Power Markets

Coal has been given an unlikely reprieve by the combination of U.S. support and the Iran War. Don't call this a comeback. In the first weeks of Tehran’s war against the U.S., and Israel, the global seaborne thermal prices of coal rose by over 25%. Prices rose to the highest level since late-2024, adding new momentum to a 'unexpected' rebound. This price rise reflects short-term market conditions, not a structural improvement in the?coal economy, as is evident by the fact that prices are only 15% higher than pre-war levels. These recent steps come after coal achieved several positive milestones in...

Duke Energy is seeking approval from North Carolina regulators for an increase in 'its prices' and to recover $800 million more from its customers due to a?higher cost of fuel and power during a severe winter cold snap. On Wednesday, the company said it was attempting to recover winter power and fuel costs of about $500 million for Duke Energy Carolinas and $309 million for Duke Energy Progress. If approved, this would increase monthly bills from June 1 by approximately $6.90 or $7.88. Duke Energy Carolinas supplies approximately 2.3 million customers throughout central and western North Carolina, while Duke Energy...

Big Tech has reshaped the funding landscape of new nuclear technologies. It is seeking to boost electricity supply for power hungry AI data centers. Deals are being signed that offer both?funding for nuclear companies and a more clear path to make money. A number of?U.S. The U.S. is developing modular reactors which are smaller, more advanced and more scalable than conventional nuclear power plants. But no commercial electricity has been produced yet due to challenges like financing and unique risks. The sector is gaining momentum due to the need to provide enough energy to power the data centers in the...

New Jersey lifted its de-facto moratorium on nuclear energy on Wednesday in the state. The state is grappling with some of the fastest-rising power bills in the United States. Electricity demand is outpacing the addition of new supply. Sherrill’s office released a statement that said the Governor signed legislation to remove a permit requirement that had effectively prohibited nuclear power development for decades. The law required a method for radioactive waste disposal that was unattainable. Instead, the state will issue permits for radioactive-waste storage that comply with federal nuclear regulations. Sherrill, who won the top government position in January after...

Last week, the U.S. Nuclear Power Regulator voted to phase out agency-led inspections of operating reactors. A safety advocate criticized this move as a failure on the part of government responsibilities to protect Americans against attacks 'on the plants. On Friday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it had voted to phase-out "force-on force" inspection programs. This was a program in which the agency controlled mock commando attacks to test for potential vulnerabilities at nuclear plants. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress strengthened the program to require inspections at all nuclear plants every three years. The move is...

The governor of California, the largest state in the United States, announced on Thursday that federal regulators had approved an operating license extension for the last nuclear power plant still standing in the state. Under'state law, it can run until at least '2030. PG&E Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, located on California's Central Coast, was originally scheduled to close in?2025. However the plant which contributes 10% of 'the state's overall electricity has remained operational despite 'rising demand and rising power bills' California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that the renewed federal licenses will allow Diablo Canyon to continue providing a 24/7...

SpaceX filed an IPO on Wednesday that Elon Musk claims will fund an effort to transform the rocket manufacturer into an 'AI powerhouse. Launching up to 1,000,000 data-center satellites in orbit to bypass Earth's power and water limitations. Microsoft had a similar ambition to escape land-based computing constraints in 2015, when it lowered ?a shipping-container-sized data center onto the seabed off Scotland, aiming to cut energy ?use through natural seawater cooling and tapping offshore wind and tidal power. Microsoft's Project Natick, once hailed as a?potential breakthrough? for the data-center sector, has met all of its technical goals, but the underwater...

Utility Entergy announced that Meta Platforms would 'pay the full cost of service for the planned 'hyperscale data center in north-east Louisiana under a revised agreement. Early Friday, shares of the utility rose 4.8%. The company stated that the agreement will deliver nearly two billion dollars in savings to customers?over a period of 20 years?, on top of the $650 millions announced last year. Meta revealed plans to invest $10 billion in a hyperscale center in Richland Parish in northeast Louisiana. The project was announced by the Facebook parent in late 2024. The rapid expansion of data centres is being...

