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 yet outweighed the bullish influence of geopolitical risk. Consequently, price movements remain muted despite the volatility that preceded the close.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Druzhba Flows Halted, More Russian Refineries Under Attack
Slovakia and Hungary have reported a complete halt of Russian crude deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline, marking the latest escalation in the energy conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. Simultaneously, a series of drone attacks this week have damaged several Russian...
Aramco Set for Initial Jafurah Condensate Exports
Saudi Aramco will load its first cargoes of Jafurah condensate in March, following the start‑up of the giant Jafurah wet‑gas project late last year. The development converts wet gas into condensate and LPG, adding a new stream to the kingdom’s...
TC Energy Tops Q4 Profit Estimate on Strong U.S. Natural Gas Demand
TC Energy reported fourth‑quarter earnings per share of US $0.72, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68, driven by record natural‑gas deliveries in both the United States and Canada. U.S. pipeline flows rose 9.5% YoY to 29.6 Bcf/d, while Canadian deliveries hit a...
City’s Adoption of EUI Signals Less Reliance on Third-Party Building Certifications
Alexandria, Virginia, approved a new ordinance that lets developers meet green‑building requirements using an energy‑use intensity (EUI) metric instead of relying solely on third‑party certifications. The rule applies to commercial projects of 10,000 sq ft or larger, offering a choice between traditional...
The Rate Case for Grid Resilience: Why Climate Change Isn’t Just About Storms
Utilities are underestimating climate‑driven physical risk because reliability models still use historic weather baselines. Repath’s analysis of a €1.5 billion European grid shows that under a business‑as‑usual (RCP 8.5) pathway, average‑annual loss could shave 30.6 % off the portfolio’s gross value by 2050,...
California Power Aggregators Sign on for 50-MW Slice of Compressed-Air Long-Duration Energy Storage
Hydrostor has secured a 50‑MW offtake agreement with California Community Power for its Willow Rock Energy Storage Center, a 500‑MW/4,000‑MWh advanced compressed‑air energy storage (A‑CAES) project. The facility will provide eight hours of continuous discharge, delivering firm capacity to six...
Enbridge Books Record-High Core Earnings for 2025
Enbridge posted record‑high 2025 core earnings, reporting adjusted EBITDA of US$14.7 billion, a 7% increase over 2024, and a 9% rise in adjusted earnings. The fourth‑quarter adjusted EPS of US$0.65 topped analyst forecasts of US$0.56. The company credited expanding pipeline takeaway...
Transmission Drives Exelon’s Capital Spending Plan to $41.3B
Exelon announced a $41.3 billion, four‑year capital plan, with transmission accounting for more than 70% of the increase. The utility added $2.3 billion for high‑voltage upgrades to support an 18 GW data‑center pipeline and broader load growth. CFO Jeanne Jones projected an additional...
Denmark Records 292 Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tankers Passing Through Danish Straits
New data from the Danish Maritime Authority shows that 292 EU‑sanctioned Russian tankers sailed through the Øresund, Great Belt and Skagerrak in 2025, confirming the Danish straits as a critical gateway for Russia’s shadow fleet. The fleet has expanded since...
New England Receives Another LNG Import Cargo as Winter Takes Its Toll
The Excelerate Shenandoah delivered a full LNG cargo from Trinidad’s Atlantic terminal to the Everett import facility in Boston Harbor. The shipment marks the fourth cargo received at Everett this winter, adding to a total of six deliveries last winter and...
IEA Dials Back Its Oversupply Warning After Winter Shocks
The International Energy Agency trimmed its 2026 oversupply warning after a surprise 1.2 million barrels‑per‑day supply drop caused by cold snaps in the United States and a power‑outage‑forced shutdown at Kazakhstan’s Tengiz field. Europe’s gas inventories fell to just 35 % of...
AEP Contracted Large Load Pipeline Doubles to 56 GW
American Electric Power (AEP) announced its contracted large‑load pipeline will reach 56 GW by 2030, doubling from the previous quarter. Data centers account for roughly 90% of this new demand, especially in Texas, Ohio, Indiana and Oklahoma. The utility’s five‑year capital‑expenditure...
Maersk, Eurogate Plan €1 Billion Bet on Zero-Emission Bremerhaven Container Hub
Maersk’s APM Terminals and Germany’s Eurogate are negotiating a partnership that could inject up to €1 billion into Bremerhaven’s North Sea Terminal. The funding aims to fully electrify the site, power it with renewables and lift capacity from 3 million to 4 million...
Data Centers Pursue On-Site Power as Affordability Tops Utility Concerns: BofA
Data‑center developers are accelerating on‑site power projects as residential electricity rates surge 37% since 2020, prompting concerns over utility affordability ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Bank of America analysts say developers will first secure fast‑deployable resources such as gas...
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France Aims to Boost Decarbonised Power Production by 20% over Decade, Encourage Demand
France’s new energy planning law (PPE) sets a decarbonised electricity goal of 650‑693 TWh by 2035, up from 540 TWh today, and aims for 70% of total energy consumption to come from clean power. The decree trims wind and solar targets by...
