The cap on domestic energy prices in Britain is expected to drop by around 9% this July, after wholesale energy costs fell amid the warmer weather conditions and U.S. tariffs announcements fuelled fears about economic growth. The government would welcome a reduction in the cap, as it is under pressure to keep its promise to reduce household energy costs. The benchmark British gas price has fallen by around 40% in the last few months as warmer weather has curtailed demand. In addition, the EU Parliament endorsed weaker storage regulations for gas and there are growing fears about a global trade...

CenterPoint Energy announced a decline in its first-quarter profits on Thursday. However, the U.S. utility increased its capital expenditure plans to meet anticipated demand from data centres used for artificial intelligence technology. In January, a winter storm along the U.S. Gulf Coast slowed down major cities such as Houston and New Orleans and broke the record for coldest day in the region. Damage to power lines, and the widespread outages that followed, increased operating and maintenance costs for utilities. CenterPoint reported that its O&M cost rose by 5.4% compared to a year earlier, reaching $747 million in the third quarter....

Taiwan's Premier proposed on Thursday another $10 billion as a budget special to help the economy cope with the impact U.S. Tariffs. Taiwan was due to receive 32% U.S. Tariffs in two weeks, but President Donald Trump suspended his "reciprocal Tariffs" for 90-days. At a press conference held in Taipei on Tuesday, Premier Cho Jung Tai said that the initial T$88.9 billion ($2.71billion) aid package will be increased up to T$410.9 billion ($12.61billion), which includes financing assistance for businesses, measures to stabilize the job market, and subsidies for electric. The special budget must be approved by the parliament. Opposition parties,...

Energy security is a major issue for Australian voters, who are concerned about rising electricity bills and gas shortages. Australia is the second largest LNG exporter in the world, with sales of A$69 billion ($44 billion) last year. With sales of A$69.9 billion ($44.92 billion) in 2013, Australia was the world's No. 2 LNG exporter. It is also the most polluting nation per capita within the OECD. Both the Liberal-National Coalition, led by Peter Dutton and the centre-left Labor Party of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and its conservative counterpart, the Liberal-National Coalition, have pledged to lower gas prices for consumers...

EU officials say that European officials have given up on pushing for an import ban of Russian liquefied gas in the bloc as part of upcoming packages due to resistance from certain governments and the uncertainty over alternative sources. The Commission instead wants to create a road map that will end the EU's dependence on Russian energy in 2027. The plan will be announced early in May, but there are few details. Officials say that the work on the measures has been slow. The Commission will likely propose a 17th set of sanctions against Russia in June. In January, when...

OPEC reduced its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2025 on Monday, for the very first time since the end of December. They cited the impact of the data from the first quarter as well as the trade tariffs announced the United States. In a report published monthly, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) predicted that the world's oil demand will rise by 1,30 million barrels a day in 2025, and by 1,28 million bpd by 2026. Both forecasts are 150,000 barrels per day lower than last month. The U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, as well as...

Stuart Young, the Caribbean's Prime Minister, announced on Tuesday that the United States had revoked the two licenses they granted in the past for the development offshore natural gas projects, between Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Trinidad is one of the biggest exporters of liquefied gas in Latin America, and also of ammonia and methane. However, the Caribbean island aims to develop offshore fields near Venezuela's maritime border and to offset its decreasing reserves. These projects are the only way for Venezuela in the short term to begin to export its gas and monetize the vast reserves. This would provide...

Dutch and British gas rates continued to drop on Monday morning, as fears of a trade war and warmer temperatures resulting in a weaker demand for energy weighed heavily on the market. LSEG data shows that the benchmark Dutch front-month contract fell 1.75 euros, or $11.19/mmBtu to 34.70 Euros per megawatt hour. The contract reached 33.65 Euros/MWh earlier in the year, its lowest level ever since September 2024. The Dutch June contract is down by 1.92 Euros at 34.83 euro/MWh. The British day-ahead contracts was down 4.25 pence to 85.25p/therm. The global financial markets were shook by Donald Trump's tariff...

