Today's Energy Pulse
Scania pilots megawatt‑scale V2G for heavy‑duty electric trucks
Scania demonstrated one of the first vehicle‑to‑grid systems for heavy‑duty electric trucks using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS). The pilot showed bi‑directional power flow, allowing trucks parked at depots to feed electricity back to the grid, with real‑time communication between the truck, charger and energy‑management platform enabling dynamic charging and discharging. The test marks a step toward integrating large‑capacity EVs into grid balancing.
Also developing:
Hard Landing
The episode examines President Trump’s EPA rule revoking the Obama-era "endangerment finding," which could dismantle federal climate regulation and spark years of litigation. It then shifts focus to California, where Governor Gavin Newsom is scrambling to mitigate the fallout from the impending shutdown of the Benicia refinery, a key supply node for Northern California’s fuel market. The discussion highlights how the loss of this refinery threatens regional fuel shortages, price spikes, and broader economic disruption, illustrating the tangible consequences of aggressive climate policy. Experts warn that without coordinated intervention, the state faces a chaotic transition and double‑digit gasoline price hikes.
Why Does India Need More Energy Suppliers? Union Minister Piyush Goyal Explains
Union Minister Piyush Goyal warned that India’s rapidly expanding energy demand requires a broader base of crude oil suppliers. He argued that additional sources are essential to keep import prices competitive and to shield the economy from supply shocks. The...
The FREEDOM Act and Permit Certainty
The House has introduced the FREEDOM Act to tackle "permit certainty" by streamlining judicial review of unreasonable permitting delays or revocations and offering compensation to affected developers. The bill emerges amid Democratic resistance to any reform that doesn’t materially boost...
Final Investment Decision Approved for Six NuScale SMRs in Romania
Romanian nuclear operator Nuclearelectrica’s shareholders have approved a Final Investment Decision for a 462 MWe NuScale small‑modular‑reactor plant at Doicesti, comprising six 77 MW modules. The project, estimated at up to $7 billion, targets commercial operation of the first unit by 2033, contingent...
China and US Slowdown Drag Global EV Sales
Global EV sales hampered by China, US slowdown in January "Global EV registrations, a proxy for sales, fell by 3% year-on-year to almost 1.2 million units in January, according to the data, which includes battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars. They were down...
Solar Power Needs Fossil‑fuel Tech, Remains Uneconomic
The sun’s radiation that reaches earth is useless as an energy source without technology to convert it to work @Tinyweenybear The technology requires materials to work that all need fossil fuels. Grid scale solar is uneconomic & not fit for 24/7...
Taiwan Commits to $69 Billion US Energy Trade Pact
Taiwan's state-owned enterprises have signed a trade agreement with the United States committing to purchase $44 billion in liquefied natural gas and crude oil and $25.2 billion in power‑generation equipment by 2029. The deal, announced on Feb. 12, creates a $69 billion energy trade...
Strengthening Critical Mineral Supply Chains Amid Geopolitical Fragmentation
Thanks @bmwfoundation for partnering w @ColumbiaUEnergy on such a substantive & productive session @MunSecConf on how to enhance critical mineral & energy supply chain security amid fragmenting geopolitics. Great insights from DOE’s @AlexFitzDC, @dan_brouillette & so many others. https://t.co/D1xRKHu7gO
Electricity to Dominate Energy, Shell Downplays Obstacles
Electricity Exceeds 50% of Final Energy Use by Mid-Century Shell is good about listing the obstacles to its preposterous assumptions And then finding reasons to ignore them @zeroinputag #Electricity #EnergyTransition #EnergySystems #GridConstraints #EnergyReality #MidCentury #Decarbonization
Oil Prices Level Out Despite Possible Opec-Plus Supply Growth
Oil prices closed Friday largely unchanged after a session marked by sharp swings between macro‑economic headwinds and geopolitical support. Traders weighed the prospect of OPEC‑plus expanding output against lingering demand concerns. The market’s equilibrium suggests that supply‑side expectations have not...
