Peak Power Demand in Kerala Hits Season's High
Kerala’s power grid recorded a season‑high peak demand of 5,836 MW between 10:30 pm and 11 pm on Thursday, surpassing the 5,600 MW forecast for May. Total electricity consumption in the preceding 24 hours reached 109.1 million units, edging close to the state’s all‑time daily record of 115.9 million units. KSEB officials convened an emergency meeting and disclosed that the utility is purchasing additional power at up to Rs 20 crore (≈$2.4 million) to avoid outages. Hydropower can contribute only 1,500 MW, while the state relies on roughly 4,000 MW from the central grid.
Kolkata Restaurants Explore PNG Option Amid LPG Supply Disruptions
Kolkata’s restaurant sector is turning to piped natural gas (PNG) as commercial LPG supplies become erratic. The National Restaurant Association of India’s Kolkata chapter has begun talks with Bengal Gas Company Ltd (BGCL) to assess PNG feasibility and rollout. BGCL,...
Bluetti’s Sora 500 Solar Panel Is Incredibly Powerful for Its Size
Bluetti’s new Sora 500 portable solar panel uses N‑Type TOPCon cells to deliver 509 W in real‑world testing, exceeding its 500 W rating. The panel can add a full day’s 1.6 kWh energy to a van’s power system in just two hours, dramatically shortening...
Oil Prices Gain as Traders Doubt Prospects of Ceasefire in Iran War
Oil prices jumped on March 27 as traders grew skeptical about a cease‑fire in the month‑long Iran conflict. Brent crude rose 4.2% to $112.57 a barrel and WTI gained 5.5% to $99.64. Since the February 27 strikes, Brent is up...
How Trump and the Oil Markets Move in Sync: A Tango in Six Charts
President Donald Trump’s remarks on the U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran have closely tracked oil price movements, with Brent crude rising from about $72 a barrel before the conflict to a peak of $118 on March 19 and hovering just above $112...
Why Use Living Cells? Researchers Are Making Chemicals with Enzymes Alone
Researchers at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) are advancing "cell‑free" biomanufacturing, using curated enzyme cocktails instead of living microbes to convert biomass into chemicals. By pairing high‑throughput robotics with machine‑learning analytics, they can evaluate thousands of enzyme variants...
Iraq Expects to Increase Northern Pipeline Oil Exports
Iraq is currently sending 200,000 barrels per day of crude through the Iraq‑Turkiye Pipeline, and officials expect to lift that to 300,000 barrels daily in the near term. The blend includes oil from Kirkuk and about 40,000 barrels from the...
Kuwait Restores Power Lines After Debris Damage
Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy announced that it has restored multiple overhead transmission lines damaged by falling debris from recent air‑defence activities. Seven high‑voltage lines were taken offline on 24 March, but most have been repaired, with two...
Environmental Advocates Launch NC Pipeline Watch
Environmental groups in North Carolina have launched NC Pipeline Watch to oversee construction of the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) pipeline. The coalition, including the Sierra Club, Clean Water for North Carolina, and others, will deploy volunteers to monitor water,...
Will This ‘Miracle’ Battery Finally Change Your Mind About EVs?
A Finnish startup claims it has created a commercially viable solid‑state battery delivering over 500 Wh/kg energy density and a full charge in roughly ten minutes, promising a 400‑mile driving range. The company says the pack can be produced at costs...
Topsoe, First Ammonia Terminate Electrolyzer Supply Deal
New York‑based First Ammonia is moving ahead with the first phase of its 200 MW green ammonia project in Victoria, Texas, slated to break ground this year. The company announced the termination of its 100 MW electrolyzer supply agreement with Danish catalyst...
The Cushion Is Gone and the Oil Market Is Now Exposed
The global oil market absorbed the shock of the largest supply disruption in history – the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – thanks to pre‑war inventory cushions. For roughly four weeks, prices remained muted as surplus stocks and strategic...