Aviramp Secures New Irish Contract
Aviramp has installed a solar‑powered, step‑free boarding ramp at Ireland West Airport in Knock. The ramp offers a gentle slope, added passenger shelter, and is designed for wheelchair users, parents with prams and other travelers with reduced mobility. Airport operations...
BNP Election Win Could Reshape Bangladesh's Energy Mix
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a decisive parliamentary majority, clearing the path for a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s energy strategy. Its manifesto pledges to lift renewable power to 20% of the mix by 2030, a dramatic rise from today’s...
Correction to Rationale of Premium Hard Coking Coal, Fob Eastern Australian Ports: Pricing Notice
Fastmarkets corrected the pricing rationale for its Premium Hard Coking Coal (PHCC) index FOB eastern Australian ports on 12 Feb 2026. The index fell $2.43 per wmt that day, reflecting limited market activity and the application of fallback measures. A notable trade...
Mapping ‘Hard-to-Heat’ Homes in the UK
Ordnance Survey has mapped 23.6 million UK homes to create a heat‑retention index that flags properties most vulnerable to fuel poverty. The index draws on the National Geospatial Database and satellite‑derived observations, enabling granular climate‑risk profiling. Simon Navin highlighted how this...
‘Beyond a Lithium-Only Future’: How US Trade Rules Could Accelerate BESS Diversification
US trade policy changes – FEOC restrictions and a 25% Section 301 tariff on Chinese‑origin battery energy storage systems (BESS) – took effect on 1 January, tightening cost and compliance pressures. While Chinese lithium‑ion BESS remain marginally cheaper on equipment‑only pricing, developers...
CleanCo Opens 500MWh Tesla Megapack BESS in Queensland, Australia
CleanCo Queensland has commissioned the Swanbank Battery, a 250 MW/500 MWh grid‑scale storage system built with Tesla’s Megapack technology at the former Swanbank coal‑power site near Brisbane. The AU$330 million project, funded by the Queensland Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund, began testing...
Battery Tech Startup E-TRNL Energy Raises ₹27.4 Cr For Product Development
e-TRNL Energy, a battery‑tech startup founded in 2021, secured ₹27.4 cr ($3 mn) in a seed round led by IAN Alpha Fund. The capital will fund completion of its chemistry‑agnostic lithium‑ion and future sodium‑ion cell technology and demonstrate large‑scale manufacturing in India....
Ikeja Electric Ties Power Supply to Tax IDs for Businesses
Nigeria’s largest electricity distributor, Ikeja Electric, announced that all business customers must provide a Tax Identification Number, National Identification Number, or CAC registration details to receive valid bills. The company set a seven‑day deadline, requiring submissions by February 20, 2026, after which...
Nigeria Marginal Field Dispute Raises Investor Concerns After Dawes Island Court Ruling
A Federal High Court in Nigeria overturned the 2020 revocation of the Dawes Island marginal field licence, reinstating Eurafric Energy Limited’s rights. The ruling challenges the Ministry of Petroleum Resources’ decision not to renew the licence after a decade of...
MOL Group Enters Libya Offshore in Joint Venture with Repsol and TPAO
MOL Group has secured a 20% stake in Libya’s O7 offshore block through a joint venture with Repsol and Turkey’s TPAO. The block covers over 10,300 sq km in water deeper than 1,500 m, awarded in Libya’s first licensing round in 17 years....
North Sea’s First Methane-Certified ‘Grade A’ Gas Project Launched by ONE-Dyas
ONE‑Dyas has launched the N05‑A development in the Dutch‑German North Sea, becoming the region’s first offshore gas project to earn MiQ Grade A certification for methane emissions. The field, part of the GEMS area, holds up to 50 billion cubic metres of...
Partners Advance Vaca Muerta-Linked Argentina LNG Export Development
YPF, Eni and XRG have signed a binding joint development agreement to move the Argentina LNG project forward, leveraging gas from the Vaca Muerta shale play. The plan calls for two floating LNG units delivering a combined 12 million tonnes per year...
Oceanbird Lands First Commercial Order
Oceanbird, the Alfa Laval–Wallenius joint venture, announced its first commercial sale, delivering two Wing 560 wing sails for retrofit in Europe slated for early 2027. The order fills the initial production slots, shifting Oceanbird from prototype demonstrations to a commercial rollout. The...
Singapore Mulls Keeping Carbon Tax at Low End of Target
Singapore’s finance minister said the city‑state may keep its carbon tax near the low end of the $50‑80 per tonne range slated for 2030, after noting a slowdown in global climate momentum. The current levy sits at S$45 (~$35.60) per tonne, already...
CNOOC Targets 40% Offshore Wind Capacity Ramp up in 2026
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced a 40% increase in offshore wind capacity for 2026, targeting 3.5 GW of installed power. The expansion, executed with turbine maker Ming Yang Smart Energy, will roll out advanced turbines across southern provinces. Falling costs...
Energy Insiders Podcast: Why Batteries Are Getting Bigger and Marrying Solar
The Energy Insiders podcast featured Sam Reynolds, head of Octopus Australia, outlining plans to construct the country’s largest battery and the rise of solar‑battery hybrid projects. He explained how falling storage costs and grid‑balancing needs are driving batteries to scale...