Brazil's Eike Batista eyes new $500 mln Gulf investment in 'supercane' project
Eike Batista was once Brazil's richest businessman. He said that a Gulf investor would soon announce a $500-million investment in his project to use modified sugarcane for the production of sustainable fuels. Batista said that the project had already received $500 million in funding from Sao Paolo's private development bank Brazilinvest and aims to secure another investment of this size from a strategic investor from the United Arab Emirates. Batista’s commodities and energy industry collapsed more than a decade before.
Sources say that the White House is considering an executive order to speed up deep-sea mines.
Two sources who are directly involved in the White House's deliberations say that they are considering an executive order which would expedite permits for deep sea mining in international waters. This would allow mining companies to bypass a United Nations review process. The order, if signed, would be the latest effort by U.S. president Donald Trump to tap into international deposits of nickel and copper, and other essential minerals that are widely used across the economy, after recent efforts made in Greenland, and Ukraine.
Sources say that the Energy Department may cut funding for US carbon removal hubs.
Three sources familiar with this matter have confirmed that the U.S. Department of Energy has been considering cutting hundreds of millions of dollar in grants for two projects in Texas or Louisiana, which are aimed at demonstrating commercial-scale technology to capture CO2 from the air. Direct Air Capture hubs were developed by the DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations as part of the former president Joe Biden’s efforts to reduce U.S. greenhouse gases emissions. The hubs are expensive and new technology for carbon removal.
Gas turbines from GE Vernova will be used in a new Missouri power station
GE Vernova announced on Friday that it has received an order for its aeroderivative GE Vernova gas turbines to be used in Springfield City Utilities (CU)'s new power generating plant in Missouri. The McCartney Generating Station, a 100 Megawatt (MW), is expected to begin operations in 2027. GE Vernova has not disclosed the value of the deal or the anticipated delivery date for the turbines. Gas turbines for large-scale power production will be in demand as data centers…
The prize is worth billions of dollars, but winning it is the key: Russell
Decarbonising steel is one of the biggest challenges to meeting climate goals. However, it could be extremely profitable for those companies and governments willing to take on the risk. Steel value chain is responsible for 7 to 9% global carbon emissions. It is the biggest industrial contributor, and therefore a primary target for many countries' and companies' goals for net-zero in 2050. About 80% of the steel emissions are caused by one single process.
China expands carbon trading market for steel, cement and aluminum
The environment ministry announced plans to expand the carbon trading market in China to include the steel, aluminum, and cement industries. This will require 1,500 additional firms to buy credits to cover their emission, it said. At a press briefing, Pei Xiaofei, a spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, said that the expansion would bring the total volume covered by the scheme of climate-warming CO2 to 8 billion metric tonnes, which is more than 60% the total emissions of China.
European investors warn that the clock is ticking on AI adoption
European companies who are investing heavily in generative artificial intelligence must start showing results by the end of next year or investors will lose patience. AI-exposed shares have been downdrafted with the broader equity market in recent weeks, as fears of recession rise. This has added to the pressure on the sector, which was already under strain in January when the launch low-cost Chinese AI DeepSeek sparked a tech sale. Many investors are optimistic about Gen-AI and its potential to boost profits and productivity.
Equinor, Norway's largest oil company, scales back its climate ambitions due to wind change
Equinor, the Norwegian energy company, has weakened its plan for energy transition as it struggles with delivering on promises to invest in renewable energy technologies and low-carbon technology. It cited practical difficulties and shifts in political priorities. In 2022, the oil and gas producer laid out short and medium term steps to achieve net zero emission, including those from using its products, by 2050. In February, however…
Australia shares gain for the second straight session, as energy and tech leads gains
Tuesday saw Australian shares rise for the second session in a row, boosted by energy and technology stocks. Rising oil prices, and Wall Street's positive lead, also helped to boost sentiment. By 2335 GMT, the S&P/ASX 200 Index had risen 0.6% to 7,904.2. The benchmark closed Monday 0.8% higher. The energy sub-index on the local exchange increased by 1.5%, as oil prices continued to rise due to escalating geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East. Meanwhile, stronger Chinese economic data also boosted demand expectations.
Executives say that AI will lead to cheaper and faster oil production. CORRECTED.
Executives at the CERAWeek Conference in Houston explained that artificial intelligence has accelerated oil and gas drilling, and has prompted companies to reconsider areas they previously deemed too expensive or difficult to develop. AI was a major topic in several sessions of the largest energy conference. Oil producers are looking for ways to stay profitable amid a plummeting price of oil and concerns that U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs may slow down global energy demand.