Why Transformer Explosions Remain a Structural Engineering Problem
Transformer explosions stem from internal electrical arcs that vaporize oil, creating rapid pressure spikes that can rupture the tank within tens of milliseconds. Conventional protection—relays, breakers, and pressure‑relief valves—detect and isolate faults after this dynamic phase, leaving the structural failure...
Nuclear Takes Another Step Toward Spotlight
Nuclear energy took center stage at the CERAWeek 2026 conference in Houston. Industry leaders and policymakers gathered to address the growing importance of nuclear power amid heightened concerns over global energy security. The forum highlighted accelerating investment, emerging reactor designs,...
Brent Heads Into Weekend on High Note
Brent crude futures surged into the weekend, climbing roughly 5% to around $85 a barrel, the highest level in several months. The rally was driven by lingering supply worries as the war in the Middle East shows no sign of...
Summit Midstream Aims to Clear 'Hidden' Permian Gas Constraints
Summit Midstream is exploring a capacity expansion on its interstate pipeline that transports natural gas from the Permian Basin’s Delaware subbasin to the Waha Hub, linking Southwest and Gulf Coast markets. The move targets “hidden” constraints—primarily gathering and processing bottlenecks—that...
Why China’s Space-Based Solar Power Is the Next Frontier of Green Energy
China is advancing its Zhuri space‑based solar power programme, aiming for a megawatt‑level orbital test around 2030 and a gigawatt‑scale station by 2050. The initiative leverages falling launch costs and new wireless‑power technologies to deliver continuous, weather‑independent electricity from geostationary...
Thailand Mulls Windfall Tax on Oil Refineries
Thailand’s Fiscal Policy Office is evaluating a windfall tax on oil refineries, a move prompted by the country’s heavy reliance on imported crude – about 92% of its supply. The proposed levy could be calculated either by applying a rate...
Market Watch: April Nymex Expires at $3.095/MMBtu
April Nymex natural gas futures rose 9.6 cents to close at $3.095 per MMBtu, while the May contract, set to become the prompt‑month contract on Monday, gained 9.7 cents to $3.025. Gelber & Associates noted that prices below $3 continue to draw...
TIME Is Launching The Future Proof Newsletter to Help You Make Sense of the Climate Economy
TIME announced the launch of its Future Proof newsletter, rebranding the former CO2 newsletter to address the broader climate economy. The weekly column will blend clean‑tech trends, AI developments, geopolitics, and trade dynamics, offering a high‑level view of how climate...
Houthis in Yemen Announce Entry Into the Conflict if Any Alliance Joins the US and Israel
The Yemen‑based Houthis warned they will join Iran against any coalition that aligns the United States and Israel, threatening to block the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait. Saudi Arabia has hinted it may intervene, raising the prospect of a direct Houthi‑Saudi confrontation. A...
Iran War Spikes Energy Prices – UK Homes Ditch Fossil Fuels Fast
UK homeowners are accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels as energy price spikes tied to the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict drive demand for solar panels, heat pumps, and electric‑vehicle chargers. Octopus Energy reported record March enquiries, with solar sales up 54%...
28 New Fast EV Charging Stalls Launched In San Diego
EVgo has opened a new hub in San Diego featuring 28 fast‑charging stalls, adding to its more than 5,000 fast chargers nationwide and the 1,200 it installed last year. The addition raises San Diego’s fast‑charger count to roughly 290 out...
France to Spend €70M on Fuel Subsidies for Farmers, Trucks and Fishermen in April
France will spend €70 million (about $76 million) on fuel subsidies for farmers, small logistics firms and fishermen throughout April. The plan suspends non‑road diesel excise taxes for farmers, costing roughly €14 million, and provides a €0.20‑per‑liter rebate for trucks and fishing vessels,...
Combat Drones Are Pivoting Into Green Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Combat drones and emerging ground robots are increasingly being powered by green hydrogen fuel cells, a shift driven by Ukraine’s rapid adoption and U.S. defense interest. Startups such as Sesame Solar have created mobile nanogrid refueling stations that can be...
