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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 surge in electricity demand in the world’s AI hotspots has prompted a comparable surge in the demand for reliable supply. That surge was not expected. There are not enough gas turbines to secure that supply. This means the AI revolution would either have to slow down, or the grid would have to increase its reliance on coal. Natural gas has in recent years been marketed as a so-called bridge fuel between coal and oil, on the one hand, and wind and solar, on the other. When it became clear that “bridge” is in fact its own country…
A rethink of the European Union’s (EU) Arctic policy could keep Norway’s Barents Sea gas in play in the 2030s, offering Europe a nearby, low-emission supply option as its reliance on the global liquefied natural gas market grows, according to new Rystad Energy research and analysis. The European Commission is reviewing its 2021 Arctic policy and has opened a public consultation through 16 March 2026. With Barents projects typically needing five to 10 years to move from discovery to steady output, the signal the EU sends now will determine…
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage has long been described as essential for decarbonising heavy industry, yet progress has remained uneven across regions. While North America and parts of Europe have dominated early deployment, the next major growth market is increasingly clear. India is now positioning itself to become one of the most important arenas for CCUS globally, not because it is following others, but because its industrial reality leaves few viable alternatives. Why India Cannot Decarbonise Without CCUS India is already the world’s…
The Trump administration may have finally blinked, also knowing that yet another US-led war in the Middle East remains deeply unpopular among the American people. No attacks have come this weekend, as some were predicting last week, as President Trump appears to be exercising some level of patience and restraint, for now at least. "Iran has indicated it is prepared to make concessions on its nuclear program in talks with the U.S. in return for the lifting of sanctions and recognition of its right to enrich uranium, as it seeks to avert a U.S. attack,"…
