy sources.

Advances in wide-bandgap materials for semiconductors offer the potential to enable greater power handling in power electronics while reducing electrical and thermal losses. Wide-bandgap materials also allow for smaller, faster, more reliable, and more energy-efficient power electronic components than current commercial silicon-based power electronic components.

Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Colorado School of Mines, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory examined a potential route to achieve peak performance of aluminum gallium nitride, Al_xGa_1–xN, a key material for increasing power electronics’ energy efficiency and performance, through growth on optimized substrate materials.

This work was undertaken with funding support from the microelectronics initiative through the U.S. Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences Office and Advanced Scientific Computing Research program.

The goal of the work is to grow higher-quality materials through the selection of a lattice-matched substrate. Better electron transmission means better device performance, but the growth of Al_xGa₁_–xN on lattice-mismatched substrates leads to dislocation (line defects that distort a lattice due to the misalignment of atoms), resulting in diminished performance.

“Substrate engineering enables the use of high-performing materials in real devices,” said NREL’s Dennice Roberts, a materials science researcher. “If we can engineer lattice-matched substrates to reduce the effect of dislocations, we can widen the range of sufficiently high-quality materials and build better, more energy-efficient power electronics.”

As detailed in a new paper, “Designing TaC Virtual Substrates for Vertical Al_xGa_1−xN Power Electronics Devices,” published in PRX Energy, the research team proposed and demonstrated that electrically conductive, lattice-matched tantalum carbide (TaC) can act as a suitable substrate for Al_xGa₁_–xN epitaxy that may meet growing power needs.

Benefits of Transition Metal Carbides for Al_xGa₁_–xN Growth

Substrate engineering can improve device performance—but it is complicated. Defects, such as substrate cracking, are common with growth on AlN and GaN. Efforts to reduce dislocation have been effective but often increase device complexity and limit device design and performance. Lattice mismatching, again, leads to device performance issues.

“Lattice matching is critical for high-quality epitaxial growth,” Roberts said. “We hypothesized that substrates from transition metal carbide and nitride families could enable desired conditions for Al_xGa₁_–xN growth, not only because of ideal lattice matching but also because of ideal thermal and electrical conductivity properties. TaC and Al_xGa₁_–xN are closely lattice-matched, TaC is highly conductive, and they display matched growth in size in response to changes in temperature.”

The team grew, prepared, and used TaC thin films as virtual substrates for high-aluminum-content Al_xGa₁_–xN and demonstrated Al_xGa₁_–xN growth on TaC virtual substrates. To precisely and effectively deposit TaC onto the substrate, they used radio frequency sputtering. They formed substrates through high-temperature annealing, a process that increases ductility—the ability of a metal to undergo significant stress before cracking or breaking—and reduces defects.

Before Annealing

After Annealing

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows the surface of the TaC thin film before and after annealing at high temperatures. The initial film surface is composed of many columnar grains, whereas after annealing the surface has reoriented to plateaus or “step terraces.” This flatter surface facilitates growth of much higher quality AlGaN layers and thus leads to higher performing electronics. Figure by Dennice Roberts, NREL

Rational Design of Heterostructural Interfaces Enables Novel Device Concepts

Motivated by the work of Roberts and her coauthors, NREL materials science postdoctoral researcher Sharad Mahatara and NREL senior scientist Stephan Lany approached the problem of interfaces between materials with different crystal structures from a computational perspective.

Their work, “Heterostructural Interface Engineering for Ultrawide-Gap Nitrides From First Principles: TaC/AlN and TaC/GaN Rocksalt-Wurtzite Interfaces,” was recently published in Physical Review Applied. The broader context of this study is that lattice-matched substrates with the same crystal structure are often unavailable. Therefore, there are new opportunities to use heterostructural interfaces for conversion and control, if the formation of these more complex interfaces can be understood and controlled.

The formation of interfaces between rocksalt structure (rs) and wurtzite structure (wz) materials—e.g., between TaC and AlN (GaN) films—can be modeled by considering the different possibilities of stacking the individual atomic layers. This problem is somewhat related to the question of how to arrange oranges in a box so as to get as many as possible into it.

The NREL researchers approached this problem by writing a computer code with an algorithm to systematically enumerate the possible stacking sequences within a few atomic layers near the interface. This algorithm can be used to understand the atomic structures of various commensurate rs/wz interfaces, including the oxide interfaces.

Mahatara and Lany then used first-principles density functional theory calculations to determine the most energetically stable atomic structure arrangement for each combination of substrate termination (the type of the last substrate atomic layer, Ta or C), film nucleation (the first nitride film layer, Al/Ga or N), and wz polarity (Al/Ga or N polarity, describing the orientation of the atomic bonds). Additionally, they used this data to predict which of the combinations will be most favorable under different experimental synthesis conditions. This information is important because the detailed atomic structure at the interface will determine the material’s functionality and performance in a device.

For example, the polarity affects electric fields that are responsible for the transport of electrons across the interface. Controlling the polarity of the film during growth is therefore an important aspect of AlGaN epitaxy.

“Our results may guide experimentalists on how to regulate nitrogen-polarity against metal-polarity of nitride films grown on TaC substrates as a function of growth conditions,” Mahatara said.

As a follow-on to the current work, Mahatara and Lany are now investigating the electronic properties of their predicted structures. This ongoing effort will provide further information and predictions on how these structures will act and perform in new device concepts. The goal is to give experimentalists critical data for rational device design to accelerate the development of novel concepts in microelectronics.

The findings from both studies may inform substrate engineering that improves power electronics as the needs of an electrified future grow.

“We’re excited about the potential for these materials to address power and energy efficiency challenges,” Roberts said. “From a research perspective, it’s really neat to see a creative solution to a longstanding problem look like it has a lot of promise in real world applications, so we look forward to the developments to come.”

Learn more about NREL’s materials science research.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: DOE Approves Loan Disbursement for Palisades Nuclear Plant

Source: US Department of Energy

WASHINGTON– U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright today announced the release of the second loan disbursement to Holtec for the Palisades Nuclear Plant. Today’s action releases $56,787,300 of the up to $1.52 billion loan guarantee to Holtec for the Palisades project, which will provide 800MW of affordable, reliable baseload power in Michigan.

“Unleashing American energy dominance will require leveraging all energy sources that are affordable, reliable and secure – including nuclear energy,” said Secretary Wright. “Today’s action is yet another step toward advancing President Trump’s commitment to increase domestic energy production, bolster our security and lower costs for the American people.”

The Palisades Nuclear Plant will be America’s first restart of a commercial nuclear reactor that ceased operations, subject to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing approvals. The project is projected to support or retain up to 600 high-quality jobs in Michigan––many of them filled by workers who had previously been at the plant for over 20 years.

Today’s disbursement is Holtec’s second disbursement of funds from the Loan Programs Office (LPO) since the announcement of its financial loan close in September 2024. LPO funds go toward the plant restart and ensuring the plant is NRC compliant.

This announcement highlights DOE’s commitment to advance President Trump’s agenda of unleashing affordable, reliable, and secure energy through investing in projects across the country that support American jobs, bolster domestic supply chains, and strengthen America’s position as a world energy leader.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-Evening Report: Why build nuclear power in place of old coal, when you could have pumped hydropower instead?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Weber, Research Officer for School of Engineering, Australian National University

Phillip Wittke, Shutterstock

Australia’s energy policy would take a sharp turn if the Coalition wins the upcoming federal election. A Dutton government would seek to build seven nuclear power plants at the sites of old coal-fired power stations.

The Coalition says its plan makes smart use of the existing transmission network and other infrastructure. But solar and wind power would need to be curtailed to make room in the grid for nuclear energy. This means polluting coal and gas power stations would remain active for longer, releasing an extra 1 billion to 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.

So is there another option? Yes: pumped hydro storage plants. This technology is quicker and cheaper to develop than nuclear power, and can store solar and wind rather than curtail it. It’s better suited to Australia’s electricity grid and would ultimately lead to fewer emissions. Drawing on our recent global analysis, we found the technology could be deployed near all but one of the seven sites the Coalition has earmarked for nuclear power.