WTI Crude Oil Touches $100 per Barrel. Eyes on Steel as Iran Vows Revenge
WTI crude settled at $99.64, briefly topping $100 per barrel for the first time since early May, as traders price a longer‑term Middle East conflict into oil markets. The rally follows a U.S.–Israeli strike on an Iranian steel facility, prompting...
Greenpeace Activists Confront FPSO Heading to Scotland's Rosebank Oil Field
Greenpeace activists boarded the PetroJarl Rosebank FPSO as it sailed from Namibia toward Scotland, spray‑painting a "they profit, we pay" slogan on its hull. The 95,000‑ton vessel, recently refitted and re‑flagged for the Rosebank oil field, is central to a...
Fuelled by Subsidised Diesel, Australia Is Running Dry
Australia’s diesel consumption tops 7.7 barrels per person annually, about 80% higher than the United States and eight times China’s level, driven by generous rebates and a vast, low‑density transport network. The federal budget allocates roughly $10.8 billion to diesel tax...
Big Zero Show – Smaller, Better but Still Bold
The Big Zero Show returned after a year, reaffirming that the net‑zero agenda remains alive despite a fresh energy price crisis. Delegates highlighted flexibility, data‑driven AI, and battery innovations as pivotal to decarbonisation. The event underscored that transition costs are...
UK DLE Projects Push for Simpler Li Buildouts
Direct lithium extraction (DLE) projects in the UK will only generate cashflow if their process flowsheets are simplified and early engineering is rigorously applied, conference delegates said. Developers face a trade‑off between compressing engineering schedules to meet funding windows and...
Baker Hughes Total Rig Count Falls to 543 From 552 Last Week
Baker Hughes reported its total rig count fell to 543 this week, down from 552 the prior week. Oil rigs slipped to 409 from 414, while natural‑gas rigs declined to 127 from 131. The drop occurs even as crude prices...
US Finalizes Higher Biofuels Quota to Boost Domestic Demand
On March 27, 2026, the EPA finalized a new biofuels blending rule that obliges refiners to incorporate 25.82 billion gallons of biofuels into diesel and gasoline this year. The mandate represents an 8 % increase over the target announced in June 2025,...
As Diesel Prices Surpass 91 Petrol, Truckies Say Goods and Groceries Will Start Going up Too
Diesel prices in New Zealand have surged 80% since February, reaching $3.24‑$3.45 NZD per litre (about $1.94‑$2.07 USD), overtaking 91 petrol for the first time. Petrol has risen only 35% in the same period. Trucking firms are absorbing extra costs—up to $150 NZD (~$90 USD) daily...
30 Days of West Asia Conflict: India Ups LPG Output, Focuses on PNG as Imports Concerns Persist
India, the world’s second‑largest LPG importer, boosted domestic LPG production amid the West Asia conflict that disrupted supply routes through the Strait of Hormuz. Refinery output was increased by 40% to a record 50,000 tonnes per day, cutting daily import...
The Hydrogen Stream: Capacity Outlook Grows, Deals Shift
GlobalData projects global low‑carbon hydrogen capacity could reach 82.3 mtpa by 2030, up from 2.2 mtpa active in early 2026 across 460 projects. Only 2% of that future capacity is operational, with most projects still in feasibility or early stages. Meanwhile, Topsoe...
Slovakia Interested in Gas From Offshore Romanian Neptun Project
Slovakia announced its interest in importing gas from Romania’s Neptun Deep offshore project as its Russian gas deliveries are set to cease by 2027. Prime Minister Robert Fico said Slovakia would use existing infrastructure to purchase gas on a commercial...
Why the Reduction in SED
Since the West Asia conflict began, Brent crude has surged from roughly $73 to $109 per barrel, a 49% increase. In response, India’s Centre trimmed the special additional excise duty on petrol and diesel by ₹10 per litre (about $0.12),...
Hormuz Ship Traffic Stays Frozen Despite Move to Start Fees
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains virtually halted four weeks into the Iran‑Israel conflict, with only six vessels recorded on March 26 versus the pre‑war average of nearly 60 daily transits in 2025. Iran announced a toll system demanding...
