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:
UK Firms Pull Fixed Energy Deals as Iran War Pushes up Prices
UK energy suppliers are rapidly withdrawing fixed‑price tariffs as wholesale gas and oil prices surge amid the US‑Israel conflict with Iran. Uswitch data shows the number of fixed deals fell from 38 on Saturday to 15 by Thursday, while annual price ranges climbed from £1,509‑£1,898 to £1,640‑£2,194. Over 65 tariffs were pulled this week, far exceeding the typical weekly removals, leaving only Octopus, EDF and E.On still offering fixed contracts. The tightening market threatens the effectiveness of the energy price cap if high gas prices persist.
Enforce Sanctions to Prevent Russia From Benefitting in a Prolonged Iran Crisis
The United States and its allies are warning that the Iran‑Israel conflict could lift oil prices to $80‑plus per barrel, creating a lucrative window for Russia’s sanctioned oil stockpiles. Russia, facing dwindling revenues after years of sanctions, now eyes the...
Wolfspeed Launches First Commercially Available 10kV SiC Power MOSFET
Wolfspeed announced the industry’s first commercially available 10 kV silicon‑carbide (SiC) power MOSFET, the CPM3‑10000‑0300A die. The device promises a 158,000‑year dielectric lifetime, sub‑10 ns rise time and up to 99% conversion efficiency. Wolfspeed says the technology can cut system cost by...
Oil Curve Downplays Iran War, Raises Market Tension
Who knows whether its valid or not, but the oil curve is fading the Iran war so far and seems to think this wraps up pretty quickly. No idea whether that's valid pricing or not but does increase the tension...
New $250M W.Va. Gas Pipeline Set to Begin Construction
West Virginia officials announced a privately funded $250 million Hope Gas natural‑gas pipeline in Mason County. The 30‑mile, 24‑inch line will break ground in April 2026 and finish by year‑end, delivering fuel to the Monarch Compute Campus. The campus aims to...
Mideast War Casts Cloud on Gulf Petchems, Other Industries
Iran's retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure in the Gulf have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for a fifth of global oil shipments. The shutdown immediately disrupted energy‑intensive sectors in the region, notably petrochemicals, fertilizers and aluminum, curtailing...
Iran War Exposes Fossil Fuel’s Hidden Global Costs
On The Climate Brink, my latest post is on what the war in Iran tells us about the hidden costs of fossil fuels https://www.theclimatebrink.com/p/the-war-in-iran-shows-us-another
Cuba Suffers Widespread Power Outage After Guiteras Plant Failure: Timeline of the National Grid Restoration
A boiler explosion at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant on March 4 caused a sudden partial blackout across Cuba’s national grid from Camagüey to Pinar del Río. The government activated emergency protocols, deploying micro‑islands, diesel generators and bringing additional thermal units online to...
MLP Valuations: Where Are Midstream Pipelines Trading and Why Investors Are Paying Attention
Midstream master limited partnerships (MLPs) are trading at modest high‑single‑digit EV/EBITDA multiples, well below historic averages despite stronger balance sheets and disciplined capital allocation. Over recent years, operators have cut leverage, simplified structures, and shifted focus to free‑cash‑flow generation. Private‑equity...
NexGen Receives Final Federal Approval for the Rook I Uranium Project
NexGen Energy announced that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has granted final federal approval and a licence to prepare the site and construct the 100%-owned Rook I uranium project. The approval follows provincial clearances and a two‑part commission hearing, allowing...
Nickel Nationalism Holds Back Indonesia’s Clean Tech Ambitions – by Riandy Laksono (East Asia Forum – March 5, 2026)
Indonesia’s 2020 ban on raw‑nickel exports sparked a surge in domestic smelting and processing, positioning the country as a textbook case of resource‑based industrialisation. Yet its clean‑technology ambitions remain modest: EV exports totaled only US$12 million in 2024, dwarfed by Thailand’s...