The Coalition is likely to spend anywhere from A$116 billion to $600 billion of taxpayers’ money to deliver up to 14 gigawatts of nuclear energy. Experts say the plan will not lower power prices and will take too long to build. Our findings suggest cheap storage of solar and wind, in the form of pumped hydro, is a better way forward.

This way, we can continue to build renewable energy capacity while stabilising the grid. More than 45GW of solar and wind is already up and running, with a further 23GW being supported by the Capacity Investment Scheme until 2027. Only a handful of the pumped hydro sites we found would be needed to decarbonise the energy system, reaching the 1,046 gigawatt-hours of storage CSIRO estimates Australia needs.

Building pumped hydro storage systems near old coal-fired power generators has some advantages, such as access to transmission lines – although more will be needed as electricity demand increases. But plenty of other suitable sites exist, too.

Filling the gaps

Pumped hydro is a cheap, mature technology that currently provides more than 90% of the world’s electrical energy storage.

It involves pumping water uphill from one reservoir to another at a higher elevation for storage. Then, when power is needed, water is released to flow downhill through turbines, generating electricity on its way to the lower reservoir.

Together with battery storage, pumped hydro solves the very real problem of keeping the grid stable and reliable when it is dominated by solar and wind power.

By 2030, 82% of Australia’s electricity supply is expected to come from renewables, up from about 40% today.

But solar panels only work during the day and don’t produce as much power when it’s cloudy. And wind turbines don’t generate power when it’s calm. That’s where storage systems come in. They can charge up when electricity is plentiful and then release electricity when it’s needed.

Grid-connected batteries can fill short-term gaps (from seconds to a few hours). Pumped hydro can store electricity overnight, and longer still. These two technologies can be used together to supply electricity through winter, and other periods of calm or cloudy weather.

Two types of pumped-storage hydropower, one doesn’t require dams on rivers.
NREL

Finding pumped hydro near the Coalitions’s proposed nuclear sites

Australia has three operating pumped hydro systems: Tumut 3 in the Snowy Mountains, Wivenhoe in Queensland, and Shoalhaven in the Kangaroo Valley of New South Wales.

Two more are under construction, including Snowy 2.0. Even after all the cost blowouts, Snowy 2.0 comes at a modest construction cost of A$34 per kilowatt-hour of energy storage, which is ten times cheaper than the cost CSIRO estimates for large, new batteries.

We previously developed a “global atlas” to identify potential locations for pumped hydro facilities around the world.

More recently, we created a publicly available tool to filter results based on construction cost, system size, distance from transmission lines or roads, and away from environmentally sensitive locations.

In this new analysis, we used the tool to find pumped hydro options near the sites the Coalition has chosen for nuclear power plants.

Mapping 300 potential pumped hydro sites

The proposed nuclear sites are:

Liddell Power Station, New South Wales
Mount Piper Power Station, New South Wales
Loy Yang Power Stations, Victoria
Tarong Power Station, Queensland
Callide Power Station, Queensland
Northern Power Station, South Australia (small modular reactor only)
Muja Power Station, Western Australia (small modular reactor only).

We used our tool to identify which of these seven sites would instead be suitable for a pumped hydro project, using the following criteria:

low construction cost (for a pumped hydro project)
located within 85km of the proposed nuclear sites.

We included various reservoir types in our search:

new reservoirs on undeveloped land (“greenfield” sites)
repurposing existing reservoirs (“bluefield” sites)
repurposing existing mining pits (“brownfield” sites).

Exactly 300 sites matched our search criteria. No options emerged near the proposed nuclear site in Western Australia, but suitable sites lie further north in the mining region of the Pilbara.

One option east of Melbourne, depicted in the image below, has a storage capacity of 500 gigawatt-hours. Compared with Snowy 2.0, this option has a much shorter tunnel, larger energy capacity, and larger height difference between the two reservoirs (increasing the potential energy stored in the water). And unlike Snowy 2.0, it is not located in a national park.

Of course, shortlisted sites would require detailed assessment to confirm the local geology is suitable for pumped hydro, and to evaluate potential environmental and social impacts.

More where that came from

We restricted our search to sites near the Coalition’s proposed nuclear plants. But there are hundreds of potential pumped hydro sites along Australia’s east coast.

Developers can use our free tool to identify the best sites.

So far, the Australian electricity transition has mainly been driven by private investment in solar and wind power. With all this renewable energy entering the grid, there’s money to be made in storage, too.

Large, centralised, baseload electricity generators, such as coal and nuclear plants, are becoming a thing of the past. A smarter energy policy would balance solar and wind with technologies such as pumped hydro, to secure a reliable electricity supply.

Timothy Weber receives funding from the Australian government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics.

Andrew Blakers receives funding from the Australian government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other organisations.

– ref. Why build nuclear power in place of old coal, when you could have pumped hydropower instead? – https://theconversation.com/why-build-nuclear-power-in-place-of-old-coal-when-you-could-have-pumped-hydropower-instead-252017

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

March 18, 2025

MIL-Evening Report: Less than 1% of the world’s biggest radio telescope is complete – but its first image reveals a sky dotted with ancient galaxies

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Randall Wayth, SKA-Low Senior Commissioning Scientist and Adjunct Associate Professor, Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy, Curtin University

The first image from an early working version of the SKA-Low telescope, showing around 85 galaxies. SKAO

Part of the world’s biggest mega-science facility – the SKA Observatory – is being built in outback Western Australia.

After decades of planning, countless hours of work, and more than a few setbacks, an early working version of the telescope has captured its first glimpse of the sky.

Using 1,024 of what will eventually be 131,072 radio antennas, the first SKA-Low image shows a tiny sliver of sky dotted with ancient galaxies billions of light-years from Earth.

This first snapshot shows the system works, and will improve dramatically in the coming months and years – and starts a new chapter in our exploration of the universe.

A glimpse of the universe

The SKA-Low telescope is currently under construction on Wajarri Yamaji Country in Western Australia, around 600 kilometres north of Perth. Together with the SKA-Mid telescope (under construction in South Africa), the two telescopes will make up the world’s largest and most sensitive radio observatory.

SKA-Low will consist of thousands of antennas spread across a vast area. It is designed to detect low-frequency radio signals from some of the most distant and ancient objects in the universe.

The first image, made using just 1,024 of the planned 131,000 antennas, is remarkably clear, confirming that the complex systems for transmitting and processing data from the antennas are working properly. Now we can move on to more detailed observations to analyse and verify the telescope’s scientific output.

Bright galaxies, billions of years old

The image shows a patch of the sky, approximately 25 square degrees in area, as seen in radio waves.

Twenty-five square degrees is an area of sky that would fit 100 full Moons. For comparison, it would be about the area of sky that a small apple would cover if you held it at arm’s length.

The first image from an early working version of the SKA-Low telescope, showing around 85 galaxies.
SKAO

The dots in the image look like stars, but are actually some of the brightest galaxies in the universe. These galaxies are billions of light-years away, so the galaxies we are seeing now were emitting this light when the universe was half its current age.

They are so bright because each of these distant galaxies contains a supermassive black hole. Gas orbiting around black holes is very hot and moves very quickly, emitting energy in X-rays and radio waves. SKA-Low can detect these radio waves that have travelled billions of light years across the universe to reach Earth.

The world’s largest radio telescope

SKA-Low and SKA-Mid are both being built by the SKAO, a global project to build cutting-edge telescopes that will revolutionise our understanding of the universe and deliver benefits to society. (SKA stands for “square kilometre array”, describing the initial estimated collecting area of all the antennas and radio dishes put together.)

My own involvement in the project began in 2014. Since then I, along with many local and international colleagues, have deployed and verified several prototype systems on the path to SKA-Low. To now be part of the team that is making the first images with the rapidly growing telescope is extremely satisfying.

A complex system with no moving parts

SKA-Low will be made up of 512 aperture arrays (or stations), each comprised of 256 antennas.

Unlike traditional telescopes, aperture arrays have no moving parts, which makes them easier to maintain. The individual antennas receive signals from all directions at once and – to produce images – we use complex mathematics to combine the signals from each individual antenna and “steer” the telescope.