China PV Industry Brief: China Adds 32.48 GW Solar as Polysilicon Prices Fall
China’s National Energy Administration reported 32.48 GW of new solar capacity installed in January‑February 2026, a 17.7% year‑on‑year decline, while total generation capacity reached 3.95 TW, with solar climbing to 1.23 TW (+33.2%). Polysilicon prices fell sharply, with weekly drops of up to...
The Eastern Mediterranean Won’t Replace Russian or Gulf Gas—But It Can Be Europe’s Energy Shock Absorber
Europe has cut Russian gas imports by 90% since 2021 and aims to end them by November 2027. To replace the lost volume, the continent now relies on LNG, exposing it to global shipping chokepoints. The Eastern Mediterranean basin, with...
EnergyX Starts up 250tpa DLE Plant
EnergyX, a privately held lithium developer, has commissioned its 250‑tonne‑per‑year direct lithium extraction (DLE) demonstration plant, Project Lonestar, near Texarkana, Texas. The facility is the first U.S. plant to process lithium‑rich brine from the Smackover formation, using proprietary solvent‑based extraction...
Agrivoltaics with Trackers, Vertical Systems Offer Economic Upside
A new analysis by Jochen Hauff challenges a German Thünen‑Institut study by showing that agrivoltaic systems with trackers or vertical configurations can be financially viable and even outperform conventional ground‑mounted solar. Tracker‑based agrivoltaics add roughly 12‑13% to capital costs but...
Endeavour Launches Hydrogen Production System
Endeavour, the parent of data‑center firm Edged, unveiled Pact Systems – a continuous‑flow methane‑cracking platform that simultaneously produces hydrogen fuel and high‑purity graphite. The technology works with natural gas or biomethane, offering a low‑carbon, quickly deployable energy source for AI‑intensive...
Fleet Electrification Is Running Into the Grid. Planning and Operations Need to Catch Up.
U.S. fleets are accelerating electrification, but grid interconnection and capacity constraints are emerging as the primary bottleneck. Utilities such as SoCal Edison ($436 million for 30,000 ports) and DTE Electric (19,300 chargers) are offering incentive programs, yet distribution upgrades and interconnection...
Interview: WSP and Motts on Setting the ‘Blueprint’ for Consenting New Nuclear with Wylfa SMRs
WSP and Mott MacDonald have been hired by Great British Energy‑Nuclear to steer the planning consent for three Rolls‑Royce small modular reactors at Wales' historic Wylfa site. The project will be the first nuclear development to navigate the UK’s new Planning...
Venture Global and Edison Put LNG Arbitration Battle Behind Them
Venture Global and Italy’s Edison have signed a commercial agreement that ends their LNG arbitration over the Calcasieu Pass project, with the settlement expected to close by the end of Q2 2026. The deal adds extra cargoes for Europe, beginning with...
Bluetti Targets Home Backup with Fridge-Focused Battery System
Bluetti has launched FridgePower, a plug‑and‑play battery system aimed at keeping refrigerators and other essential home devices running during power outages. Unlike fixed residential storage like Tesla Powerwall, FridgePower requires no permanent installation and can be moved within the house....
The Missing Intelligence Layer of the Smart Grid
Utilities have poured billions into smart‑grid sensors, communications and analytics, yet the digital representation of the physical distribution assets remains rudimentary. Traditional asset databases rely on periodic inspections, causing records to drift from reality and limiting engineers’ ability to assess...
Energy Crisis and Conflict Drag Down Global Growth in 2026
Prometeia’s latest outlook warns that the Iran‑Hormuz conflict and resulting energy shock are eroding global growth in 2026. Euro‑area GDP is trimmed to 0.8%, a 0.4‑point downgrade, as gas reserves dwindle and inflation‑driven recovery stalls. The United States is projected...
WATCH: FLNG Mooring System Slides in Place Offshore Congo
France’s marine contractor Geocean, together with China’s Wison New Energies, has completed the installation of a floating LNG (FLNG) mooring system in the Marine XII block off Congo’s Pointe Noire. The operation placed driven anchor piles, a submerged swivel and yoke,...