Daily Memo: India on Russian LNG, Brussels on Afghan Migrants
India has told Russia it will not buy Russian liquefied natural gas that falls under U.S. sanctions, a stance conveyed to Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin during his April 30 visit to New Delhi. The decision impacts at least one LNG tanker currently en route, forcing it to halt or reroute. This marks a clear shift in India’s energy procurement strategy amid heightened geopolitical pressure. The move also underscores the growing influence of U.S. sanctions on global energy trade.
Homerun Resources Inc. Announces Positive Bankable Feasibility Study on Solar Glass Manufacturing Plant in Brazil, Confirming Strong Economics and Strategic...
Homerun Resources announced a bankable feasibility study for a solar glass manufacturing plant in Belmonte, Bahia, Brazil. The base‑case net present value is about $670 million (rising to $829 million at 105% capacity) with a 20.2% internal rate of return and a...
US, UK, Australia Tighten Sanctions On Iran
The United States, United Kingdom and Australia announced a coordinated wave of sanctions against Iran in mid‑May, targeting individuals and entities tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and to the regime’s human‑rights violations. The U.S. Treasury listed 12...
Key Outcomes From the First Summit on ‘Transitioning Away’ From Fossil Fuels
From April 24‑29, 2026, Colombia and the Netherlands hosted the inaugural “transitioning away” summit in Santa Marta, drawing 57 nations—about a third of the world economy—to discuss concrete steps for phasing out coal, oil and gas. The event introduced a science...
Aqaba Reinvents Itself as Shifts to Energy-Logistics Hub
Facing dual chokepoint disruptions, Jordan’s Port of Aqaba is repositioning itself from a traditional container hub to an energy‑logistics center. The port is integrating infrastructure left idle in the Gulf, expanding LNG import terminals, and developing green‑fuel export capabilities. Overland...
Interview with Asharq Bloomberg TV Dubai 11.05.2026
In a recent Asharq Bloomberg TV interview, The Macro Butler warned that oil prices appear deceptively calm while the physical market is under strain. He highlighted that global oil inventories have slipped into operational stress territory. A prolonged "geopolitical maintenance"...
Blackstone’s $1 Billion “Behind-the-Meter” Play: AI Data Centers, Power Scarcity, and the New Infrastructure Arms Race:
Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Halliburton are investing $1 billion in VoltaGrid, a fast‑growing distributed‑power firm. The deal includes a $775 million capital raise and a $225 million secondary purchase, slated to close mid‑2026. VoltaGrid will use the funds to expand behind‑the‑meter generation for...
Despite Politicized Disinformation, Midwest AI Data Centers Are Fueling a Solar Energy Boom
Midwest AI data centers are dramatically increasing regional electricity demand, prompting a rapid expansion of solar installations. Farmers and landowners are signing solar leases to secure steady income as tariffs hurt traditional crop markets. Fossil‑fuel interests are financing disinformation campaigns...
Why the Oil Price Is Stable
Morgan Stanley’s latest charts show crude oil prices holding steady despite ongoing geopolitical tension. The market entered the conflict with sizable inventory buffers and continues to price in a rapid reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Adding to the equilibrium,...
Daily Bulletin...
President Donald Trump announced support for a temporary suspension of the 18.4‑cent federal gasoline tax as national pump prices rose to $4.52 per gallon amid the Iran‑related energy shock. The administration also dispatched a delegation of corporate executives to Beijing...
AEMO Incident Report Released, on Frequency Spike Due to Self-Forecast Vendor Glitch (19th August 2025)
On 19 August 2025 the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) released a Reviewable Operating Incident Report attributing a notable frequency spike to a self‑forecasting vendor software glitch. The anomaly caused a brief 0.5 Hz deviation, prompting immediate system safeguards and highlighting gaps in...
Daily Energy Report
India’s strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) are being drawn down faster, causing a noticeable dip in the country’s crude oil inventories. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to curb fuel use amid a Hormuz‑driven global price surge, framing the call as...