The SKA-Low telescope uses arrays of radio antennas (called stations) to create images of the universe.
SKAO / Max Alexander

The advantages and flexibility of aperture arrays come at the cost of complex signal processing and software systems. Any errors in signal timing, calibration or processing can distort the final image or introduce noise.

For this reason, the successful production of the first image is a key validation – it can only happen if the entire system is working.

The shape of the universe and beyond

As SKA-Low grows, it will see more detail. Simulations show the full telescope may detect up to 600,000 galaxies in the same patch of sky shown in the first test image.
SKAO

Once completed, SKA-Low promises to transform our understanding of the early universe.

The antennas of the full telescope will be spread across an area approximately 70 kilometres in diameter, making it the most sensitive low-frequency radio array ever built.

This unprecedented sensitivity to low-frequency radio signals will allow scientists to detect the faint signals from the first stars and galaxies that formed after the Big Bang – the so-called “cosmic dawn”. SKA-Low will be the first radio telescope capable of imaging this very early period of our universe.

It will also help map the large-scale structure of the universe. We expect the telescope will also provide new insights into cosmic magnetism, the behaviour of interstellar gas, and the mysterious nature of dark matter and dark energy.

The sensitivity and resolution of SKA-Low gives it a huge discovery potential. Seven out of the top 10 discoveries from the Hubble Space Telescope were not part of the original science motivation. Like the HST, SKA-Low promises to be a transformative telescope. Who knows what new discoveries await?

What’s next

SKA-Low’s commissioning process will ramp up over the course of the year, as more antenna arrays are installed and brought online. With each additional station, the sensitivity and resolution of the telescope will increase. This growth will also bring greater technical challenges in handling the growing complexity and data rates.

By the end of 2025, SKA-Low is expected to have 16 working stations. The increased volume of output data at this stage will be the next major test for the telescope’s software systems.

By the end of 2026, the array is planned to expand to 68 working stations at which point it will be the the most sensitive low-frequency radio telescope on Earth.

This phase will be the next big test of the end-to-end telescope system. When we get to this stage, the same field you see in the image above will be able to comprehensively map and detect up to 600,000 galaxies. I’m personally looking forward to helping bring it together.

Randall Wayth does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Less than 1% of the world’s biggest radio telescope is complete – but its first image reveals a sky dotted with ancient galaxies – https://theconversation.com/less-than-1-of-the-worlds-biggest-radio-telescope-is-complete-but-its-first-image-reveals-a-sky-dotted-with-ancient-galaxies-252382

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Canada: New direction ensures affordable, stable electricity rates

Source: Government of Canada regional news

In response to the economic and trade uncertainty faced by people and businesses across British Columbia , the Province is taking action to provide stability in BC Hydro’s electricity rates during these unpredictable times, while keeping rate increases below cumulative inflation.

“We must take urgent action to protect British Columbians from the uncertainty posed by rising costs while building a strong, robust and resilient electricity system for the benefit of B.C.’s long-term energy independence,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions. “That is why we are submitting a rate stability direction to the B.C. Utilities Commission to set BC Hydro’s rate increases for the next two years. This move guarantees certainty and reaffirms our commitment to keeping electricity rates well below the North American average and cumulative inflation, while growing our clean-energy advantage.”

BC Hydro has among the lowest electricity rates in North America. The rate stability direction to the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) will help maintain that advantage by setting BC Hydro’s annual average rate increase at 3.75% for the next two years. For the average residential household, which currently pays approximately $100 a month, this equates to an additional $3.75 per month.

BC Hydro rate changes are staying below cumulative inflation, keeping electricity costs near the lowest in North America and about half what Albertans pay. These rate changes ensure BC Hydro can continue to build the critical local and provincial renewable energy infrastructure and supply needed to bolster B.C.’s economy, while maintaining rate increases below cumulative inflation for seven consecutive years. BC Hydro’s cumulative rate increases between 2017-18 and 2026-27 will be 12.4% below cumulative inflation.

“The rate stability direction from the Province will provide customers and growing industries with the certainty they need during these times, while ensuring our rates remain affordable,” said Chris O’Riley, president and CEO, BC Hydro. “The rate adjustment will go toward supporting critical investments in our system that will ensure we maintain our status as a leader in renewable energy, encouraging overall economic growth and job creation.”

The rate adjustments for the upcoming two years reflect rising operating costs due to inflation, the needed Site C hydroelectric project coming into service, and the critical work required to significantly invest in B.C.’s energy supply and infrastructure to bolster B.C.’s economy and energy security.

BC Hydro is taking a number of actions to meet the growing demand from population growth and housing construction, business and industrial development, and transportation. These actions will power more than one million new homes. This includes:

adding the Site C hydroelectric project, which will power 500,000 homes and boost supply by 8%;
adding 10 new renewable energy projects through the 2024 call for power, which will power 500,000 homes and increase supply by a further 8%; and
investing in energy efficiency, which is expected to result in 2,000 gigawatt hours per year of electricity savings or enough to power 200,000 homes.

BC Hydro is also investing $36 billion through its 10-year capital plan to expand and strengthen community and regional electrical infrastructure, and to ensure power can be delivered to new homes, businesses and industries. These investments will create economic opportunities throughout the province, including approximately 10,000 jobs for skilled workers, and generate economic growth for First Nations and communities in B.C.

In addition to the rate stability direction, government is providing support to people in British Columbia who are vulnerable or in crisis, a top priority during uncertain times. A key resource for supporting customers is BC Hydro’s Customer Crisis Fund, which offers grants for those in temporary financial crisis. Government has taken action to ensure an additional $1.9 million will be added to the fund, which is expected to help approximately 4,700 households between now and April 2026.

For customers not eligible for the Customer Crisis Fund, BC Hydro offers equal payment plans that spread out the cost of winter bills, and flexible payment plans. Low-income conservation programs also offer income-qualified customers the opportunity to save energy and money. These programs have delivered approximately $6 million in annual electricity cost savings to customers over the past four fiscal years. BC Hydro has also expanded its rate options for residential customers, offering more billing choices and new opportunities to save money, including optional time-of-day pricing and an optional flat rate, which will be introduced on April 1, 2025.

BC Hydro has filed the two-year rate adjustment publicly with the BCUC, along with supporting information. The rate increases will take effect April 1, 2025, and April 1, 2026.

Through the rate stability direction and other actions, the B.C. government is working to bring down costs for families, strengthen health care, make communities safer, help people find a home they can afford in a community they love, and grow a stronger economy that works for everyone.

Quick Facts:

BC Hydro’s residential, commercial and industrial rates are the third lowest in North America (among 22 utilities surveyed in Hydro Quebec’s 2024 Rates Comparison Report).
Adjusting for inflation, electricity in B.C. costs the same today as it did more than 40 years ago.

Learn More:

For more information about BC Hydro’s electricity rates, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BCHydroRates.pdf

To access a multi-language page that helps British Columbians find out about tax benefits and credits, how to file, how to get free support with filing, and how to register for direct deposit to get their refund and benefits sooner, visit: gov.bc.ca/TaxBenefits

To learn about other programs that are available to help with everyday costs, including a multi-language benefits connector to help find programs people may be eligible for, visit: gov.bc.ca/BCBenefitsConnector

A backgrounder follows.

MIL OSI Canada News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: MAINE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION NAMES ROMAYN RICHARDS AS INTERCONNECTION OMBUDSMAN

Source: US State of Maine

New Role Aims to Improve Maine’s Interconnection Process for Renewable Energy Projects and Help Resolve Customer Disputes

March 17, 2025

Hallowell, Maine – The Maine Public Utilities Commission (Commission) has named Romayn Richards to the newly created position of Interconnection Ombudsman. This position was established pursuant to 35-A M.R.S. 3474(4) and as set forth in Chapter 328 of the Commission’s rules.

As Interconnection Ombudsman, Richards will assist customers seeking interconnection of renewable energy projects by facilitating the efficient and fair resolution of disputes between customers seeking to interconnect and investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities. Additionally, Richards will review interconnection policies to identify opportunities for reducing disputes, convene stakeholder meetings to facilitate effective communication, and track interconnection-related concerns.

“We are pleased to add this position at the direction of the Legislature and look forward to better serving both customers and our investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities throughout the interconnection process,” said Commission Chair Philip L. Bartlett II.

