Taiwan’s energy industry is in grave peril. The nation’s grid is already struggling to keep up with demand, and this Achilles' heel has not gone unnoticed by neighboring China. The island nation is heavily dependent on imports to keep its isolated energy grid up and running, and a blockade from China could send the nation’s energy security and national security into a rapid tailspin. In May of this year, Taiwan shuttered its last remaining nuclear power plant, making good on a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) policy promise…

At a press conference on July 31, Kazakhstan's First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar revealed that China will build Kazakhstan's third nuclear power plant, further deepening Beijing's growing influence over the Central Asian country's nuclear future. "The third plant (like the second one) will also come from China," Sklyar said, responding to a question from an RFE/RL journalist. "Our colleagues from the relevant agency are currently working on this matter." The announcement follows an earlier June decision to award the second plant to China's…

General Motors is turning to Chinese battery giant CATL for help powering its next-generation Chevrolet Bolt, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move—described by insiders as a temporary fix—will keep the new Bolt on schedule while GM races to spin up its own U.S.-based battery production with LG Energy Solution. Despite steep tariffs on Chinese imports imposed by the Trump administration, GM will source lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries from CATL for roughly two years, starting with the Bolt’s relaunch out of its…

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. surpassed analyst expectations for second-quarter earnings, thanks to increased oil and gas production that helped offset the impact of lower crude prices. The company reported total production of 1.42 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) for the three months ending June 30, up from 1.29 million boepd a year earlier. The rise in output was driven by strong performance across its asset base and the integration of recent acquisitions, particularly in the Duvernay region. “We are realizing more value…

California-based Lyten has signed a binding agreement to acquire nearly all remaining assets of failed European battery firm Northvolt, including its Swedish and German gigafactories and all remaining intellectual property. In the deal, announced on Thursday, the company confirmed it would take over Northvolt Ett, Northvolt Labs, and Northvolt Drei, including projects developed with more than $5 billion in capital investment. According to Energy-Storage.news, the assets include 16GWh of operational lithium-ion capacity at Ett, with an additional…

California-based Lyten has signed a binding agreement to acquire nearly all remaining assets of failed European battery firm Northvolt, including its Swedish and German gigafactories and all remaining intellectual property. In the deal, announced on Thursday, the company confirmed it would take over Northvolt Ett, Northvolt Labs, and Northvolt Drei, including projects developed with more than $5 billion in capital investment. According to Energy-Storage.news, the assets include 16GWh of operational lithium-ion capacity at Ett, with an additional…

Solar is an industry with a target on its back under President Trump. The 47th president has made clear he prefers fossil fuels and nuclear to renewables, singling out solar and wind. Trump has also pulled funding for electric vehicles and battery-making facilities. Climate Program Portal states the Trump administration as of May 7 has attempted to cancel $23.3 billion in clean energy grants. According to a new analysis by research group E2, which has tracked clean energy projects since Biden’s Inflation Reduction act was passed in mid-2022,…

In a landmark move reshaping East Mediterranean energy dynamics, Israel’s Leviathan Partnership has signed a record $35 billion natural gas export agreement with Egypt. The deal, finalized between NewMed Energy and Egypt’s Blue Ocean Energy, will supply an estimated 130 billion cubic meters (BCM) of gas from the offshore Leviathan field through 2040, marking the largest such transaction in Israeli history. The new accord upgrades a previous 2020 deal and commits to a two-phase delivery expansion. Phase One will add 20 BCM beginning…

Kuwait expects oil prices to remain below $72 per barrel in the near term, Tareq Al-Roumi, the Oil Minister of one of OPEC’s top producers, said on Thursday.  Brent crude prices were trading at around $67 per barrel early on Thursday.  Kuwait, as well as OPEC, are monitoring the market and all statements coming from U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, the minister added.  “Through OPEC, we are monitoring the market in terms of supply and demand, and we are monitoring the U.S. President’s statements,”…

Cheniere Energy (NYSE: LNG), the biggest U.S. LNG exporter, booked an 85% higher net income for the second quarter from a year earlier amid strong demand for LNG and higher price margins of LNG cargoes delivered in 2025.   Cheniere reported on Thursday a net income $1.63 billion for the second quarter, an 85% surge from the $880 million income for the same period last year.  Total revenues jumped by 43% to $4.64 billion, of which $4.5 billion was LNG revenues.  Cheniere also announced it achieved this month substantial completion…

