President Donald Trump is authorizing the Administration to work to boost U.S. coal power generation in an effort to counter China’s economic advantage over America due to the constant rise in Chinese coal power plants. “After years of being held captive by Environmental Extremists, Lunatics, Radicals, and Thugs, allowing other Countries, in particular China, to gain tremendous Economic advantage over us by opening up hundreds of all Coal Fire Power Plants, I am authorizing my Administration to immediately begin producing Energy with…

Oil prices have fallen fast since the 3 March announcement from OPEC+ that it will go ahead with a planned rise in its collective oil production. The prospect of increased supply from the group has added to the bearish tone created by rising supply from other key producers and from uncertain demand projections from the world’s biggest importer of oil, China. Lower oil and gas prices is precisely what Donald Trump wants to see in his second term as U.S. president, but with budget breakeven oil prices much higher than even current levels, many…

U.S. shale needs much higher oil prices than $50 per barrel, and even higher than the current WTI Crude price in the high $60s, for a “drill, baby, drill” boom, oil tycoon and Trump campaign donor Harold Hamm says. American producers, especially those pumping crude outside the Tier 1 inventory in the best Permian locations, would need an oil price of around $80 per barrel to cover the cost of drilling wells. “There are a lot of fields that are getting to the point that’s real tough to keep that cost of supply down,”…

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has been effusive in his praise of the oil and gas industry in remarks delivered at CERAWeek by S&P Global conference, telling energy executives they have an ally in Washington who intends to make it easier for them to drill in federal lands and waters. “If someone was sending me revenue, they weren’t the enemy. They were the customer,” Burgum said, adding that the Trump administration welcomes anyone who produces oil and gas on federal lands, harvest timber, mines for critical minerals…

The United States clean energy revolution is tangled up in a sea of red tape and litigation woes. Complex bureaucratic processes, long wait times to connect to the grid, and local-level opposition has severely slowed down the buildout of utility-scale renewable energy projects across the country, dampening projections for the sector’s growth. In 2024, the International Energy Agency issued a call to action for developed nations, urging them to simplify permitting processes for new renewable energy projects. ““It often takes as…

U.S. President Donald Trump will speak to Russia's Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about ending the Ukraine war, with territorial concessions in Ukraine as well as control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant likely to feature in the talks. "We want to see if we can bring that war to an end," Trump told reporters on Air Force One. "Maybe we can, maybe we can't, but I think we have a very good chance.’’ Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declined a proposal by Trump to acquire approximately 50% of Ukraine’s rare earth…

U.S. President Donald Trump will speak to Russia's Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about ending the Ukraine war, with territorial concessions in Ukraine as well as control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant likely to feature in the talks. "We want to see if we can bring that war to an end," Trump told reporters on Air Force One. "Maybe we can, maybe we can't, but I think we have a very good chance.’’ Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declined a proposal by Trump to acquire approximately 50% of Ukraine’s rare earth…

It is not just the Trump administration that is into hard rocks. The European Union is also a big fan of Central Asian metal. In their dealings with Central Asian governments, US and EU officials seem fixated on expanding access to the region’s abundance of “critical minerals.”  Over the past few days, top Trump administration officials have courted Kazakhstan. Energy Secretary Chris Wright raised the topic of rare earths during a March 13 meeting with his Kazakh counterpart, Almassadam Satkaliyev, on the sidelines of an…

Via Metal Miner It was an intervention that was the subject of rumors, and now it’s coming true. China, the world’s largest steelmaker and consumer, recently announced it would be “restructuring” its steel industry through cuts in crude steel output, a move many analysts and experts call China “protecting its own turf.”   China Steel Industry “Dumping” a Long-Term Global Problem This is the first time in recent memory that China’s National Development and Reform Commission has proposed…

U.S. natural gas futures eased to a two-week low on Monday amid record output, negative spot prices at the Waha Hub and forecasts for mild weather. Natural gas at the Waha hub--a regional pricing hub for gas in the Permian Basin in West Texas--sold for near-zero or sub-zero prices for much of 2024, a trend that has continued in the current year. Indeed, prices at the hub spent 164 days in negative territory and hit an all-time low -$7/mmbtu at the end of August, truly historical lows. The Permian Shale boom led to a surge in associated gas production,…

