The energy grid operator has warned that the “extreme temperatures” from this week’s heatwave could hit power supplies on Thursday night, as households’ use of fans and air conditioner place a record strain on our electricity system. The National Energy System Operator (Neso) issued a rare overnight notice calling on energy companies to generate additional supplies to satisfy demand from cooling devices during what Britain’s third heatwave of the summer. It is Neso’s second warning in as many months. The group…

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States rose this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, bringing the total rig count in the US to 581, up 44 from this same time last year. The number of active oil rigs stayed at 445 during the latest reporting period, according to the data. This is 21 above this same time last year. The number of gas rigs also stayed the same, at 126, which is 18 more than this time last year. The gain was courtesy of the miscellaneous rig count, which gained 1,…

China isn't waiting for Namibia to become an oil producer. It's getting in early. During a state visit to Beijing this week, Namibia and China signed eight cooperation agreements covering energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, agriculture, and economic development, as China attempts to secure a front-row seat to what could become Africa's next major energy story. Namibia's first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, spent the week courting investment as her government looks to diversify an economy still grappling with high unemployment.…

China isn't waiting for Namibia to become an oil producer. It's getting in early. During a state visit to Beijing this week, Namibia and China signed eight cooperation agreements covering energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, agriculture, and economic development, as China attempts to secure a front-row seat to what could become Africa's next major energy story. Namibia's first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, spent the week courting investment as her government looks to diversify an economy still grappling with high unemployment.…

China isn't waiting for Namibia to become an oil producer. It's getting in early. During a state visit to Beijing this week, Namibia and China signed eight cooperation agreements covering energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, agriculture, and economic development, as China attempts to secure a front-row seat to what could become Africa's next major energy story. Namibia's first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, spent the week courting investment as her government looks to diversify an economy still grappling with high unemployment.…

Renewed U.S.-Iran strikes have revived the Middle East risk premium, lifting Brent above $76 as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slows and supply disruption fears return. Friday, July 10, 2026 The return of the Middle Eastern geopolitical risk premium has lifted global oil prices by $4 per barrel this week, with ICE Brent set to settle above $76 per barrel. Renewed US-Iran strikes pushed traffic through the Strait of Hormuz back toward a near-standstill as market concerns about continued supply disruptions outweighed President Trump’s…

Ukraine's sustained attacks on Russia's oil refineries immediately plunged Central Asian countries into energy chaos, highlighting years of short-term policy decisions that have left the region without a coordinated energy strategy and sufficient diversification to withstand major disruptions. Just this week, Ukrainian drones knocked the Omsk refinery -- one of Russia’s largest processing facilities, with an annual capacity of nearly 22 million tons of crude oil -- offline, forcing Central Asian governments, particularly Kyrgyzstan, into…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) produced 4.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in June, its highest output ever, according to estimates by the International Energy Agency. The UAE’s crude oil production jumped from 3.3 million bpd in May to 4.1 million bpd in June after the country left OPEC effective May 1, started raising output, and managed to sneak a lot of exports out of the Middle East even as the Strait of Hormuz was mostly blockaded for the first half of June. The crude oil production in June, at 4.1 million bpd, was the highest…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) produced 4.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in June, its highest output ever, according to estimates by the International Energy Agency. The UAE’s crude oil production jumped from 3.3 million bpd in May to 4.1 million bpd in June after the country left OPEC effective May 1, started raising output, and managed to sneak a lot of exports out of the Middle East even as the Strait of Hormuz was mostly blockaded for the first half of June. The crude oil production in June, at 4.1 million bpd, was the highest…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) produced 4.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in June, its highest output ever, according to estimates by the International Energy Agency. The UAE’s crude oil production jumped from 3.3 million bpd in May to 4.1 million bpd in June after the country left OPEC effective May 1, started raising output, and managed to sneak a lot of exports out of the Middle East even as the Strait of Hormuz was mostly blockaded for the first half of June. The crude oil production in June, at 4.1 million bpd, was the highest…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) produced 4.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in June, its highest output ever, according to estimates by the International Energy Agency. The UAE’s crude oil production jumped from 3.3 million bpd in May to 4.1 million bpd in June after the country left OPEC effective May 1, started raising output, and managed to sneak a lot of exports out of the Middle East even as the Strait of Hormuz was mostly blockaded for the first half of June. The crude oil production in June, at 4.1 million bpd, was the highest…

