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:
Hydrogen vs Batteries on Norway’s Lofoten Route: An Engineering Reality Check
Investigative reports suggest PowerCell’s marine fuel cells may only last about 3,000 operating hours, far short of the 33,000‑hour durability claimed in tender documents. The Vestfjord Lofoten hydrogen ferry project therefore faces not only uncertain propulsion reliability but also massive cost, schedule, and emissions challenges across its entire hydrogen value chain. Norway’s proven battery‑electric ferry fleet demonstrates lower capital and energy costs, with electricity‑only operating expenses roughly €11 per kilometre versus €99‑€182 for hydrogen. The combined technical and economic risks cast doubt on the project’s viability and its role in Norway’s broader hydrogen strategy.

1-GW Solar Project Planned for Utah Hyperscale Data Center
Creekstone Energy received zoning approval from Millard County to develop a more than 1 GW solar farm on 13,000 acres of state trust land in Utah. The project, tied to a long‑term lease with the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration,...

☕ Morning Briefing — Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Oil markets saw a dramatic intraday swing, spiking to nearly $120 per barrel before plunging over 30% to the low $80s as fears of an Iran‑related supply shock receded. The Department of Justice charged two Pennsylvania men with an ISIS‑inspired...

Can Sweden’s Green Industry Dream Rise From the Ashes?
Swedish town Skellefteå, once booming thanks to Northvolt’s gigafactory, saw a sharp decline after the battery maker filed for bankruptcy in March 2025, shrinking the population by 3,000. The collapse follows other stalled green projects, including Fertiberia’s ammonia plant and...

Constrained Egress, Enduring Demand: Why Canadian Oil Markets Will Rely on Brownfield Expansion Through 2030
Canadian crude producers face a looming egress bottleneck as pipeline capacity is projected to be fully utilized by the end of 2026. To keep the WTI‑WCS price differential from widening, the industry is counting on brownfield expansions, chiefly from Trans...

Malaysia: Tesla Begins Opening Its Charging Network to Other EVs
Tesla has begun allowing non‑Tesla electric vehicles to use its Supercharger network at four sites in the Kuala Lumpur region. The stations—Pavilion KL, i‑City Finance Avenue, IOI City Mall, and Gamuda Cove—offer up to 250 kW charging and charge other EVs...

VDE Hail Risk Model Updated to Reflect Increasing Wind Speeds During Hailstorms
VDE Americas has upgraded its proprietary Hail Risk Model by integrating newly analyzed wind‑speed data from hailstorms across the contiguous United States. The research shows wind speeds can more than double previous estimates, increasing hail impact force on solar panels....

One New and One Converted Trenching Support Vessel to Enrich Jan De Nul’s Fleet
Jan De Nul is adding two trenching support vessels to its fleet: a brand‑new Ulstein‑design ship built at China Merchants Heavy Industry, and a converted water‑injection dredger, Henry Darcy. The newbuild will operate on biofuel and green methanol, feature ultra‑low‑emission technology, and carry...
Oil Surged Past $100 Before Coming Back to Earth. Wall Street Is Bracing for What Comes Next.
Oil prices surged past the $100‑a‑barrel benchmark over the weekend as tensions escalated in Iran, prompting panic across markets. G7 nations quickly pledged to tap strategic reserves and President Trump’s reassurance helped pull prices back, allowing major indexes to close...

TU Braunschweig Strengthens Battery Research Centre
TU Braunschweig’s Battery Labfactory (BLB) has opened three new pilot systems—a 3D‑printing line for solid‑state electrodes, a dry‑coating pilot, and a tandem wet‑coating line for circular battery production. The €10 million investment, funded by the Federal Ministry’s ForBatt programme, completes a...

South Africa’s Energy Future Hinges on Getting Wheeling Right
South Africa’s renewable sector is poised for rapid expansion as regulators prepare a competitive wholesale market, potentially launching in 2026. Central to this growth is energy wheeling, which uses existing transmission lines to move power from private generators to end‑users,...

Tunisia Issues Call for 300MW/150MW Solar-Plus-Storage Project
Tunisia’s Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy has opened a tender for a 300 MW solar plant paired with a 150 MW/540 MWh battery storage system near Bazma, covering 440 ha in the south. The bid deadline is 14 October 2026. This follows earlier initiatives, including...
Berkshire Vows Massive Energy Investment, Confident Future Record
2019 Berkshire Hathaway meeting Warren: "We will put a lot of money into energy... In 10 or 20 years, our record [at BHE] will be looked at and there will be nothing like it." Charlie: "We're in marvelous shape in this department......

Market Spinning After 'Most Epic Price Reversal in Oil History'
Oil prices surged past $100 per barrel before reversing sharply, marking what analysts call the most epic price reversal in oil history. The swing was driven by mixed signals about the U.S.–Iran conflict, including President Trump's comments and hopes of...

Consus Ag Consulting AM Market Brief
Futures across several markets, including agriculture, opened weaker as energy prices corrected following President Trump’s remarks that the Iran conflict may be winding down. Crude fell nearly $8 per barrel amid expectations of strategic reserve releases and possible easing of...