Im honored to take on this new role and look forward to working with customers, utilities, developers, and the various other stakeholders to help improve Maines interconnection process, said Richards. My goal is to facilitate a fair and effective process for resolving interconnection disputes, while ensuring clear communication exists between all parties involved throughout the process.

Richards holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Power Engineering from Maine Maritime Academy. He has been with the Commission since November 2022 working as a Utility Analyst in the Electric and Gas Division, where he has collaborated with renewable energy interconnection experts to ensure that the Commissions small generator interconnection procedures reflect nationally recognized best practices.

Prior to joining the Commission, Richards worked as a Distribution Planning Engineer at Central Maine Power Company. He also held roles as a Reliability Engineer throughout Maines shipbuilding and pulp and paper industries.

For more information on Small Solar Interconnection Issues, please visit:

CONTACT: Susan Faloon, Media Liaison CELL: 207-557-3704 EMAIL: susan.faloon@maine.gov

MIL OSI USA News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Security: Focus on Safe Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste at Eighth Review Meeting of the Joint Convention

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

As nuclear activity grows, responsible waste management is more important than ever. Opened 8th Review Meeting of Joint Convention on Safety of Spent Fuel & Radioactive Waste Management. Waste comes from more than just nuclear power—universalizing the Convention benefits us all. pic.twitter.com/W1Uk4KQqQb

— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) March 17, 2025

You can see the livestream of the meeting here.

The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management – or Joint Convention – is a legally binding instrument that seeks to achieve and maintain a high level of worldwide safety in spent fuel and radioactive waste management. Over the next two weeks, from 17 to 28 March, Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention will present and discuss their National Reports on implementation of the Convention’s obligations.

Jean-Luc Lachaume, Acting President of the Eighth Review Meeting, from France, welcomed more than 1000 delegates from 77 Contracting Parties and a Signatory State, Lebanon.

“The challenges before us demand collective resolve. By achieving consensus we demonstrate to the public we serve and to the future generations that together we will continue to advance the principles and goals that bring us together under the banner of the safe management of nuclear waste for generations to come,” said Lachaume on behalf of President Ramzi Jammal.

Delegates will also share their experiences and lessons learned during a topical session on knowledge management in relation to long term management of disused sealed radioactive sources, radioactive waste and spent fuel. In addition, during open-ended working group sessions, delegates will discuss seven proposals submitted by Contracting Parties for improving the Joint Convention procedural mechanisms.

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)

With growing interest from IAEA Member States in Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology, the Eighth Review Meeting also offers a timely and crucial opportunity to reflect on lessons learned from the past and reiterate the importance of early planning and implementation of policies and strategies for the safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel for the future.

“Joining and adhering to the Joint Convention acknowledges the importance of thinking early about the full lifecycle of a nuclear facility and planning early to ensure the necessary infrastructure, competence and capacity exists for the safe management of spent fuel, radioactive waste, and decommissioning of facilities,” said Nelli Aghajanyan, coordinator of the Joint Convention.

Review Meetings are held every three years, staring from the entry into force of the Joint Convention in 2001. More information, including meeting summary reports as well as the national reports of Contracting Parties from previous review cycles, are available on the Joint Convention public website.

MIL Security OSI –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: TRA to investigate HVO biodiesel imports from the USA

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

News story

TRA to investigate HVO biodiesel imports from the USA

The TRA has initiated an anti-dumping investigation and a countervailing investigation into imports of HVO biodiesel from the United States of America.

The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has today, 17 March 2025, initiated an anti-dumping investigation and a countervailing investigation into imports of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) biodiesel from the United States of America.

The investigations follow an application from UK biodiesel producers concerned that the market has changed since a previous review in 2022. Recent evidence suggests that the price gap has narrowed and HVO may now be competing directly with UK-produced biodiesel.

The investigations will determine whether imports of HVO are being sold at unfairly low prices or being subsidised, and causing harm to UK industry.

To contribute to this investigation, please visit the TRA public file.

Notes to Editors:

The period of investigation for these cases will be between April 2023 and March 2024.
The Trade Remedies Authority is the UK body that investigates whether new trade remedy measures are needed to counter unfair import practices and unforeseen surges of imports.
The TRA is an arm’s length body of the Department for Business and Trade.
UK industries concerned about imports have been able to submit applications for a new trade remedy measure since January 2021. These applications are considered by the TRA to see if there are grounds for an investigation.

Published 17 March 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Africa: One Week to Go to the Inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

BRAZZAVILLE, Congo (Republic of the), March 17, 2025/APO Group/ —

The highly anticipated Congo Energy & Investment Forum (CEIF) 2025 is just one week away. Taking place in Brazzaville from March 24-26, the forum will be held under the theme, Securing Growth and Investment in a New Era. With a comprehensive agenda and an impressive roster of high-level speakers, CEIF 2025 brings together top energy executives, investors and policymakers for three days of robust discussions, deal-signings and exhibitions.

Under the highest patronage of President Denis Sassou Nguesso and supported by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and the Republic of Congo’s national oil company Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (SNPC), CEIF 2025 highlights the country’s expanding influence in Africa’s energy landscape. The forum will bring together a diverse range of participants, including SNPC subsidiaries, international oil companies, Congolese and foreign banks, energy organizations and technology providers.

The inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum, set for March 24-26, 2025, in Brazzaville, under the highest patronage of President Denis Sassou Nguesso and supported by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo, will bring together international investors and local stakeholders to explore national and regional energy and infrastructure opportunities. The event will explore the latest gas-to-power projects and provide updates on ongoing expansions across the country.

The conference will kick off with technical sessions, focused on Congo’s oil and gas market, highlighting the latest advancements in the country’s efforts to expand production, revitalize mature fields and capitalize on its immense reserves. The technical sessions will cover monetizing stranded gas, infrastructure development and opportunities to position Congo as a regional hub.

The CEIF 2025 program will feature a variety of dedicated panel sessions, technical workshops and presentations designed to provide deep insights into the latest developments and opportunities across the entire energy value chain. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge about ongoing and upcoming projects that contribute to Congo’s energy goals, as well as broader trends affecting the sector.

One of the highlights of CEIF 2025 will be the official unveiling of Congo’s new Gas Master Plan, which aims to consolidate the country’s existing gas assets while attracting new investments into the sector. Furthermore, a new Gas Code will be unveiled at CEIF 2025 to establish a supportive legal and regulatory framework for gas exploration and production investments.

As part of an ambition to double oil production to 500,000 barrels per day by 2027, CEIF 2025 will feature the launch of the country’s new oil and gas licensing round. The licensing round will offer onshore, offshore and marginal acreage to potential investors and developers. As such, CEIF 2025 offers a platform for delegates to connect with leading figures in Congo’s energy space. Deal signings will be a focal point of the forum, providing an environment where key decision-makers can engage to forge new business relationships.

High-level speakers at this monumental forum include Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, Congo’s Minister of Hydrocarbons; Maixent Raoul Ominga, Director General of the SNPC; Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization; and Haitham Al Ghais, Secretary General of OPEC, among many others. As the premier gathering for energy players in Africa, CEIF 2025 represents the ideal platform to discuss, showcase and maximize growth and partnership investment opportunities across Congo and Central Africa.

“With one week out, we are positive that CEIF 2025 will cement its position as a pivotal platform for fostering investment, exploring energy opportunities and driving growth in Congo’s dynamic energy sector. As the inaugural edition, this premier event is sure to provide attendees with invaluable knowledge and insights into the region’s robust and burgeoning industry,” states Sandra Jeque, Events and Project Director at Energy Capital & Power.

MIL OSI Africa –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI: Sintana Provides Update for PEL 87

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sintana Energy Inc. (TSX-V: SEI, OTCQB: SEUSF) (“Sintana” or the “Company”) provides the following update regarding developments associated with blocks 2713A and 2713B located in Namibia’s Orange Basin. The blocks are governed by Petroleum Exploration License 87 (“PEL 87”) which is operated by Pancontinental Orange Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of Pancontinental Energy NL (ASX:PCL) (“Pancontinental”), who maintains a 75% interest in PEL 87. Additionally, Custos Investments (Pty) Ltd. (“Custos”) maintains a 15% interest and the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (“NAMCOR”) maintains a 10% interest. Sintana has a 49% indirect interest in Custos.

