In addition to California, which has long been a renewable energy powerhouse, some unexpected states have come out on top for green energy production in the United States in recent years. Texas and Florida join the Golden State as the top wind and solar energy producers in the U.S., having invested heavily in increasing their renewable energy capacity. Around a decade ago, just three states had over 1 GW of installed solar capacity, largely owing to the high cost of developing solar farms and the volatility of solar power. Now, 33 U.S. states have…

Just 16% of American drivers say they are likely to buy an electric vehicle (EV) as their next car—the lowest share recorded in AAA’s annual surveys since 2019. High battery maintenance costs, high purchase prices, and concerns about range continue to be major deterrents for U.S. consumers to consider buying an EV, according to AAA’s latest survey released earlier this month. These key barriers have remained more or less the same in recent years. But this year three other factors have also played a role to result in the smallest…

Via Metal Miner  The Rare Earths MMI (Monthly Metals Index) found more price stability month-over-month. As a result, it moved sideways, with only a 0.81% increase. Despite this, the short-term outlook for rare earths remains uncertain. Chinese export restrictions jolted prices in H1 of 2025 and fractured long-running supply lines. Shortly after, global automakers warned that Beijing’s April curbs on alloys and magnet exports “could cause production delays” without fast relief. China’s Rare Earths Shockwaves Continue…

After several successful pilot projects, several cities across the United States are aiming to roll out more self-driving vehicles in 2025. Multiple automated car companies have announced new projects for this year. For decades, self-driving or automated vehicles (AVs) seemed like some futuristic technology that would be impossible to actually create. However, in recent years, several companies have tested their AVs in real-life conditions, as several car models make it out of the factory and onto our roads. In addition, recent innovations in sensors…

Iran has vowed to take strong action against Western nations pushing a resolution at a quarterly meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog that would find the Islamic republic in noncompliance with its safeguards obligations for the first time in 20 years. In a June 6 post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi slammed Britain, France, and Germany -- collectively known as the E3 -- for "falsely accusing Iran" of violating its obligations and claimed the move was "designed to produce a crisis." "Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic…

Copper has become an essential building block in modern construction and energy. In the coming years, the global demand for copper is expected to increase significantly as it is used more widely for renewable energy projects and transmission. The Australian mining major BHP expects the demand for copper to grow by around 70 percent, to 50 million tonnes, by 2050, as it is used more widely for a range of applications. The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), renewables, and data centres around the world is expected to drive copper demand beyond…

Uzbekistan’s interest in connectivity with Afghanistan is driven by economic opportunity, energy cooperation, security needs, and geopolitical strategy - factors that will help Uzbekistan access new markets and stabilize the region. Ambassador Javlon Vakhabov of the International Institute for Central Asia in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, calls it “Stability Through Connectivity.” That is, Uzbekistan favors pragmatism over trying to isolate Afghanistan, and a policy that balances humanitarian support and regional security. The Central…

US President Donald Trump on June 5 compared Russia's war against Ukraine to children fighting in comments during a visit by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, telling reporters at the White House that "sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while." Trump downplayed prospects for an immediate peace between the countries despite his diplomatic efforts to push the two sides to negotiate a cease-fire and eventually a peace deal. The US president has become increasingly frustrated over the lack of progress toward either goal. During last…

Artificial intelligence is all over the media—and so is its energy consumption, which is spurring something of a new tech race. That race, however, besides innovation, includes some simpler moves, such as a return to a kind of power generator that had been consigned to history. Single-cycle gas turbines used to be popular before combined-cycle technology emerged. It was much more efficient and a lot cleaner, Bloomberg reported this week in a story looking into the latest developments in AI and securing the energy for its continued growth.…

In a move that fuses domestic revival with international strategy, the Trump administration has greenlit the expansion of Montana’s Bull Mountains coal mine—unlocking nearly 60 million tons of coal destined for key U.S. allies Japan and South Korea. The approval, announced Friday by the Department of the Interior, comes under President Trump’s national energy emergency directive, signaling a bold return to coal as a cornerstone of U.S. energy policy and foreign leverage. The mine’s expansion, led by Signal Peak Energy, is…

