Saturday, 19 September 2026

The Bank of England kept UK Bank Rate at 3.75% on Thursday in a 6-3 vote, according to Market Business News. Policymakers signaled they are prepared to raise rates if energy prices stay high, Hellenic Shipping News reported.

Governor Andrew Bailey warned that a prolonged conflict in the Middle East may require tighter policy, according to Global Banking and Finance and Channel News Asia. The Bank said higher energy prices could push UK inflation above 4% in early 2027, Market Business News reported.

The Bank judged there was little evidence so far of material second-round effects, when a temporary cost shock feeds into wage demands or broader price-setting, but said that risk would rise if higher energy prices persisted, according to Market Business News.

The hold came as major central banks moved onto a tightening path, with the Federal Reserve recalibrating its policy to a more restrictive stance on Wednesday, Global Banking and Finance and Channel News Asia reported.

National Fuel Gas Company is studying whether to break itself into two listed entities, one containing its regulated gas infrastructure and the other its Appalachian upstream and gathering arm, citybiz reported.

The board expects to finish its review by October 15, 2026, according to citybiz. Any deal would still need board sign-off.

One of the resulting entities, built around the Integrated Upstream and Gathering unit, would produce and gather natural gas in Appalachia as a separately listed company. The other would hold gas utilities and interstate pipeline and storage assets in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York, leaving it 100% rate-regulated.

Industrial energy developer Kanin Energy has raised up to $100 million in new equity financing to accelerate deployment of projects that convert industrial waste heat into electricity across North America.

The round was led by S2G Investments, which committed up to $50 million, alongside the Canada Growth Fund (CGF), which matched that commitment with up to $50 million.

Kanin said the capital will scale its Energy-as-a-Service model, under which the company finances, develops, builds, and operates waste-heat-to-power (WHP) and other heavy-industry projects for industrial operators. The company said the arrangement is designed to reduce customers' cost of power, improve reliability, and cut emissions.

UK household energy bills could rise between 25% and 30% in the first quarter of 2027 as natural gas prices climb and the Middle East crisis continues, according to analysts cited by Oilprice.

EDF projected that Ofgem would lift the household energy price cap by 30% for the January to March 2027 window. The utility's forecast puts the cap at GBP 2,165 a year for a typical household over that quarter, compared with GBP 1,723 for October to December 2026, according to Oilprice.

Analysts warned the government may need to spend more on measures to ease the cost-of-living crisis if the increases land as projected.

Verdant Energy has arranged up to USD 25 million in non-recourse project financing from responsAbility Investments AG to grow its commercial and industrial solar portfolio in Thailand, according to SolarQuarter.

The deal was announced on September 16, 2026.

SolarQuarter reports the facility is being deployed through responsAbility's USD 500 million Climate Investment Strategy for Asia.