Why June Is the Oil Market’s Point of No Return
The U.S.-Iran conflict has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, cutting roughly 14.5 million barrels per day of Middle‑East crude and driving global oil inventories down at a record 11‑12 million barrels daily. JP Morgan warns that only 800 million barrels of the 8.4 billion‑barrel...
Real Gasoline Prices Are (Relatively) Low; Gas Prices Are Rising Sharply
Real gasoline prices are low in inflation‑adjusted terms, yet they have surged sharply, rising about 23% from February to April 2024. This jump exceeds the month‑on‑month growth seen after the 2022 Russian‑invasion price spike and the pre‑Great Recession surge. Retail...
The Permian Pipeline Buildout Reaches Critical Mass
Natural gas production in the Permian Basin has doubled since 2018, reaching 25.4 billion cubic feet per day and representing 22% of U.S. marketed gas. Takeaway capacity has lagged, driving deep discounts at the Waha hub and occasional negative pricing. Three...
Aramco CEO’s Bombshell Warning Exposes the Fragile State of Global Energy Markets
Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser warned on the first‑quarter earnings call that the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz has removed roughly one billion barrels of oil from the market and could keep global supplies tight for years. He said...
How Trump's Helping China Win on Clean Energy | It’s The Democracy, Stupid with Edwin Eisendrath & Volts' David Roberts
The podcast "It’s The Democracy, Stupid" features Edwin Eisendrath and journalist David Roberts warning that the Trump administration’s rollback of clean‑energy incentives is eroding U.S. progress and handing China a decisive advantage in renewable technology. Roberts argues the United States...
Iran News: Pres Trump Is Considering Renewing Project Freedom
President Trump is reportedly weighing a restart of Project Freedom, a U.S.-led naval operation to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran limited transit. Tehran has countered by demanding the United States clean up alleged nuclear‑dust contamination...
How US Met Coal Should Actually Be Priced
The final installment of the series critiques Platts’ three‑index methodology for US metallurgical coal and proposes a seven‑index framework that aligns pricing with actual regional product characteristics. It shows how the current LV, HVA and HVB assessments lump disparate coal...
China April Battery Installations Grow 15%, Reversing 2-Month Decline
China’s power‑battery installations rebounded in April 2026, reaching 62.4 GWh – a 15.2% year‑on‑year gain and a 10.4% rise from March. Lithium‑iron‑phosphate (LFP) units dominated the market, delivering 50.8 GWh and capturing 81.5% of total installs, while ternary chemistries grew 24.2% YoY....
First Separation of Interfacial Proton Transport in Ultrathin Energy Device Materials
Researchers at JAIST, Tokyo University of Science, and the University of Calgary have introduced a technique that isolates proton transport at individual polymer‑electrode interfaces in ultrathin ionomer films. By extending impedance spectroscopy to lower frequencies and varying electrode pad length,...
A Qatari Gas Tanker Passed the Strait of Hormuz
A Qatari LNG tanker, Al Kharaitiyat, became the first vessel to navigate the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran‑Israel war began, using a Tehran‑approved northern route. The transit signals a tentative reopening of a critical oil‑and‑gas corridor, easing some pressure on...
4 Big Energy Stories - 5.11.2026: Stop This Madness, Please
Oil prices jumped on Monday after President Donald Trump labeled Iran’s latest peace‑proposal response unacceptable, reigniting supply concerns as the Strait of Hormuz remained largely closed. Brent crude rose $2.70 to $103.99 a barrel and U.S. WTI climbed $2.24 to...
Presentation on Recent Trends in Electricity Markets
The author presented a three‑part analysis of European electricity markets, focusing first on the rapid expansion of solar generation and battery storage. The second segment examined how these renewables are reshaping day‑ahead market pricing, pushing prices lower and altering the...
What Has All This Back-and-Forth Climate Legislating Bought Us?
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was originally projected to cut U.S. greenhouse‑gas emissions 40‑50% below 2005 levels by 2035. A new joint paper by Watershed and the University of Maryland models the combined impact of the IRA and the partially...
US OFAC Warning to Financial Institutions Re Sanctions Risks of Dealing with China’s Teapot Refineries Importing and Refining Iranian Oil
The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has warned financial institutions that Chinese “teapot” refineries, especially in Shandong Province, remain high‑risk partners because they continue importing and refining Iranian crude. Since March 2025 OFAC has designated firms such as...
