Sunday, 12 July 2026

US officials told indirect talks in Qatar this week that a nuclear deal would benefit Iran more than collecting tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Semafor Net Zero.

Daily flows through the waterway now top 10 million barrels, a US official told Bloomberg, describing the increase as a sign that Tehran has limited power over traffic there.

That rebound in commercial shipping through the strait could give the US added leverage in its talks with Iran, analysts told Semafor Net Zero.

Iran's chief negotiator said the country exported nothing during the US blockade but has moved 40 million barrels since it ended, according to Semafor Net Zero.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero updated its list of successful local authorities under the Warm Homes: Local Grant on 2 July 2026, reflecting additional funding given to some local authorities in the first year of delivery.

The grant will be delivered from 2025 until 2028 through local authorities in England, according to the department.

The scheme provides energy performance upgrades and low carbon heating to low income households in England, according to the department. Eligible homes must hold an Energy Performance Certificate between D and G and be privately owned, whether owner occupied or privately rented.

Kongsberg has landed a contract to supply protection technology for critical infrastructure, with the buyer identified only as an international customer, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

Underwater surveillance and protection form the core of the work, and Kongsberg did not disclose what the deal is worth.

The scope reaches across oil and gas installations, telecommunication cables, energy grids, ports and transportation networks.

The Department of Energy has proposed a rule that would revise how it sets efficiency requirements for household appliances, a step the agency frames as ending federal mandates on those products.

The move comes through a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that targets the Process Rule, the framework governing energy conservation standards for goods such as air conditioning units, gas stoves, washers and dryers, water heaters, and refrigerators, according to the Department of Energy.

The agency said it is acting under President Donald Trump's Executive Order "Unleashing Prosperity through Deregulation," which it cited as the basis for a change aimed at cutting costs and expanding consumer choice.

Public comments on the proposal will be accepted for 30 days after it appears in the Federal Register, according to the Department of Energy.

Alongside the rulemaking, the agency opened a Request for Information asking for input on the methods it uses to develop conservation standards for covered products and equipment, with a 60-day comment window running from publication in the Federal Register.

Audrey Robertson, Assistant Secretary of Energy for EERE, said the proposal is intended to make new regulations more affordable and to protect consumer choice.

The Massachusetts Senate passed a sweeping energy-affordability bill that aims to save residents USD 14 billion over 10 years, according to Canary Media.

The measure targets a state that has some of the country's highest utility costs, Canary Media reported.

The legislation includes measures that would change the state's energy procurement process, according to Canary Media.

The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has published guidance telling energy suppliers how to apply discounts to domestic tariffs from 1 April 2026, tied to the Renewables Obligation (RO) to Exchequer scheme and the closure of two support schemes. The guidance follows a 2025 Autumn Budget commitment to take an average of GBP 150 off household energy bills.

According to the department, the policy changes introduce the RO to Exchequer scheme and end funding for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS). The tariff discounts apply from 1 April 2026.

The guidance applies to England, Scotland and Wales. It was first published on 18 March 2026 and last updated on 2 July 2026. The most recent revision made changes to paragraph 9 exemptions in the guidance for suppliers.

An earlier update on 28 April 2026 added information on unapplied discount adjustments, the monitoring process for tariffs not subject to the price cap, and the compliance process.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued a statement welcoming the Working Families Tax Cut, which sets a July 4, 2026 deadline after which federal tax credits stop flowing to new wind and solar projects not yet under construction, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

The two technologies made up roughly three percent of total U.S. primary energy consumption in 2025, the DOE statement said.

Wright argued that wind and solar require 100 times more land to produce a comparable amount of energy. He also said both push system costs higher and lift the electricity prices paid by Americans.

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has released proposed Solar Sharer tariffs for electricity network operators in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, according to RenewEconomy.

RenewEconomy reports that Victoria also plans to introduce solar sharer tariffs, but through an independent process.

The release coincides with the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) finalising the outcomes of its pricing review, according to RenewEconomy. Most measures proposed by the AEMC will be phased in over time.

At least 26% of Kenya's fertilizer supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Mongabay, leaving the country's food system exposed as conflict in the Middle East disrupts Gulf trade routes.

Mutahi Kagwe, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, said the country holds adequate fertilizer stocks, including 2 million bags for top-dressing. Kagwe said Kenya has had conversations on sourcing urea from Algeria and fertilizer from Morocco as alternative supply amid the conflict, according to Mongabay.

The disruption has driven up commercial prices. A 50kg bag of diammonium phosphate (DAP) or urea cost $46 in January but rose to about KSh8,000 ($62) in March as Gulf tensions pushed prices higher, according to Mongabay.

Government support for fertilizer has narrowed. In the 2025/2026 financial year Kenya allocated $61 million for the fertilizer subsidy, down from the $77 million budgeted in 2024/2025, Mongabay reported. At the onset of the subsidy program in 2022, Kenya imported fertilizers worth over $418 million, according to World Integrated Trade Solution data cited by Mongabay.

The subsidy program reaches most of the country's farming base. As of November 2025, 7.2 million farmers were registered on KIAMIS, out of roughly 7.5 million smallholder farmers in Kenya, according to Mongabay.

Railroad Commission of Texas Commissioner Wayne Christian has directed the Delivering Oil and Gas Efficiently (DOGE) Task Force to further enhance the commission's operational efficiency, according to Rigzone.

The DOGE initiative aims to streamline internal processes, strengthen communication, and bolster the commission's responsive, pro-business approach, Rigzone reported.

The commission said the effort is not about cutting personnel, emphasizing instead that it targets delays, confusion, and outdated systems, according to Rigzone.

Christian was elected as the commission's 50th commissioner in November 2016, per Rigzone.