Our regulatory regime in the US is based on the Supreme Court decisions in the Hope and Bluefield cases. In both cases the courts clearly limit public utility commission ratemaking discretion while establishing four key principles of ratemaking: 1) value the assets fairly (including adjustments for inflation), 2) provide a reasonable return to both creditors and equity holders, 3) admit that the unique expertise of the commissions should be owed some deference, 4) and that rates should reflect a balance between public and private interests. These…

Even before Chinese electric cars became a mainstay of the bustling streets of Tajikistan's capital, Tolib Raufov knew they would offer an upside to taxi drivers like him. He bought his first Chinese electric vehicle (EV) three years ago for the equivalent of $30,000, he says, and resold it last year. With that money, he was able to buy a model from BYD –- China's leading EV maker that recently overtook Tesla in total sales –- for only $21,000. Raufov says the affordable price, strong local resale value, and savings from no longer needing…

Mubadala Investment Co just planted its flag in the U.S. natural gas scene, marking its first real foray into the Lower 48’s upstream and LNG ambitions. The Abu Dhabi wealth fund’s energy arm has snapped up a 24% stake in SoTex HoldCo LLC—operator of a shale gas field and backer of an LNG terminal in Louisiana. Translation: Mubadala’s not just dipping a toe; it’s cannonballing into America’s gas game. The move comes hot on the heels of the UAE’s $1.4 trillion promise to the U.S.—a decade-long investment…

Mubadala Investment Co just planted its flag in the U.S. natural gas scene, marking its first real foray into the Lower 48’s upstream and LNG ambitions. The Abu Dhabi wealth fund’s energy arm has snapped up a 24% stake in SoTex HoldCo LLC—operator of a shale gas field and backer of an LNG terminal in Louisiana. Translation: Mubadala’s not just dipping a toe; it’s cannonballing into America’s gas game. The move comes hot on the heels of the UAE’s $1.4 trillion promise to the U.S.—a decade-long investment…

Mubadala Investment Co just planted its flag in the U.S. natural gas scene, marking its first real foray into the Lower 48’s upstream and LNG ambitions. The Abu Dhabi wealth fund’s energy arm has snapped up a 24% stake in SoTex HoldCo LLC—operator of a shale gas field and backer of an LNG terminal in Louisiana. Translation: Mubadala’s not just dipping a toe; it’s cannonballing into America’s gas game. The move comes hot on the heels of the UAE’s $1.4 trillion promise to the U.S.—a decade-long investment…

In an unexpected twist amid a global trade war and ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs that have rocked markets around the world, the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) actually fell in March, though data is not likely to catch up to rapidly changing White House policies until April’s data release, and the sacrifice is U.S. oil prices, now losing nearly 4.5%.  Inflation risks remain dangerously high amid the unfolding tariff war despite the surprise CPI data, and America’s shale patch is reeling with West Texas Intermediate (WTI)…

In an unexpected twist amid a global trade war and ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs that have rocked markets around the world, the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) actually fell in March, though data is not likely to catch up to rapidly changing White House policies until April’s data release, and the sacrifice is U.S. oil prices, now losing nearly 4.5%.  Inflation risks remain dangerously high amid the unfolding tariff war despite the surprise CPI data, and America’s shale patch is reeling with West Texas Intermediate (WTI)…

In an unexpected twist amid a global trade war and ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs that have rocked markets around the world, the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) actually fell in March, though data is not likely to catch up to rapidly changing White House policies until April’s data release, and the sacrifice is U.S. oil prices, now losing nearly 4.5%.  Inflation risks remain dangerously high amid the unfolding tariff war despite the surprise CPI data, and America’s shale patch is reeling with West Texas Intermediate (WTI)…

Oil prices plummeted on April 10, 2025, with WTI and Brent crude experiencing significant drops due to heightened trade tensions between the US and China, including tariff hikes. Supply factors, such as the Keystone pipeline outage and surging US crude inventories, contributed to the downward pressure on oil prices, further destabilizing the market. Analysts warn of continued volatility and potential for prices to fall towards $50 per barrel amid weakening global demand and increasing trade barriers, creating uncertainty in the oil market. 1m ago…

European benchmark natural gas prices jumped by 8% on Thursday morning after the 90-day pause in U.S. tariffs on all but China eased concerns that recessions would hit industrial and natural gas demand in Europe. Dutch TTF Natural Gas Futures, the benchmark for Europe’s gas trading, opened Thursday’s trade in Amsterdam with an 8% surge. Some of the gains were pared by noon, but prices were still rising by 4%, as markets around the world staged major relief rallies after U.S. President Donald Trump stepped back – for now –…