The global energy system is facing a polycrisis. Consecutive and escalating geopolitical crises have thrown the world’s oil and gas markets into turmoil, the artificial intelligence boom is placing unprecedented stress on power grids and threatens to drive a major energy supply deficit in the near future, and all of this is taking place against the backdrop of dangerous heat waves, underscoring the cost of our energy system and the urgency of the global clean energy transition. So what is standing in the way of decarbonization? The answer,…

Russia's oil production in 2026 and 2027 is set to be lower than previously expected, due to intensified Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly oil market report on Friday. Russia produced on average 9.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2025. The forecasts for this year and next, however, has been downgraded from previous projections as Ukraine continues to inflict damage on Russia's storage, refining, and transportation assets. “Continued strikes on refineries, storage…

Russia's oil production in 2026 and 2027 is set to be lower than previously expected, due to intensified Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly oil market report on Friday. Russia produced on average 9.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2025. The forecasts for this year and next, however, has been downgraded from previous projections as Ukraine continues to inflict damage on Russia's storage, refining, and transportation assets. “Continued strikes on refineries, storage…

Russia's oil production in 2026 and 2027 is set to be lower than previously expected, due to intensified Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly oil market report on Friday. Russia produced on average 9.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2025. The forecasts for this year and next, however, has been downgraded from previous projections as Ukraine continues to inflict damage on Russia's storage, refining, and transportation assets. “Continued strikes on refineries, storage…

Indian state-owned NTPC Ltd, the biggest utility in the country, is looking to acquire stakes in uranium assets globally to secure fuel for the expected massive expansion of India’s nuclear power capacity. NTPC, currently the only nuclear power generator in the country, has issued a tender to hire consultants to help it identify potential uranium mines in which it could invest in uranium-producing countries, including Australia, Canada, Kazakhstan, and South Africa. Bids are due by July 16, according to the tender document cited by Bloomberg.…

ADNOC Logistics and Services has placed a $900-million order for four newbuild LNG carriers to expand its fleet as Abu Dhabi’s national oil company seeks to boost gas exports to seize the global rise in LNG demand. ADNOC Logistics and Services on Friday announced a newbuilding order for an additional four next-generation LNG carriers with a total value of approximately $900 million, or 3.3 billion UAE dirhams. The newly-built vessels will be constructed at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, China, and are expected to be delivered in 2029. This…

August WTI crude oil traded higher during the week ending July 10, with prices last at $71.84 through Thursday evening, up $3.38, or 4.94%. The contract posted a wide weekly range, climbing from a low of $67.82 to a high of $76.08 before pulling back late Thursday. The week's advance was driven by one dominant theme: growing concern over global oil supplies. Traders added a larger risk premium to crude prices as renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East raised questions about the security of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Those…

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict A UK High Court ruling has ended Nord Stream AG’s attempt to recover $662 million in insurance claims from the September 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, with a judge ruling it a standard war-risk exclusion and relieving insurers of liability (Lloyd’s and Arch). The court also rejected Nord Stream AG’s argument that separate damage to one section of the pipeline had been caused by a ship’s anchor rather than explosives. This ruling establishes an important legal precedent…

The U.S. launched another major round of strikes across Iran this week, targeting roughly 90 military sites, including coastal radar installations, anti-ship missile batteries, drone launch positions, command networks and IRGC naval assets around Hormuz.  Tehran responded within hours with missile and drone attacks against U.S. military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar while insisting it will continue enforcing its own navigation regime through the Strait.  For Tehran, control of Hormuz is now the top strategic objective. Western…