Chevron will build gas plants for data centers in the AI boom
The oil and gas company Chevron announced on Tuesday that it will build natural gas power plants near data centers in the U.S. as the energy demand for artificial intelligence growth is expected to grow. The second largest U.S. oil and gas producer has partnered with Engine No. The project is a partnership between Engine No. 1 and electric service company GE Vernova. Chevron announced the project a day after Chinese startup DeepSeek revealed an AI model it claims uses much less computing power than leading models in the United States.
Engine No. 1: Chevron and Engine No. GE Vernova will power US datacenters
Chevron, the world's largest energy company, announced on Tuesday that it had signed an agreement to invest with Engine No. 1 and GE Vernova will build natural gas-based energy plants in the U.S. to power co-located data centres. The announcement came just one week after U.S. president Donald Trump announced a private investment of up $500 billion in infrastructure for artificial intelligence. This was done to keep pace with rival nations. The project will use GE Vernova natural gas turbines in order to provide up to 4 gigawatts - which is enough power to power approximately 3 million homes – to data centers located throughout the U.S.
Mongolia close to signing green energy agreements with Saudi Arabia
Mongolia's deputy premier said that the country expects to sign agreements worth several billions of dollars with Saudi Arabia in the coming months. It is also in discussions with the United Arab Emirates about similar investments. Mongolia, a country rich in copper and coking-coal deposits, is positioning itself to be a new supplier of vital minerals and attract foreign investors. The government has announced 14 mega projects in infrastructure, energy and connectivity that will require investments of $15-30 billion.
Fortescue Energy CEO: Green hydrogen costs are key to reducing demand
Fortescue Energy CEO Mark Hutchinson said in Davos that buyers will not pay "green premiums" if the price is competitive. By splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen, using renewable electricity, green hydrogen can be created. The hydrogen can be used to generate electricity or as an ingredient in agricultural fertilisers. Hutchinson, speaking at the Global Markets Forum, said that electrolyzers which split hydrogen were expensive and that government subsidies intended to lower these costs have not been forthcoming as expected. The CEO of the World Economic Forum said that the green hydrogen and ammonia sector is not what they expected.
Minister: Greece will launch gas exploration bid on Friday
The Greek energy minister announced that Greece will hold a tender on Friday for new rights to explore gas in its southwest waters after a U.S. oil company, Chevron, expressed interest. Chevron has submitted its non-binding expression of interest in exploring for energy on a deep sea block located south of the Peloponnese Peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. Theodore Skylakakis, Energy Minister of Greece, told Greek Radio that the tender process would begin today. He added that the winner would be announced by the end the year.
Oil industry unlikely rush to Alaska despite Trump’s call for drilling
U.S. companies will not expand their development in Alaska or the Arctic after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that allows them to do so. Industry representatives and company officials said this, pointing out that a future president would be able to reverse Trump's decision. U.S. Oil Production is Already at Record Levels. This is largely due to the increased production of oil in more accessible areas such as Texas and New Mexico. Companies have also limited their spending on new projects, focusing on returning cash to investors.
RODA responds to Trump EO on Offshore Wind & Permitting
The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) extends gratitude to President Trump for his decision to temporarily withdraw all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from consideration for new or renewed wind energy leasing.This important move recognizes the vital role our communities, industries, and ecosystems play in the broader national interest. The decision is a much-needed pause that allows us to reassess the future of offshore wind development and its potential impacts on our coastal environments…
Australian Government pledges $1.24 Billion in Green Aluminium Push
Australia's Labor Government pledged A$2 Billion ($1.24 Billion) in production credits on Monday to support the four Australian aluminium smelters to switch to renewable energy before 2036. Aluminum is one of non-ferrous metals that is the most polluting to produce, since its production is mainly powered by coal. The term "green aluminium" is used to describe metals produced by solar, wind and hydropower. Rio Tinto and Alcoa are the two companies that run four of the country's aluminium smelters. In his latest campaign pitch…
Portugal is keen to create an offshore wind cluster that could reach up to 10 gigawatts
Portugal's Government said on Friday that it is keen to create a cluster wind farms off the coast of its Atlantic Ocean. The total power of these wind farms could reach around 10 gigawatts. Lisbon approved last week four areas where offshore wind farms could be installed. This is a big step towards the launch of the first offshore license auction that it plans to conduct this year. The plan, which was drawn up by the Economy Ministry in coordination with Environment Ministry, envisages an occupation of over 2,000 square kilometers (772 square miles).
China's carbon power will rise in 2024, surpassing expectations that coal would peak
Official data released on Friday showed that China's thermal power generation, which is mainly coal-powered, increased by 1.5% between 2024 and 2025. This was contrary to expectations, as coal generation had been expected to peak. However, growth has slowed down, reaching its lowest level in nine years, excluding years during the COVID-19 epidemic. The data revealed the difficulties in eliminating coal-fired energy while still meeting China's growing demand for electricity to power its energy-hungry industry and electrify its economy.
Sources say that India's steel minister is seeking $1.7 billion from the budget to assist mills reduce emissions.
