Power Markets

Southern California Edison, a subsidiary utility Edison International said it submitted a plan on Friday to rebuild areas in its service area that were destroyed by the Los Angeles fires of January. SCE stated that the preliminary plan, which was presented to California Governor Gavin Newsom, is estimated to cost between $925 million and $860 million. Securing alternative funding sources, they added, was crucial to make this plan a success. Wildfires ravaged LA beginning on 7 January, causing dozens of fatalities and the destruction of thousands of homes. The cost of the disaster is estimated to have been the highest...

The U.S. Energy regulators denied this week a request for reconsideration of a decision which prevented an Amazon datacenter, directly connected to a Talen Energy Nuclear Power Plant in Pennsylvania, to increase its power usage, according to government filings. Big Tech's race for massive amounts of energy to fuel their AI data centers led to new arrangements with power companies. These included so-called "co-located" deals where giant computer warehouses were powered directly from the power source. These arrangements promise to accelerate the artificial intelligence expansion of the technology industry by eliminating the wait time to connect to a broader grid....

Rasmus Errboe, the CEO of Orsted in Denmark, told the Financial Times that President Donald Trump's tariffs would have "a meaningful impact" on its U.S. projects. Errboe said in the newspaper that the new tariffs would affect Orsted's large wind projects, Sunrise Wind and Revolution Wind, located in the U.S. Orsted published a piece in the FT that called on European capitals for a consistent support of the offshore wind industry every year to help meet targets and reverse costs. Orsted didn't immediately respond to our request for comment. Trump announced earlier Wednesday that he would lower temporarily the heavy...

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...

Constellation Energy, the major U.S. energy provider, defended to regulators its planned acquisition Calpine on Tuesday after consumer groups complained that the deal could give the combined company too much power in the market, according to a regulatory filing. Constellation announced in January that it had agreed to purchase Calpine for $16.4 billion. This was one of the largest acquisitions ever made by the U.S. energy industry. Later that month, the companies asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for approval of the transaction. This would make Constellation, the largest independent power company in the United States. Since then, consumer groups...

Sources close to the company's operations on Tuesday said that Venezuela's PDVSA, a state-owned oil company, is restarting the fluid catalytic cracked (FCC) at its El Palito refinery, which was shut down for 11 months. This will partially offset a suspension of key refinery units due to an electrical blackout. PDVSA is increasing domestic refining in order to avoid a fuel crisis. The U.S. government has tightened sanctions against the energy sector of the country, which prevents it from importing replacement parts and equipment necessary to maintain and upgrade its refining units. Venezuela's largest refinery, the 645,000-barrel-per-day Amuay, has been...

On Thursday, the administration of Donald Trump announced that it had identified 16 sites in the United States Energy Department where data centers and energy plants could be built to support artificial intelligence. Why it's important The rapid growth of AI has led to the first surge in U.S. electricity demand in 20 years, sending Big Tech companies and utility companies scrambling for new data centers and energy plants. DOE stated that the potential sites were positioned to allow rapid construction of data centers, with in-place infrastructure and the ability for fast-tracking permits for new energy production such as nuclear...

Energy Information Administration of the United States reported on Wednesday that the U.S. produced a greater amount of uranium concentrat, which is used as fuel for nuclear reactors, during the final three months in 2024 than in any other quarter over the past six years. The EIA reported that the increase in output was due to higher uranium prices and the restart of production at White Mesa Mill, the only uranium-producing mill in the United States. Why it's important Data centers, onshored production and electrification in buildings and transportation have all contributed to the rise of electricity demand in the...

The companies announced on Monday that Dow Chemical and X-energy Reactor Company had submitted a permit application to Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a proposed project at Seadrift in Texas. Why is it important? In recent years, the U.S. Nuclear Industry has experienced challenges with expansion. However, the industry is now experiencing a boom in demand due to the power-intensive nature of data centers, and the shift towards low-emission, alternative energy sources. Small modular reactors are becoming more popular among companies. They are compact, cost-effective and faster to construct than full-sized nuclear reactors which can take years to build. The project...

Cal Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that a rapidly growing wildfire in California’s Eastern Sierra region has burned 1,000 acres and forced evacuations across multiple counties. Cal Fire reported that the Silver Fire, which erupted around 2:11 pm PT Sunday near Highway 6 & Silver Canyon Road, was still at zero percent containment. Cal Fire said that evacuation orders had been issued for a number of communities including Laws, in Inyo County; Chalfant, in Mono County; and White Mountain Estates. Also, a 30-mile stretch along U.S. Highway 6 has been closed. No immediate reports of...

Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are exploring the possibility of selling their majority stake in German renewable projects developer PNE. This could lead to a bid being made for the 1,09 billion euro ($1.17 billion), firm. One person said that Goldman Sachs is already contacting potential private equity investors about their interest in Morgan Stanley’s 50.06% stake, currently valued at around 543 million Euros, in PNE. The people added that the deliberations are still at an early stage, and it is not certain if a deal will happen. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and PNE declined to comment. According to German...

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant was a Russian facility, and it was impossible to transfer control of this plant to Ukraine or other countries. The ministry said that it was also not permissible to operate the plant jointly, as it would make it impossible to ensure the safety of the station in terms of both physical and nuclear security. The report said that the Zaporizhzhia Region, which is partly controlled by Russian troops, was one out of four regions in Ukraine to be annexed into Russia as a result of referendums held seven...

