Today's Energy Pulse
Scania pilots vehicle‑to‑grid power for heavy‑duty electric trucks
Scania showcased one of the first V2G systems for heavy‑duty electric trucks using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS). The pilot demonstrated bi‑directional power flow, letting trucks feed stored electricity back to the grid while parked, with real‑time communication enabling dynamic charging and discharging. The company also opened orders for trucks equipped with an extra battery pack and MCS.
Also developing:
$30bn North Field Offshore Expansion Project Spurs Fierce Bids at World’s Largest Gas Field in Qatar
QatarEnergy’s North Field offshore expansion, valued at over $30 billion, is entering an aggressive EPC tender phase as contractors vie for packages covering platforms, subsea pipelines and processing facilities. The multi‑package strategy spreads risk and accelerates delivery, while bidders are required to integrate carbon‑efficiency measures and digital monitoring into designs. Early contractor engagement and localization of fabrication to regional shipyards aim to mitigate supply‑chain bottlenecks. The project supports Qatar’s long‑term LNG export plan, anchored by a 27‑year supply agreement with China’s Sinopec.
Commercial Oil Inventories Falling ‘Rapidly’ and only Have Weeks Left: IEA Chief
International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned that commercial oil inventories are depleting at a record pace, leaving enough supply for only a few weeks of global demand. Since the February US‑Israeli war with Iran, the IEA has coordinated the release...
Singapore’s Vena Energy Starts P24-Billion Philippine Solar Projects
Singapore‑based Vena Group has broken ground on two utility‑scale solar projects in Ilocos Norte, Philippines, with a combined investment of about ₱24.3 billion (≈$440 million). The Astra Solar Power Project will cost ₱3.76 billion (≈$68 million) and generate roughly 142 GWh annually, enough for 120,000...
The Philippines Positions Energy Sector for Large-Scale Investment Amid Global Uncertainty
At the PCCI Energy & Power Summit 2026, the Philippine Finance Department unveiled a suite of reforms aimed at attracting large‑scale investment in energy infrastructure and renewables. The CREATE MORE Act and revised PPP, lease and right‑of‑way laws provide tax holidays,...
TotalEnergies' Critical New FSO Vessel Arrives in Chinese Yard
TotalEnergies' new floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel, named Adiana, has arrived at Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry's yard in Weihai, China, for conversion. The vessel will replace the aging Unity FSO operating in Nigeria’s offshore oil fields. The move is...
The Oil and Gas Supply Chain Control Tower Vendor Landscape
The global supply chain control tower (SCCT) market is rapidly expanding, delivering real‑time visibility to oil and gas firms facing geopolitical volatility and complex operations. Vendor strength varies sharply across upstream, midstream and downstream segments, with industrial‑tech platforms and specialized...
Dominion‑NextEra Merger Would Top Utility Sales Rankings
Combining Dominion and NextEra would create a behemoth with the highest retail revenue and total volume of energy sales (MWh) from ratepayers among all utility conglomerates. It would trail Exelon in number of ratepayers. (Based only on electric utilities and...
Taiwan Shifting to Regionalized Approach for Solar Permitting
Taiwan's city of Taoyuan introduced new solar permitting guidelines that require operators to conduct self‑inspections on environmentally‑sensitive sites, engage local residents, and establish disaster‑panel storage plans. The rules also mandate third‑party health checks once plants are online and enforce stricter...
Oil Shock Stokes Inflation Fears and Dims Hopes for Fed Rate Relief
Oil prices surged past $110 per barrel for Brent and $100 for WTI as Middle East tensions, including drone strikes and a closed Strait of Hormuz, intensified. The spike pushed 10‑year U.S. Treasury yields to a 15‑month high of 4.63%...
Hormuz Closure Threatens Model Supply and Prices
On 28 February the Strait of Hormuz closed. It is still not fully open. We have a new commentary out this week and model supply and price impacts under three closure scenarios. The results are concerning. Write-up on Bright Spots soon: https://t.co/nBMZPS4HTp https://t.co/iw30Xy5RJe
Russia's Asian LNG Shift Slashes Revenue, Doubles Logistics Costs
MOSCOW, May 18 (Reuters) - Russia's diversification of its liquefied natural gas exports to Asia after the loss of the European market will cut its revenue due to at least a doubling of logistics costs, industry sources and analysts told...
