The economics of battery storage systems (BESS) in Europe look much rosier following changes to the European Union’s (EU) power pricing structure in October, with several countries offering the potential for BESS profits to rise more than a 15%, according to Rystad Energy analysis. The new EU system sets power prices every 15 minutes, rather than every hour, giving BESS operators more opportunities to buy electricity when it’s cheap and sell it when prices rise. Since the new system was implemented, arbitrage potential has increased…

The United Kingdom has big plans for its nuclear sector, with the construction of two conventional nuclear plants underway and plans to develop small modular reactor (SMR) technology. France’s EDF Energy is managing the development of the Hinkley Point C power plant in Somerset and Sizewell C in Suffolk, while Rolls-Royce was recently selected as the preferred bidder to construct the U.K.’s first SMRs. However, the plans do not stop there. In December, the country’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband stated the government has “only…

An electrified future is going to require a whole lot of batteries. Keeping our power grids stable and our cars running won’t only necessitate huge increases in production for current battery models, but it will also hinge on the development of new technologies that have better energy efficiency, quicker charging, longer duration, and diversified supply chains. Currently, the market is almost completely dominated by lithium-ion batteries, but a litany of alternatives are quickly progressing through research and development phases and could…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is traveling to Turkmenistan for festivities December 12 marking the Central Asian state’s 30th anniversary of neutrality. While in Ashgabat, Erdogan will also hold talks with Turkmen leaders likely focusing on the topic of natural gas supplies. Speaking to reporters earlier in December, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Ankara is working to expand gas imports via a long-time arrangement with Iran, augmented by a swap deal with Turkmenistan. A lack of clarity about sanctions currently…

The global market for artificial intelligence (AI) chips is projected to skyrocket from $203.24 billion in 2025 to nearly $565 billion by 2032, driven by an insatiable demand for real-time analytics and generative AI capabilities.  According to a new report by MarketsandMarkets™, the sector is forecast to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7% over the next seven years. This trajectory highlights a critical pivot in the global technology infrastructure, where specialized silicon is becoming as vital a commodity as the…

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States fell by 1 this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, bringing the total rig count in the US  to 548 this week, according to Baker Hughes, down 41 from this same time last year. The number of active oil rigs rose by 1 in the reporting period, according to the data, after US drillers added 6 rigs in the week prior. Oil rigs are now at 414, which is 68 below this same time last year. The number of gas rigs fell by 2 to 127, which is 24 more…

Hungary has secured an agreement to receive natural gas from Azerbaijan for the next two years, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said, as the central EU member state disputes the bloc’s pledge to phase out Russian gas imports.   “We have secured another gas purchase agreement, this time with Azerbaijan: 800 million cubic metres over two years,” Szijjarto posted on X.  Earlier this week, Rovshan Najaf, the president of Azerbaijan’s state oil and gas firm SOCAR, met with the chief executive of Hungary’s…

Fermi America announced their first potential tenant for the Project Matador data center campus terminated their $150 million Advance in Aid of Construction agreement (i.e., lease). The stock has plunged as much as 50% in premarket trading in what is a wild overreaction with unprecedented demand for data center space (especially data centers named after the president) still offset with limited supply. Several weeks ago, we documented Fermi's difficulties with signing their first major tenant last month for their President…

India’s government approved on Friday auctions for coal that buyers could use for industrial activity and exports in yet another reform in the vast coal sector.   The government endorsed the new policy for auction of Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient & Transparent Utilisation (CoalSETU)—supply that buyers can procure via auctions and use the coal for any industrial purpose and for exports.        Coal holders will be eligible to export coal up to 50% of their volumes, according to…

India’s government approved on Friday auctions for coal that buyers could use for industrial activity and exports in yet another reform in the vast coal sector.   The government endorsed the new policy for auction of Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient & Transparent Utilisation (CoalSETU)—supply that buyers can procure via auctions and use the coal for any industrial purpose and for exports.        Coal holders will be eligible to export coal up to 50% of their volumes, according to…

