In a significant move to bolster energy security amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Japan’s JERA — the world’s largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) — has secured a landmark 20-year supply contract with Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas. The deal, announced today following high-level talks between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Malaysian […]
We cover shipbuilding and even the implications of the Jones Act. Dr. Beatriz Canamary stopped by the Energy News Beat podcast, and we had a great discussion about energy, exports, and our maritime industry, including shipbuilding and the Jones Act. I am going to just be brutally honest for a moment, and say that I […]
Kuwait is actively pursuing pipeline routes to bypass the Strait of Hormuz as ongoing tensions have effectively choked off the Persian Gulf’s primary oil export artery. Sheik Nawaf Al-Sabah, Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corp. (KPC), the state-owned oil producer, disclosed the initiative during a conference in Washington on Tuesday. According to Sheik Nawaf, […]
In a significant sign that Gulf crude is once again finding its way to market, Kuwait is offering at least 4 million barrels of its main export-grade crude to Asian refiners—the first such sales to the region since the Iran war erupted in late February 2026. The volumes are loaded onto two very large crude […]
In a decisive step to safeguard Florida’s electric grid amid rising electricity demand, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a 90-day emergency order on June 4, 2026, directing the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) to keep its 465-MW coal-fired Stanton Unit 1 at the Stanton Energy Center running instead of moving it into cold shutdown. […]
China is moving fast to solve one of the biggest bottlenecks in the global AI race: powering data centers quickly and cheaply. According to state broadcaster CCTV, the country has just launched its first prefabricated computing power hub in the eastern city of Qingdao, Shandong province. This modular power solution promises to slash construction time […]
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has joined Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in hitting the pause button on tax incentives for new data centers. On June 5, 2026, Pritzker directed the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to stop processing new agreements under the Data Center Investment Program effective July 1. This move mirrors Ohio’s […]
The global oil tanker industry is riding an unprecedented wave of profits fueled by the ongoing Iran conflict, but shipowners are already bracing for a sharp reversal. According to a new Financial Times report, tanker owners are warning of a potential market crash if the Strait of Hormuz reopens or as broader market forces take […]
The U.S. naval blockade of Iran, enforced since mid-April 2026, is delivering a measurable blow to Tehran’s oil-dependent economy. Iranian crude and condensate exports have plummeted from nearly 2 million barrels per day (bpd) earlier this year to below 300,000 bpd in May, according to trade intelligence firm Kpler. At conservative Brent prices around $90 […]
Houston, TX – June 6, 2026 – U.S. oil-directed drilling rigs posted their sixth consecutive weekly gain this week—the longest upward streak in domestic exploration since mid-2022—pushing the Baker Hughes oil rig count to 431. The increase comes as higher crude prices, fueled by ongoing disruptions and geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, continue […]