Chevron Seeks $227 M Texas Tax Break for Gas Plant Powering Potential Microsoft Data Center
Chevron subsidiary Energy Forge One has filed for a Texas school‑district tax abatement that could save the company more than $227 million over ten years. The incentive would fund a gas‑fired power plant built to supply electricity directly to a data...
Constellation Advances $800M in Power Uprates at Braidwood and Byron Generation Stations in Illinois
Constellation Energy is investing $800 million to uprate its Braidwood and Byron nuclear stations in Illinois, adding a combined 158 MW of capacity. The Byron upgrade began in March and targets completion in 2028, while Braidwood will start next spring and finish...
Pennsylvania Releases ‘First-of-Its-Kind’ Large-Load Model Tariff
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission issued a final order creating a pioneering model tariff for large‑load customers such as data centers, applying to loads over 50 MW individually or 100 MW in aggregate. The non‑binding framework requires utilities to charge “but‑for” upgrade...
NextEra Energy to Acquire Dominion Energy for $130 Billion
NextEra Energy announced a $130 billion agreement to acquire Dominion Energy, creating one of the largest U.S. utility operators. Dominion shareholders will receive 0.8138 NextEra shares per Dominion share, a $75.98 per‑share premium of 23.75%, plus a $360 million cash payment at...
Greek Owner Agrees Deal with US to Get Blocked VLCC Out of Hormuz
Greek owner of the 300,000‑dwt VLCC Agios Fanourios I announced that U.S. authorities have cleared the vessel to exit the Strait of Hormuz after a five‑day blockade. The ship, which was previously denied passage to Vietnam, resumed its eastward course in the...
‘This Is Bad’: Strategists See European Oil Shortages Within Weeks as Inventories Are Depleted
Strategists warn that Europe could confront physical oil shortages as early as the end of May, driven by rapidly depleting global inventories. Even a swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would entail a 52‑day lag before additional barrels reach...
Wind Leads Ireland Electricity Mix in April
In April, wind became Ireland’s top electricity source, delivering 38% of total output. Renewable generation reached 48% of the mix, driven by 1,078 GWh of wind and a record 163 GWh of grid‑scale solar. Gas supplied 35% while imports covered 16%, and...
Bondada Engineering Bags Orders Worth ₹469-Cr From Adani Group
Bondada Engineering announced it has secured orders worth ₹469 crore (approximately $57 million) from the Adani Group for the Balance of System (BOS) package of a 250 MW solar project in Khavda, Kutch, Gujarat. The orders, issued by Adani Green Energy and its...
How India’s LPG Shortage Is Driving up California’s Gasoline Prices
India's LPG shortage forces refiners to slash alkylate output, cutting exports to California by nearly half. Alkylates are a key feedstock for the state’s ultra‑clean gasoline blend, and the reduced supply is pushing retail prices above $6 per gallon as...
UAE Nuclear Power Station Hit by Drone Attack Orchestrated by Iran/Iranian Proxies
On May 17, 2026 a drone attack attributed to Iranian proxies set fire to an external electrical generator at the Barakah nuclear power plant in the UAE’s Al‑Dhahra region. The blaze caused no injuries and radiation levels remained within normal...
Turkish Petroleum's Latest Drillship Marks Debut Operation in Black Sea
Turkish Petroleum’s newest drillship, Yildirim, has arrived at the Sakarya gas field in the Black Sea to commence its first offshore operation. The vessel joins a six‑strong fleet that the company has assembled to tap the region’s untapped hydrocarbon potential....
Unlocking LNG’s Potential Starts With Infrastructure
Mubadala Energy announced the final investment decision on the $13 billion Commonwealth LNG project in Louisiana, a 9.5 million‑ton‑per‑year export facility slated for operation by 2030. The move reflects a broader strategy of integrating upstream production, exemplified by its Caturus platform, with...
Gotion Receives €92 Million for Two Battery Projects in Spain
Chinese battery maker Gotion High‑Tech has been provisionally awarded a €92 million ($100 million) grant from Spain’s PERTE VEC e‑Mobility programme for two projects in Valladolid. The projects, backed by a €944.3 million ($1.03 billion) investment, will build a battery‑cathode plant and a recycling...