Two government sources who are directly involved in the matter said that the Indian steel ministry requested 150 billion rupees (1,74 billion dollars) to be allocated to the budget as incentives for mills to produce low carbon steel. Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister, will present the federal Budget for 2025-2026 on February 1. India, which is the second-largest steel producer in the world after China, is working on a policy to decarbonise the production of the alloy. This effort forms part of an overall push for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of a net-zero goal set by Narendra Modi.
New York City dismisses climate change lawsuit against Exxon BP Shell
A judge dismissed New York City’s lawsuit against Exxon Mobil and BP for misrepresenting their products and commitment to renewable energy, as well as their fight against climate change. Anar Patel, a state Supreme Court justice, ruled on Tuesday that the city cannot claim to have climate-conscious citizens, but then let them down by oil companies who fail to disclose the contribution of their fossil fuels to climate change. Patel found that there was no evidence the oil companies or defendant American Petroleum Institute engaged in "greenwashing"…
Russia offers crude oil and LNG to Vietnam
The two countries announced on Wednesday that Russia was willing to assist Vietnam in developing its nuclear energy sector, and supply it with crude oil as well as LNG. Vietnam and Russia have also agreed to continue facilitating oil and gas projects in each other's continental shelves. This was revealed by a joint announcement made during the visit of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to Hanoi. Russia signed a nuclear agreement and several agreements of cooperation with Vietnam on Tuesday. Vietnam is looking to restart its nuclear program after years of suspension.
EIA: US power consumption will reach new highs by 2025 and 26.
The Short Term Energy Outlook, published by the Energy Information Administration on Tuesday, predicted that U.S. electricity consumption would reach record levels in 2025 and in 2026. EIA projects that the demand for electricity will increase to 4,175 billions kWh by 2025, and 4,252 trillions kWh by 2026. This is a significant increase from the 4,089 billions kilowatt hours (kWh) recorded in 2024. EIA predicts that by 2025, residential customers will consume 1,519 billion kWh of electricity. Commercial customers will consume 1,457 trillion kWh and industrial customers 1,056 trillion kWh.
Thyssenkrupp's $3 billion green steel plan is not entirely dependent on hydrogen
Thyssenkrupp has said that a green steel plant worth 3 billion euros could still be built even if the government's ambitions of building a world-leading hydrogen industry fail. Friedrich Merz of the German opposition, who is expected to win next month's elections and become chancellor, said on Monday that a rapid shift to hydrogen would be unrealistic. The current SPD government, which split last year due to disagreements over funding and other issues, has tried to accelerate the decarbonisation in its industry. Hydrogen is a key component of this strategy.
Masdar, UAE launches facility for uninterrupted production of 1GW renewable energy
The chairman of Masdar, a state-owned renewables company in the UAE, announced on Tuesday that the firm has opened a facility to produce clean energy at a rate of 1 gigawatt per hour. At the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week opening, Sultan Al Jaber - who is also the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and the Chief Executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), called the project an important step in the transformation of renewable energy into baseload electricity. This will be the first time renewable energy has been transformed into baseload power. Al Jaber stated that it is a small step which could lead to a huge leap.
Egypt rushes solar energy to catch up as gas prices soar
Egypt, with its few clouds, vast deserts, and well-developed electrical grid, has everything it needs to expand solar energy generation. It is only now that Egypt has begun to take advantage of these resources, as the price of imported natural gas has risen. Last year, a sharp drop in gas production and a growing demand caught the authorities by surprise. This led to rolling blackouts during the hot summer. Ahmed Mortada is the head of energy for the multilateral lender European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Egypt. Analysts estimate that Egypt will have to spend millions more by 2025 on LNG imports.
WTO panel backs EU in palm case against Indonesia
The World Trade Organization panel ruled in favor of the European Union in the case filed by Indonesia on Friday against the bloc's ban on biofuels based on palm oil. Indonesia, the largest palm oil producer in the world, took the case before the WTO after the EU concluded palm oil cultivation leads to excessive deforestation, and shouldn't count towards its renewable energy target. Palm oil-based diesel was not considered a biofuel, and its use as a transport fuel was effectively phased out from 2023 to 2030. Indonesia claimed that the measures unfairly target Southeast Asian palm oil manufacturers.
German spot increases as French spot drops
Early on Wednesday, European power prices were mixed. France was down due to lower consumption and increased supply while Germany rose amid positive factors. As of 8:40 GMT, the price for French baseload electricity on Thursday had fallen by 9.9% to 93.3 euros (96.02 dollars) per megawatt-hour (MWH). The German baseload for the day ahead was up by 21.6% to 125.5 Euros. LSEG data shows that power usage in Germany will increase by 2.6 gigawatts per day, reaching 62 GW at the end of Thursday. Guromarie Wyller, LSEG analyst, noted that the supply of wind power is expected to decrease while gas and coal are likely to increase.
Biden Team wraps up expanded Clean Energy Credit Guidance
The Biden Administration released Tuesday guidance to assist companies in securing clean energy tax credits as part of the 2022 Inflation reduction Act. This program finalized a program that extends subsidies previously available for solar and wind to other low-carbon sources. This move is a part of the actions taken by outgoing president Joe Biden to support his administration's efforts to combat climate change. The move could be vulnerable when President-elect Donald Trump assumes office in the coming weeks on a platform that emphasizes cutting spending and maximising fossil fuel production.
