U.S. Vows to Block Iran’s Attempt to Shut Down Strait of Hormuz
The United States announced it will actively prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil shipments. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth downplayed the disruption but affirmed U.S. readiness, while the Trump administration lifted select sanctions on Russian oil to ease supply pressures. Additional U.S. forces are being dispatched to the Middle East amid heightened tensions. President Trump’s incendiary social‑media remarks underscored the administration’s confrontational stance toward Iran.
European Power Prices Held Hostage to High Gas Costs
European power markets are experiencing a sharp price surge as gas costs climb sharply following the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Major gas hubs across Europe have seen prices more than double, pushing gas‑fired electricity tariffs to roughly...
US Venture Global Takes FID on CP2 Phase 2 LNG Project
Venture Global announced a final investment decision for its CP2 Phase 2 LNG export project, a 29 million‑ton‑per‑year facility on the Louisiana Gulf Coast. The approval makes it the first U.S. liquefaction project to receive an FID in 2026, marking a significant...
Will US LNG Exporters Defer Maintenance to Free Up Supply?
U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters are considering postponing scheduled maintenance to increase available cargoes amid a tightening global gas market caused by the Middle East conflict. Current export terminals are operating near peak capacity, leaving little slack for unexpected...
Canadian, Alaskan LNG Could Benefit From 'Concentration Risk'
A recent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz highlighted the vulnerability of LNG buyers reliant on Middle‑East cargoes, prompting a reassessment of supply diversification. Analysts argue that this "concentration risk" creates a strategic opening for existing and planned LNG export...
How a Texas Oil Belt Became America's Next Lithium Frontier
2026 marks a turning point as Texas’s historic oil belt pivots toward lithium extraction. The Smackover Formation in Northeast Texas is being touted for its high‑purity lithium brine, prompting energy giants like ExxonMobil and Chevron to stake claims and plan...
Advanced MES Capabilities for Scalable, High-Quality Solar Cell and Module Manufacturing
Kontron AIS unveiled new FabEagleMES capabilities aimed at high‑volume photovoltaic cell and module production. The suite adds configurable material‑flow routing, real‑time defect analytics, long‑term data‑lake storage, an enhanced web client with role‑based dashboards, and a REST API for seamless machine...
Sky-High Oil Prices Are About to Hit Puerto Rico’s Grid
The ongoing Iran‑Israel conflict has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, pushing global crude to around $100 a barrel. Puerto Rico, which generates roughly 60 % of its electricity from aging oil‑fired plants, will see its regulated power rates rise when...
Speed-to-Power: Energy Strategy in the Age of AI
AlphaSense’s 2026 Energy & Industrials Outlook highlights a "dirty pivot" toward speed‑to‑power as AI‑driven compute loads outpace traditional build timelines. With large‑frame gas turbines backlogged until 2027‑2028, utilities and hyperscalers are favoring modular gas solutions—solid‑oxide fuel cells, reciprocating engines, and...
US Rig Count Continues Cautious Climb
The Baker Hughes rig count rose to a four‑month high in the second week of March, marking the first modest increase since late 2023. The uptick reflects operators’ tentative response to soaring oil prices triggered by the Middle East conflict....
Asian Buyers Eye Floating Russian Barrels After US Waiver
On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury issued a one‑month waiver permitting the sale and purchase of Russian crude and refined products stored on floating vessels. The exemption, intended to alleviate market bottlenecks, sparked immediate criticism from European officials who argue it...
Resource Plans Drive Clean Energy Value Creation for Investors
Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) are becoming a key lever for utilities to create long‑term shareholder value by building clean energy assets such as renewables, storage, and nuclear. Because regulated utilities earn a regulated return of 9‑11% while their true cost...
Doubling the Voltage: What 800 V Architecture Really Changes in EVs
The automotive industry is shifting from the long‑standing 400 V battery architecture to 800 V systems, a move championed by models such as the Porsche Taycan and Hyundai Ioniq 5. Doubling the voltage halves the current needed for the same power, which reduces...