In the current term of the U.S. Supreme Court, there are cases that involve guns, gender affirming medical care for minors who identify as transgender, online pornography and religious rights, TikTok and preventive healthcare. There are also cases involving funding Planned Parenthood, job discrimination and federal regulatory powers over nuclear waste storage, vape products and voting rights. Take a look at the recent and upcoming cases that the justices will be deciding. 'GHOST GUN' On March 26, the court upheld a federal rule targeting "ghost guns", which are largely untraceable, imposed by former Democratic President Joe Biden in an effort...

Taiwan won't raise electricity prices at this time due to global uncertainty about the impact of trade policies and geopolitical risk. However, the government will ask parliament for funds to help the state-run energy firm stem losses worth nearly $13 billion. In order to limit inflation, the government has heavily subsidised energy. However, it did increase power prices between September and April last year. After a meeting with its committee to review electricity prices on Friday, Taiwan's Economy Ministry said that the members "carefully examined the impact of electricity bill on prices and decided that electricity prices will not be...

China's coal exports increased 2.1% in the past year, according to official data released on Friday. The import arbitrage was still open, despite the risks that could affect the outlook of imports. China releases data for both months together to reduce the impact of Lunar New Year which can fall in either month. Data from the General Administration of Customs shows that imports from January to February were 76.12 millions metric tons. This is up from 74.52million tons the previous year. Two major industry groups last week called for limits on coal imports from China, especially low-quality coals, due to...

The Environment Ministry announced on Tuesday that China is seeking public opinion regarding rules for the importation of leftovers from the recycling spent lithium-ion batterys, as well recycled steel materials. The deadline for comments was set at March 20, in accordance with China's desire to speed up recycling efforts. This is reflected in the establishment of the China Resources Recycling Group, a group that focuses on recycling in the city of Tianjin, located in the north of the country. According to the proposal of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, black mass, which is a mixture of nickel and cobalt...

As part of the Trump administration's "maximum-pressure" campaign against Tehran, the United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on six entities in Hong Kong and China that they accused of involvement in an Iranian drone acquisition network. The U.S. Treasury Department announced that entities involved in the procurement of components for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on behalf of a firm under U.S. sanction, Pishtazan Kavosh Gostar Boshra and its subsidiary Narin Sepehr Mobin Isatis were also key suppliers to Iran's UAVs and ballistic missile program. We were unable to reach PKGB and NSMI immediately for comment. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated...

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel opened the first of 92 Solar Parks on Friday, as part of an initiative backed by China to reduce the number of blackouts that can last for hours in the Caribbean Island nation. The park in Havana is one of 55 that are expected to be online by this year. It will generate 1,200 megawatts. Last year, the outdated power grid of this Communist-run nation collapsed multiple times. A severe fuel shortage made it impossible for smaller clusters to operate diesel-powered generators which typically backup the system. Blackouts that lasted for years have weakened the economy,...

The Ganfeng lithium mining company in China has started producing lithium in its Mariana project, located in northern Argentina. This is the first of many new lithium projects that are underway in South America. Ganfeng, one of the largest producers of white metal in the world is used primarily to manufacture rechargeable batteries. The Mariana plant in Salta province represents an investment of $790 million and is capable of producing 20,000 metric tonnes of lithium chloride each year. This comes from the extraction of the Llullaillaco flat salt. Ganfeng spent another $190 million on a solar park that will support...

Japan's agricultural, forest and fishery exports rose by 3.7% in 2024 to reach a new record, despite China banning seafood imports after the Fukushima nuclear plant water discharge. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that exports in 2018 totaled 1.507 trillion yen, up from 1.454 billion yen by 2023. Kazuyoshi Nakasugi, deputy head of MAFF’s export policy planning department, noted that it was the 12th consecutive year of growth and a new record. He also pointed out that exports from China and Hong Kong were down, but exports in other parts of Asia and the United States increased....

Kansai Electric Power Co, Japan's largest nuclear power company, has raised its profit forecast by 40% for the fiscal year that ends in March to 365 billion Japanese yen ($2.4billion) due to higher nuclear power runs as well as stronger earnings from its transmission and distribution businesses. Kansai Electric has five nuclear reactors with a combined power of 4.6 gigawatts. This was the case as of December 31. The company increased its nuclear capacity factor forecast, an indicator of nuclear power load to 85% on Friday from the previous expected 80%. Kansai Electric expects its profit in the transmission and...

Helion, a start-up working to create electricity from nuclear combination, on Tuesday stated it has raised $ 425 million in endeavor financing from a group of financiers led by SoftBank Group's Vision Fund 2. The Everett, Washington-based Helion said the financing will help it speed up the development of its next generation combination reactor design, which intends to take advantage of the very same responses that power the sun to make carbon-free electrical power without lasting radioactive waste. The business has an agreement with Microsoft to start providing power in 2028. Helion is amongst the lots of public and personal...

China, the world's. most significant coal consumer, extended its lead in imports over No. 2. buyer India in 2015 to the largest because at least 2013, customizeds. information shows, cementing its hold on worldwide coal markets and. assisting to suppress a slide in rates. International thermal coal costs have pulled away from record highs. hit after Russia's 2022 intrusion of Ukraine, however are 50% greater. than the average during the 2017-19 duration, according to the. International Energy Firm (IEA). China's hunger is triggering prices to remain in the existing. variety. If not, costs will really decrease, Ramli Ahmad,. president director...

China imported a record amount of coal in 2024, driving world imports of the fuel to an alltime high. So why are coal exporters beginning 2025 in a deep blue funk? For coal exporters, China is both their saviour and tormentor, as the record import volumes are only possible due to the fact that seaborne prices have dropped to multi-year lows. Rates for export coal have declined in order to stay competitive with China's domestic prices, with the world's. biggest producer and importer of coal driving what takes place in. international coal markets. China's coal imports increased to an all-time...