The U.S. Department of Commerce has imposed a 126% preliminary countervailing duty on Indian solar cells and modules, effectively closing off the lucrative U.S. market and exacerbating overcapacity issues for India’s burgeoning solar sector. The levies follow a complaint by the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade (AASMT), claiming that Indian firms benefited unfairly from government subsidies. AASMT, a coalition that includes U.S.-based First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) and Mission Solar as well as China’s Hanwha Qcells, filed…

When the UAE experienced severe floods two years ago, many questioned the country’s practice of so-called cloud seeding—the dispersion of certain chemicals in the air to basically squeeze more rain from clouds—as a possible cause of the floods. Officially, that explanation was rejected, yet cloud-seeding is not an unproblematic practice—and it is being employed more and more. Middle Eastern countries where rainfall is scarce are among those that have been seeding clouds for the longest time, but they are not the only ones.…

Last year was an event-filled period for South America’s growing oil industry. The continent’s energy map is being rewritten by a few unexpected world-class oil booms, which makes the region a key source of non-OPEC production growth. There is also the potential for Venezuela to reemerge as a major petroleum producer after U.S. President Donald Trump launched Operation Southern Spear in August 2025, which culminated with President Nicolas Maduro’s capture in a daring night raid. Let us take a closer look at what lies ahead for…

The UK may be quietly inching toward an awkward admission: the windfall tax experiment on oil and gas has been a flop. The Treasury is holding talks with North Sea oil and gas producers about potentially scrapping the Energy Profits Levy before its scheduled 2030 expiry, according to people familiar with the discussions. After multiple extensions and rate hikes, the levy has pushed the sector’s headline tax burden to 78% — a level producers argue borders on confiscatory, and a level critics argue borders on ridiculosity. The EPL was…

Researchers in Hong Kong and China have developed a new form of battery that is more eco-friendly and longer lasting than lithium ion batteries –  and it runs on tofu brine. The new water battery is still in research phases, but if the technology proves to be scalable enough to hit commercial markets, it could be a game-changer for the energy and tech sectors. “Compared with current aqueous battery systems … our system delivers exceptional long-term cycling stability and environmental friendliness under neutral conditions,”…

Americans spend close to half a trillion dollars per year on electricity. The electric industry spends over a quarter trillion dollars a year on a capital program to replace old plants and add new ones to enable it to serve new demand. The industry and its customers have conflicting feelings about big capital spending. On the one hand, the spending should assure better service (good for consumers) and increase the rate base (good for utility investors). On the other hand, the spending will surely raise prices because the new plant and equipment…

The rare earth issue facing the United States is not a mining story. It’s a materials story.Modern defense systems are not built on ore bodies. They are built on rare earth metals, alloys, and permanent magnets. And while the U.S. has resources in the ground, it still does not reliably control the steps that turn mined material into usable, qualified inputs for industry and defense. That exposure sits in the middle of the supply chain, after mining and before finished components. It’s the point where separated material must be converted…

The rare earth issue facing the United States is not a mining story. It’s a materials story.Modern defense systems are not built on ore bodies. They are built on rare earth metals, alloys, and permanent magnets. And while the U.S. has resources in the ground, it still does not reliably control the steps that turn mined material into usable, qualified inputs for industry and defense. That exposure sits in the middle of the supply chain, after mining and before finished components. It’s the point where separated material must be converted…

The rare earth issue facing the United States is not a mining story. It’s a materials story.Modern defense systems are not built on ore bodies. They are built on rare earth metals, alloys, and permanent magnets. And while the U.S. has resources in the ground, it still does not reliably control the steps that turn mined material into usable, qualified inputs for industry and defense. That exposure sits in the middle of the supply chain, after mining and before finished components. It’s the point where separated material must be converted…

Federal regulators have officially reopened a door California politicians have spent years trying to weld shut. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Thursday announced it will prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement for potential oil and gas lease sales in the Northern, Central, and Southern California program areas, launching the first formal step required under NEPA. Translation: California’s offshore leasing conversation is no longer theoretical. The notice covers roughly 11,876 lease blocks spanning about 65 million…