Value in Oil Shocks
Energy stocks typically fall in absolute terms during an oil‑driven recession but still outperform the broader S&P 500. Historical data shows a three‑month rally after a shock, a four‑month decline, and a relative bottom about seven months later. The 1973‑74 OPEC...

Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Cost over Twice Jet Fuel
The UK Ministry of Defence forecasts that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will cost roughly $1.62 per litre in 2025, rising to $1.81 by 2040, more than double the price of conventional Jet A‑1 fuel, which is projected at $0.56 per...

Solar on New Builds More Attractive to House Buyers
A new E.ON UK survey of 2,500 adults reveals that 75% of potential homebuyers are more likely to choose a newly built house equipped with solar panels, making solar the most desired low‑carbon feature at 72% preference. Support for mandatory...

December Crude and Corn Futures Poised Below $55, $4.60
Massive Short Cleansing or New Bull Market? Crude May Follow Gas - The invisible hand can be quite efficient in autocorrelated commodities, and crude oil and corn producers may have just received a chance to hedge and bring on more...

Chinese Launch Next-Gen Deepwater Multi-Purpose Offshore Engineering Vessel
Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) has launched a 126‑metre deepwater multi‑purpose offshore engineering vessel for China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s Shenzhen Offshore Engineering Technology Service. The ship features a 400‑ton crane, a 3,000‑ton cable reel, a 1,600‑HP trencher, a 12‑person...

X1 Wind Gets DNV Certification for Floating Wind Platform Design
X1 Wind has secured a DNV Statement of Compliance for the basic design of its X100 floating offshore wind platform. The certification confirms the platform meets international standards for structural integrity, stability and hydrodynamic performance over a 25‑year service life....

The Oil Price
Oil is trading at just 26% of its 1950 post‑war real value, making it exceptionally cheap despite a nominal price that has multiplied 38 times since then. The only period it was cheaper in real terms was during the Covid‑19...

Southeast Asian Gas Drilling Ops Edging Closer with ‘Major Milestone’ Reached
UK‑based, AIM‑listed Sunda Energy has secured a Category A environmental licence for its Chuditch‑2 appraisal well in Timor‑Leste’s offshore Chuditch field. The licence, issued on 9 March 2026 and valid until March 2028, follows the submission and endorsement of a detailed environmental impact statement...

Hedge Funds Keep US Gas Bets Low After Iran Attack
HEDGE FUNDS and other money managers had cut bullish positions in U.S. natural gas to the lowest for more than 18 months before the United States and Israel attacked Iran. Even after the attack and the closure of the Strait...
“Ironic Twist of History:” Offshore Wind Developer Solves 150-Year Old Mystery of Sunken Coal Ship
Offshore wind developer Iberdrola’s Aurora Green survey off southern Victoria uncovered two shipwrecks, confirming the long‑lost 1853 iron steamer City of Hobart alongside the known SS Vicky. The 3 GW wind farm, slated to power about 2.25 million homes, is part of...

Eskom Tariffs to Surge on 1 April as Nersa Blunder Hits Home
Nersa has approved an 8.76% electricity tariff increase for Eskom direct customers and a 9.01% rise for municipalities for the 2026/27 financial year, after correcting a major calculation error that originally set rates at 5.36% and 6.19%. The regulator admitted...
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GROUNDUP: Joburg Residents Dispute Massive Electricity Bills as City Power Tackles Broken Billing System
Johannesburg’s City Power assumed municipal electricity billing in July 2025 to address a decade‑long broken system and a R20‑billion deficit. The handover uncovered widespread meter errors, tariff misclassifications and unbilled accounts, prompting a city‑wide audit that recovered about R1.1 billion and...
Export Routes Matter More than Production Amid US‑Iran War
As the US-Iran war goes on, focus on oil flow and not on oil production: What matters now is exports ex Strait of Hormuz, not well head output in KSA, UAE, Iraq, Qatar and Iraq. Yes, later is deteriorating, but former...

EU’s Dream of Energy for the People Is Far Away
The European Court of Auditors reports that the EU’s citizen‑led energy community programme is lagging dramatically behind its original timetable. While Brussels envisioned these schemes supplying 17‑21% of the bloc’s wind and solar capacity by 2030, the number of active...

'Quality' Coal Rallies as LNG Spikes
LNG spot prices in Asia surged to a two‑year high of $22.50 per mmBtu after strikes closed the Strait of Hormuz, cutting Qatar’s supply. The spike lifted high‑quality 6,000 kcal/kg thermal coal to $129.62 a ton, a 14‑month peak, while European...

Italy Opens New LNG Chapter with FSRU Ticking Off First Small Scale Cargo
Italy’s OLT Offshore LNG Toscana, a Snam subsidiary, has begun commercial small‑scale LNG operations at its FSRU Toscana off Livorno. The inaugural cargo of 4,000 cubic metres arrived on the Green Zeebrugge carrier, marking the first SSLNG service in the country....