Texas LNG Steps Closer to FID After Tapping Kiewit to Lead Construction
Texas LNG, an affiliate of Glenfarne Group, has signed a fixed‑price engineering, procurement and construction contract with Kiewit Energy Group to build a 4 million‑ton‑per‑year export terminal at the Port of Brownsville. The agreement gives Kiewit responsibility for design, equipment procurement,...
Tokyo Embraces Nuclear for Energy Security 15 Years After Fukushima Disaster
Fifteen years after the Fukushima disaster, Japan is reviving nuclear power to curb soaring energy‑import costs amid a global oil and gas crunch. The government has set a goal of reaching roughly 20% of electricity from nuclear by 2030, prompting...
Energy Intelligence Uranium Market Update: Mar. 13, 2026
Energy Intelligence’s March 13 uranium market update highlights rising geopolitical tension and supply‑chain strain. Experts warn a U.S. plan to extract Iran’s highly enriched uranium could set a precedent, while small uranium producers confront heightened delivery risks amid logistics bottlenecks....
Hawaiʻi’s LNG Business Case Was Overly Optimistic & Built On A Broken Spreadsheet
A recent investigation revealed that the spreadsheet underpinning Hawaii’s touted LNG savings omitted roughly $900 million in fuel costs, turning the projected $700‑$800 million net benefit into a potential loss. The error was uncovered by former UH professor Matthias Fripp, who showed...
Factor This Finance and Project Development Roundup: ArcLight, Arevon, Aypa Power, Octopus, Sol Systems
The week’s cleantech roundup highlighted a surge of initiatives aimed at modernizing the U.S. power grid. The Department of Energy announced a $1.9 billion grant program for urgent grid upgrades, while a coalition that includes Google and Tesla is pushing for...
Attacks, Growing Exports Put Fujairah in the Spotlight
Fujairah, the United Arab Emirates’ primary oil‑export gateway, has become the most critical outlet for crude as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked by the ongoing Gulf war. In the past ten days the port endured two aerial attacks, testing...
How This Oil Supply Shock Compares With the Embargo of 1973
The article compares the present oil supply shock, triggered by Iranian retaliation against U.S. and Israeli strikes, with the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Experts say the current disruption is the largest ever, affecting a far greater share of global consumption...
Pipeline Maintenance, OFO Create Mixed Signals for Natural Gas Spot Prices
U.S. natural gas markets face heightened volatility as a series of pipeline constraints converge with an early‑season cold snap. Transco’s on‑frequency outage (OFO) throttles flow into the Northeast, while Gulf Run maintenance curtails Haynesville takeaway capacity and Creole Trail work...
Elsewedy Electric Commissions 349MWp Solar PV Plant in Saudi Arabia
Elsewedy Electric has commissioned the 348.6 MWp El Saad solar PV plant east of Riyadh, marking its first utility‑scale project in the Gulf. The EPC effort wrapped in 16.5 months, well ahead of the original 24‑month timeline, and the project has secured a...
California Lithium Developer CTR to Go Public in US$4.7 Billion SPAC Deal
Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) will go public through a $4.7 billion SPAC merger with Plum Acquisition, listing on Nasdaq as CTRH. The deal funds the Hell’s Kitchen geothermal‑lithium project in California’s Imperial Valley, starting with 25,000 t/yr lithium carbonate capacity and a...
Hormuz Bypass Infrastructure Was Sized for a Short Disruption. This Is Not That.
The Saudi Petroline and the UAE Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline were constructed as short‑term workarounds for potential closures of the Strait of Hormuz, providing a combined capacity of roughly 4‑5 million barrels per day. The strait itself moves about 20 million barrels daily,...
The Hydrogen Stream: Atome Secures $420 Million Debt for Paraguay Plant
Atome secured a $420 million debt package to fund a $650 million low‑carbon fertilizer plant in Paraguay, targeting 260,000 tonnes of output per year and marking one of the first industrial‑scale green‑hydrogen fertilizer projects outside the EU. Meanwhile, Asahi Kasei began installing a 1 MW...