The oil price plunged to its lowest level since 2021 on Friday, and other commodities such as natural gas and soya beans also fell. This was due to China's retaliation against the aggressive tariffs imposed by U.S. president Donald Trump. Beijing announced an additional 34% levy for all U.S. products, retaliating after Trump announced that a 10% minimum duty would be applied to most U.S. imported goods. The duties were significantly higher for dozens countries, including China. Bjarne Shieldrop is chief commodities analyst for SEB. He said, "This is China's first explicit escalation, and they are not backing off, they...

The Dutch and British gas price fell on Wednesday morning, as the warmer weather forecasts reduced demand. Meanwhile, the market closely monitors Trump's "Liberation Day tariff plan". LSEG data shows that the Dutch front-month contract fell by 0.54 euros to 42.13 Euro per megawatt hour or $13.34/mmBtu at 0811 GMT. The Dutch day-ahead contracts was down by 0.72 euros at 41.95 Euro/MWh. The British day-ahead contracts was down 0.85 cents at 101.75p/therm. On Wednesday, U.S. president Donald Trump was ready to impose tariffs on all global trading partners. He would likely increase costs and invite retaliation. "Today's market could be...

According to a document obtained by, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), a proxy advisor, recommends that shareholders vote for the reelection of BP’s board and management during the annual general meeting on April 17. BP's stock has performed worse than rivals Shell and Exxon over the past five years. Investors have blamed this in part on 2020, the company’s plan to grow its renewable business and cut oil and gas production. After watering down this plan, BP accelerated the pivot back to hydrocarbons with a new strategy last month. Two shareholders said that Elliott Management, an activist shareholder with a...

Shell pledged on Tuesday to return more cash, mostly via buybacks. It also trimmed its budget for investment through 2028, and hinted at the possibility of selling or closing certain of its chemical assets. Oil and Gas Major raised shareholder distribution target from 30%-40% to 40%- 50% of cash flows from operations. The world's largest liquefied gas (LNG), trader, also stated that it aimed to increase LNG sales by 4-5% annually over the next five-year period and production by 1% per year while maintaining oil output at 1.4 million barrels a day. Shell predicts that global demand for natural gas...

Kristalina Georgeieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said that it will remain "laser-focused" on preventing balance-of payments crises. It will also incorporate concerns raised by President Trump into its policies. Georgieva said at a press conference held during the IMF and World Bank spring meetings that representatives of the Fund’s 190 member countries would discuss the directives issued by U.S. Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent. Bessent also expressed his support for the multilateral crisis lending institution. Bessent called on the IMF and World Bank on Wednesday to focus on their core missions, macroeconomic stability, and development. He...

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote next week on the Republican plan to repeal Biden's approval of California’s landmark plan that would end the sale of only gasoline vehicles by 2035. The office of House Majority leader Steve Scalise said that on Wednesday, lawmakers would vote to repeal the waiver given by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December to California allowing it to mandate at minimum 80% electric cars by 2035. These rules have also been adopted by 11 other states. The question remains as to whether Congress has the power to revoke the waiver under the Congressional...

Non-profits in the United States that are focused on climate change prepare to fight against a possible action by the Trump Administration to revoke tax exemptions this week. Climate change groups have circulated memos in the last few weeks outlining the rumored executive action they expect from Donald Trump. This includes a change to IRS regulations to remove climate changes from the list of charitable topics that qualify and blocking the use U.S. grant funding to fund overseas projects. Concerns were raised after Trump made comments criticizing the charitable status granted to Harvard University. This was seen as an initial...

The European Commission has made changes to the anti-deforestation legislation of the European Union that will take effect in December. The law will prohibit imports of products such as soy, beef and cocoa that are linked to the destruction of forests. Brussels delayed the launch of the policy by an entire year due to complaints from Brazil, Indonesia, and the former Biden administration. The Commission, in response to the industry's demands, published a set of rules late Tuesday that require companies to submit due diligence statements annually rather than each time a shipment or batch is placed on the EU...