Pancontinental has received notification from Woodside Energy (GOM) Inc. (“Woodside”) that Woodside has elected not to exercise its option to farm-in to the PEL 87 project. This notice has been received in advance of the long stop date of May 18th, 2025, after which Woodside’s option was due to expire.

A process is underway to secure an alternate farm-in partner to fund exploration drilling within PEL 87 at the earliest opportunity.

Significant prospectivity has been identified by the high quality 6,593 km2 3D seismic dataset that was fully funded by Woodside. Subsequent interpretation and evaluation has returned an inventory of intra-Saturn leads and prospects which are estimated to be consistent in size and scale to the discoveries made to date in the Orange Basin. Pancontinental, together with the Joint Venture partners, is continuing to mature and refine a growing inventory on PEL 87.

“We look forward to deploying our portfolio of relationships with operators including the supermajors to bring forward the potential of PEL 87,” said Knowledge Katti, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Custos and a director of Sintana.

“The extensive dataset arising from the seismic acquisition campaign funded by Woodside, together with the continuing work to define and refine a significant inventory of leads and prospects, position the PEL 87 partners to expedite farm-in discussions,” added Robert Bose, CEO of Sintana. “PEL 87 is an integral part of our Orange Basin portfolio,” he added.

ABOUT SINTANA ENERGY:

The Company is engaged in petroleum and natural gas exploration and development activities on six large, highly prospective, onshore and offshore petroleum exploration licenses in Namibia, and in Colombia’s Magdalena Basin.

On behalf of Sintana Energy Inc.,

“A. Robert Bose”
Chief Executive Officer

For additional information or to sign-up to receive periodic updates about Sintana’s projects, and corporate activities, please visit the Company’s website at www.sintanaenergy.com

Corporate Contacts:		Investor Relations Advisor:

Robert Bose	Sean Austin	Jonathan Paterson
Chief Executive Officer	Vice-President	Founder & Managing Partner
212-201-4125	713-825-9591	Harbor Access 475-477-9401

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intensions for the future, and include, but not limited to, statements with respect to potential future farmout agreements on PEL 83 and/or PEL 87, and proposed future exploration and development activities on PEL 83 and/or PEL 90 and neighbouring properties, as well as the prospective nature of the Company’s property interests. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including, but not limited to risks relating to the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals, results of exploration and development activities, the ability to source joint venture partners and fund exploration, permitting and government approvals, and other risks identified in the Company’s public disclosure documents from time to time. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update such information, except as may be required by law.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1e3f50cb-60a9-4024-bb79-fdcaab68ab4e

The MIL Network –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI: Energy Systems Group Appoints Jeff Blum as CEO

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEWBURGH, Ind., March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Energy Systems Group (ESG), a leading provider of energy and infrastructure solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeff Blum as Chief Executive Officer. The addition of this strategic position to ESG’s leadership team reflects the business’s continued commitment to growth and delivering best-in-class energy efficiency and infrastructure solutions to its customers nationwide.

Blum brings over 30 years of experience in commercial and public facility construction, modernization, and service. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, U.S. West and Canada, at KONE, a global leader in elevator and escalator solutions. With deep expertise in strategic growth, operational excellence, and building high-performing leadership teams, Blum is well-positioned to drive the company’s next phase of expansion and market leadership.

“I am honored and excited to take the helm at Energy Systems Group during this exciting chapter of growth,” said Blum. “Energy Systems Group is an incredible company known for transforming facilities and infrastructure through our brilliant people, with a strong track record of delighting our customers and creating a great work environment for all our team members. With the recent integration of Yearout Energy and PacificWest Energy Solutions, ESG is now a larger and more robust energy and infrastructure solutions provider, uniquely positioned to serve customers across an expanded geographic footprint. I look forward to working alongside ESG’s talented team to build on this strong foundation and accelerate the company’s positive impact to our customers and the communities we serve.”

Now with an expanded portfolio of solutions and services, Energy Systems Group is focused on helping customers improve energy efficiency, reduce costs, and create long-term success. As the company continues to grow, the entire team is committed to delivering proven, practical, and reliable solutions across a wide range of industries.

About Energy Systems Group

Energy Systems Group (ESG) is a leading provider of performance-driven energy and infrastructure solutions nationwide. We design, build, and guarantee solutions that improve the reliability, efficiency, and lifespan of critical facilities in the education, government, healthcare, commercial, and industrial sectors. With a commitment to delivering reliable and proven solutions, Energy Systems Group takes a comprehensive approach to facility transformation. Visit energysystemsgroup.com to learn more.

The MIL Network –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Economics: Amway’s advertising campaigns focus on health, sustainability and scientific innovation to engage diverse audiences, reveals GlobalData

Source: GlobalData

Amway’s advertising campaigns focus on health, sustainability and scientific innovation to engage diverse audiences, reveals GlobalData

Posted in Business Fundamentals

Amway’s YouTube advertising campaigns from December 2024 to February 2025 adopted a research-driven approach, emphasizing wellness, scientific validation, and consumer lifestyle integration. By focusing on health-conscious choices, these ads highlight product functionality, natural ingredients, and sustainable practices. The strategy aims to engage diverse audiences by addressing personal care, nutrition, and performance needs while keeping up with changing market trends, reveals the Global Ads Platform of GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Sagar Kishor, Ads Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Amway’s campaigns cater to specific consumer needs, with Satinique addressing hair and scalp health, Nutrilite ensuring ingredient traceability, and XS Energy appealing to active individuals with its sugar-free formula. The strategy integrates the fusion of nature and science, positioning the brand as a provider of effective and sustainable wellness solutions. The advertisements strategically use visually appealing demonstrations and research-backed messaging to build trust and appeal to a wide range of consumers.”

GlobalData’s Global Ads Platform reveals the key focus areas of Amway’s advertisements below:

Botanical Ingredient Integration: Amway’s ads for Satinique and Nutrilite emphasize plant-based ingredients like pomegranate and rosemary, aligning with the growing demand for naturally derived, sustainable products. This strategy positions the brand as eco-conscious, catering to health and beauty consumers seeking natural, effective solutions.

Scientific Credibility and Innovation: The inclusion of PhytoJuve and PhytoLiposome underscores a data-driven approach, emphasizing advancements in formulation development. By highlighting these processes, the products are advertised as rigorously tested solutions, appealing to consumers who prioritize research-backed efficacy and product transparency.

Targeted Scalp and Hair Solutions: Satinique ads highlight solutions for dandruff, hair fall, and hydration, framing scalp care as an extension of skincare. This approach moves beyond cosmetic appeal, emphasizing long-term scalp health in line with evolving consumer preferences and dermatological care trends.

Holistic Wellness Framework: Nutrilite’s Begin 30 program structures health into four key areas: nutrition, hydration, movement, and mindfulness. By presenting measurable benefits in the advertisement such as energy improvement and weight management, it appeals to the audience who is looking for a structured approach to wellness.

Performance and Energy Boost: XS Energy + Burn positions itself as a zero-sugar energy solution in the ads, incorporating EGCG, ginger extract, and B-vitamins. The focus on metabolic support and sustained energy caters to active consumers looking for functional beverages aligned with performance and lifestyle needs.

MIL OSI Economics –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI United Nations: UNECE Resource Management Week 2025: Advancing Sustainable Resource Governance for a Just Energy Transition

Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

As demand for critical mineral resources surges and energy transitions reshape economies, UNECE Resource Management Week 2025 is where global experts, policymakers and industry leaders will come together to shape the policies and strategies to support a more sustainable future for resource governance.

Strengthening Global Resource Governance with UNFC and UNRMS

As critical minerals become increasingly essential to the energy transition, the 16th Session of the Expert Group on Resource Management (24–28 March) will explore how to ensure transparent, sustainable, and responsible resource governance. Discussions will focus on the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) and UN Resource Management System (UNRMS) and their role in securing supply while balancing environmental and social concerns and implementing UNFC under the EU Critical Raw Material Act. The International Centres of Excellence on Sustainable Resource Management in Central Asia, Mexico, Russian Federation and UK will share their national and regional priorities to deploy and disseminate UNFC and UNRMS.