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Wafer Prices Fall on Weak Demand
The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association reported that polysilicon and wafer prices fell sharply this week, with n‑type re‑feed and dense polysilicon down about 6.4% to CNY 45,200 per tonne. Wafer prices slipped as well, with G10L at CNY 1.03, G12R at...
Oil Giant Forced to Pay £6m After Major Spill
Oil producer Perenco has agreed to pay a £6 million compensation package to the UK Environment Agency after a March 2023 pipeline leak released roughly 200 barrels of oily water into Poole Harbour. The spill, attributed to microbial corrosion in a buried pipeline,...
Wind and Solar Investors 'Threaten Legal Action' Over Tariff Pact
Vietnam has retroactively reduced the subsidised feed‑in tariffs for wind and solar projects, a change that takes effect in January 2025. The move has sparked a dispute involving investors from the EU, UK, Japan, South Korea and Thailand, who sent...
Maryland Legislators Include Utility Solar in Statewide Energy Savings Initiative
Maryland legislators unveiled the Utility RELIEF Act, a $200 million package aimed at cutting household energy costs by $150 per year. Half of the funding ($100 million) is earmarked for utility‑scale solar projects, while the remainder supports grid modernization and holds large energy...
Forest Advocates Accuse EU Energy Firm of Dutch Biomass Certification Fraud
Forest groups and Dutch authorities allege that energy giant RWE imported Malaysian wood pellets labeled as Category 5 waste but actually sourced from whole trees, violating EU biomass‑certification rules. The Dutch Public Prosecution Service is weighing a criminal investigation after advocacy...
Rio Tinto Slows Quebec Lithium Plant Build, Timeline Intact
Rio Tinto announced it will slow construction of the Nemaska lithium processing plant in Quebec, halving its contractual workforce to manage rising costs. The plant, now about 70% complete, is slated to produce 32,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide annually, with...
UK Energy Projects Stall Before Investment as Bankability Concerns Grow
A new Energy Industries Council report finds UK energy projects are stalling before final investment decisions due to persistent bankability challenges. Forty‑four percent of senior executives say bankability has not improved since early 2025, while 34% cite viable off‑take agreements...
‘More Capital Available’ for Renewable Energy Investments in 2026
At the Solar Finance & Investment Europe summit, experts noted a shift to soft insurance cycles that is freeing up risk capital and easing financing for renewable projects, even as grid constraints and the need for co‑located battery storage persist....
NET Power Pushes Back Project Permian FID
NET Power, backed by Occidental Petroleum, has postponed the final investment decision for its flagship Project Permian clean‑power plant to the back half of the year. The project, which targets a 400‑MW zero‑carbon output using Oxy‑fuel technology, was previously slated...
As Urea Imports Are Poised to Hit Record High, Indian Parliamentary Panel Moots Adopting Green Ammonia for Fertilisers
A parliamentary standing committee urged India to draft a comprehensive roadmap for phased adoption of green ammonia in urea, DAP and NPK production. The call comes as urea imports are set to hit a record 17 lt by May 2026, surpassing...
Sigenergy Unveils 166 kW Inverter for C&I Solar
Chinese solar equipment maker Sigenergy has introduced a 166 kW IP66‑rated inverter aimed at commercial and industrial (C&I) solar projects. The unit features nine MPPT trackers, a peak efficiency of 98.7%, and flexible three‑phase AC outputs up to 480 V, while tolerating...
The Impact of U.S.-Venezuela Relations on Ocean Shipping
U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector are intensifying, combining aggressive enforcement such as tanker seizures with narrowly‑tailored licenses for limited oil and diluent exports. The heightened scrutiny is affecting ocean transportation, with regulators, insurers, and lenders examining vessel movements, charter...
Trump Says US Will Hit Iran ‘Very Hard’ for Another Week
President Donald Trump announced that the United States will intensify attacks on Iran for the next week, following a partial 30‑day waiver for Russian oil purchases aimed at easing soaring fuel prices. The statement came as Brent crude hovered around...
