Geothermal energy startups are on the upswing with Big Tech companies looking to feed their power-intensive AI data centers, but long-term investments remain uncertain as oil majors double down on natural gas. Meta and Alphabet’s Google are among the tech companies partnering with startups proposing to produce geothermal electricity, to power their data centers. Large data-center operators...
Author: Reuters
Qcells says technology breakthrough could reduce space needed for solar panels
Hanwha Corp’s Qcells said on Wednesday it had made a breakthrough in an emerging solar technology that has the potential to reduce the amount of space required by panels that generate power from the sun’s rays. Space is among the most pressing issues for the rapidly growing solar power industry, which has encountered growing opposition...
US LNG exports to Europe surge in November on higher prices
U.S. LNG exports to Europe surged in November as the world’s largest producer of the superchilled gas sent more cargoes to the continent and fewer to Asia and Latin America, according to preliminary data from financial firm LSEG. European natural gas prices climbed in November to their highest levels in two years on fears remaining...
Meta seeks nuclear power developers for reactors to start in early 2030s
Meta (META.O), said on Tuesday it is seeking proposals from nuclear power developers to help meet its artificial intelligence and environment goals, becoming the latest big tech company to take interest in atomic power amid an expected boom in electricity demand. The company wants to add 1 to 4 gigawatts of new U.S. nuclear generation capacity...
China bans export of critical minerals to US as trade tensions escalate
China on Tuesday banned exports to the United States of the critical minerals gallium, germanium and antimony that have widespread military applications, escalating trade tensions the day after Washington’s latest crackdown on China’s chip sector. The curbs strengthen enforcement of existing limits on critical minerals exports that Beijing began rolling out last year, but apply only to the U.S....
After decades, China sputters as engine of global oil demand growth
China’s crude oil imports are on track to peak as soon as next year as transport fuel demand begins to decline for the world’s top crude buyer, ending the country’s decades-long run as the dominant driver of expanding oil consumption. The speed of its transition to electric mobility has stunned oil producers and investors. No...
LNG is stepping up to solve Europe gas woes, but at a price
Concerns that Europe is facing a natural gas supply crunch this winter are overblown, with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market already stepping up to avoid any shortfall, albeit at higher prices. European natural gas prices climbed to the highest level in two years last week, with the benchmark front-month contract at the Dutch TTF...
DT Midstream to buy three natgas pipelines from ONEOK for $1.2 bln
Pipeline operator DT Midstream (DTM.N), opens new tab said on Tuesday it would acquire three natural gas transmission pipelines from ONEOK (OKE.N), opens new tab for $1.2 billion in cash, boosting its presence in the Midwest market amid rapid consolidation in the U.S. industry. Increased consolidation among oil and gas producers and hurdles in getting new energy infrastructure approved...
Shell wins appeal against landmark Dutch climate ruling
Oil and gas major Shell (SHEL.L) on Tuesday won an appeal against a landmark ruling that required it to accelerate carbon reduction efforts, dealing a blow to campaigners who have turned to legal channels to pursue climate action. The appeals court in The Hague said Shell had a responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to protect people from global warming....
U.S. regulators raise questions about siting data centers at power plants
Costs and reliability concerns related to the burgeoning trend of building energy-intensive data centers next to U.S. power plants were the focus of a technical conference held on Friday by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. As the technology industry races to deploy data centers for technologies like generative artificial intelligence, quickly accessing the massive amounts...