German prosecutors confirmed Thursday that a Ukrainian national has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, one of the most damaging strikes ever carried out against European energy infrastructure. The September blasts ruptured Nord Stream 1, which had carried 55 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually to Germany, and left Nord Stream 2 inoperable before it could begin operations. The suspect, identified as Serhii K., was detained by Italian police in the Rimini province under a European…

The Commerce Department just opened a Section 232 “national security” probe into imported wind turbines and parts—quietly on Aug. 13, publicly today. That matters because 232 isn’t a press release; it’s a legal on-ramp to more tariffs on top of the new 50% duty already applied to the steel and aluminum content in turbines and components. Translation: wind hardware just got pricier, and it could get pricier still. Here’s the operational read: the U.S. wind build is heavily import-dependent for blades, drivetrains,…

The Commerce Department just opened a Section 232 “national security” probe into imported wind turbines and parts—quietly on Aug. 13, publicly today. That matters because 232 isn’t a press release; it’s a legal on-ramp to more tariffs on top of the new 50% duty already applied to the steel and aluminum content in turbines and components. Translation: wind hardware just got pricier, and it could get pricier still. Here’s the operational read: the U.S. wind build is heavily import-dependent for blades, drivetrains,…

The outline of a military component of security guarantees for Ukraine is already taking shape, a top Ukrainian official said as the United States reiterated that European countries will have to shoulder most of the burden in providing the guarantees. Work has begun on setting up the military component of the guarantees, which are being discussed as part of a settlement of the war with Russia, Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said on X. "Our teams, above all the military, have already begun active work…

The Commerce Department just opened a Section 232 “national security” probe into imported wind turbines and parts—quietly on Aug. 13, publicly today. That matters because 232 isn’t a press release; it’s a legal on-ramp to more tariffs on top of the new 50% duty already applied to the steel and aluminum content in turbines and components. Translation: wind hardware just got pricier, and it could get pricier still. Here’s the operational read: the U.S. wind build is heavily import-dependent for blades, drivetrains,…

Over the past year, the world’s biggest banks‘ net zero enthusiasm has quickly and quietly dried up. Top lenders have backtracked, diluted or outright abandoned their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. The return of President Donald Trump has been highlighted as a turning point for green finance with firms across the financial industry turning sour on ESG commitments. Trump has made no secret of his disdain for such policies, branding ESG investing as a “way to attack American business”.  The President,…

The United States and the European Union have finalized a trade framework that commits Europe to up to $750 billion in U.S. energy purchases by 2028, while capping most tariffs at 15%. The arrangement elevates American LNG, oil, and refined fuels within Europe’s diversified supply mix, according to Bloomberg. EU negotiators agreed to facilitate long?term contracts with U.S. exporters so utilities and traders can secure volumes under national procurement rules. In exchange, Washington will grant tariff?free access for a broad slate of industrial…

The United States and the European Union have finalized a trade framework that commits Europe to up to $750 billion in U.S. energy purchases by 2028, while capping most tariffs at 15%. The arrangement elevates American LNG, oil, and refined fuels within Europe’s diversified supply mix, according to Bloomberg. EU negotiators agreed to facilitate long?term contracts with U.S. exporters so utilities and traders can secure volumes under national procurement rules. In exchange, Washington will grant tariff?free access for a broad slate of industrial…

The United States and the European Union have finalized a trade framework that commits Europe to up to $750 billion in U.S. energy purchases by 2028, while capping most tariffs at 15%. The arrangement elevates American LNG, oil, and refined fuels within Europe’s diversified supply mix, according to Bloomberg. EU negotiators agreed to facilitate long?term contracts with U.S. exporters so utilities and traders can secure volumes under national procurement rules. In exchange, Washington will grant tariff?free access for a broad slate of industrial…

The United States and the European Union have finalized a trade framework that commits Europe to up to $750 billion in U.S. energy purchases by 2028, while capping most tariffs at 15%. The arrangement elevates American LNG, oil, and refined fuels within Europe’s diversified supply mix, according to Bloomberg. EU negotiators agreed to facilitate long?term contracts with U.S. exporters so utilities and traders can secure volumes under national procurement rules. In exchange, Washington will grant tariff?free access for a broad slate of industrial…

