Power Markets

Josu Imaz, the chief executive of Repsol, said that the company is not in a hurry to list the oil and gas production unit it has in the United States. This will temper expectations for a 'initial public offering' or reverse merger. Imaz said in late 2018 that its upstream unit is preparing for a liquidity event by 2026. This could be an IPO, or a reverse merge with a listed company?in the U.S. He said that while the unit is technically "ready to go to the American market", it would be better if the fundamentals of the upstream sector...

Triton Uranium's president Scott Evans said that the company is looking at a U.S. listing in 2026 through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company. The company wants to "tap into" rising demand for nuclear fuels and boost domestic supply. The Canadian-based company began development work on its Atlas Project at Uranium City in Saskatchewan, where it controls approximately 46,742 acres. Triton raised almost $16 million from private sources, which it plans to use for exploration in advance of a possible public listing. Evans stated that the company would be open to selling a stake to either the U.S. government...

Janet Mills, the Democratic Governor of Maine, vetoed on Friday a bill which would have made Maine the first U.S. State to impose an 'electricity-hungry data center moratorium. The bill would have frozen the approval of data centers that require more than 20 megawatts in power until October 2027, while an appointed council by the state analyzed the impact they had on local grids, electricity bills, and air and water. Mills wrote to the Maine legislature that she supported a temporary ban on data centers and would have signed it if the bill had allowed an exemption for the data...

The fluid ?catalytic cracker of Venezuela's ?second-largest refinery, ?the 310,000-barrel-per-day ?Cardon, was restarting on Monday after a power outage affected the entire refinery last week, two workers from the facility said. One source said that workers were also restarting Cardon’s naphtha refinery on Monday. This would result in a total crude processing capacity of 237,000 bpd at Cardon, and its linked Amuay refining facility, or about 25% of combined installed capacity. PDVSA's state-owned energy company is prone to blackouts and other outages, which limit its fuel production for domestic distribution. The company has been granted U.S. licenses to import the...

U.S. legislators criticized Energy secretary Chris Wright for ordering that aging coal plant remain open in hearings held on Wednesday and Thursday, saying: 'the action will raise the already high power bills for steelmakers and consumers. Wright's department ordered in December that two Indiana coal plants, which had planned to?close permanently?, remain open. They said this would reduce the risk of power outages and provide affordable electricity. CenterPoint Energy's and Northern Indiana Public Service Company's coal plants were to be replaced with natural gas or other sources of power. NIPSCO estimates that it will cost them $100 million to maintain...

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced on Thursday that it expected to continue its efforts to 'develop rules' to'manage' the country's'surging' 'data center electricity demands by June 2026. This is weeks later than their initial target date. As the industry builds out its energy-intensive data centres, which are increasingly used to develop artificial intelligence, there is concern about the soaring power bills and risk of "blackouts". These concerns sent regulators scrambling for new rules to manage this giant new "demand source". Some of these might require data centers to bring their own power supplies. Last year, Chris 'Wright, the...

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...

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...