US AI Task Force co-chair requests FERC support for co-located Data Centers - Letter
According to a Dec. 5 letter, a co-chair of Congressional Artificial Intelligence Task Force in the U.S. urged federal energy regulators to support the creation of data centers that are directly connected to power stations, citing national safety and competition to dominate global AI. U.S. Congressman…
Brazil's prosecutors press Petrobras to conduct more Amazon drilling studies
Brazilian federal prosecutors have asked Petrobras, the state-run oil company, to conduct more studies before drilling near the Amazon rainforest coast, citing the potential effects of extreme weather conditions on tides. Documents filed Monday with environmental agency Ibama show that the prosecutors cited the possible effects of extreme weather conditions on tides.
Blockchain enables firms to offer physical uranium for sale to small investors
On Tuesday, a blockchain platform and an uranium company launched a market to allow small investors buy physical uranium. They hope to increase spot liquidity for the niche commodity. Uranium prices have risen in recent years due to a rise in investor interest and the reduction of miner output. This is because utilities are looking for new sources of this mineral…
Eletrobras Santo Antonio Power Plant bounces back after Brazil's historic drought
Santo Antonio is one of Brazil's biggest hydroelectric plants. Its head said that the plant had survived an extreme drought. He credited the plant's resilience with a series of measures which kept it running, even at record low water levels. According to the Brazilian geological service, Santo Antonio…
BNP Paribas Funds to exclude new Oil and Gas Bonds
BNP Paribas Asset Management has announced that it will no longer be investing in new bonds issued in November by companies engaged in oil and natural gas exploration and production. According to the document, French asset managers said their policy was to help oil and gas companies transition to sustainable sources of energy…
Philippines communities challenge dash for fossil gas
The government claims that LNG is an alternative to coal, and the capacity to generate it is required to meet the energy demands of Luzon Island, which is also home to Manila, the capital city, located 110 km (68 mi) north. Many people in Santa Clara, an area adjacent to the port's terminal, claim that respiratory illness has increased dramatically…
US natgas manufacturers chase AI-driven surge of power demand to weather low price
Shale gas producers are contacting data-center operators in the U.S. Permian Basin to build up the capacity needed to power an AI boom. They want to relieve the pressure of a two-year-old slump in prices. Devon Energy, Expand Energy Diamondback Energy and Permian Resources highlighted the potential…
Solar power in favelas of Brazil hopes to shine under G20 spotlight
Residents of Morro de Babilonia in Rio de Janeiro, one of the underdeveloped "favela" neighborhoods, rarely discuss geopolitics. But as the city prepares to host the leaders of the Group of 20 on Monday, they hope that a project of the locals' will find its way into the spotlight. Babilonia, a small community in Rio de Janeiro…
The pledge of financing by the Development Bank gives COP29 an early boost
COP29 negotiators have welcomed a commitment by major development bank to increase funding for poor and middle-income nations struggling to combat global warming. This is a positive start to the two week summit. The World Bank and a group of lenders announced on Tuesday that they would increase the finance amount to $120 billion in 2030.
US regulators reject amended agreement on interconnect for Amazon Data Center
A filing on Friday showed that U.S. Energy regulators had rejected an amended agreement to interconnect an Amazon datacenter directly with a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission members said that the agreement to increase capacity of the Talen Energy Susquehanna nuclear…
U.S. regulators consider the issue of data centers in power plants
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission held a technical meeting on Friday to discuss the reliability and cost concerns associated with the growing trend of building data centers that are energy-intensive on the site of U.S. nuclear power plants. The technology industry is racing to build data centers…
Wall St. ends lower than expected as Meta and Microsoft highlight AI costs
The major U.S. indexes ended lower on Thursday, after Microsoft and Meta Platforms pointed out that artificial intelligence costs could impact their earnings. This dampened the enthusiasm for megacaps which have been driving this year's market rally. Microsoft and Meta Platforms, which own Facebook…
Petrobras 2025-2029 Strategic Plan likely to reach $110 billion, sources claim
Two sources with knowledge of the matter said that the new Petrobras strategic plan would include investments worth $110 billion for 2025-2029. This represents an increase of 8% over its previous multi-year projection. Sources said that executives are still finalizing the plan, which Petrobras expects to release by late November.
Ibama, Brazil's Ibama, seeks information on Petrobras Amazon project and rejects suggestions to kill it
Documents seen by on Tuesday showed that the head of Brazil's environment agency Ibama decided not to reject a Petrobras request to drill near Amazon River, even though experts at the agency recommended the request be rejected. According to regulatory documents, Ibama's Rodrigo Agostinho asked Petrobras…
Walmart cuts Walmart Plus price in half for the holidays
Walmart announced on Monday that it will offer its membership service Walmart Plus at a discount of 50% ahead of the holidays, in an effort to compete with Amazon.com Prime subscription services. In order to help shoppers cope with the high inflation, retailers in the United States like Walmart launched…
Chubu Electric, Japan, plans to increase its investment in renewable energy and SMR overseas
A company executive revealed that Chubu Electric Power, Japan, plans to invest further in overseas decarbonisation projects, such as renewable energy, small-modular reactors (SMRs), or carbon capture and storage (CCS) to fuel the future growth of the company. Chubu, the major regional electric utility in Japan, announced a long-term plan for 2021.
Mexican officials reassure investors at bilateral business summit
Mexican officials called for safety and stability of private investment after a summit held with business leaders on Tuesday. Fears about constitutional reforms were the main topic. According to Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Amazon, Mexico Pacific and Woodside Energy will make significant investments into the country over the next 12 months.
Colombia and Ecuador battle to protect vital wetlands during drought
As water and energy restrictions hit both countries, rural communities in Colombia and Ecuador fight to protect fragile high altitude wetlands which regulate the area's waters cycles. Scientists say that climate change and human activity have exacerbated the effects of El Nino, which has led to drought in Colombia and Ecuador.
British Business – Sept 27
These are the most popular stories in the British business pages. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports. Keir starmer, British Prime Minister, is in talks with Donald Trump. He wants to build a relationship with him personally and continue his support for Ukraine.
Brazil's mega dams were supposed to lead the way for a greener future. Climate change came next
The drought has exacerbated the problem of underperformance. When he first came to power in the early 2000s, Brazil's President Luiz inacio Lula da silva bet his green future on "run-of river" megadams - whose turbines move by natural river flow rather than cascading water from towering dams. Santo…