The session will also feature the Geneva Dialogues on Mineral and Metal Resources, with a Joint UNEP and UNECE side event focused on circular economy solutions and responsible mining practices. Lectures will bring fresh insights, including a discussion led by the Norwegian Offshore Directorate’s Stig-Morten Knutsen on the potential of seabed minerals for energy and industry, addressing both opportunities and environmental risks. Other sessions will explore AI’s role in resource management and women’s leadership in resource management. The FutuRaM annual event on 26 March will highlight advancements in secondary raw materials (SRMs) management, showcasing two years of research on how urban mining and anthropogenic resources can strengthen supply chains. Experts will discuss how the latest Urban Mine Platform updates can support informed decision-making in resource management.

With competition for minerals intensifying, EGRM-16 will play a role in shaping policies that secure resources responsibly while advancing long-term sustainability goals.

Two Decades of Advancing Mine Safety, Methane Management, and Just Transition

As pressure mounts to curb methane emissions and phase out coal, UNECE’s Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition will mark its 20th session (24–25 March 2025) by unveiling new tools for methane abatement and discussing ways to integrate emission reductions into national climate targets (NDCs). With mine closures accelerating, experts will present business models from Poland and Spain that repurpose sites for clean energy. Just transition strategies in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will also highlight efforts to support coal-dependent communities. The session underscores the growing urgency to align mine safety, environmental goals, and economic resilience in the energy transition.

UNECE to Tackle Gas Sector’s Role in Energy Security and Climate Action

The 12th Session of the UNECE Group of Experts on Gas (GEG-12) will address the future of gas in a rapidly evolving landscape. Discussions will focus on biogases as alternatives to fossil fuels, hydrogen infrastructure, and resilience amid supply shocks. For the first time, Just Transition in the gas sector will be explored, alongside new methane reduction measures

Driving Partnerships for a Just and Sustainable Energy Transition

The UNECE Resource Management Week 2025 will also highlight collaborations with the European Commission, World Bank, and UNDP on methane reduction and hydrogen projects, as well as partnerships with the UN Country Teams and the Issue-Based Coalition on Environment and Climate Change to shape coherent just transition policies. With a focus on practical solutions and innovation, the event aims to accelerate the energy transition in a fair, inclusive, and sustainable way.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: President Trump signs Kennedy resolution repealing rule targeting offshore energy production into law

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

MADISONVILLE, La. – President Donald Trump signed Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval to reverse the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) rule that targeted oil and gas production in the outer continental shelf into law.
“Burdensome regulations hurt oil and gas producers’ ability to provide affordable energy and jobs to Americans. I’m thankful to President Trump for taking handcuffs off energy producers by signing my resolution into law,” said Kennedy.
Sen. Cindy-Hyde Smith (R-Miss.) cosponsored the resolution.
“President Trump promised to restore America’s energy might and by signing these resolutions of disapproval he helps Congress reset policy in a way that encourages offshore oil and gas production. This action also has greater staying power, as any future administration would find it more difficult to reinstate the misguided regulations imposed during the Biden years. I commend President Trump for signing this important congressional resolution of disapproval, and really appreciate the opportunity to be part of the signing ceremony,” said Hyde-Smith.
Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) introduced the companion resolution in the House of Representatives.
“This is a great day for American energy independence and for the hardworking men and women who power our nation. The Biden administration’s misguided rule was a disaster for our energy producers, driving up costs for families and making us more reliant on foreign adversaries. By overturning this rule, we are unleashing American energy and ensuring a stronger, more secure future. Mississippi’s energy workers and consumers deserve policies that support economic growth and energy security—not unnecessary government overreach. I thank President Trump for his strong leadership in signing this today and reaffirming our commitment to affordable and reliable American energy,” said Ezell.
Background:
On Sept. 3, 2024, the Biden administration published a rule requiring all new oil and gas leaseholders on the outer continental shelf to submit an archaeological report to the BOEM before drilling or laying pipelines. The rule burdens lessees with conducting costly surveys for marine archaeological resources, such as shipwrecks or “cultural resources.”
This rule replaces BOEM’s long-standing policy of requiring oil and gas operators to conduct archaeological surveys only when there was a “reason to believe” that an archaeological resource may be present.
The Biden administration admitted that this rule would harm small oil and gas producers most, writing, “100 percent of the increased Gulf of [America] compliance cost . . . would be borne by operators that are small entities.” Small and independent operators account for one-third of all oil production in the Gulf of America.
On Feb. 4, 2025, Kennedy introduced his CRA joint resolution of disapproval to repeal the rule. This is one of more than 225 harmful regulations that the Biden administration levied against the oil and natural gas industry.
On Feb. 25, 2025, the Senate passed Kennedy’s resolution. On March 6, 2025, the House passed the resolution.
The full resolution is available here.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Oregon Democrats Urge Trump Administration to Stop Undermining Pacific Northwest’s Power Grid

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
March 17, 2025
Lawmakers’ letter to Trump: “If the administration’s goal is truly to ensure reliable, secure, and affordable energy, then why are you actively dismantling the most effective and self-sustaining power system in the country?”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Janelle Bynum, and Maxine Dexter said today they are calling on the Trump administration to pay heed to concerns raised by Bonneville Power Administration workers that major and illegal job cuts at the agency will destabilize the power grid in Oregon and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
“The weight of this destabilization will bear down on the entire region, most heavily in rural areas that rely on public utilities purchasing BPA power,” the Oregon lawmakers wrote in their letter to Donald Trump. “Your administration’s directives to simultaneously buy out workers and freeze hiring has resulted in the resignation of approximately 200 employees, the rescinding of 90 new job offers, and the looming layoff of up to 400 probationary employees. We recognize that the Department of Energy has recently granted BPA’s request to reinstate 89 probationary employees. Although this action provides some needed stability, it does not fully mitigate the substantial risks introduced by prior workforce reductions.”
“Employees on the ground are already warning that these actions will make it nearly impossible to strengthen and expand the grid as needed,” the lawmakers wrote of the Trump job cuts. “Instead, BPA will be forced into “damage control” mode, struggling just to “keep the lights on.” This is not speculation; it is the reality voiced by those who operate our energy infrastructure every day.”
The letter from the seven Oregon Democrats follows a letter last month from Wyden and Merkley that raised similar concerns about how the deep job cuts at BPA threaten the reliability of the electrical grid that serves millions of families and businesses in the Pacific Northwest.
“If the administration’s goal is truly to ensure reliable, secure, and affordable energy, then why are you actively dismantling the most effective and self-sustaining power system in the country,” they wrote. “Mr. President, the energy security of the Pacific Northwest — and the rural communities that depend on BPA’s services — cannot be treated as an afterthought. The decisions your administration has made in haste will have lasting consequences for millions of Americans. We urge you to reconsider these damaging cuts before we face an energy crisis of your making.”
The entire letter is here.
Related Files

MIL OSI USA News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: SPbGASU named the winning team of the qualifying round of the International Engineering Championship “CASE-IN”

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Team “C-Key” (Ekaterina Buryak, Alexandra Leonova, Elizaveta Petrova, Alexey Khimichev, Sofia Tarkhanova, Denis Lebedev, Alexander Katsyuba) and Kirill Pivovarov

The results of the selection round of the student league of the International Engineering Championship “CASE-IN” in the direction of “Architecture, design, construction and housing and public utilities” were summed up at SPbGASU. The defense of case solutions and the award ceremony for the winners took place on March 12.

CASE-IN was created 13 years ago to promote engineering and technical education and to train future highly qualified specialists. The organizers of the championship are the Nadezhnaya Smena Foundation, the Youth Forum of Mining Leaders Non-Commercial Partnership, AstraLogika LLC, and the presidential platform Russia – the Land of Opportunities. The championship is included in the Science of Winning initiative of the Decade of Science and Technology in Russia.

According to Marina Malyutina, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy, SPbGASU has been participating in CASE-IN since 2019. According to Marina Viktorovna, this is a fundamental and important decision for an engineering university. Students show good results, the number of those wishing to participate is growing year after year. In the future, they are offered practice, internship, and employment. Previously, the university participated in the “Engineering Design” competency, and the tasks were not entirely specialized. Now, thanks to the Metropolis company, SPbGASU students have the opportunity to apply the specialized knowledge they receive at the university.