Scrapping North Sea Windfall Tax Would Not Reduce UK Energy Bills, Say Experts
The UK government is weighing a reduction or removal of the North Sea windfall tax, a levy introduced in 2022 after the Ukraine war drove oil prices higher. Economists argue that scrapping the tax would not translate into lower household...

Iran Conflict Sparks Volatile WTI Oil Prices
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝗶𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀? West Texas Intermediate crude oil (WTI) has recently shown erratic price movements following the military conflict involving Iran. Oil has long been a critical commodity supplied by the Middle East. Because of the geopolitical tensions that...
EU Regrets Abandoning Nuclear, Says Von Der Leyen
The EU made a “mistake” in turning its back on nuclear energy, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said https://t.co/T1wZ3ehaSG

Buckle Up
In this episode of Reuters Morning Bid, Amanda Cooper and Mike Dolan dissect the wild swings in oil prices after former President Trump hinted the Iran conflict could end soon, noting crude jumped $30‑$25 per barrel in a day before...

Oil's Real Upside Remains Unpriced Amid Ongoing Tensions
$WTI hit $111 intraday. Pulled back to $97. Still up 70%+ YTD. Markets priced in a ceasefire that hasn't happened. The Strait of Hormuz is still closed. Unpopular opinion: the high for oil is not in yet. https://t.co/Ag4wJnGVhR
WWII U.S. Spare Capacity Went Negative, Oil Overproduced
For the history enthusiasts like my friend @Andrewtabler: During WWII US spare capacity actually went negative. In 1944, the oil industry pushed the fields beyond MSC to produce fuel for the final major offensives in the Pacific and Atlantic.

Mantle8 Awarded €2.06M EU Grant for Natural Hydrogen Platform
Mantle8, a European natural‑hydrogen exploration startup founded in 2024, has secured a €2.06 million grant from the EU’s Just Transition Fund. The funding will be used to expand its technology platform in Grenoble, including the HOREX pilot, a new geochemistry lab,...
Bypasses and SPR only Buy Time; only Hormuz Reopening Solves
Oil bypass pipelines buy time, but don't solve the problem. SPR/IEA release would buy more time, but doesn't solve either. Ultimately, only one thing solves the problem: re-open the Strait of Hormuz. But rather than hitting the wall this...
Middle East Strikes and Oil Surge Amplify Global Risks
As strikes shake the Middle East and oil prices soar, what are the global ramifications of the US and Israel’s conflict with Iran? 🎥 Tune in LIVE as @TimOBrien discusses with @JavierBlas and @MarcChampion1 Tuesday, March 10 @ 8:30 am EDT...
Data Centres Should Provide Flexibility Services to the Grid
Data centres are poised to become active flexibility assets for the UK grid as AI-driven demand grows. Research shows that if new data centres operate flexibly just 1 % of the time, they can be integrated without additional power plants, reducing...
Eight Experts Analyze Today’s Oil Market Landscape
8 experts express their views about current oil market conditions. 👇👇👇👇 click on the link, then change the language in your browser.

European Gas Prices Plunge 17% After Trump’s Market Reassurance
European gas prices drop after Trump’s effort to calm the market 📉📉 Dutch TTF futures fell as much as 17%, the biggest intraday decline since 2023 Prices had been steadily rising over the last week following the closure of the world’s largest...

Asia’s Fuel Crunch Forces Four-Day Weeks and School Closures
Asian nations are tightening fuel policies as the Middle East war curtails global oil supplies. Vietnam responded by lowering import tariffs on select petroleum products and mandating that uncommitted oil be sold to domestic refineries. The civil aviation authority warned...

Diesel Prices Jump yet Remain Below COVID Highs
Diesel prices have surged, but still far lower than the peaks set during COVID https://t.co/WJoutp3QcO

East-West Pipeline: Aramco's Final Buffer Against Hormuz
The comments from Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser on the East-West pipeline, the last (and only partial) line of defence of the oil market against the Strait of Hormuz disruption (other than a SPR release) For background, my @Opinion column from...
Mega Heat Pumps for Industry and District Heating: New Projects Across Europe Show Potential
Large‑scale heat pumps are moving from pilot to commercial scale across Europe, with projects in Austria, Finland and Germany showcasing industrial and district‑heating applications. Turboden’s 12 MW pump for Delfort paper mill cuts 19,000 t CO₂ per year, while Everllence’s 20‑33 MW air‑to‑water...
Energy ETFs Edge Out Tech Over Five Years
fun fact: energy stocks $XLE beat technology $XLK stocks in % returns in the past five years... $XLE +116.1% $XLK +114.8%
Hormuz Closure Could Push Oil Past $200
HOW OIL COULD SURGE TO $200 AND BEYOND @tracyalloway and I talk with @Rory_Johnston -- typically one of the least-alarmist people in oil -- about how the longer the Straight of Hormuz is shut, the greater the likelihood of an...
GridStor Secures $120m for Gunnar Reliability Project in Texas
GridStor has secured a $120 million financing package from NORD/LB and Siemens Financial Services for its 150 MW/300 MWh Gunnar Reliability Project in Hidalgo County, Texas. The funding includes construction and tax‑equity bridge loans as well as letters of credit, marking Siemens’ first...