Demand for AI Data Centers Sends Prospectors Hunting for Land and Power
AI data center construction is accelerating, with tech firms targeting 85 GW of power by 2030—about 20% more than the current grid can supply. Start‑ups like Cloverleaf Infrastructure are emerging as “powered land” brokers, securing utility contracts and rural acreage for...
Independent Energy Research: Affordable, High‑Quality, Unbiased Insights
Twelve months ago, I re-launched my newsletter as a subscription service to provide high-quality, affordable and objective research focused on energy issues. I have always been convinced high-quality research and analysis are essential for effective decision-making. The past year has confirmed...
Oklahoma Lawmakers Move to Protect Ratepayers From Effects of Data Centers
Oklahoma House Bill 2992 aims to shield residential electricity bills by requiring new large‑load customers—such as data centers, cryptocurrency miners and AI computing facilities—to negotiate their own power contracts and provide collateral for infrastructure costs. The measure, which passed the...
China Eases Climate Target but Clean Energy Could Still Cut Emissions, Experts Say
China’s new five‑year plan lowers its carbon‑intensity goal to a 17% cut between 2026 and 2030, a step back from the 18% target for 2021‑2025 that it already missed. Analysts warn the weaker pledge could let national emissions rise 3‑6%...
“If You Wanted to Have Civil Disobedience and Start the Process of Unraveling a Society, We're a Pretty Big Target”:...
National Gas, the operator of the UK’s critical gas transmission network, has partnered with Palo Alto Networks to secure its cloud‑first transformation. The collaboration delivers a full‑stack security stack covering network firewalls, Prisma Cloud, and emerging XDR capabilities while preserving...
Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary Plots Massive Data Centers Across US, Canada
Kevin O’Leary’s O’Leary Digital announced a joint venture with West GenCo to build the Wonder Valley data‑center campus in Utah, targeting up to 7.5 gigawatts of power. A sister campus in Grande Prairie, Alberta, will mirror the capacity, creating an initial 15‑gigawatt...
More Tankers Hit in Gulf as Iran Conflict Spreads
More tankers were hit in the Gulf as the US‑Iran conflict intensified, with a Bahamas‑flagged vessel attacked by an explosive‑laden boat and another tanker suffering a port‑side explosion and oil spill. Since the war began Saturday, nine civilian ships have...
Inside the Radical Plan to Power London’s Tube Network with Solar Energy
Transport for London (TfL) announced a partnership with SSE Energy Solutions to build solar farms that will feed up to 65,000 MWh of renewable electricity directly into the London Underground network, bypassing the National Grid. The tube currently consumes about 1.6 TWh...
PD Ports Delivers Support for Northern England Solar Energy Projects
PD Ports completed a large‑scale logistics operation for northern England’s renewable energy rollout, moving more than 220 containers of solar panels and over 300 containers of lithium storage cubes through its Teesport terminal. The company handled import, warehousing and inland...
Brent, WTI Crude Prices, Mar. 5, 2026
On March 5, 2026 Brent and WTI crude futures were trading near eight‑month highs as geopolitical risk and trade policy uncertainty intensified. Prices were buoyed by lingering US‑Iran tensions, which have kept supply‑disruption fears alive, while a recent U.S. Supreme Court...
UK’s Carbon Storage Drive Advances with Go-Ahead for North Sea Appraisal Well
The UK’s North Sea Transition Authority has granted a two‑year consent to drill a carbon‑storage appraisal well as part of the Endurance project off Teesside. The well, scheduled to spud on 1 March and complete drilling in about 90 days, is...
Africa Has a Nuclear Bros Problem
African nations are rapidly pursuing nuclear power, with Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and others signing agreements and joining the IAEA pledge to triple capacity by 2050. Analysts warn that many of these ambitions are unrealistic, citing projects that would dwarf current...