Canada’s $16.5B Carbon Capture Bet Faces Market Skepticism
Canada calls it “future-proofing.” Markets may call it wishful thinking. $16.5B on carbon capture with long timelines, big execution risk, and shifting global politics Take that bet to a Las Vegas oddsmaker. https://t.co/hU4uGD0r4d #CarbonCapture #EnergyPolicy #Canada #OilSands #EnergySecurity #StrandedAssets #CapitalRisk
Enbridge Skips New Pipeline, Heeds Past Capital Losses
Enbridge won’t risk billions on a new Canadian oil pipeline Politics can change faster than steel gets laid. Capital remembers Northern Gateway The project was killed after hundreds of millions were sunk. https://t.co/Fd4PKMdjB5 #EnergyInfrastructure #Canada #Pipelines #RegulatoryRisk #EnergySecurity #CapitalDiscipline
Are AI Data Centers a Scapegoat for Rising US Energy Costs?
US retail electricity prices have spiked, prompting criticism of new AI data center projects. While AI‑driven facilities consume large amounts of power, they represent a modest slice of total grid demand. The backlash threatens a key source of future natural‑gas...
Saudi Arabia’s Oil Demand Plummets as Gas Powers Electricity
CHART OF THE DAY: Among the world's top oil consumers, a curious trend. The 2nd largest consumption drop last year ocurred in Saudi Arabia, where demand fell ~60,000 b/d (only South Korea saw a larger drop). The reason? Gas is...
Pemex's Bond Return Shows State Risk, Not Confidence
Pemex is back in the bond market after six years — and demand was strong. This doesn't signal confidence in Pemex. Buyers are really underwriting the Mexican state. https://t.co/YRGXmzi4aW #Pemex #Mexico #OilMarkets #EnergySecurity #SovereignRisk #DebtMarkets #EmergingMarkets
Largest US Gas Producer Expand Ousts CEO, Heads to Houston
Expand Energy, the United States' largest gas producer, announced the removal of CEO Nick Dell'Osso. The leadership change coincided with a plan to relocate the corporate headquarters from Oklahoma City to the Houston metropolitan area. Analysts say the ouster is...
China's Cheap Middle East Oil Squeezes West African Sellers
China is pulling more cheap oil from the Middle East. That leaves W. African oil struggling to find buyers until it gets cheap enough to move again, writes @JuneGoh_Sparta In this tight market, the Middle East has the upper hand. Sorry oil...
Shell’s Electric Utopia Meets Skeptical Reality
Shell imagines a future in which electricity is the dominant component of global energy. I assume that it is training elephants to fly. https://t.co/rAoZ1exs8H #EnergySecurity #Electrification #SystemicRisk #Geopolitics #EnergyReality #Infrastructure #CapitalConstraints #EnergyTransition #CriticalMaterials #GridLimits
Delfin LNG Explosion Prompts Lawsuit, Broader Safety Concerns
On February 3, a pipeline explosion at the Delfin LNG export project in the Gulf of Mexico halted construction and triggered a lawsuit alleging negligence by the developers and contractors. The incident adds to a history of delays that have already...
OPEC+ Plans April Production Hikes Amid Sanctions
OPEC+ may restart April hikes to catch peak summer and regain share as sanctions bite Russia/Iran. https://t.co/cILwlUi7h2 #OPECplus #Oil #IEA #SaudiArabia #UAE #Iran #Russia
Enbridge Rejects West Coast Bitumen Pipeline Over Jurisdiction Risks
Enbridge a no on appetite to build proposed bitumen pipeline to Canada’s west coast “I don’t think investors or the infrastructure companies should be taking on the risk of development in jurisdictions that have historically created a challenge” Still some N Gateway...
Market View: For Gas Prices, a Tale of Two North Americas
The Northeastern United States is enduring its coldest winter in over three decades, pushing spot gasoline prices to a significant premium. In contrast, Western Canada is enjoying its warmest winter in a century, easing local fuel costs. The divergent weather...
No Bullish Catalyst for Oil in 2026, Repeat Likely
🚦From a pure fundamentals perspective, there's simply no bullish driver in sight capable of pushing oil prices into the high $70s—or higher—in 2026. ⚽️Betting your capital on a major war with Iran or any similar geopolitical shock to spike prices isn't...