Kazakhstan, which has been pumping oil above its OPEC+ quota, is in negotiations with the companies operating in the country on potentially trimming output to fall in line with the OPEC+ agreements, Kazakhstan’s energy ministry told Russian news agency Interfax on Thursday. “Kazakhstan was unable to achieve its goal in March and exceeded its commitments under the OPEC+ agreement,” the energy ministry told Interfax when contacted to respond to how its obligations under the OPEC+ deal are progressing. “In April, we plan to…

Kazakhstan, which has been pumping oil above its OPEC+ quota, is in negotiations with the companies operating in the country on potentially trimming output to fall in line with the OPEC+ agreements, Kazakhstan’s energy ministry told Russian news agency Interfax on Thursday. “Kazakhstan was unable to achieve its goal in March and exceeded its commitments under the OPEC+ agreement,” the energy ministry told Interfax when contacted to respond to how its obligations under the OPEC+ deal are progressing. “In April, we plan to…

The U.S. shale industry is being hit by the crash in oil prices, which have slumped since President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement last week. Despite the strong relief rally on Wednesday, following President Trump’s 90-day pause of tariff hikes on most countries except China, the U.S. benchmark oil price is now lower than the breakeven for the shale industry to profitably drill a new well. WTI Crude prices were down nearly 1% at $61.76 per barrel in Asian trading on Thursday. That level is already below the average $65 per…

The European Union is ready to commit to buying more liquefied natural gas from the United States if that would appease President Trump and make him reconsider tariffs on EU imports, the EU’s energy commissioner has said. “There is potential for us to buy more LNG from the US but of course it needs to be on conditions that are also in line with our [green] transition,” Dan Jørgensen said, as quoted by the Financial Times. The commissioner also boasted that the EU was scheduled to install a record amount of new wind and…

Benchmark oil prices hit the lowest level since the pandemic panic on Wednesday. Once again, the slump is caused by panic—this time, market panic as U.S. President Donald Trump keeps turning up the tariff heat. For now, everyone seems to be in the grip of fear about what tariffs would do to oil demand. But there is one thing that low prices will definitely do: stoke up demand. The latest oil price crash came Tuesday after Trump said he would impose an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports following China’s retaliation against the…

Oil prices earned an unexpected reprieve on Wednesday afternoon, regaining over 3% immediately following U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise decision to pause reciprocal tariffs for 90 days for all except China. After flirting with prices below $60, Brent crude was trading up 3.41% at 2:56 p.m. ET, while WTI was trading up 3.74%, breaching the $61/barrel mark. This week, Brent crude at one point dipped below $60 per barrel after OPEC+ revealed plans to accelerate its phase-out of production cuts. Brent crude for May delivery sank 6.3% to $58.68…

Oil and gas companies are looking to get the most bang for their buck in exploring for hydrocarbon resources. Those lucky enough to have made an early bet on what are now the huge frontier plays, such as Guyana, are seeing exploration expenditures and efforts pay off with large oil and gas discoveries. All others are looking to make the best out of existing infrastructure and explore and drill in well-developed areas close to producing fields and platforms to take advantage of the lower costs for exploration and development. Since conventional…

Most US biofuel production numbers are clearly on track to end the first quarter of this year in negative territory either on a quarter-over-quarter or year-over-year basis, Rystad Energy analysis suggests. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the updated statistics for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program on 20 March covering the supply, trade and price dynamics for February 2025. Similar to previous months, we still observe uncertainty around future biofuel policy starts having a tangible impact on the actual supply for…

“It’s going to be the decade of geothermal.” That’s according to Cindy Taff, chief executive of geothermal company Sage Geosystems, in an interview in The Hill earlier this year. While Trump is making clean energy cuts left and right, the administration has stayed surprisingly bullish on geothermal, causing bullish outlooks for the burgeoning sector across the United States. While geothermal currently represents only a sliver of renewable energy capacity in the country and lags “10 to 15 years” behind wind and…

Reuters reports that U.S. refiners will refrain from making any substantial investments in expanding domestic crude processing or reducing reliance on Canada and Mexico, for instance, as the industry rallies around a war cry of frustration with the Trump administration over a global tariff war that threatens to strip demand and possibly spark a worldwide recession.  "We consider the adoption of the 'reconciliatory tariffs' will result in weaker global GDP growth and so lower oil demand growth, oil prices and weaker refining margins, as exemplified…