Executives say AI will lead to cheaper and faster oil production.
Executives at the CERAWeek Conference in Houston explained that artificial intelligence has accelerated oil and gas drilling, and is prompting companies take a second glance at areas they previously deemed too expensive or difficult to develop. AI was a major topic in several sessions of the largest energy conference. Oil producers are looking for ways to stay profitable amid a plummeting price of oil and concerns that U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs may slow down global energy demand.
Terabase Energy receives $130 Million to expand solar technology
Terabase Energy, a solar technology company, announced Thursday that it had secured funding from SoftBank of $130 millions to scale up its technology for large projects. Terabase Energy now has a total of $200 million in funding, making it the largest funding round in its history. The amount raised by the company was not disclosed. Solar and energy storage accounted for 84% of new capacity added to US power grids last year, but the sector is facing a difficult future because the U.S. Government's new policies encourage fossil fuels. U.S.
RWE and TotalEnergies sign long-term agreement for green hydrogen supply
RWE, Germany's largest utility, announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to supply French oil giant TotalEnergies, with approximately 30,000 tonnes green hydrogen per year, starting in 2030. This is one of the biggest deals ever made by this sector. RWE stated that the agreement would last until 2044. It also said it was the largest amount of carbon neutral hydrogen ever purchased from a German facility. RWE will supply TotalEnergies Leuna refinery in eastern Germany via its 300 megawatt electrolysis plant located in Lingen…
CERAWEEK - Small nuclear power struggles on the cusp of US electric demand boom
Small modular nuclear reactors are touted by everyone from the U.S. Energy Secretary to Big Tech as the answer to the booming demand for power. However, the technology has struggled to reach commercialization due to cost and regulatory obstacles. The artificial intelligence industry, which is powered by energy-hungry data centres, will likely increase electricity consumption in the United States. Small modular reactors supporters say that the technology would eventually be cheaper…
EU seeking feedback on looser rules for state aid to encourage clean tech projects
The European Union's state aid regulators want to hear from its member countries about new rules that will allow governments to provide grants and other financial incentives to businesses and clean technology projects to reduce carbon footprint. These rules are intended to help EU businesses compete better with their U.S. or Chinese competitors. They will be implemented in June and valid until 2030. These rules are part of an energy-hungry industry package announced last month.
Report: Solar power will account for 84% of the new US electricity added in 2024.
A report released on Tuesday stated that solar energy contributed 84% of the new electricity generation capacity to the U.S. grid in the past year. However, the industry will face challenges with the new energy policies adopted by the U.S. government. In a report, Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), said that the country will install 50 gigawatts of new solar power in 2024. They added that this is the largest growth year for any energy technology over the past two decades.
Australian shares gain modestly as commodities support
Australian shares rose on Monday and hovered below the important 8,000-level as commodities fueled a slight recovery in the benchmark index after a selloff in the previous session amid market uncertainty. As of 2341 GMT, the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.2% to 7963.8. The benchmark index fell 1.8% on Friday to close below 8,000 for the first six-month period, amid uncertainty about global trade. Energy stocks gained nearly 1% in tandem with a recovery of crude oil prices after U.S.
Corning and US solar manufacturers join forces to produce American-made panels
The companies announced on Thursday that Corning, a technology company, has signed a deal to produce the first solar panel made entirely of American components. The alliance between Georgia's Suniva and Corning, a panel manufacturer, is an important milestone in efforts to create a U.S. manufacturing sector for solar that can compete with China. Heliene, based in Canada, produces panels in Minnesota. Corning, through its subsidiary Hemlock Semiconductor…
German contracts untraded
French spot power fell on Thursday as the weather warmed up and demand decreased. German spot power, however, was traded at a premium to France due to lower green energy production. LSEG analyst RiccardoParviero stated that the expected losses in German Wind Power Generation remained a positive factor for the area, even though usage is also declining and thermal availability has strengthened. At 0840 GMT, the French baseload price for the next day was down 18.4% to 62.0 euros (66.96 dollars) per megawatt-hour (MWH).
UK Invests $71M in Scottish Port Expansion for Floating Wind
Britain will invest 55.7 million pounds ($71.45 million) in the Port of Cromarty Firth in Scotland to expand the facility to become a hub for floating offshore wind, the government said on Wednesday.Britain has a target to largely decarbonize its electricity sector by 2030 which will require a huge ramp up in renewable power like offshore wind.Using floating turbines, that are not fixed to the seabed like traditional wind farms, allows the projects to be much deeper out at sea, making them less visible to communities that might object and