Artem Korolev, director of the Nadezhnaya Smena charity foundation and founder of the CASE-IN International Engineering Championship, shared his plans for the 13th season in a video message: this year, there will be school, student, and special leagues. 280 schools are expected to participate in the school league. More than 220 universities are expected in the student league, 80 of which will host the in-person selection round. A total of 18,500 participants are expected – schoolchildren, students, young professionals, experts, mentors, and curators. The theme of the 13th season is Technological Innovations.

The first deputy general director of the autonomous non-profit organization “Russia – Land of Opportunities” Gennady Guryanov spoke about the successes of the project in a video message: during its existence, the project has united more than 120 thousand schoolchildren, students and young professionals from Russia and neighboring countries. Since 2019, together with the presidential platform “Russia – Land of Opportunities”, the project provides young people with opportunities for personal, professional and career growth.

Eight teams spent 21 days solving a case from Metropolis, the initiator of the direction and strategic partner of the championship. Each team brought together students from different directions. Under the guidance of mentors, future architects, builders, and designers developed a hotel and tourist complex in a natural area. The results of their work were assessed by an expert commission, which included representatives of Metropolis and SPbGASU.

The architectural and design solutions, power supply systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, general requirements (technology, fire safety, energy efficiency, automation systems) were assessed. The speakers’ fluency in professional terminology, their ability to express and justify their opinions, the clarity and understandability of the slide structure, the logicality of their answers to questions, etc. were also taken into account. After the defenses, the experts provided targeted feedback to the teams assigned to them: they highlighted strengths and growth areas, provided comments and advice on improving the solution.

Andrey Surovenkov and Olga Bochkareva

Olga Bochkareva, a member of the expert committee, deputy dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management for academic work, associate professor of the Department of Construction Management, believes that the championship gave students the opportunity to “pump up” their knowledge in practice, to feel that the entire project depends on the joint work. In addition, the competition showed that students of technical specialties need to learn to speak: “Whatever profession students are studying – builder, designer, architect – it is important to be able to “sell” their project. In the modern world, there is no way around it!”

Andrey Surovenkov, a member of the expert committee and head of the architectural design department, believes that the benefit of the championship is that students from different specialties, who most likely did not know each other before, unite into a team. For the curators, this is also a useful experience – they had to set the vector for creating a good project.

Participants of the selection round. Ahead is the expert committee: chief architect of the project OOO Metropolis Alexey Bondarenko, Kirill Pivovarov, chief specialist of the design solutions department Alina Sitova, senior lecturer of the department of heat and gas supply and ventilation of SPbGASU Sergey Kashnikov, deputy director of the educational center of digital competencies of SPbGASU Denis Nizhegorodtsev, associate professor of the department of water use and ecology of SPbGASU Alexander Podporin

Kirill Pivovarov, Chairman of the Expert Commission and Head of the Metropolis Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Department Group, is confident that for the company, the championship is, first and foremost, about attracting new employees. Moreover, employers have the opportunity to evaluate their abilities without an interview or probationary period. For students, this is an opportunity to create. When compiling the assignment, the company was guided by the students’ current capabilities and, at the same time, sought to bring the tasks closer to reality.

“This is a great experience for the guys in terms of applying their skills in practice. The theory they study at the university is superimposed on a real project here, and this will help them in their future work. Many students are great: they have quite serious projects at the level of practicing designers. I would rate the overall level of work as very high,” said member of the expert commission, senior lecturer of the Department of Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation Sergey Kashnikov.

“I regularly participate in assessing student work at a variety of competitions – both within our university and at other venues. I would like to note that it is precisely such competitions that develop students’ extremely important skills of independent work, including as part of project teams. And it is especially pleasant to see that the level of students’ work is growing from year to year,” said Denis Nizhegorodtsev, a member of the expert commission and deputy director of the Educational Center for Digital Competencies.

Third place went to the YeezyBIM team (mentor – associate professor of the Department of Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation Viktor Yakovlev). It included Alina Kizchenko (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Management, leader/BIM coordinator), Arina Tereshchenko (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Architecture, architect), Olga Gavrichenkova (third-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Management, water use and sanitation engineer), Anna Yarullina (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Management, design engineer of internal electrical equipment and lighting), Yaroslav Perevalov (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, designer), Polina Orlova (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Management, heating and ventilation engineer).

The second place was won by the team “Bim Bam Boom” (mentor – assistant of the Department of Design of Architectural Environment Dmitry Fleisher). The team consists of Emilia Sukhareva (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Architecture, leader/architect), Kirill Besedin (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, designer), Daniil Goncharenko (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Management, heating and ventilation engineer), Mikhail Danilchenko (third-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, designer), Kirill Ivanov (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, BIM coordinator), Sergey Sergeev (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Management, power supply engineer), Dmitry Sidorchuk (fourth-year bachelor’s degree student of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Management, water supply and sanitation engineer).

“The team decided to implement the current principle of nature-likeness as the most suitable for the given topic. It implies minimizing the impact on the environment and using natural factors for the functioning of the facility. The team worked under the leadership of captain Emilia Sukhareva, a talented student studying at the Department of DAS. Kirill Besedin is the most experienced and proactive member of the team. Daniil Goncharenko, having project experience, successfully implemented the general concept of ventilation and heating. Dmitry Sidorchuk, having extensive experience in participating in competitions of this kind, managed to provide the facility with water supply and sewerage networks. Sergey Sergeev, also an experienced team member, was engaged in the design of power supply networks and showed an excellent result. Mikhail Danilchenko gained his first experience of participating in a team on this project, but he coped with the tasks set by the KR very well. Kirill Ivanov provided BIM technologies throughout the project and in all its areas. Well done!” – summed up Dmitry Fleisher.

The first place was awarded to the “C-Key” team (mentor – Deputy Dean for Career Guidance, Associate Professor of the Department of Technosphere Safety Alexander Glukhanov). It included Ekaterina Buryak (third-year specialist student of the Faculty of Construction, chief project engineer), Alexandra Leonova (third-year specialist student of the Faculty of Construction, BIM coordinator), Elizaveta Petrova (third-year undergraduate student of the Faculty of Architecture, architect), Sofia Tarkhanova (third-year specialist student of the Faculty of Construction, designer), Denis Lebedev (third-year specialist student of the Faculty of Construction, designer), Alexey Khimichev (third-year undergraduate student of the Faculty of Architecture, architect), Alexander Katsyuba (third-year undergraduate student of the Faculty of Engineering Ecology and Urban Economy, specialist in engineering networks).

“It was difficult. But we approached the solution comprehensively, followed all the requirements of the technical specifications and achieved the result!” – Ekaterina Buryak is sure.

“This is the first experience of such live interaction with the subject area. I worked with guys from other specialties, it was very interesting. I learned some programs all over again, I learned a lot of new things in these three weeks. The experience is colossal!” – shared Alexander Katsyuba.

“We developed the architectural solutions section together with Elizaveta Petrova. And we want to say that this project was very interesting for us from the point of view of interaction between specialists in related fields. It was interesting to track how architectural issues are connected with issues of utility networks, design solutions, how all issues are resolved in the design system,” said Alexey Khimchev.

The mentor of the winners, Alexander Glukhanov, gave his comment: “The team developed a concept for the development of a tourist cluster on the Black Sea coast. The students created a detailed description of the construction project, took into account the features of the area, the needs of tourists, and the possibilities of using the infrastructure. They created a harmonious arrangement of the park area located in the heart of the territory, the active recreation area and the entrance area, integrated recreation areas and other functional components of the complex. Special attention was paid to the optimal combination of space-planning solutions: they took into account functional, sanitary and hygienic and fire safety requirements.”

The champions and prize winners of the Architecture, Design, Construction and Housing and Utilities category will be invited to an internship at Metropolis with the prospect of further employment. The winning team will take part in the final competition, which will be held in Moscow at the end of May. We wish them good luck!