Scientists said that Europe experienced its worst flooding since 2013 last year, with 30 percent of the continent's rivers being affected by major floods. Climate change caused by fossil fuels continues to cause torrential rainfall and other extreme weather. In a report jointly published by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (ECCS) and the World Meteorological Organization on Europe's Climate, they said that flooding in Europe would kill at least 335 and affect more than 410,000 people. Western Europe was the hardest hit, with 2024 being one of the ten wettest seasons in region's records dating back to 1950....

Focus of policymakers on emissions from buildings and homes Renters are concerned that home renovations could lead to displacement Pennsylvania protects tenants with green push By Carey L Biron As homes and buildings contribute more than one-third of the U.S. greenhouse gases, policymakers are now pushing landlords for weatherization, energy efficiency improvements and replacing old fossil fuel appliances. There is growing concern, however, that these incentives may also encourage landlords to increase rents or evict tenants under the pretext of eco-friendly upgrades. Rent regulations and other protections are needed to keep tenants in their homes. Federal funding of tens of...

Two sources with knowledge of the matter have confirmed that the Trump administration intends to cancel a contract for an assessment of climate change in order to guide government policy. The administration will terminate the contract with ICF, the global advisory firm that works on the National Climate Assessment. This is a comprehensive report on climate change in the United States published every five-years. ICF is the largest employer of U.S. The U.S. Global Change Research Program, an agency established by Congress in 1990 for the coordination of research and investment related to climate change and overseeing the last five...

Valter Correia Da Silva, Valter's Special Secretary for COP30 in the Brazilian government, said on Wednesday that Brazil had scheduled the first round of negotiations to help countries prepare for COP30 - the global climate summit. The main event will begin at Belem in the Amazonian region of Brazil about a month prior. He said that the Pre-COP will be held in Brasilia on October 14 and 15. The Pre-COP, despite being a smaller event with just the main negotiators present, has become more important this year due to the fact that countries are struggling to meet their new pledges...

Gold price surge helps drive deforestation Mercury from gold mining pollutes rivers Clean tech boosts productivity for women miners By Dan Collyns Illegal mining in Madre de Dios has created a landscape that resembles a desert, with craters, dead animals, and poisoned waterways. "We can't continue to pollute and release more mercury into the atmosphere," said Victoria Condori (65), an artisanal mining concession owner on the Madre de Dios River. She employs 16 workers in an 800-hectare (1,977 acre) area. A dozen miners, using heavy diggers, hoses with high pressure and sluices can turn 20 tons of soil in to...

According to a letter sent by community groups to the county health department, Elon Musk's xAI nearly doubled the number of gas turbines in its Tennessee data center. This is more than the previously known numbers and the number that the company had submitted for permits. Southern Environmental Law Center, along with local groups, has called on the Health Department to stop operating all turbines until the company adheres to the Clean Air Act as well as local protections. The Environmental Protection Agency, Shelby County Health Department, and xAI have not responded to our requests for comment. The Southern Environmental...

The executive order issued by U.S. president Donald Trump on Tuesday aims to prevent the enforcement of laws that have been passed in states to reduce fossil fuel use and combat climate changes. This is just the latest effort by Trump's Administration to boost domestic energy production and fight back against policies largely led by Democrats to curb carbon emission. The move came only hours after Trump, the Republican, had issued orders to increase coal output. The order directs the U.S. Attorney general to identify state legislation that addresses climate change, ESG Initiatives, environmental justice, and carbon emissions and take...

Rio Tinto is supplying 70% of the iron for a new steelmaking facility based on hydrogen, which will be developed by Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine with steel-making technology supplier Primetals Technologies. The Voestalpine Linz test facility will process iron ore using hydrogen rather than coal, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Rio Tinto's contribution will be its technical expertise in iron ore and 70% of the raw materials from its global operations. This will help to accelerate the technology’s market-readiness. This technology allows iron ore to directly be used without having it first formed into pellets. This could reduce energy and cost....