IOUs Work to Interconnect 39 GW of Data Center, Manufacturing Load: EEI
Investor‑owned utilities are coordinating to interconnect roughly 39 GW of data‑center and manufacturing loads, representing more than 80 large‑load projects across the United States. The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) highlighted that 20 states have already approved at least one large‑load tariff,...
Russia’s Nuclear Exports a Flourishing Geopolitical Asset, After Four Years of Ukraine War
Four years after the Ukraine invasion, Russia’s state nuclear firm Rosatom has turned civil nuclear exports into a robust geopolitical tool. The company now leads global reactor sales, offering VVER‑1200 and VVER‑1000 plants financed up to 90% by Russian state...
Mexico Imports Near 7 Bcf/D as Middle East War Adds Upside Risk to Natural Gas Prices
Mexico’s natural gas imports have surged to nearly 7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), approaching a new record as U.S. pipeline exports climb from roughly 5 Bcf/d in early 2023 to peaks above 8 Bcf/d in 2025‑26. Prices at the Agua Dulce hub...
Middle East Shipping Disruptions Boost US Position as Top LNG Exporter
Historic shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have halted roughly 20% of global LNG flow, prompting buyers to seek alternatives. The United States, already the world’s largest LNG exporter, is set to nearly double its export capacity by 2031,...
What Is Dictating Solar Module Price Increases?
Solar module price growth is now driven primarily by five cost pillars: silver paste, polysilicon, glass, aluminium, and energy‑water inputs. Silver paste remains the largest single expense, with record‑high silver prices in early 2026 inflating cell costs. Polysilicon, accounting for...
WindEurope: Clean Power Is the only Future-Proof Play
WindEurope urges Europe to accelerate domestic renewable electricity after the Strait of Hormuz closure exposed the continent’s reliance on volatile fossil‑fuel imports. The group calls for lower electricity taxes, reallocation of emissions‑trading‑system revenues to industrial electrification, and an expanded EU...
SunPower Integrates TPO Solar Company Sunder Energy After Acquisition
SunPower announced the completion of its integration of Sunder Energy, a residential solar contractor it bought in September. The deal was valued at $40 million plus 10 million shares of SunPower stock. Sunder, operating in 21 states and Washington, D.C., specializes in...
ChargePoint Offers Charging Solutions for Ford Pro Customers
Ford Pro and ChargePoint have launched a joint venture in Germany and the UK to provide tailored electric‑vehicle charging solutions for commercial fleets. The offering covers home, depot and workplace installations, leveraging ChargePoint’s expertise in site planning, installation and management. It...
Bahrain Reveals Qualified Bidders for 100 MW BAJ Solar IPP Project
Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority has shortlisted Saudi‑based ACWA Power and UAE‑based Yellow Door Energy to develop a 100 MW solar plant in Bilaj Al Jazayer under a build‑own‑operate public‑private partnership. The project targets commercial operation by 30 September 2027 and forms part...
FEED Contract Marks Step Forward in Mediterranean’s First CO2 Storage Project
Kent has secured a front‑end engineering design (FEED) contract with EnEarth to develop Greece’s first dedicated CO₂ storage facility at the Prinos offshore field. The project will initially inject 1 MtCO₂ per year, scaling to 2.8 MtCO₂ annually by 2029, and includes...
‘Clear Warning Signs’ as PJM Wholesale Power Costs Jump 54% in One Year
PJM Interconnection’s wholesale power costs surged 54% in 2025, reaching $67 billion. Capacity expenses exploded 262%, now 16% of total costs, exposing a 6,500 MW shortfall for the 2027/2028 auction. The spike is driven by rapid data‑center load growth, prompting the independent...
‘Largest and Heaviest’ Part of $5.1B LNG Development Reaches Canadian Shores (Gallery)
Woodfibre LNG received its largest liquefaction module, weighing over 10,800 metric tonnes, at the Squamish‑area project site. The module, the 15th of 19, will cool natural gas to –162 °C using Siemens electric‑drive technology powered by British Columbia’s renewable grid. The...