Wednesday, 7 October 2026

Renault unveiled the E-Space Concept, an all-electric reboot of its minivan from the 1980s, according to Electrek.

Renault said the concept reboots the spirit of the original Espace, which launched in 1984. The E-Space Concept keeps a design similar to the first Espace while adding a modern twist, according to Electrek.

Eni is targeting a year-end investment decision for the Argentina LNG floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) development, according to Offshore Magazine.

The project would deploy two FLNG vessels to monetize gas from Argentina's Vaca Muerta formation and establish a new LNG export route, Offshore Magazine reported. Eni is advancing the development alongside YPF and XRG.

The two nearshore vessels would have combined liquefaction capacity of 12 million tonnes per year, according to Offshore Magazine. Initial LNG production is targeted for 2030.

Ithaca Energy agreed to buy stakes held by Suncor in the Terra Nova and White Rose fields off Canada, according to Offshore Magazine.

The purchase is Ithaca Energy's first international acquisition, Offshore Magazine reported.

The assets carry 103 MMboe of proved and probable reserves, according to Offshore Magazine. The fields also leave room for future infill drilling, step-out wells, and exploration, Offshore Magazine reported.

The stakes include the West White Rose development and assets with an estimated reserve life of about 17 years, according to Offshore Magazine.

Sumitomo Corporation Global Metals and TFI Marine have formed a partnership to introduce innovation into mooring solutions for floating offshore wind and offshore energy projects, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

The two companies are working to bring TFI Marine's SeaSpring, a load and fatigue reduction component, to projects in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and to support wider adoption of mooring solutions internationally.

The SeaSpring has achieved DNV and ClassNK certification, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

The partners have also agreed to explore manufacturing SeaSpring components in Japan, supporting local supply chain development and local content for Japanese floating offshore wind projects.

Cenovus Energy plans to pay about CAD 5.7 billion to acquire Athabasca Oil Corp, according to Oil & Gas Journal.

The deal would add roughly 45,000 boe/d to Cenovus Energy's production, Oil & Gas Journal reported.

The transaction is expected to be funded roughly 70% with cash and 30% with Cenovus shares, and should close by the end of this year, according to Oil & Gas Journal.

Fit Energy announced plans for a fuel cell power generation and data center project in Newport Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, according to Power Magazine. The developer, which works on energy solutions for data center projects, plans to use gas-powered fuel cells to supply the site.

The project received township zoning approval for both fuel cell power generation and data center uses in August, Power Magazine reported.

Centalion Group, previously Gunvor Group Ltd., has bought upstream and midstream natural gas assets stretching across Texas and Louisiana from Silver Hill Energy Partners, Oil & Gas Journal reported.

Silver Hill, based in Dallas, runs a Haynesville and Bossier position that pumps about 300 MMcfd net across roughly 72,000 net acres, with about 300 gross operated development locations still to drill, according to Oil & Gas Journal.

The deal also hands Centalion midstream and saltwater-disposal capacity, long-term gathering and transportation contracts, and flow-assurance infrastructure tied to the acreage.

The purchase follows Centalion's financial backing earlier this year of Western Natural Resources' acquisition of Haynesville gas-producing assets, and the company said it fits its Gulf Coast natural gas focus.

Waymo plans to enter Singapore in 2028, according to electrive. The launch would mark the company's first market in Southeast Asia.

Before commercial operations begin, the company intends to start testing its autonomous fleet in Singapore in 2027, electrive reported.

Ahead of that entry, Waymo has signed partnerships with Singapore's Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to prepare for the country's robotaxi market.

Geodis has ordered 110 battery-electric trucks from Renault and Volvo, according to electrive. The vehicles are scheduled for delivery by May 2027.

The trucks will initially operate in France, where Geodis plans to use them for urban deliveries and long-haul transport, electrive reported. With the order, the electric truck fleet of Geodis' European Road Network business unit is set to grow to 190 vehicles.

Sunderland AFC has opened a 20-bay EV charging hub in north-east England, according to electrive.

The facility at the Stadium of Light has 20 ultra-rapid charging bays, electrive reported. Sixteen are rated at 150 kW and four can deliver up to 300 kW.

The hub will be powered entirely by renewable energy, according to electrive.

RAW Energy is investing around GBP 750,000 in the project and will fund, operate and maintain the charging infrastructure, electrive reported.

Iberdrola surpassed NextEra Energy as the world's largest power provider by market capitalization on Tuesday, reaching above EUR 141 billion, according to Semafor Net Zero.

The Spanish electric utility and renewable energy developer edged past the Florida-based company to take the top spot, Semafor Net Zero reported.

A spokesperson attributed Iberdrola's growing strength to its broader global footprint, which includes assets in Europe, North and South America, and Australia, according to Semafor Net Zero.

Russia is again increasing attacks on Ukraine's electricity grid ahead of the winter heating season, according to Semafor Net Zero.

A large-scale Russian grid attack last week temporarily cut power to 8,000 households across Ukraine, Semafor Net Zero reported, describing it as the Kremlin's first large-scale grid attack since last winter.