India’s government approved on Friday auctions for coal that buyers could use for industrial activity and exports in yet another reform in the vast coal sector.   The government endorsed the new policy for auction of Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient & Transparent Utilisation (CoalSETU)—supply that buyers can procure via auctions and use the coal for any industrial purpose and for exports.        Coal holders will be eligible to export coal up to 50% of their volumes, according to…

India’s government on Friday approved the landmark Atomic Energy Bill, which would allow private companies to invest in its nuclear energy industry for the first time, as the country looks to boost its nuclear power capacity tenfold within two decades.   The so-called SHANTI (Sustainable Harnessing of Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) bill passed the federal government approval on Friday. Later this month, the bill is expected to be submitted to Parliament for discussion and vote in the winter session. …

Oil sentiment has turned sour despite a Fed rate cut and the Trump administration’s aggressive tanker seizures. Friday, December 12, 2025 The US Federal Reserve has lowered the federal funds rate to 3.50-3.75%, the Trump administration has seized a Venezuelan VLCC and promised to take over more, yet the sentiment in the markets has soured this week, with ICE Brent trading slightly above $61 per barrel. It remains to be seen whether it’s trepidation before a potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal or another seasonal bout of depression induced…

India’s government on Friday approved the landmark Atomic Energy Bill, which would allow private companies to invest in its nuclear energy industry for the first time, as the country looks to boost its nuclear power capacity tenfold within two decades.   The so-called SHANTI (Sustainable Harnessing of Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) bill passed the federal government approval on Friday. Later this month, the bill is expected to be submitted to Parliament for discussion and vote in the winter session. …

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict This week, Washington has again increased the pressure on Venezuela with the first seizure of a sanctioned tanker off the Venezuelan coast, and preparations for more, in a bid to further disrupt PDVSA’s logistics by scaring the insurers. The effect reverberates by raising the risk premium. At the same time, Chevron is in active discussions with the Trump administration on how it can continue operations in Venezuela in compliance with sanctions, with the Chevron CEO emphasizing the supergiant’s “long…

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary bloc that broke from the Sudanese army and now dominates most of Sudan’s western belt, has moved on the Balila facility in West Kordofan, and it is already affecting the energy corridor. Balila feeds directly into the GNPOC line carrying South Sudan’s Dar blend to Port Sudan, and operators now acknowledge disruptions along the corridor. South Sudan’s budget rests almost entirely on these flows. Any interruption tightens the margin immediately. By taking Balila, the RSF has positioned…

The US shale exploration and production (E&P) and Lower 48 midstream sectors experienced a volatile and challenging 2025, likely a far cry from what operators envisioned this time last year as the second Trump administration’s ‘energy dominance’ agenda was taking shape. With WTI languishing below $60 for much of the year, oil E&Ps moderated activity, with the oil-directed rig count dropping from 415 in January to 386 by Thanksgiving. In contrast, Henry Hub gas prices remained supported throughout much of the year, with…

Falling oil prices and strengthening Russian currency are set to slash Russia’s oil and gas revenues by nearly 50% in December from a year earlier, to the lowest level since August 2020, according to Reuters calculations.  Revenues for the state from oil and gas are set to reach $5.15 billion (410 billion Russian rubles) this month, nearly halved from December last year, and the lowest in over five years. The last time Russia had this roughly level of oil and gas revenues, at $5.1 billion (405 billion rubles), was in August 2020, when…

As regular readers will know, there is no trading opportunity I like more than a market overreaction. As I know all too well from my own experience, news of any kind takes on exaggerated importance when you are focused on one narrow sector of any market. That applies whether the “you” refers to a person in a dealing room or an algorithm trained to react to key words and phrases and/or market moves. So, when the one-time market darling of nuclear power companies, Oklo (OKLO), a company that builds and operates nuclear power plants and…

West Texas Intermediate crude traded sharply lower through Thursday, December 12, settling at $57.60 per barrel and posting a week-to-date loss of $2.48, or 4.13%. Market sentiment stayed firmly bearish as traders focused on heavy global supply, soft demand projections, and fading geopolitical premiums. With the week still in progress, the tone heading into Friday remained pressured by fundamental forces that continued to outweigh short-lived intraday rebounds. Oversupply has become the defining feature of the market, with traders questioning whether…