Fast Grid Capacity Gains Through Distributed Battery Flexibility
The real question isn’t, “How do we build more power plants?” It’s “How do we add power system capacity — fast?” That’s a fundamentally different problem. And it leads to a different answer: load flexibility — especially distributed batteries — aggregated into...
Oil Prices, Feb. 13, 2026
Oil prices rose on Feb. 13, 2026 as OPEC+ announced an extension of its production cuts through 2027, supporting a tighter market. U.S. crude inventories dropped by 3.2 million barrels, further tightening supply. Brent crude settled at $84 per barrel,...
From Capital Deployment to Investor Understanding: Jay R. Young on Oil & Gas Investing Through Structure and Transparency
Jay R. Young, CEO of King Operating Corporation, is championing a shift from single‑well oil‑gas investments to unitized drilling structures that spread risk across larger acreage. He pairs this structural innovation with an education‑first approach, highlighted in his book *The...
US Emissions Rise While China Leads Renewable Expansion
“But what about China?” is a common excuse people use to reject climate action. Here’s what's actually happening: * As the U.S. expands fossil fuels and blocks new wind & solar, its emissions are edging up. Meanwhile, China’s emissions seem to have...
BATT Charges Ahead as Storage Steals the Spotlight
The Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology ETF (BATT) has surged 14.5% year‑to‑date, outpacing the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (LIT) and other pure‑play mining funds. Its 0.59% expense ratio and $117 million assets give investors exposure across the entire...
What Does UUD Mean?
The Interior Department’s August secretarial order introduced a “capacity density” test that compares the land footprint of energy projects to their output, effectively targeting renewable projects on federal lands. The order invokes the “unnecessary and undue degradation” (UUD) standard from...
Heat Pump Sales Dipped in 2025. They Still Beat Gas Furnaces.
U.S. heat‑pump sales slipped in 2025, yet they still outperformed gas furnaces, with September shipments surpassing central ACs for the first time. A 2024 inventory buildup created a backlog that muted demand, while high upfront costs—median $25,000 versus half that...
Off‑grid Data Center Mandates Will Backfire on Ratepayers
“The intent is to protect ratepayers. But the second-order consequences of forcing data centers off-grid are far worse than the problem the bill is trying to solve. Off-grid mandates will hurt everyday ratepayers, constrain American infrastructure buildout, and drive up the...
Evolving Energy Security Toolkit Amid Fragmented Order, EU‑US Distrust
Energy security is high on the @MunSecConf agenda. I’ve been discussing how the toolkit to deliver it must evolve—amid a fragmenting global order, the need to accelerate the clean transition, and a far deeper level of European distrust toward the...
Correction to EU Biodiesel Prices on February 13: Pricing Notice
Fastmarkets announced a correction to several EU biodiesel FOB ARA prices published on February 13, 2026, after a calculation error incorporated prior‑day data. The revised figures show modest adjustments, such as UCOME outright rising to $1,419.50 per tonne and RME...
Kuwait Lags UAE in Oil Capacity, Faces $90.5 Break‑Even
Kuwait's production capacity was ahead of the UAE's in 2010. Now it is 3.2 Mbpd versus 4.85 Mbpd Budget break-even is $90.5 per bbl and oil is 83% of the budget https://t.co/1si82Sc7pF
Crude Swings on Hormuz Alert, US‑Iran Talks, Venezuela Relief
🛢️ OIL CONTEXT WEEKLY 🛢️ 📈📉Crude prices rise on Hormuz advisory before falling back on the prospect of longer US-Iran talks, with headlines dotted with a flurry of US sanctions relief on Venezuela’s oil sector. Summary below, link to full report in...
US Climate Rollback Set to Raise Gasoline Prices
The EPA’s own analysis shows that eliminating federal greenhouse‑gas standards for cars could lift gasoline prices by up to 29% by 2050, adding roughly 75 cents per gallon in constant dollars. Over the 2026‑2055 horizon, consumers may face a net...
