Author: intent

Canada’s Oil Heartland Sees Trade War Sparking Budget Shortfall

Trump’s 25% tariffs on most US imports from Canada and Mexico were set to take effect Feb. 4, then pushed back by a month after those countries’ leaders announced new border security measures. Trump said in a social media post Thursday that the levies are on track to go into place on March 4, saying drugs from the US’s North American neighbors are still entering “at very high and unacceptable levels.”

Biden’s Methane Rule Is Dead

The offensive against methane began early in President Biden’s term. Widely considered a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide even though its effect is much more short-lived, methane got into the crosshairs of the federal government as a target in its transition policies. Oil and gas companies were the natural prime target for climate regulation in this respect, and the regulation promptly came, mandating financial penalties for so-called methane leaks.

Can Germany Revive Its Industry Without Cheap Energy?

Domestic power prices have been very volatile in recent months amid low wind speeds. Germany has been experiencing lower-than-normal winds for four months, which have reduced wind power generation, boosting electricity prices and the reliance on fossil fuels. Electricity prices have been rising this year due to higher natural gas prices in Europe amid a cold winter, lower wind generation, and faster depletion of natural gas inventories.

Natural Gas Surges to Meet Data Center Power Needs

The US has made over 100 GW of data center land acquisition and construction announcements, with estimated commercial operation dates falling between 2024 and 2035. At a global level, this represents roughly 40% of total data center announcements as of 2023. Domestically, data centers are poised to require between 395 and 660 terawatt-hours (TWh) of power by 2035, representing at least 10% of current demand. The surge in announcements is driven by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies from leading tech firms, alongside continued growth in cloud computing services.

USA Crude Oil Inventories Drop

Total petroleum stocks – including crude oil, total motor gasoline, fuel ethanol, kerosene type jet fuel, distillate fuel oil, residual fuel oil, propane/propylene, and other oils – stood at 1.605 billion barrels on February 21, the report showed. Total petroleum stocks were down 2.2 million barrels week on week and up 16.6 million barrels year on year, the report outlined.