Month: July 2025

Japan plans to rebuild over a dozen nuclear reactors by 2050; China is building seven new ones this year alone; in the U.S., two companies are building a hybrid nuclear-and-gas power plant; Germany admitted killing nuclear was a big mistake. Nuclear is back—and it makes the backbone of a new approach to energy security. “We clearly need more nuclear power and we’re bullish on it,” the president of Microsoft, Brad Smith said recently, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal, which reported that nuclear is back in favor with…

Alaskan oil and gas production has always been a complicated issue, as energy companies want to tap the region’s vast reserves and environmentalists fear irreparable damage to the vulnerable ecosystem. The Biden administration introduced far-reaching protections in Alaska, aimed at preventing new oil and gas exploration and protecting the environment and wildlife. However, since President Trump came into office last year, he has encouraged new fossil fuel development in the region. Yet the response to the most recent energy auction suggests…

Most discussions about artificial intelligence focus on chips, data centers, power plants, and electricity demand. Those are all important. But another bottleneck is beginning to emerge, and it may prove to be an underappreciated challenge. The AI boom needs electricians. It also needs line workers, substation technicians, grid engineers, mechanical contractors, welders, construction crews, and commissioning specialists. These are not jobs that can be filled instantly with a software update or a new financing round. They require training, experience,…

Fiji has rejected Australia’s proposal to ship waste to the South Pacific country to burn and produce energy, with Fiji’s ambassador to the UN, Filipo Tarakinikini, saying, “[We] must not become the Pacific’s ashtray.” The idea of exporting rubbish to Fiji to be burned for energy has quickly become known as “waste imperialism”, a concept that Fijians staunchly oppose due to health and environmental concerns. In June, the Fijian government rejected a plan proposed by Australian billionaire Ian Malouf to…

Oil markets extended their decline on Friday, with crude prices falling sharply after U.S. President Donald Trump said a peace agreement with Iran was close and canceled previously threatened military strikes. Brent crude slipped below $90 per barrel, trading around $88–$89, while WTI fell to roughly $85–$87, as traders priced in the possibility of de-escalation in the Middle East and a potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The decline allowed motorists to enjoy some reprieve at the pump, with national average gas prices falling…

Jamaica may be following in the footsteps of its Caribbean neighbours, such as Guyana, as it plans to drill for oil, despite being highly vulnerable to climate change. In recent years, Caribbean oil exploration has boomed, following successful drilling in Guyana and Suriname. But, at a time when the International Energy Agency (IEA) is calling for an end to exploration, will Jamaica pursue a future in fossil fuels? At present, Jamaica imports all its fuel, spending between $1.5 and $2 billion a year on energy imports. However, successful findings…

The UK has finally put a date on the sanctions loophole it said it would close a while ago. The British government said Friday that imports of diesel and jet fuel refined from Russian crude in third countries will be banned no later than January 1, 2027, closing one of the remaining routes by which Russian oil products can still find their way into the UK market. The move builds on sanctions announced in May that prohibit the import of refined oil made from Russian crude, even if that refining occurred outside Russia. At the time, however, London…

Russia, China, and Iran are increasingly creating a strategic alliance of convenience that US policymakers must confront as it seeks to disrupt global order, according to a group of US experts and former officials. Speaking on June 10 at the “America’s Adversaries: The Russia Reality” national security briefing organized by the Independent Women’s Forum, many of the panelists noted that the transactional benefits are already yielding critical strategic dividends, particularly for an otherwise isolated Iranian regime. Driven by their shared opposition…

Consumers are battling higher energy bills worldwide due to rising inflation and greater price volatility of oil and gas, driven by significant restrictions on energy trade through the Strait of Hormuz in recent months. This has prompted a surge in interest in household solar systems, as consumers look to produce their own clean, affordable power. Consumer interest in battery installations is also growing as battery prices decrease and people become increasingly aware of the potential for 24-hour clean power. Australia is one of the countries pioneering…