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

March 18, 2025

MIL-OSI Global: The US military has cared about climate change since the dawn of the Cold War – for good reason

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Paul Bierman, Fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment, Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Vermont

Military engineers managing supply routes in Greenland in the 1950s paid attention to the weather and climate.
US Army/Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images

In 1957, Hollywood released “The Deadly Mantis,” a B-grade monster movie starring a praying mantis of nightmare proportions. Its premise: Melting Arctic ice has released a very hungry, million-year-old megabug, and scientists and the U.S. military will have to stop it.

The rampaging insect menaces America’s Arctic military outposts, part of a critical line of national defense, before heading south and meeting its end in New York City.

Yes, it’s over-the-top fiction, but the movie holds some truth about the U.S. military’s concerns then and now about the Arctic’s stability and its role in national security.

A poster advertises ‘The Deadly Mantis,’ a movie released in 1957, a time when Americans worried about a Russian invasion. The film used military footage to promote the nation’s radar defenses along the Distant Early Warning line in the Arctic.
LMPC via Getty Images

In the late 1940s, Arctic temperatures were warming and the Cold War was heating up. The U.S. military had grown increasingly nervous about a Soviet invasion across the Arctic. It built bases and a line of radar stations. The movie used actual military footage of these polar outposts.

But officials wondered: What if sodden snow and vanishing ice stalled American men and machines and weakened these northern defenses?

In response to those concerns, the military created the Snow, Ice and Permafrost Research Establishment, a research center dedicated to the science and engineering of all things frozen: glacier runways, the behavior of ice, the physics of snow and the climates of the past.

It was the beginning of the military’s understanding that climate change couldn’t be ignored.

Army engineers test the properties of snow on Greenland’s ice sheet in 1955, a critical determinant of mobility on the ice and one that changes rapidly with temperature and climate.
U.S. Army

As I was writing “When the Ice is Gone,” my recent book about Greenland, climate science and the U.S. military, I read government documents from the 1950s and 1960s showing how the Pentagon poured support into climate and cold-region research to boost the national defense.

Initially, military planners recognized threats to their own ability to protect the nation. Over time, the U.S. military would come to see climate change as both a threat in itself and a threat multiplier for national security.

Ice roads, ice cores and bases inside the ice sheet

The military’s snow and ice engineering in the 1950s made it possible for convoys of tracked vehicles to routinely cross Greenland’s ice sheet, while planes landed and took off from ice and snow runways.

In 1953, the Army even built a pair of secret surveillance sites inside the ice sheet, both equipped with Air Force radar units looking 24/7 for Soviet missiles and aircraft, but also with weather stations to understand the Arctic climate system.

The public reveal of U.S. military bases somewhere – that remained classified – inside Greenland’s ice sheet, in the February 1955 edition of REAL.
Paul Bierman collection.

The Army drilled the world’s first deep ice core from a base it built within the Greenland ice sheet, Camp Century. Its goal: to understand how climate had changed in the past so they would know how it might change in the future.

The military wasn’t shy about its climate change research successes. The Army’s chief ice scientist, Dr. Henri Bader, spoke on the Voice of America. He promoted ice coring as a way to investigate climates of the past, provide a new understanding of weather, and understand past climatic patterns to gauge and predict the one we are living in today – all strategically important.

Henri Bader describes drilling high on Greenland’s ice sheet in 1956 or 1957 in a Voice of America recording (National Archives), “The Snows of Yesteryear,” and a movie (U.S. Army). Created by Quincy Massey-Bierman.

In the 1970s, painstaking laboratory work on the Camp Century ice core extracted minuscule amounts of ancient air trapped in tiny bubbles in the ice. Analyses of that gas revealed that levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were lower for tens of thousands of years before the industrial revolution. After 1850, carbon dioxide levels crept up slowly at first and then rapidly accelerated. It was direct evidence that people’s actions, including burning coal and oil, were changing the composition of the atmosphere.

Since 1850, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have spiked and global temperatures have warmed by more than 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit (1.3 Celsius). The past 10 years have been the hottest since recordkeeping began, with 2024 now holding the record. Climate change is now affecting the entire Earth – but most especially the Arctic, which is warming several times faster than the rest of the planet.

Since 1850, global average temperature and carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have risen together, reflecting human emissions of greenhouse gases. Red bars indicate warmer years; blue bars indicate colder years.
NOAA

Seeing climate change as a threat multiplier

For decades, military leaders have been discussing climate change as a threat and a threat multiplier that could worsen instability and mass migration in already fragile regions of the world.

Climate change can fuel storms, wildfires and rising seas that threaten important military bases. It puts personnel at risk in rising heat and melts sea ice, creating new national security concerns in the Arctic. Climate change can also contribute to instability and conflict when water and food shortages trigger increasing competition for resources, internal and cross-border tensions, or mass migrations.

The military understands that these threats can’t be ignored. As Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro told a conference in September 2024: “Climate resilience is force resilience.”

A view of aircraft carriers docked at the sprawling Naval Station Norfolk show how much of the region is within a few feet of sea level.
Stocktrek Images via Getty Images

Consider Naval Station Norfolk. It’s the largest military port facility in the world and sits just above sea level on Virginia’s Atlantic coast. Sea level there rose more than 1.5 feet in the last century, and it’s on track to rise that much again by 2050 as glaciers around the world melt and warming ocean water expands.

High tides already cause delays in repair work, and major storms and their storm surges have damaged expensive equipment. The Navy has built sea walls and worked to restore coastal dunes and marshlands to protect its Virginia properties, but the risks continue to increase.

Planning for the future, the Navy incorporates scientists’ projections of sea level rise and increasing hurricane strength to design more resilient facilities. By adapting to climate change, the U.S. Navy will avoid the fate of another famous marine power: the Norse, forced to abandon their flooded Greenland settlements when sea level there rose about 600 years ago.

Norse ruins in Igaliku in southern Greenland, illustrated in the late 1800s while flooded at spring tide by sea level, which had risen since the settlement was abandoned around 1400.
Steenstrup, K.J.V., and A. Kornerup. 1881. Expeditionen til Julianehaabs distrikt i 1876. MeddelelseromGrønland

Climate change is costly to ignore

As the impacts of climate change grow in both frequency and magnitude, the costs of inaction are increasing. Most economists agree that it’s cheaper to act now than deal with the consequences. Yet, in the past 20 years, the political discourse around addressing the cause and effects of climate change has become increasingly politicized and partisan, stymieing effective action.

In my view, the military’s approach to problem-solving and threat reduction provides a model for civil society to address climate change in two ways: reducing carbon emissions and adapting to inevitable climate change impacts.

The U.S. military emits more planet warming carbon than Sweden and spent more than US$2 billion on energy in 2021. It accounts for more than 70% of energy used by the federal government.

In that context, its embrace of alternative energy, including solar generation, microgrids and wind power, makes economic and environmental sense. The U.S. military is moving away from fossil fuels, not because of any political agenda, but because of the cost-savings, increased reliability and energy independence the alternatives provide.

Solar panels generate power on many U.S. military bases. This array at Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, Calif., generates enough power for more than 15,000 homes and has a backup battery system to provide power when the sun isn’t shining.
Frederic J . Brown/AFP via Getty Images

As sea ice melts and Arctic temperatures rise, the polar region has again become a strategic priority. Russia and China are expanding Arctic shipping routes and eyeing critical mineral deposits as they become accessible. The military knows climate change affects national security, which is why it continues to take steps to address the threats a changing climate presents.

Paul Bierman receives funding from the US National Science Foundation, this work in part supported by grant EAR-2114629.

– ref. The US military has cared about climate change since the dawn of the Cold War – for good reason – https://theconversation.com/the-us-military-has-cared-about-climate-change-since-the-dawn-of-the-cold-war-for-good-reason-246333

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 18, 2025

Category: Energy

February2025

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Notes to Editors:

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Updates to this page

Ice roads, ice cores and bases inside the ice sheet

Seeing climate change as a threat multiplier

Climate change is costly to ignore

Cuba Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Dr. Eduardo Martínez Díaz Calls on Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh: Focus on Biomanufacturing and Strengthening Science Collaboration

Strengthening Science Diplomacy: India, Cuba Eye Collaboration in Vaccine Development, Bioeconomy

Benefits of Transition Metal Carbides for Al_xGa₁_–xN Growth