U.S. natural gas futures eased to a two-week low on Monday amid record output, negative spot prices at the Waha Hub and forecasts for mild weather. Natural gas at the Waha hub--a regional pricing hub for gas in the Permian Basin in West Texas--sold for near-zero or sub-zero prices for much of 2024, a trend that has continued in the current year. Indeed, prices at the hub spent 164 days in negative territory and hit an all-time low -$7/mmbtu at the end of August, truly historical lows. The Permian Shale boom led to a surge in associated gas production,…

UK manufacturing output fell during the first quarter of the year for the first time in a decade, as fears over a global trade war and rising taxes hit firms. Output fell one per cent in the first three months of 2025 after a 20 per cent rise in the quarter before, with UK orders dropping seven per cent, according to data from industry body Make UK. “Albeit the sector wide contraction is only minor, the negative balance at the start of a year is an ominous one,” said the industry body. Make UK is now forecasting that the manufacturing…

A Saudi official has denied reports that Riyadh is providing logistical support for the U.S. air strikes targeting Yemen’s Houthis, Reuters reports. Speaking to the Saudi news network Al-Arabiya, the official denied allegations that Riyadh is providing oil supplies for the ongoing military operations in Yemen. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered military operations in Yemen targeting Houthi sites, whom he described as “terrorists”. U.S. officials expect the American strikes to continue for days, or possibly weeks. Since 2023,…

A Saudi official has denied reports that Riyadh is providing logistical support for the U.S. air strikes targeting Yemen’s Houthis, Reuters reports. Speaking to the Saudi news network Al-Arabiya, the official denied allegations that Riyadh is providing oil supplies for the ongoing military operations in Yemen. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered military operations in Yemen targeting Houthi sites, whom he described as “terrorists”. U.S. officials expect the American strikes to continue for days, or possibly weeks. Since 2023,…

Almost exactly 12 years ago, we explained that the sequence of events that would define the face of the Middle East, and spark one of the bloodiest conflicts in the region in ages, namely the relentless proxy war seeking control over Syria, was prompted by nothing more than access to commodities in general, and a Qatari gas pipeline passing through Syria and onward to Europe in particular. And so, the war that saw the birth and death (and eventual subsequent rebirth) of ISIS, the emergence of countless CIA-funded Al Qaeda spinoffs, and ultimately…

Investors are increasingly bearish on renewable energy stocks with green indexes down to five-year lows, as the Trump Administration’s energy policy is chilling the low-carbon energy markets. Although it was up by 2% year to date as of Monday morning, the S&P Global Clean Energy Transition Index (INDEXSP: SPGTCLEN) has lost 13.5% in the past year. The sell-off in renewable energy stocks – already battered by higher costs in a high-inflation environment – intensified after November when U.S. President Donald Trump was elected.…

Investors are increasingly bearish on renewable energy stocks with green indexes down to five-year lows, as the Trump Administration’s energy policy is chilling the low-carbon energy markets. Although it was up by 2% year to date as of Monday morning, the S&P Global Clean Energy Transition Index (INDEXSP: SPGTCLEN) has lost 13.5% in the past year. The sell-off in renewable energy stocks – already battered by higher costs in a high-inflation environment – intensified after November when U.S. President Donald Trump was elected.…

Investors are increasingly bearish on renewable energy stocks with green indexes down to five-year lows, as the Trump Administration’s energy policy is chilling the low-carbon energy markets. Although it was up by 2% year to date as of Monday morning, the S&P Global Clean Energy Transition Index (INDEXSP: SPGTCLEN) has lost 13.5% in the past year. The sell-off in renewable energy stocks – already battered by higher costs in a high-inflation environment – intensified after November when U.S. President Donald Trump was elected.…

The highly anticipated $945 million acquisition deal between Carlyle and Energean is reportedly facing serious obstacles. According to statements from Energean and industry insiders, Carlyle’s offer is encountering unresolved regulatory hurdles in Egypt and Italy. Energean has confirmed that specific approvals in these countries are still pending. The situation jeopardizes the entire deal, as the deadline for its completion is this week, and no extension has been agreed upon so far. In June 2024, Carlyle reached an agreement with Energean…

Ideas to resurrect the Nord Stream gas pipelines from Russia to Germany are the “wrong direction of discussion”, Germany’s outgoing economy and energy minister Robert Habeck said on Monday. “The Ukrainians are still under the aggression of Russia. So I think talking about the potential of Nord Stream 2 or Nord Stream 1, if it's going to be repaired, is completely the wrong direction of discussion,” Habeck said in Brussels today, as carried by Reuters. Gas leaks in each of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic…