A drone struck a tanker loading crude oil at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s (CPC) Black Sea export terminal on Monday, according to regional media reports, forcing the suspension of exports for the second time in less than 24 hours.  The CPC said the tanker NELSA was loading at Single Point Mooring 1 (SPM-1) when the drone hit the vessel’s starboard aft section, igniting a fire on deck and in compartments between the accommodation block and engine room. Emergency crews extinguished the fire within hours; the tanker remained…

Air raid sirens blared in Bahrain and other Gulf states as the struggle for control of the Strait of Hormuz continued after US forces conducted a ninth day of air strikes on targets around Iran. Tensions increased over the weekend in the Gulf after the deaths of three US soldiers -- and possibly a fourth -- were announced. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest wave of strikes was aimed at degrading Iran's ability to threaten vessels transiting the strait, a strategic waterway that usually sees about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas transit.…

The national average price of gasoline in the United States topped $4 per gallon once again on Monday following the crude oil price rally of the past week amid the renewed hostilities in the Middle East and the fresh de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz.  As of July 20, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States was $4.0030, according to AAA data. Prices are now up from $3.8720 per gallon on Monday last week, following a week of re-escalation in the Middle East with Iranian attacks on vessels in the…

The national average price of gasoline in the United States topped $4 per gallon once again on Monday following the crude oil price rally of the past week amid the renewed hostilities in the Middle East and the fresh de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz.  As of July 20, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States was $4.0030, according to AAA data. Prices are now up from $3.8720 per gallon on Monday last week, following a week of re-escalation in the Middle East with Iranian attacks on vessels in the…

The national average price of gasoline in the United States topped $4 per gallon once again on Monday following the crude oil price rally of the past week amid the renewed hostilities in the Middle East and the fresh de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz.  As of July 20, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States was $4.0030, according to AAA data. Prices are now up from $3.8720 per gallon on Monday last week, following a week of re-escalation in the Middle East with Iranian attacks on vessels in the…

Brent Crude prices briefly hit $90 per barrel in Asian trade on Monday as the Middle East conflict continued to escalate with fresh U.S. strikes on Iran and Tehran targeting American bases in the region and vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Both Brent Crude and the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, were up by 2% in early Asian trade, although prices did then fall back as the session continued. The most recent rally extended last week’s jump as U.S. forces launched a new wave of strikes against Iran at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday for the ninth consecutive…

Scientists now know why solid-state batteries have repeatedly failed. Two separate studies have identified the physical processes responsible for the short circuits that have delayed commercialization for years, turning one of the industry’s biggest unknowns into a defined engineering problem. For years, engineers knew how solid-state batteries were failing, but not why. The batteries repeatedly developed internal short circuits as microscopic lithium structures formed inside the cell and eventually pierced the barrier separating the battery’s…

Early warnings surrounding the Strait of Hormuz suggested that European airports and fuel markets could face physical shortages by the beginning of summer. Those shortages largely failed to materialise, revealing both the adaptability of global energy markets and their persistent tendency to price worst-case scenarios long before they occur. When the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed at the end of February, the first forecasts were dramatic. The disruption affected a route that had carried nearly 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and…

Millions of Americans own oil and gas mineral rights and have no real idea what that means. Some inherited a folder of yellowed documents from a grandparent's estate. Some bought a piece of land and assumed everything under it came with the deed. Some get a small check in the mail every few months and couldn't explain why if asked. Mineral rights are one of the most valuable and least understood assets in the country, and a whole industry has built itself around that gap in knowledge. Landmen, mineral buyers and self-styled "finders" all make a…

Europe is working hard to increase the share of renewables in the continental energy mix. European Union nations have been working to add wind and solar capacity as quickly as possible against the backdrop of oil price shocks and supply chain volatility, and have made considerable progress in indigenous renewable installations. However, all of that additional capacity has outpaced the addition of supportive infrastructure like energy storage systems, leading to wasted surplus energy at peak production hours and increasing incidence of negative…

