Entergy, First Solar, U.S. Crude Oil Stocks: Your Daily Energy News

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News highlights gathered by Industrial Info and IIR Energy (Sugar Land, Texas) dealing with the energy markets.

CRUDE OIL
U.S. Crude Oil, Fuel Stockpiles Rise - U.S. crude oil stockpiles rose unexpectedly last week, while gasoline and distillate inventories also increased as refining ramped up and demand fell despite the kick-off of the summer driving season, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday. Crude oil inventories rose by 1.2 million barrels to 455.9 million barrels in the week ended May 31, the EIA said. Gasoline stocks rose by 2.1 million barrels in the week to 230.9 million barrels. Distillate stockpiles rose by 3.2 million barrels in the week to 122.5 million barrels, the EIA said. (Reuters)

POWER
Entergy Proposes Two Natural Gas Power Plants in Texas - Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) (New Orleans, Louisiana) plans to build two new natural gas power plants in Texas as it confronts burgeoning electricity demand in the state, the company said. If approved by Texas' utility regulator, the plants would come online by 2028, Entergy said on Tuesday. Plans call for the plants to have a combined capacity of more than 1,200 megawatts. (Reuters)

First Solar, QCells Named as U.S. Government Preferred Solar Panel Vendors - Two of the world's biggest solar panel makers, First Solar Incorporated (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) and Hanwha Qcells (Seoul, South Korea), are the first to register products under an environmental ratings system that will make them preferred in U.S. government purchasing, an industry group said this week. Combined, the companies have seven products that meet the EPEAT standard created by the Global Electronics Council (GEC), according to Qcells, the GEC and the Ultra Low-Carbon Solar Alliance, a solar industry group. The distinction will help First Solar and Qcells become go-to suppliers for federal projects, which are expected to be a major source of demand for solar panels. (Reuters)

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Energy asset information on power plants, oil refineries and natural gas infrastructure is now more important than ever. A unit of Industrial Info Resources, IIR Energy provides infrastructure information on these assets, as well as real-time tracking of planned and unplanned interruptions affecting the commodity-trading community. We are the number one source for information about power plant outages, refinery turnarounds and midstream natural gas disruptions.

About Industrial Info
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).