The U.S. grid operators PJM and Constellation Energy have told Constellation Energy that the former 'Three Mile Island Nuclear Power?plant in Pennsylvania will likely not be able connect to the grid before 2031. This is four years later than originally planned. Constellation has been working on a plan to restart operations at the nuclear plant, which will be renamed as the "Crane Clean Energy Center" to provide electricity to Microsoft's data centers. Constellation's chief?external? affairs and growth officer, David Dardis said that the company would?be able to produce electricity by the earlier goal and is?talking with grid operator PJM to...

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said 'on Thursday that Iran is allowing 10 'oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz as a 'goodwill gesture during negotiations. Trump's comments were made at a Cabinet Meeting in the White House. He elaborated on what he previously called a "present from Iran". Trump said, "They'said', to show that we are real and solid, we will let you have eight boats of oil. Eight boats, eight large boats of oil." "I 'guess they were real, and they were'real. I think they were Pakistani flagged." It turned out to be 10 boats." The White...

The U.S. grid operators PJM and Constellation Energy have told Constellation Energy the 'former Three -Mile Island nuclear /power?plant' in Pennsylvania will likely not be able connect to the grid before 2031. This is four years later than originally planned. Constellation is working to restart operations at its nuclear power plant, which will be renamed Crane Clean Energy Center to "feed Microsoft data centres". Constellation's chief?external and growth officer, David Dardis said that the company will be ready to produce electricity at the plant before its goal of 2027. It is also in talks with the grid operator PJM interconnection...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s information arm will launch a pilot survey on Wednesday to gauge the energy consumption of 'the country's' data centers. Silicon Valley has invested hundreds of billions in expanding energy-intensive data centres across the U.S. but it is unclear how much power the sector consumes. Americans are worried about the impact of artificial intelligence on their utility bills. Tech giants have been exploring using coal, natural gas and nuclear power to power their data centres. Tristan Abbey, the head of the Energy Information Administration (EIA), said this at the CERAWeek Conference in Houston. EIA will start...

The government of Sweden announced a spring mini-budget that will slash fuel taxes, and increase electricity subsidies. This is to help ease the burden on households who are paying higher energy costs due to the war in Iran. The additional spending will be 7.7 billion crowns (825 million dollars) ahead of the September parliamentary elections. This is on top of an 80 billion crowns in new spending announced last September in the full year budget bill for 2026. "Sweden's on the right track." The Swedish economy remains strong despite war and uncertainty overseas. We continue to build safety barriers. Since...

On?Sunday?, Iranian drone attacks hit multiple targets in Kuwait. State?energy company Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reported fires and "severe damage" to some units. KPC stated in a press release that teams are working to contain fires at National Petroleum Company and Petrochemical Industries Company affiliates. KPC said earlier that a drone had attacked the complex housing the KPC headquarters and oil ministry in Shuwaikh. Kuwaiti state media, citing Kuwait's finance ministry, reported that an Iranian drone had allegedly 'hit an office complex of government ministries, inflicting significant material damage, but no injuries. Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity and Water said that two...

The electricity ministry announced on Saturday that Egypt will raise electricity prices for residential and commercial consumers who use more electricity. This increase is due to a global energy crisis caused by the Gulf War. The government has taken a number of measures to reduce energy consumption and curb fiscal pressures as rising import costs put pressure on the finances of the most populous Arab country. The ministry stated that the increase would only affect households with higher consumption and commercial users. This was done to ensure the supply of electricity across residential, industrial and commercial sectors. The report said...

Donald Trump, the U.S. President, warned late on Thursday that he would destroy bridges and electric power plants across Iran. This was his latest threat of destroying Iran's infrastructure. The U.S. Military "hasn't yet started to destroy what's remaining in Iran." Trump posted on Twitter that he would be focusing his attention next on bridges, followed by electric power plants. In his post, he said that Iran’s leadership "knows" what needs to be done and "has to be done FAST!" Trump, who previously has offered shifting timelines for the war and different objectives, said in a televised address on Wednesday...