With the Russian-Ukraine war entering its fifth year, Kazakhstan is grappling with lots of uncertainty concerning oil exports, a critical revenue stream for Astana. The threats to budgetary stability faced by Kazakhstan are not solely related to the warfare in Ukraine: Astana is also facing prolonged and complicated negotiations with foreign partners over renewed operating agreements for key oil fields.  Over the near term, Ukraine poses the main challenge for Kazakhstan’s oil exports. Kyiv is threatening to significantly increase attacks…

Cheniere Energy (NYSE: LNG), the biggest U.S. LNG exporter, booked a 64% surge in its net income for 2025 from a year earlier, as it produced and exported a record amount of the fuel last year. Cheniere on Thursday reported a net income of $5.33 billion for 2025, up by 64% from 2024, on revenues increased by 27% to $19.976 billion. Consolidated adjusted core earnings, or EBITDA, rose by 13% to $6.943 billion as both the number of exported cargoes and LNG volumes increased by 4%. Cheniere produced record amount of LNG in 2025, with 670 cargoes…

Cheniere Energy (NYSE: LNG), the biggest U.S. LNG exporter, booked a 64% surge in its net income for 2025 from a year earlier, as it produced and exported a record amount of the fuel last year. Cheniere on Thursday reported a net income of $5.33 billion for 2025, up by 64% from 2024, on revenues increased by 27% to $19.976 billion. Consolidated adjusted core earnings, or EBITDA, rose by 13% to $6.943 billion as both the number of exported cargoes and LNG volumes increased by 4%. Cheniere produced record amount of LNG in 2025, with 670 cargoes…

Exxon Mobil Corp. is using its rapid buildout in Guyana as a selling point in talks with other governments looking to develop oil and gas reserves, according to Bloomberg.  The company says the speed and efficiency of its offshore projects there — which lifted production from zero to nearly 1 million barrels a day in just over six years — show it can execute complex developments better than rivals. Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods calls that a “unique value proposition” for host countries. “We’re going…

Russia is not amused. Moscow on Thursday blasted the European Union’s plan to permanently ban Russian oil imports, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova calling the proposal madness and suggesting only a “madman” would even float the idea. The language was vintage Kremlin — theatrical, indignant, and aimed as much at European voters as at Brussels policymakers. The European Commission is preparing to submit a legal proposal on April 15 to make the ban permanent, according to EU officials and a document seen by…

British self-driving car company Wayve has raised $1.2bn (£950m), ticking its valuation up to $8.6bn and marking one of the largest capital raises for a UK AI startup. The funding round was led by Eclipse, Balderton and Softbank Vision Fund 2, with new backing from investors like Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Baillie Gifford, the British Business Bank and Schroders Capital. Tech giants Microsoft, Nvidia and Uber also participated, alongside carmakers Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Stellantis. Uber has separately contributed additional…

The European Union has to coordinate its plans to impose a full ban on maritime services for Russian crude oil with the G7 group of the world’s most advanced economies, David O’Sullivan, the EU Sanctions Envoy, said on Thursday.  Early this month, the European Commission proposed in its planned 20th package of sanctions against Russia a full maritime services ban for Russian crude oil, which is expected to “slash further Russia's energy revenues and make it more difficult to find buyers for its oil,” European Commission…

The European Union has to coordinate its plans to impose a full ban on maritime services for Russian crude oil with the G7 group of the world’s most advanced economies, David O’Sullivan, the EU Sanctions Envoy, said on Thursday.  Early this month, the European Commission proposed in its planned 20th package of sanctions against Russia a full maritime services ban for Russian crude oil, which is expected to “slash further Russia's energy revenues and make it more difficult to find buyers for its oil,” European Commission…

The supertanker charter market has become red-hot this year as the specter of a U.S. military campaign in Iran has added to a number of other bullish factors to push daily rates to the highest in nearly six years. The daily rate for hiring a very large crude carrier (VLCC), capable of shipping 2 million barrels, on the key Middle East Gulf to China route (MEG-China) this week topped $200,000. That’s the highest daily rate since early April 2020, when Saudi Arabia and Russia were flooding the market with crude in the brief price war amid plunging…

Eni’s oil and gas production rose by 7% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier as the Italian energy major started up six major new projects in 2025.  Fourth-quarter output was 1.84 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), up by 5% from the previous quarter, Eni said in its Q4 and full-year earnings release on Thursday.  The rise in the fourth quarter lifted full-year 2025 production to an average of 1.73 million boe/d, which marked 4% underlying growth from the prior year, and exceeded the company’s guidance…