Week 19: DRILLING TO INFINITY: Why I'm Betting Civilization on a Hole in the Ground (While Billionaires Play Astronaut)
Physicists and drilling engineers in West Texas have demonstrated a new geothermal drilling technique that uses concentrated millimeter‑wave energy to vaporize rock, enabling access to depths of around 20 km—far beyond the reach of conventional rigs. The method creates a plasma‑like...
Viewpoint: Surge of Climate Misinformation Traced to Right Wing and Anti-Wind Activists
A joint report by UK think‑tank CASM Technology and WindEurope uncovered a coordinated network of right‑wing politicians, anti‑wind activists, and media outlets spreading false claims about wind energy. Over 18 months the group posted more than 40,000 messages, driving 6.3 million...
Entergy (ETR) Price Target Raised Following Q1 Earnings Beat
Entergy Corp (NYSE:ETR) posted Q1 2026 earnings that beat analyst forecasts, prompting Citi to raise its price target from $116 to $121 while maintaining a neutral rating. The new target implies an 8% upside over the current share price. Entergy...
The Southern Company (SO) Price Target Raised Following Better-than-Expected Q1 Report
Southern Company (SO) posted a stronger‑than‑expected first‑quarter report, with adjusted earnings of $1.32 per share and revenue of $8.4 billion, both topping Wall Street forecasts. The utility’s earnings beat came on the back of an 8% year‑over‑year revenue rise driven by...
Duke Energy (DUK) Exceeds Estimates in Q1 Report
Duke Energy reported first‑quarter 2026 results that beat expectations, posting adjusted earnings of $1.93 per share, $0.13 above forecasts, and revenue of $9.18 billion, up 11% year‑over‑year and $690 million beyond estimates. The outperformance was driven by recovering rate‑based infrastructure investments and...
Analyst Raises Xcel Energy (XEL) Price Target Despite Mixed Q1 Report
Evercore ISI raised its price target on Xcel Energy (XEL) to $96, up from $93, maintaining an Outperform rating. The upgrade reflects about a 19% upside from current levels and highlights the utility’s role in the growing data‑center power demand....
NRG Energy (NRG) Reports Mixed Q1 Results, Reaffirms FY 2026 Guidance
NRG Energy posted mixed Q1 2026 results, with revenue jumping 19% YoY to $10.26 billion and beating forecasts, while adjusted earnings fell to $1.48 per share, missing estimates by $0.25. Operating costs surged 33% to nearly $10 billion and interest expense rose...
NextEra Energy (NEE) Price Target Raised by Analysts
NextEra Energy (NEE) saw its price targets raised by Evercore ISI to $107 and by BMO Capital to $102, both maintaining an Outperform rating. The utility posted a Q1 2026 profit of $2.18 billion, a 162% year‑over‑year increase, driven by a...
Strait of Hormuz Reopening Odds: Down Again
Kalshi’s prediction market shows the probability of normal traffic through the Strait of Hormuz swinging dramatically over the past week. Analysts link the volatility to Iran’s strategic leverage and the lingering uncertainty surrounding U.S. diplomatic moves. Brent crude hovers around...
What a Barrel of Oil Actually Makes
Oil refineries do far more than produce gasoline and diesel; they generate the chemical building blocks for a vast array of everyday products. Light streams such as naphtha are turned into polyethylene for packaging, while aromatic compounds like benzene, toluene...
The Australian Quantum Battery Breakthrough That Has Military Planners Paying Attention
Australian researchers led by CSIRO, in partnership with RMIT University and the University of Melbourne, have demonstrated the world’s first proof‑of‑concept quantum battery that completes a full charge, storage, and discharge cycle. The prototype, described in the journal Light: Science...
More Battery Electric Trucks Take To Australian Roads
Centurion has launched a fully off‑grid battery‑electric truck hub at Perth Airport, powering 30 eActros 300 trucks with 4.4 MW of rooftop solar, 10.3 MWh of storage and HVO backup. The $24 million (AUD $36 million) project was underpinned by $10.4 million in Australian Renewable Energy Agency...