Kazakhstan is now richer than Russia.  That is according to the latest data from the International Monetary Fund, showing Kazakh GDP per capita is projected to hit an all-time high of $14,770 this year, compared with Russia’s $14,260. The fresh numbers, updated earlier in August, show Kazakhstan’s GDP per capita now leads all post-Soviet states other than the Baltics and is even running ahead of China’s.  The data helps illustrate Kazakhstan’s impressive economic growth over the past quarter-century, fueled by…

For the first time since taking office a few weeks ago, Poland’s new President Karol Nawrocki used his veto power to block a bill passed by Parliament—and it was a green energy bill easing rules for building onshore wind farms but bundling it with a freeze on energy prices. “This is the first bill which I’ve decided to veto,” Nawrocki said on Thursday, as carried by Bloomberg. “It was a kind of blackmail by the parliamentary majority,” the president added. The president and his allies of the nationalist…

For the first time since taking office a few weeks ago, Poland’s new President Karol Nawrocki used his veto power to block a bill passed by Parliament—and it was a green energy bill easing rules for building onshore wind farms but bundling it with a freeze on energy prices. “This is the first bill which I’ve decided to veto,” Nawrocki said on Thursday, as carried by Bloomberg. “It was a kind of blackmail by the parliamentary majority,” the president added. The president and his allies of the nationalist…

Africa is poised for a green energy revolution. The continent is incredibly rich in clean energy resources, but the vast majority of them are untapped. At the same time, African nations are in dire need of electrification, as approximately 600 million Africans currently lack access to electricity entirely, and the population is set to boom, creating major hurdles for development.  Although African nations have contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, they stand to suffer the most from the impacts of climate change. Plus, they…

The largest Chinese and Asian refiner Sinopec reported on Thursday a 36% decline in its first-half profit on the back of lower oil prices and refining margins and weakening domestic fuel demand. China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, or Sinopec, as it is more commonly known, booked a profit attributable to shareholders of $3.3 billion (23.75 billion Chinese yuan) for the period January to June 2025, down by 35.9% from the same period last year. “Dragged by various factors such as the declining international crude oil prices combined…

Oil prices have been trading in a narrow range over the past week, with Brent crude sinking to an intra-day low of $65.01 per barrel (bbl) on 13 August before rising to an intra-day high of $67.06/bbl on 15 August with momentum skewed to the downside thanks to a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Recent meetings between U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders have weighed on prompt prices, pushing them below several key moving averages.  Trump…

Strategic acquisitions of premier assets and the drive for efficiency and scale led to a stellar year for mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. oil and gas industry in 2024. Following a 331% surge in deal value to $206.6 billion last year, the number of the top publicly traded exploration and production companies in the American oil and gas sector has declined from 50 to just 40, Ernst & Young LLP said in a new study published this week. Despite the smaller number of the top players, the resulting 40 large listed U.S. oil and gas firms continued…

The energy transition was supposed to kill demand for oil, natural gas, and coal. The more wind and solar capacity that was built, the less hydrocarbons were supposed to be in demand. Instead, demand for all three continues to grow—especially natural gas. So Big Oil is doubling down on this core business, much to the chagrin of transition advocates. CNBC’s Sam Meredith noted in an article this week the latest quarterly reports of several Big Oil majors, all of which had emphasized the importance of their LNG business. Indeed, LNG has…

China’s shipments of rare-earth permanent magnets snapped back in July, signaling a return toward pre-curb trade flows even as the West doubles down on alternative supply. Overall magnet exports hit a six-month high of 5,577 metric tons in July—up ~75% month-on-month and 5.7% year-on-year—after Beijing agreed to normalize sales as part of a trade truce with Washington and Europe. Shipments to the U.S. climbed ~76% m/m to 619 tons, recovering from a May low of just 46 tons during the height of the tit-for-tat restrictions. Germany…

That the Colorado River’s flow has been declining is not new in water circles. Truth is that the states bordering the Colorado divided up the water supply on the basis of a wet year, a century ago, and have been fighting over the diminishing supply for some time. (From a negotiating standpoint this made a lot of sense at the time. Dividing relatively scarce water resources among various political bodies is like slicing up a pie among hungry people and everyone wants a big piece. Except here government officials were able to essentially riff…