Cheniere Energy (NYSE: LNG), the biggest U.S. LNG exporter, booked an 85% higher net income for the second quarter from a year earlier amid strong demand for LNG and higher price margins of LNG cargoes delivered in 2025.   Cheniere reported on Thursday a net income $1.63 billion for the second quarter, an 85% surge from the $880 million income for the same period last year.  Total revenues jumped by 43% to $4.64 billion, of which $4.5 billion was LNG revenues.  Cheniere also announced it achieved this month substantial completion…

A top Kremlin aide says President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will meet in the "coming days" after the Russian leader had "useful and constructive" talks with a US special envoy in Moscow over bringing more than three years of war in Ukraine to an end. Putin's foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov said on August 7 that preparations for the meeting had begun and the two sides had already agreed on the venue "in principle." "At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement has been reached in principle to hold a bilateral summit…

The United States looks to replace the deputy executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the second-in-command role in the agency that is usually reserved for a U.S. representative, POLITICO’s E&E News reported on Thursday, quoting former U.S. officials and energy industry insiders familiar with the plan.  American Mary Burce Warlick is currently the Deputy Executive Director of the IEA. Warlick is a retired career diplomat and former U.S. Ambassador to Serbia. Warlick has held a variety of senior leadership positions…

President Donald Trump has imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India after the country’s government imported Russian Federation Oil. In an executive order signed on Wednesday, the White House said it would slap Indian imports with the fresh levy taking their overall rate to 50 per cent. The President warned on Tuesday he would raise India’s tariff rate “very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they’re buying Russian oil, they’re fuelling the war machine”. “If they’re going to do…

Reliance Industries, the top private refiner in India, has warned in its annual report that tariff uncertainties and geopolitical events could affect global crude oil flows and oil market balances.  “Continuing geopolitical and tariff-related uncertainties may affect trade flows and demand-supply balance,” the conglomerate Reliance Industries, owned and chaired by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, said in its annual 2024-2025 report. “Global crude oil prices continue to remain volatile on the back of dynamic interplay of…

Oil prices ticked higher in early Thursday trading in Asia, buoyed by renewed trade tensions and a surprise decline in U.S. crude inventories. The modest rebound follows a rough week for crude, which had slumped to two-month lows on concerns over rising OPEC+ output and faltering global demand. At the time of writing, Brent crude futures for October delivery rose 0.88% to $67.48 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures climbed by 0.98% to $64.98. The upward momentum was driven in part by a new wave of geopolitical uncertainty after President…

President Trump declared on Wednesday that the United States will impose a 100% tariff on imported semiconductor chips—unless the companies have formally committed to building or expanding manufacturing within the U.S. The tariff would aim to reshape the global semiconductor supply chain by incentivizing onshore production. Notable companies such as Apple, already committing over $100 billion in additional U.S. investments (bringing their total pledge to $500 billion), are being touted as major beneficiaries of this carve?out. Major…

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to slap India with extra tariffs because, "They're fueling the war machine," by buying Russian oil. Well, Trump made good on his threat on Wednesday, signing an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on India. The new tariff stacks on top of the existing 25% on Indian exports to the United States, and will come into effect in 21 days. Last year, India leapfrogged China to become the biggest buyer of Russian oil, purchasing up to 2 million barrels of discounted barrels per day, good for ~2%…

Last month, President Trump took the trade world by surprise yet again by announcing a 50% tariff on imports of copper. The imports covered by the tariff were worth $15 billion last year, per Bloomberg. There are exemptions, but not many. The point of the tariffs is to bring copper processing back home. The problem: it may be a bit too late for that. The U.S. president has made no secret of how he feels about the massive outsourcing of manufacturing to Asia, and more specifically, China. Trump recently urged Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook,…

China's biggest solar firms fired nearly one-third of their workforces last year, a Reuters analysis of company filings shows, as one of the industries hand-picked by Beijing to drive economic growth grapples with falling prices and steep losses. Longi Green Energy, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, JA Solar, and Tongwei collectively shed some 87,000 staff, or 31% of their workforces on average last year, according to a Reuters review of employment figures in public filings. The job cuts illustrate the pain from the vicious price…