OX2 Starts Construction Work at 135MW Muswellbrook Solar-Plus-Storage Project in Australia
Swedish IPP OX2 has broken ground on its 135 MW solar‑plus‑storage project in Muswellbrook, New South Wales, pairing the solar plant with a 100 MW battery system on 482 ha of former coal‑mining land. Construction includes a new 2.4 km overhead line to the...
AI‑Driven Power Surge Sparks State Battles Over Utility Profits and Rising Bills
Governors and attorneys general in Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania are confronting utilities over proposed rate increases tied to soaring AI data‑center demand. The Energy and Policy Institute says for‑profit utility earnings jumped from $39 B in...
Japanese Scientists Achieve World Record 25.14% Efficiency for Perovskite-CIGS Tandem Solar Cell
Japanese researchers at Tokyo City University, together with AIST, have set a new world record for a perovskite‑CIGS tandem solar cell, achieving a certified 25.14% power conversion efficiency on a 1 cm² two‑terminal device. The record surpasses the previous 24.6% benchmark...
Philip R Lane: Analytical Perspectives on Energy Supply Shocks
ECB economist Philip Lane outlined the central bank’s latest research on energy supply shocks, focusing on recent oil price spikes driven by geopolitical constraints. Using a Bayesian vector autoregressive model, the analysis separates supply‑driven shocks from demand‑driven price movements and...
AtkinsRéalis Bets on Nuclear-Powered AI Factories Amid Data Centre Surge
AtkinsRéalis Group’s nuclear division propelled a 34% profit surge in Q1, now representing a quarter of the firm’s revenue. The company secured multibillion‑dollar life‑extension contracts for reactors at Ontario’s Pickering plant and Romania’s Cernavoda site. In March it teamed with...
CIM Group Unveils Permanent Power Company with $400m Support
CIM Group has launched Permanent Power Company as a national power platform and secured a $400 million financing commitment from HPS Investment Partners. The firm also signed a long‑term power purchase agreement covering 246 MW of solar PV and 150 MW/600 MWh of battery...
Russia Engages Cuba to Counter U.S. Oil Blockade
MOSCOW, May 18 (Reuters) - Russia is in constant contact with Cuba's leadership to determine what can be done to ease the impact of the U.S. oil blockade on the Caribbean island, the Kremlin said on Monday.
The *Basics* of How Project Energy Connect Will Appear in NEM Data
Project Energy Connect (PEC) will start appearing in the National Electricity Market (NEM) data set as early as 2026, with a go‑live date of 1 October 2026 for the NSW1‑SA1 interconnector. WattClarity is updating its deSide® platform first, followed by ez2view and...
NTPC Group Total Installed Capacity Surpasses 90 GW
NTPC Group announced its total installed power‑generation capacity has crossed the 90 GW threshold after the trial operation of Unit 2, an 800 MW addition at Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam (PVUNL). The joint‑venture, in which NTPC holds a 74% stake, lifts the company’s...
UPDATED: NextEra, Dominion to Form $420bn Power Giant
NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy announced a merger that will create a $420 billion regulated utility, the largest of its kind in the United States. The combined entity will span the East Coast from Virginia to Florida, integrating Dominion’s 12 GW of...
Viridien Kicks Off Multi-Client OBN Survey in North Sea’s Frigg Area
Viridien has launched a dense multi‑client ocean‑bottom‑node (OBN) survey in the Frigg area of the Central North Sea, covering 645 km² across UK and Norwegian waters. The project will use Viridien’s proprietary Time‑Lag Full‑Waveform Inversion processing to deliver ultra‑high‑resolution subsurface images....
Dangote Refinery Sues to Halt Nigeria Petrol Imports Amid Market Battle
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has filed a lawsuit in Lagos seeking to void import licences granted to six downstream marketers that would allow the entry of about 720,000 metric tonnes (roughly 960 million litres) of petrol. The refinery argues the licences breach...
EIA Sees Oil Deficit Widening in 2026
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s May 2026 Short‑Term Energy Outlook raised its global oil deficit forecast for 2026, projecting a peak shortfall of 8.47 million barrels per day in the second quarter. The deficit narrows to 4.42 mb/d in Q3 before turning...
