Tuesday, 29 September 2026

The Sierra Club and Appalachian Voices are challenging TVA's reversal of the Kingston coal plant's 2027 closure deadline, Event Registry reported.

The plaintiffs say operating the Kingston coal and gas plants simultaneously invalidates the original minor-modification air permit because its approval relied on the coal plant closing to offset emissions.

The groups want construction paused until TVA obtains a stricter Clean Air Act permit and addresses local environmental impacts, according to Event Registry.

Diesel prices reached an all-time high of 199.18 per litre in the UK, according to Event Registry.

Diesel shocks and geopolitical disruptions have removed around a fifth of global diesel shipments since the Iran conflict began at the end of February, Event Registry reported.

The U.S. average retail diesel price was USD 5.97 per gallon in the week of September 7, 2026, according to Event Registry.

Jørgensen did not impose mandatory energy-demand reduction measures, Event Registry reported.

His letter said there were no immediate risks to EU security of supply despite exceptionally low gas storage and challenging conditions.

EU gas storage was around 70% full, approximately 12 percentage points below its level at the same point a year earlier, according to Event Registry, citing Gas Infrastructure Europe.

OMV Petrom and Romgaz expect first gas from the Neptun Deep block in the Black Sea to enter Romania's National Transmission System in the first half of 2027, according to Event Registry.

The production plateau is expected by the end of the third quarter of 2027, Event Registry reported.

During 2026, the Neptun Alpha platform and offshore pipeline were installed, while seven of the ten production wells were completed, according to Event Registry.

Investigators ruled out a leak from the main natural gas pipeline serving Plaka as the cause of a central Athens explosion that killed six people, Event Registry reported.

They found no evidence that the central gas pipeline was leaking before the blast.

Investigators believe the leak began inside a second-floor apartment, the building's only unit supplied with natural gas, according to Event Registry.

Ukraine's state-owned oil company Ukrnafta is installing concrete shelters at 13 gas stations in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast as Russian attacks threaten fuel infrastructure, the company said.

Ukrnafta chief executive Bohdan Kukura said the first shelters would be placed in densely populated areas and near major roads, with access open to anyone nearby.

Canadian oil sands production will average a record 3.5 million barrels per day in 2026, according to S&P Global Energy's latest 10-year production outlook.

That marks an increase of roughly 100,000 barrels per day, or 3%, from 2025, S&P Global said.

Output is forecast to keep rising to about 3.9 million barrels per day by the early 2030s, according to the same outlook.

SLB's OneSubsea joint venture won a contract from ExxonMobil Moçambique to supply subsea production systems for the first phase of the Rovuma LNG development offshore Mozambique, according to World Oil.

ExxonMobil awarded the contract on behalf of the Area 4 partners, which include ENH, CNPC, Eni, KOGAS and XRG, World Oil reported.

The scope covers subsea trees, manifolds, umbilicals and associated control systems to support production from the deepwater development. OneSubsea will provide engineering, procurement and manufacturing services, along with installation support.

Unity launched an ultra-compact blowout preventer (BOP) valve to enable well intervention in space-constrained offshore environments where conventional BOP systems cannot be deployed, according to World Oil.

The Unity Qb valve is rated to 10,000 psi. It is designed for wireline, slickline and coiled tubing operations, with potential future applications in drilling, according to World Oil.

Unity invested approximately GBP 500,000 in research and development of the technology.

Africa and Asia are expected to drive growth in global oil refining capacity by 2030, according to new analysis cited by Semafor Net Zero. Countries in both regions are moving to meet rising demand, cut reliance on imports, and expand exports.

Africa is forecast to add refining capacity equivalent to half the continent's existing capacity by 2030, according to Semafor Net Zero. The expansion of Nigeria's Dangote refinery is set to lead that buildout.

A closure of the Strait of Hormuz in March 2026, after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, left little ability to quickly restore the oil and gas flows the world's economy depends on, according to The Conversation Energy.

The disruption reversed the surplus the industry had prepared for. In 2023, the International Energy Agency predicted that global oil production would exceed demand by 2028, The Conversation Energy reported.

Projections of slowing oil demand pushed prices too low to attract investment in new wells and refineries, according to the same account. That left the market short of the capacity needed to respond when supply tightened.

As the fighting has continued, oil prices have climbed, causing fuel shortages and raising prices for gasoline, diesel, fertilizer, food and consumer goods, The Conversation Energy reported.

Europe is scrambling to increase gas supplies before winter, according to Semafor Net Zero.

The region normally refills its stockpiles over the summer, but Semafor reported that curbs on tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have upended that strategy, leaving reserves far lower than usual.

Governments are trying to replenish reserves by raising imports, Semafor reported. That effort puts Europe in competition with Asian countries, which Semafor said have also been badly hit by the Middle East conflict.

Corporate interests, including oil companies, have sought to influence universities for at least half a century by using large donations to shape research agendas, according to a study published in the journal Energy Research & Social Science and reported by Grist.

The study describes a pattern the authors call corporate capture, in which donors gain sway over who gets hired, what researchers study, and what is taught in classes.

One analysis cited by Grist found that Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron, Shell Oil, ConocoPhillips, and Koch Industries donated at least USD 700 million to 27 U.S. universities from 2010 to 2020.

The study's authors say that corporate influence weakened schools' defenses against outside pressure, paving the way for the Trump administration's attack.