Bloom Energy Secures $500M IDF Contract, Expands U.S. Fuel‑
Bloom Energy $BE gets an additional $500M contract from IDF (Infrastructure Development Fund. Industrial Development Funding (IDF) is expanding its collaboration with Bloom and is now funding over $650 million of Bloom fuel-cell Energy Servers across three portfolios in...
BW LNG’s Second Vessel Kicks Off Its Gig with Norwegian Energy Giant
BW LNG has placed its second new LNG carrier, BW Borealis, into long‑term charter with Norway’s state‑owned Equinor, completing a two‑vessel program that began with BW Nivalis in February. The 174,000 cubic‑meter vessel, built at Hanwha Ocean’s Okpo shipyard, features ME‑GI...
Avantus Secures US$300 Million for 400MWh Arizona Solar-Plus-Storage Project
Avantus closed a financing package exceeding $300 million for its 100 MW (130 MWdc) Kitt Solar and Energy Storage Project in Pinal County, Arizona. The development pairs a 100 MWac solar farm with a 400 MWh battery energy storage system supplied by Fluence’s Gridstack Pro technology....
3 Solar Stocks to Watch Amid Policy and Tariff Headwinds
U.S. solar demand stays robust as utilities, businesses and households adopt solar‑plus‑storage solutions, but the sector now faces near‑term policy and tariff headwinds. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act curtails Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and adds Foreign Entity of Concern rules, creating procurement...
Iran Conflict May Accelerate Solar and Battery Adoption
Past fossil-fuel price spikes left import-dependent countries with two options: pay up or cut fuel use. Now there is an alternative in solar and batteries. I looked at recent examples in Europe, Pakistan and Cuba to glean what might happen...
Bp and Iberdrola Near Completion of Hydrogen Plant
bp and Iberdrola’s joint venture is finalising a 25 MW green hydrogen plant in Castellón, Spain, now 90% assembled with all equipment on site. The €70 million project, powered by a renewable power‑purchase agreement, will use Plug Power electrolyser technology. Once operational, it...
Midterm Elections Will Test Q1 Energy Price Surge
Peak Energy Price Inklings in 1Q? Midterms in 4Q a Top Test - The leader of the world's largest energy producer -- and net crude oil and natural gas exporter -- wants lower prices, and elections are in November. The...
Iranian Drone Boat Hits Bahamas‑Flagged Oil Tanker in Iraq Waters
BASRA, Iraq, March 5 (Reuters) - An Iranian remote controlled boat laden with explosives was used on Thursday to target and damage the Bahamas flagged crude oil tanker Sonangol Namibe anchored in Iraqi waters, according to initial assessments from two...
50 Million a Year Need Electricity Access to Reach Mission 300 Goal
Mission 300, a partnership led by the World Bank and African Development Bank, targets 300 million electricity connections in Africa by 2030. Since July 2023 the initiative has added about 44 million new connections, leaving a shortfall that requires roughly 50 million people to...
Natural Gas Slides Toward $2 Trough After $5 Resistance
$2 Natural Gas Support vs. $5 Resistance - The inability of the front US natural gas future to stay above $5 per million British thermal units may be emphasized by the price just below $3 on March 4 despite a...
Oil Signals Calm Iran Conflict, Stocks Set to Rise
Jim Cramer says the oil market is signaling the Iran war won't spiral, and that's bullish for stocks, per CNBC 🤦🏻♂️
Middle East Oil Supply Disruption Spurs Thailand to Zero in on Domestic Production
Amid heightened Middle East oil supply disruptions, Thailand’s Ministry of Energy has asked oil producers to postpone planned downtime and temporarily suspend crude exports, emphasizing domestic production for energy security. Canadian‑based Valeura Energy is seeking clarification from the ministry to...
UK Coal Use Hits 400‑year Low, Emissions Drop 2.4%
NEW ANALYSIS: UK emissions fell 2.4% in 2025 as coal fell to a 400-year low. Incredibly, we used less coal last year than than in 1600, when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne and Shakespeare was writing Hamlet. All the...