In a move that fuses domestic revival with international strategy, the Trump administration has greenlit the expansion of Montana’s Bull Mountains coal mine—unlocking nearly 60 million tons of coal destined for key U.S. allies Japan and South Korea. The approval, announced Friday by the Department of the Interior, comes under President Trump’s national energy emergency directive, signaling a bold return to coal as a cornerstone of U.S. energy policy and foreign leverage. The mine’s expansion, led by Signal Peak Energy, is…

In a move that fuses domestic revival with international strategy, the Trump administration has greenlit the expansion of Montana’s Bull Mountains coal mine—unlocking nearly 60 million tons of coal destined for key U.S. allies Japan and South Korea. The approval, announced Friday by the Department of the Interior, comes under President Trump’s national energy emergency directive, signaling a bold return to coal as a cornerstone of U.S. energy policy and foreign leverage. The mine’s expansion, led by Signal Peak Energy, is…

In a move that fuses domestic revival with international strategy, the Trump administration has greenlit the expansion of Montana’s Bull Mountains coal mine—unlocking nearly 60 million tons of coal destined for key U.S. allies Japan and South Korea. The approval, announced Friday by the Department of the Interior, comes under President Trump’s national energy emergency directive, signaling a bold return to coal as a cornerstone of U.S. energy policy and foreign leverage. The mine’s expansion, led by Signal Peak Energy, is…

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States fell yet again this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, following a 3-rig decrease last week, and a 10-rig decrease the week before that. The total rig count in the US fell by 4 to 559 rigs, according to Baker Hughes, down 35 from this same time last year. The number of oil rigs fell by 9 to 442 after falling by 4 during the previous week—and down by 50 compared to this time last year. The number of gas rigs rose by 5 this week, to…

The U.S. Treasury Department has unleashed a sweeping wave of sanctions targeting a sprawling network of companies and individuals accused of facilitating Iranian oil and petrochemical exports in violation of existing sanctions. The action, announced Friday, strikes at the financial and logistical infrastructure underpinning Iran’s shadow energy trade—particularly its crude exports to Asia. At the center of the designations is Nasser Zarrin Ghalam and Partners Company, based in Tehran, which U.S. authorities say orchestrates illicit…

The U.S. Treasury Department has unleashed a sweeping wave of sanctions targeting a sprawling network of companies and individuals accused of facilitating Iranian oil and petrochemical exports in violation of existing sanctions. The action, announced Friday, strikes at the financial and logistical infrastructure underpinning Iran’s shadow energy trade—particularly its crude exports to Asia. At the center of the designations is Nasser Zarrin Ghalam and Partners Company, based in Tehran, which U.S. authorities say orchestrates illicit…

ICE Brent is poised to close the week above $66 as trade optimism lifts sentiment, while stubborn geopolitical tensions and shifting wildfire risks keep supply concerns alive. June 6th, 2025 ICE Brent futures are set to close this week above $66 per barrel, a more than 3% weekly gain after markets were buoyed by the prospect of US-China trade talks all the while derailed US-Iran and Russia-Ukraine negotiations have kept geopolitical risk premia intact. Supply risks from Canada’s wildfires seem to be subsiding after Alberta saw some rain earlier…

The fuel economy standards issued under former President Biden exceeded legal authority, the U.S. Department of Transportation said on Friday. Under the so-called Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program (CAFE), the Biden Administration included electric vehicles (EVs) in calculating fuel economy regulations. Now the Trump Administration published a ‘Resetting the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program’ rule, in which it declared that the Biden-era rule and rule-making exceeded legal authority. Last month, Transportation Secretary Sean…

Wary of the ‘Hockey Stick’, Oil Traders Hedge Their 2025 Exposure - Open interest in WTI calendar spread options - contracts that see market participants bid on the future value of crude oil futures across different delivery months – has reached an all-time high as traders expect this year’s assumed oversupply to only materialize in 2026. - The prompt spread between July and August was trading around $0.90 per barrel for most of this week, whilst the difference between December 2025 and December 2026 was a mere $0.50 per…

HSBC’s forecast that Brent Crude prices would remain around $65 per barrel later this year could be too optimistic as OPEC+ continues to raise production, which will result in a bigger-than-expected surplus after the summer ends. “Our new scenario assumes regular hikes from October to December and leaves the 2.2mbd of voluntary cuts fully unwound by the end of 2025,” the bank said in a note on Friday carried by Reuters. OPEC+ producers have just said they would boost July production by another 411,000 barrels per day (bpd), citing…