A document containing an EU internal briefing revealed that the European Union's energy ministers would meet on Tuesday in order to coordinate their responses to the disruption of oil and gas market caused by the Iran War. Europe's heavy reliance?on imports of energy has exposed it to spiraling prices, since the Strait?of Hormuz, the main shipping route was closed effectively and Tehran began attacking the energy infrastructure in Middle East. Since the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran began on 28 February, European gas prices have increased by more than 70%. The EU document asked ministers to "indicate which concrete...

Security?sources say that a 'drone attack' targeted the home of the President of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region?early Saturday morning. This?incidences comes at a time when tensions are rising in northern Iraq. Sources added that air defences shot down a drone in Duhok near a base of Peshmerga warriors. The strikes come amid an increase in attacks against both Iran-aligned forces and?Kurdish ones as the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran spills?over into Iraq, attracting multiple armed group and straining Baghdad’s efforts to contain?the fallout. His office reported that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani spoke to him on the phone and condemned...

Taiwan won't raise electricity prices at this time despite the increase in energy prices caused by the Middle East war, according to the Economy Ministry. This will help to maintain price stability and industrial competitiveness. The government has been heavily subsidising energy to limit the impact on consumers of the rising energy prices caused by the Middle East war. The ministry released a statement saying that "in light of the 'risks' arising from the escalating conflict and the changes in international tariffs and to maintain industrial competitiveness and stabilize consumer prices, the committee decided to not adjust electricity rates at...

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, said that Iran had made major concessions to 'the United States in energy matters. He described this as a positive development but did not provide any details. Trump said the gift had something to do with the Strait of Hormuz - the waterway for oil transit that the United States have struggled to maintain open. "They gave us an?present, and the present arrived this morning, and it was worth a huge amount of money," Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office. "It was not nuclear. It was oil and gas related,...

On Tuesday, oil prices soared on fears of a shortage, after Iran denied that it had?talks? with the United States about ending the Gulf War, in contradiction to U.S. president Donald Trump, who claimed a deal would be reached soon. Crude futures dropped by more than 10% after Trump ordered the delay of attacks on Iran's power plants for five days, claiming that he had held talks with Iranian officials who were not named, and they had reached "major agreements". Brent futures were up $1.25 or 1.3% to $101.19 a barrel by 0858 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose $2.15...

Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, said that the fundamentals of Indian economy were strong, and that the country had enough petroleum, fertilizers, and coal to weather the trade and energy disruptions brought on by the U.S. and Israeli 'war on Iran. The conflict, which started last month, has affected sectors ranging from air travel, shipping, and gas supplies. It also caused the Strait of Hormuz to be almost closed, which is a major conduit for 40% of India’s crude oil imports. Modi, the lower house of parliament, said that India had enough petroleum reserves, with strategic reserves exceeding...

The government of Poland announced on Thursday that it had foiled a cyberattack against its nuclear research centre. It is now examining possible signs that Iran may be responsible. Poland claims it has been the victim of many cyberattacks ever since Russia invaded Ukraine on a large scale in 2022. Moscow has denied any involvement. Krzysztof GAWKOWSKI, Minister of Digital Affairs at TVN24+, said that the attack against Poland's National Center for Nuclear Research had taken place "in recent days". "The attack was not on a large scale, but it was an attempt at breaking through security that was stopped....

The restart of nuclear reactors in Japan is expected to boost sales at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)'s nuclear power unit next year. This will be a record 400 billion yen, or $2.54 billion. This is well ahead of previous forecasts. Hiroshi Nishio said in an interview that we originally thought it would reach 400 billion yen by 2030. MHI plans to increase its headcount by about 10% in the reactor division next year, as orders continue to grow. After 15 years of the nuclear crisis in Japan caused by the tsunami, 15?of the 33 reactors are now operational. The Japanese...