Contship Launches First Fully Electric Port Tractor at La Spezia Terminal
Contship Italia Group has rolled out its first fully electric port tractor at the La Spezia Container Terminal, marking a key step in its decarbonisation roadmap. The vehicle will be operated by Hannibal for internal shuttle duties, serving as a pilot...
The War Between Refiners Over E15 Rises Again This Week In Washington
The House will vote this week on Amendment 289, a proposal to mandate year‑round sales of E15 gasoline nationwide. The American Petroleum Institute (API) and major refiners support the bill, touting consumer choice and regulatory certainty, while the Small Refineries...
Everything You Need to Know About Small Modular Reactors (SMR's)
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are factory‑built nuclear units of 50‑300 MW that combine a compact footprint with modular construction. China’s ACP100/Linglong‑1 is slated for commercial operation in 2026, while Russia already runs floating and land‑based SMRs in the Arctic. The United...
Gevo (GEVO) Withdraws From DOE Loan Program to Pursue Strategic Project Financing
Gevo announced on April 15 that it is withdrawing from the U.S. Department of Energy’s loan‑guarantee process for its Alcohol‑to‑Jet (ATJ‑30) plant after the DOE’s enhanced‑oil‑recovery requirement proved commercially unviable. The company will instead seek private financing that better fits...
Underwater Data Center in Shanghai: AI Infrastructure Goes Underwater, This Time by Design
Shanghai’s Ling‑gang Special Area has launched an operational underwater data center housed in a 32‑meter steel cylinder. The facility draws more than 95% of its electricity from a nearby offshore wind farm and uses 15 °C seawater for cooling, targeting a...
Is First Solar (FSLR) One of the Best Solar Energy Stocks to Buy Right Now?
First Solar reported Q1 2026 net sales of $1.04 billion, a 24% year‑over‑year increase, driven by record shipments to India and higher module volumes to third‑party developers. Net income surged 65% to $347 million, or $3.22 per diluted share, while adjusted EBITDA...
Trump’s War Gamble Backfired in the Most Humiliating Way Possible for Big Oil
President Donald Trump’s escalation of the Iran conflict, intended to bolster U.S. fossil‑fuel influence, instead triggered sharp oil‑price volatility and highlighted the geopolitical fragility of oil dependence. Energy analysts and the International Energy Agency noted that the crisis has accelerated...
The Grid Is the New Gold: Inside UTG, the Utility CEF Built for the AI Power Era
The Reaves Utility Income Fund (UTG) is a utility‑focused closed‑end fund that trades at a modest 1.8% discount to its net asset value, offering investors a low‑cost entry point into essential infrastructure. Managed by Reaves Asset Management, a specialist with...
A Dynamic Molecular Sunscreen for Perovskite Solar Cells
Researchers at Northwestern Polytechnical University introduced a photoisomeric molecule, BTTM, into perovskite solar cells, achieving a power conversion efficiency of 24.71% versus 22.07% for untreated devices. The additive anchors lead and iodide ions, suppressing migration and stabilizing the crystal lattice...
Indonesia’s EV Transition Not Just to Cut Emissions, More So to Cut Oil Dependence, Study Says
Indonesia’s transport sector, long sustained by cheap fuel subsidies, now faces mounting fiscal strain as global oil prices surge. A new ICCT working paper highlights that fossil‑fuel subsidies consumed about 10% of the 2023 state budget while road transport accounts...
A History of OPEC: Why Its Crisis Is Bad News
The United Arab Emirates announced it will leave OPEC on May 1, arguing that the cartel’s production quotas limit its roughly 5 million barrels‑per‑day capacity. The move marks the first exit of a major producer since OPEC’s founding and underscores a shift...
Big Oil Pulls Back From Green Spending in 2025
A BloombergNEF chart shows that seven oil‑and‑gas supermajors cut low‑carbon investment by 65% in 2025, bringing total spend to $25.7 billion – the lowest level since 2019 and the first annual decline in eight years. The United States saw the steepest...