Trump Pushes Taxpayer Subsidies for Global Oil Industry
"OUR newfound oil in Venezuela" Also, President Trump very clearly calling for taxpayers to subsidize the global oil and gas industry by providing insurance, financial support, security escorts, etc. Fascinating.
Thursday Radio Prep
The Trump administration announced a plan to provide U.S. insurance and military escorts for energy tankers navigating the volatile Middle East, especially the Strait of Hormuz. Simultaneously, reports suggest Trump is weighing support for anti‑regime militias in Iran, while CIA‑backed...
Russia Shifts Gas to China, Threatens Europe Supply
September 2, 2025: Russia and China sign major new gas pipeline deal March 4, 2026: Putin says Russia may halt gas supplies to Europe https://t.co/kEjAnIqyrP
China's Lithium Lead Persists, but Supply Share Shrinks
China’s lithium supply dominance is hardly being “locked in.” Over the next decade their #1 position over demand will remain but their control over supply will diminish as assets in North America and non Chinese owned assets in South America...
PPC and METLEN Plan 1.5GW Storage Portfolio
PPC Group and METLEN Energy & Metals have formed a 50/50 joint venture to develop up to 1.5 GW (3 000 MWh) of battery energy‑storage across Romania, Bulgaria and Italy. About 1 000 MW of the capacity is slated for construction within the next twelve...
Diesel Costs Rise $0.40/gal, Adding $0.06 per Mile
Diesel prices keep surging +$.40/gallon since start of the conflict That is roughly $.06/mile https://t.co/U2lHk2MBhe
Ethanol Profit Forecasts 2025 Disrupted by CKF Technology
1. My latest FDD is out today and it looks at ethanol production profits for 2025. This is usually a pretty straightforward exercise using a model I have long used. Not so in 2025 due to something...
Four-Party Consortium Sets up Japan-New Zealand Hydrogen Corridor
Japanese firms Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Obayashi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Chiyoda have formed a four‑party consortium to create a Japan‑New Zealand hydrogen corridor. The partnership will launch feasibility studies this year to build a green‑hydrogen supply chain that transports production from...
South Korea's LNG Reserves Hover at Critical Nine‑day Minimum
South Korea. Supply of LNG at critical. Impact on people and manufacturing. The regional Middle East war is becoming a global supply chain risk.
Battery Tech Slashes Data Center Power Costs by 90%
Glad to see a recognition that batteries and grid enhancing technologies can integrate 100GW of new data centers at 90% less cost than business-as-usual. https://t.co/H1IIqfo7u3
India Mulls Mandate to Raise Imported Coal Generation
India is weighing an emergency directive under Section 11 of its Electricity Act to compel imported‑coal‑fired power plants to increase output ahead of the summer peak. The move comes as seaborne coal prices surge due to the US‑Iran conflict and LNG...
MOPU and FSO Units Linked, Marking New Milestone for African Oil Field Revival
Akrake Petroleum, a subsidiary of Lime Petroleum and ultimately Rex International, has successfully linked its mobile offshore production unit (MOPU Stella Energy 1) to the floating storage and offloading vessel (FSO Kristina) at Benin's Sèmè field. The connection enables oil to...
UK Must Double Down on Renewables as Wars Drive up Energy Costs, Experts Say
The UK faces renewed fossil‑fuel price volatility after the US‑Israel attacks on Iran, echoing the 2022‑2025 energy shock that cost the EU and Britain $1.8 trillion. Experts and climate groups argue the government must accelerate its clean‑energy transition, focusing on renewables...
Russia’s Limited Gains From the Middle East War
The war in the Middle East has tightened oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz, creating a temporary vacuum that Russia hopes to exploit. While the conflict restricts exports from Saudi Arabia, Iran and other regional producers, Russia’s...