This winter Ukraine may get help from the weather. An exceptionally strong and possibly record-breaking El Niño pattern, driven by warm ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific, is expected to bring Europe a warm and wet winter, according to Semafor Net Zero.

The forecast matters because of what happened last year. Ukraine's last winter was the coldest in decades, the factor that turns a blackout from an inconvenience into a deadly threat, Semafor Net Zero reported.

Akia Automotive will build 50 electric buses for use in Istanbul, according to electrive. The Turkish bus manufacturer will begin production in 2027.

The order covers 50 units of the Ultra LF12EV battery-electric solo bus, electrive reported.

In an email statement, Akia Automotive said the order marks the first major tender for electric buses in Turkey.

Equinor warned that a rejection of the Rosebank and Jackdaw projects could deter investment in the UK, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Equinor CEO Anders Opedal said on Tuesday that failure to secure approval for the two projects would be a major setback for Equinor's Adura joint venture with Shell in the North Sea.

Opedal added that a rejection would prompt Equinor and other investors to question whether Britain remained an attractive place to invest.

Airfare is rising significantly throughout 2026, driven by volatile jet fuel prices and resilient travel demand, according to Archyde. The report attributes the fuel price swings to supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a separate account, Rio Times reports that Sudan's fuel shortage in 2026 is a foreign-exchange and logistics crisis rather than a simple lack of oil. According to Rio Times, the shortage has made fuel unaffordable and unreliable for millions of civilians, with consequences for Red Sea shipping, humanitarian aid, and regional stability.

India's economy took a serious hit when the Strait of Hormuz was closed, according to The Wire, which noted the closure could have been foreseen given the country's heavy reliance on imported energy.

The Wire described India as dependent on energy imports to the extent of 85% or higher. On that basis, the piece framed the closure as a strategic blind spot rather than an unforeseeable event.

The chokepoint carries exposure beyond crude and gas. According to Energy and Capital, at least half of the world's seaborne sulphur trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz, much of it a byproduct of refining Gulf oil and gas.

That sulphur feeds a wider supply chain. Energy and Capital reported that sulphur is processed into sulphuric acid, and that roughly one-fifth of the world's copper supply relies on that acid to leach metal out of ore.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) is urging Congress to advance a bipartisan Senate permitting reform package aimed at speeding federal reviews and cutting delays for U.S. energy and infrastructure projects.

The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 was introduced on Sept. 30 by Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Mike Lee, Sheldon Whitehouse and Martin Heinrich. The bill would set timelines for federal reviews, change requirements governing legal challenges, and provide greater certainty for projects that have already received permits.

The proposal drew a mixed response. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) welcomed the measure. The Sierra Club expressed concern that the bill could expedite additional oil and gas infrastructure projects under the current U.S. administration.

Strike Energy has selected Hancock Energy's Belisama gas processing facility as the preferred processing route for its West Erregulla gas field in Western Australia's Perth Basin.

In a separate development, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey urged the Trump administration to accelerate federal reviews and permits for a natural gas pipeline expansion.

A South Korean oil tanker has become the third vessel to pass through the Suez Canal carrying crude oil to South Korea since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Chosun.

The ministry said the tanker had safely navigated the Suez Canal and was en route to Korea as of 10 a.m. that day, according to Business Korea.

The vessel is the 18th to transport crude oil to South Korea via the Red Sea since the Hormuz blockade, Business Korea reported.

Tankers began using the northern Suez Canal route after conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi rebels raised the danger in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to Business Korea.

Ireland's ministers will direct a EUR 8.5 billion budget package toward softening the effect of inflation at a three-year high, including help for households struggling with energy bills, according to MarketScreener. The USD 9.53 billion package also funds lower childcare costs, higher welfare payments, and income-tax reductions.

The plan pairs energy-cost relief with an effort to slow spending growth, a trade-off set against broader European fiscal constraints.

Fuel excise duty cuts have already been extended.

Simon Harris and Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers committed to holding spending increases below 6% next year, down from an average near 10% across 2022 to 2025, with this year's budget-day measures expected to be leaner than last year's.

A review of 2024 satellite data found about 2,000 flares at oil fields and drilling sites worldwide burning in more than half of clear satellite observations, according to an investigation by The Examination and Bloomberg News.

The investigation found that from the Niger Delta to the Omani desert and Patagonia, oil companies were claiming success while their flares continued burning day after day.

Hundreds of the flares identified in the satellite review were operated by companies that had signed the World Bank initiative, including Exxon, Occidental Petroleum and TotalEnergies, the investigation found.

World Bank data show that the total amount of gas burned in flares at production sites worldwide has risen 9% since the initiative launched.

Canadians could face higher grocery bills in the coming months as a diesel and crude oil price shock moves through supply chains, according to Scotiabank.

Higher diesel costs reach beyond the pump. As an input into trucking, agriculture, construction and manufacturing, they spread through freight, production and distribution networks before reaching consumer prices.

The price response to the shock is expected to peak after roughly one year for shelter and 18 months for food, Scotiabank's Olivier Gervais said.