Philanthropy Asia Alliance’s Clean Energy Initiative Pledges $2.6m for Developing Southeast Asian Communities
The Just Energy Transition Community (JETC), a coalition led by the Singapore‑based Philanthropy Asia Alliance, has pledged US $2.6 million to fund clean‑energy projects for farming and fishing villages in the Philippines and Indonesia. The money will finance solar installations, renewable‑energy systems...
Early EPC Project Integration Helps Utility Owners Meet Grid Demands
Utilities facing more frequent outages are turning to early integration of engineering and construction within the engineer‑procure‑construct (EPC) model to boost project efficiency. By assigning a single EPC contractor to manage design, right‑of‑way acquisition, material procurement, and construction, utilities reduce...
Product Brands and the Hormuz Crisis: An Inventory Problem
Since February 28 the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea have both faced severe disruptions, driving up freight rates for oil‑derived inputs. Product brands, even those not sourcing from the region, feel higher shipping costs and longer supplier lead times....
Tata Power, Druk Green Ink Pact to Build Training Framework for Clean Energy in Bhutan
Tata Power has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bhutan’s Druk Green Power Corporation to create a training framework aimed at supporting the development of 5,000 MW of clean‑energy capacity. The program will be delivered through Tata Power’s Skill Development Institute,...
European Energy Starts Sicily Agrivoltaic Project
European Energy has begun building a 225.5 MW agrivoltaic facility near Vizzini, Sicily, marking Italy’s largest project of its kind. The development, backed by a final‑investment decision of over €200 million (about $218 million), will generate roughly 405 GWh of clean electricity each year....
Tallgrass, Mitsubishi Allocate M501JAC Turbines to Cheyenne Power Hub
Tallgrass and Mitsubishi Power Americas have allocated the first two M501JAC gas turbines to the Cheyenne Power Hub in southeast Wyoming, delivering roughly 1.15 GW of capacity. Installation of the first unit is slated to begin as early as July. The...
Uniper Issues Call for Capacity Allocation at German Hydrogen Terminal
Uniper SE has opened an open‑season process for its Wilhelmshaven hydrogen import terminal, which can receive up to 2.6 million metric tons of ammonia annually and crack it into roughly 350,000 metric tons of hydrogen. The project includes a 1‑gigawatt electrolyzer that...
ADNOC Fast-Tracks Fujairah Pipeline Expansion
ADNOC is fast‑tracking a expansion of its 48‑inch Habshan‑Fujairah pipeline, aiming to double capacity from 1.5 million to 3 million barrels per day. The move responds to Middle‑East tensions and the Strait of Hormuz blockage, positioning Fujairah as a primary export hub....
Solar Eclipses Coal as Pakistan's Top Power Source
Pakistan: solar just overtook coal as the largest single source of electricity. 21% of power from solar in 2025. Up from 2% in 2019. Coal peaked at 20% in 2020. Want to read more about one of the fastest solar transitions? Sign up to...
Ohio Utilities Report Subpar Grid Reliability as They Seek a Lower Bar
In 2025, four of Ohio’s six regulated electric utilities failed to meet state‑mandated reliability targets, marking the tenth consecutive year at least one utility fell short. FirstEnergy’s three Ohio utilities and Duke Energy Ohio, serving roughly 2.9 million customers, have filed...
China's Coal Use Rises as LNG Cuts Spur Fossil Reliance
China’s power plants burned more fossil fuels for a fourth straight month 🇨🇳🏭 The closure of Hormuz has choked a fifth of global LNG supply, putting more pressure on China to use coal for thermal generation Meanwhile, clean energy output has lagged https://t.co/9XGRqJ6tPV
Record Deal to Merge NextEra and Dominion Would Create New Wind Giant
U.S. utility NextEra Energy is nearing a deal to acquire Dominion Energy, a transaction that would set a record for the size of a power‑sector merger and create the nation’s largest wind‑power operator. The combined company would control roughly 40 GW...
Kyodo News Digest: May 18, 2026
Japan’s government is weighing a supplemental FY2026 budget to offset soaring crude oil costs, extending subsidies that began in March and may soon cover household gas and utility bills. In Beijing, President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping reaffirmed a...