The ongoing restrictions on fuel trade, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have led to widespread energy shortages in several parts of the world, demonstrating the vulnerabilities in many countries' energy security. As states look to develop alternative, regional supply chains or turn to alternative energy sources, such as renewables, it has become clear that the ongoing geopolitical challenges will reshape global energy trade. The U.S.-Israeli-led war on Iran led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a key trade corridor connecting…

The intense early summer heatwave in Europe is warming the biggest rivers and drying up their water levels, disrupting energy deliveries, power generation, and key supply chain routes. The heatwaves in Europe started as early as June, with record-breaking temperatures for weeks on end in Europe’s biggest economies, Germany and France. As a result, rainfall was severely limited, and key inland transportation river routes were affected by navigation restrictions, with curbs on the freight volumes a barge can ship. This, in turn, has raised…

When Hurricane Maria flattened Puerto Rico's power grid in 2017, one building in the mountain town of Adjuntas never went dark. Casa Pueblo, a local environmental group, had already wired its headquarters with solar panels and batteries. That system kept the lights on while the rest of the island waited close to a year for power. It also became the seed for one of the country's most closely watched community microgrids. Nine years and several storms later, microgrids have moved well past the disaster-recovery story. They're showing up on military…

A new oil pipeline could connect eastern and western Canada as the oil-rich country seeks to become more self-reliant and reduce its energy dependence on the United States. However, not everyone is in support of the project, which is at odds with Canada’s climate targets. Alberta is home to vast oil reserves, totalling around 158.9 billion barrels. At present, the United States is the main importer of Canadian crude, which accounted for 63.4 per cent of U.S. crude imports in 2025. In recent years, as Canada’s federal government has…

Competition for critical minerals used in the energy, manufacturing, and tech sectors is heating up to be a major geopolitical flashpoint around the world. The supply chains for essential ingredients for clean energy manufacturing like lithium, cobalt, magnesium, and nickel, are dominated by China, creating a precarious concentration of global supplies. But the United States is hoping to even the playing field by sourcing certain critical minerals from seawater through the use of cutting-edge technology. Today, China supplies about 85-95 percent…

The world is turning toward nuclear power as a solution to the increasingly dire energy trilemma – the tricky issue of sourcing energy that is simultaneously affordable, sustainable, and secure. As the artificial intelligence boom pushes energy demand into the stratosphere in rich nations, and back-to-back oil shocks and soaring temperatures leave poor nations scrambling for alternative energy sources, the nuclear option is looking increasingly appealing for a broad range of national contexts. “With energy security now ranking alongside…

On 21st June, conservative, Trump-endorsed presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won the election by just 1 per cent over Iván Cepeda, who was expected to take over the Socialist Party leadership from current President Gustavo Petro. He will be sworn in as president on 7th August, after which we can expect significant changes across the board. Petro, who was considered Colombia’s first leftist leader, brought about major change during his time in power, overhauling the country’s tax and health systems and supporting…

The Indian government has proposed stricter fuel efficiency regulations for passenger vehicles under the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE)-III norms, with the new fuel standards set to take effect on April 1, 2027. Released by the Ministry of Power for public consultation, these rules aim to lower vehicular emissions, decrease reliance on imported crude oil, and shrink the nation's rising oil import bill.  To capture real-world emissions accurately, the framework will transition from the Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) to the more…

The Indian government has proposed stricter fuel efficiency regulations for passenger vehicles under the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE)-III norms, with the new fuel standards set to take effect on April 1, 2027. Released by the Ministry of Power for public consultation, these rules aim to lower vehicular emissions, decrease reliance on imported crude oil, and shrink the nation's rising oil import bill.  To capture real-world emissions accurately, the framework will transition from the Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) to the more…

The Indian government has proposed stricter fuel efficiency regulations for passenger vehicles under the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE)-III norms, with the new fuel standards set to take effect on April 1, 2027. Released by the Ministry of Power for public consultation, these rules aim to lower vehicular emissions, decrease reliance on imported crude oil, and shrink the nation's rising oil import bill.  To capture real-world emissions accurately, the framework will transition from the Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) to the more…