International
US Energy News
U.S. Refinery Utilization Hits 96.2% as Global Markets Tighten
U.S. refiners are operating near full tilt, with utilization rates holding above 96% amid record refining margins, a global diesel squeeze, and disruptions from Russian refinery outages and Middle East tensions. The latest U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Weekly Petroleum Status Report for the week ending July 17, 2026, shows U.S. refineries running at 96.1% […]
Finance
Electrical Generation / Utilities
Texas ERCOT Grid Holds Beyond 91 Gigawatts in Heat Wave – At What Cost?
On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, extreme Texas heat drove air-conditioning demand that pushed the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid past 91 gigawatts for the first time. Unofficial real-time figures from ERCOT’s website showed a peak around 91,300 megawatts near 5 p.m. CT, with system-wide demand data indicating highs near 91,089 MW. This shattered […]
GE Vernova Raises 2026 Outlook on Surging AI-Driven Power Demand While Advancing Venezuela
GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE: GEV) delivered a strong second-quarter 2026 performance today, beating expectations with robust revenue growth, record orders, and an upward revision to its full-year outlook. The gains are fueled primarily by explosive demand for gas turbines, grid equipment, and power infrastructure tied to the AI boom and data center expansion. In parallel, […]
AI / Data Center
LNG Supply Crisis Pushes Buyers Toward Coal, Natural Gas, and Oil: Energy Security Takes Center Stage
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, including disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz and damage to key Qatari LNG infrastructure, has triggered a sharp global LNG supply crunch. This is forcing buyers in Europe and Asia to pivot aggressively toward coal, oil products (such as fuel oil, naphtha, and propane), and alternative natural gas […]
Data Center Growth on Track to Absorb a Fifth of US Power Use by 2035: Nuclear Had Better Be Implemented Before We Get There
The explosive growth of data centers, driven primarily by artificial intelligence, is reshaping America’s electricity landscape. High-end projections now show data centers potentially consuming up to 20% of total U.S. electricity by 2035 in aggressive scenarios—roughly a four- to five-fold increase from today’s ~4-5% share. Even as AI model developers announce efficiency gains, the underlying […]
Building the Future at Warp Speed: How Aalo Atomics is Solving the Energy Crisis
Yasir Arafat, Co-Founder, CTO, & President, stops by the Energy News Beat podcast On July 4th, 2024—America’s 250th birthday—something extraordinary happened that most people missed. Allo Atomics turned on a brand new advanced nuclear reactor for the first time in 50 years. But here’s what makes this truly revolutionary: they designed, built, and achieved criticality […]
New York Imposes First Ever Moratorium on U.S. Data Centers
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on July 14, 2026, imposing the country’s first statewide moratorium on new large-scale data centers. The order halts permitting for facilities requiring 50 megawatts (MW) or more of electricity for up to one year while regulators study impacts on the electric grid, water resources, and local […]
Africa just showed the world how fast nuclear can move
When Rwandan President Paul Kagame stood up at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris earlier this year, he didn’t talk like a leader hedging his bets on energy policy. He talked like a determined man in a hurry. Kagame told the assembled audience that nuclear-generated electricity technology “is evolving in ways that benefit countries with small […]












































