Nigeria is positioning itself at the forefront of a global shift in oil and gas investment, targeting up to $50 billion in new offshore projects that could help diversify supplies away from the world’s most vulnerable maritime chokepoints. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has highlighted that new incentives for offshore oil and gas […]
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Oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin are driving electricity demand skyward in West Texas, even as technology companies race to site data centers in the world’s most prolific shale play. The dual surge—from electrifying drilling, fracturing, and production operations, plus hyperscale computing loads—is straining the regional grid and prompting warnings of potential reliability […]
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On the morning of August 21, 2026, Ukrainian drones struck the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Russia’s Perm Krai, more than 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Thick black smoke rose over the facility, one of Russia’s 10 largest refineries with a design capacity of around 13 million metric tons of crude per year (approximately 262,000 […]
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In an August 20, 2026, Bloomberg Opinion column, Javier Blas argued that “choking Iran’s economy is the least bad way to end the war.” Drawing on firsthand observations of sanctions-induced collapse in Iraq, Venezuela, and Cuba—worthless currencies, skyrocketing inflation, and soaring unemployment—Blas noted that pure economic pressure has historically failed to force political change. U.S. […]
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The prolonged drought and structural water deficit in the Colorado River Basin are no longer just a threat to farms, cities, and ecosystems—they are increasingly a direct driver of higher electricity costs across the American West. As detailed in Duggan Flanakin’s August 15, 2026, Townhall column “Western Water Fight Also Impacts Power Generation,” critically low […]
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Oilfield services giant SLB (formerly Schlumberger) is preparing to reactivate as many as 15 idle drilling and workover rigs already located in Venezuela, a move that could help ease one of the primary bottlenecks constraining the country’s crude production recovery. Executives outlined the plans at an industry conference in Houston on August 19, 2026. William […]
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Hat tip to Claire Coutinho (then Energy Secretary, now Shadow Secretary of State for Energy) and the think tank Onward with modeling by Transira Energy. This article was first published on the Energy News Beat Substack. Britain’s electricity prices rank among the highest in the developed world—frequently the highest for industrial users among IEA countries and […]
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The oil market is sending mixed signals that traders and energy watchers cannot ignore. Futures prices—the “paper” side of the trade—have been surprisingly restrained even as physical barrels face ongoing constraints from the prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Diesel cracks are screaming tightness downstream, China has stepped back as the world’s swing buyer, […]
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Governor Gavin Newsom’s California has perfected a special skill: taking ordinary life and making it more expensive, less reliable, and more bureaucratic—all in the name of climate virtue. The latest exhibit is the California Energy Commission’s unanimous approval of the nation’s first efficiency standards for replacement tires. These rules, effective in phases starting in 2029 […]
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On August 18, 2026, Evolution announced a definitive agreement to acquire mineral, royalty, and overriding royalty interests spanning approximately 3,420 net royalty acres (NRA) across 152 tracts in Reagan, Upton, Glasscock, Midland, and Martin Counties, Texas, from a non-affiliated private seller. The purchase price is approximately $16 million in cash, subject to customary adjustments. The […]
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