Key Differences Between OFAC's New GL
This is actually the best way to describe the difference between GL 49 and GL 50 (the two Venezuela-related General Licenses issued by OFAC today)
British Gas Boss Warns UK Electricity Bills Will Soar by 2030
British Gas chief executive Chris O’Shea warned that UK electricity bills will exceed the 2022 peak by 2030 as the country scrambles to fund massive grid upgrades. He attributed the surge to years of under‑investment, with two‑thirds of future costs...
Professional Energy Bet After Yesterday’s Red Close
If you were buying more Energy Exposure via $XOP $OIH into a red close 24 hours ago, professionally done
Stars Are Aligning for Energy Stocks: How Active Can Help
Energy stocks are enjoying a robust start to 2026, driven by rising data‑center power demand and deregulation. The T. Rowe Price Natural Resources ETF (TURF), an active fund launched in June 2025, posted a 13% year‑to‑date gain and a 23.2% return over...
ACES Positions for $1.4T Grid Upgrade Wave
The ALPS Clean Energy ETF (ACES) is positioned to profit from a $1.4 trillion U.S. grid‑modernization program slated through 2030, as utilities boost capital spending 12% in 2025 and are expected to increase it another 6% in 2026. Roughly 40% of...
Notable Absentees Among Firms Granted Venezuelan Upstream Access
Can't help but notice who ISN'T on this list of companies who just gained access to invest and operate in Venezuelan upstream. https://t.co/qrLcy4bd48
Green Capital Hires Trump‑linked Lobbyist Amid Frozen EPA Grants
👀The Coalition for Green Capital (CGC) retained Checkmate Government Relations to lobby. Checkmate has deep ties to the Trump admin. CGC is among the groups that had billions of $ in Biden-era EPA grants frozen. The filing, to be clear,...
Clean-Tech Start-Up Solar Capital Launches Digital Platform Enabling Rooftop-Less Consumers to Participate in India's Solar Growth
Solar Capital, a Gurugram clean‑tech start‑up, launched a digital platform that lets individuals and organisations invest in solar projects without owning rooftops. Subscriptions start at just Rs 999, removing installation and maintenance barriers for renters, apartment dwellers, and small businesses. The...
Mitigate Concentration Risk in Tech, Energy With RSPT & RSPG
In a volatile market, Invesco’s equal‑weight ETFs RSPT and RSPG offer sector exposure while limiting concentration risk. Both funds track S&P 500 equal‑weight indexes, giving roughly 1.5‑2% weight to each constituent instead of the 40% dominance seen in cap‑weighted peers like...
Argus Targets Venezuelan Crude for U.S. Gulf Delivery
This is an interesting oil market transparency development. Argus "will assess three grades of Venezuelan crude oil, Merey, Hamaca and Boscan, for delivery to the U.S. Gulf coast, which Argus said is now the most likely destination for Venezuelan cargoes" https://t.co/RaKzvH53Rp
California Grid Demand Falls as Rooftop Solar Offsets EVs
California grid electricity demand continues to decline despite 2.5 million EVs and lots of data centers in the state 2026 Demand on CAISO grid down 1.84% v '25; 1.22% v '24; and 2.27% v '23 Due to growth in behind-the-meter roof PV,...
U.S. Rig Count Holds Steady as Oil Drilling Slips and Gas Activity Climbs
The U.S. rig count held steady at 551 this week, with oil rigs slipping by three to 409 while gas rigs rose by three to 133. Crude output climbed to 13.713 million barrels per day, edging close to an all‑time high....
Listening, Integrating and Scaling: How SENS Is Positioning for Growth in Critical Power
Stored Energy Systems (SENS) is pivoting from standalone battery chargers to fully integrated, hybrid power solutions for critical‑power applications such as data centers. The company cites market pressure to adopt multi‑vendor, high‑redundancy architectures like N+1 to 2N+1, which demand streamlined...
Carbon — In Focus: EU ETS in Political Crosshairs
Political scrutiny of the EU emissions trading system intensified in mid‑February, pushing the front‑year EU ETS contract down almost 6% on Feb 5 and a further 7% after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s comments. EU officials denied reports of extending free‑allowance allocations beyond...