Sunday, 11 October 2026

Several people were wounded in a likely Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, according to Semafor Net Zero.

Semafor reported the incident was the third strike this week on the airport serving Saudi Arabia's capital.

Earlier attacks killed four people, according to Semafor.

Flights were canceled or diverted, and operations at the airport were suspended, Semafor reported.

The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) approved an extension of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited's (TPDDL) green energy trading pilot project until March 31, 2027, according to SolarQuarter.

In a separate regional development, sustainability is expected to feature prominently on Singapore's agenda when it assumes the ASEAN chairmanship in 2027, with the launch of a Green Economic Framework Agreement (Gefa), said Satvinder Singh, deputy secretary-general for the ASEAN Economic Community, according to The Straits Times.

Togo's Council of Ministers approved a draft law on October 6, 2026, to reform the country's electricity sector. The text revises existing legislation and aims to draw private capital into generation, transmission and distribution, according to Energy News Africa.

Under the bill, electricity storage would gain a defined legal status, a new class of eligible customers would be recognised, and outside parties would be able to use the grids.

The draft also expands what independent power producers can do and sets out terms for self-generation, self-consumption and selling surplus renewable output back to the grid.

Russian liquefied natural gas arriving at EU ports reached 12.18 million tons over January to September, up 9.5% from the same stretch of 2025, the German research group Urgewald found using Kpler tracking data.

The nine-month purchases cost Europe roughly EUR 7.88 billion, according to Urgewald, which said the payments channel revenue to Russia as it strikes Ukrainian cities with daily missile and drone attacks.

The North Carolina Senate approved a gas-tax relief bill 41-0 and sent it to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. The measure would suspend the state's 41-cent gas tax through November 30, according to The News & Observer, providing roughly 45 days of relief timed for harvest season and holiday travel.

Replacing the revenue lost during the pause would cost an estimated $360 million. The state's inflationary reserve fund holds about $518 million.

Companies are competing to extract lithium from brine beneath California's Salton Sea, according to Inside Climate News. In Imperial County, rising heat and drought are colliding with the lithium industry's demand for water.

The tension extends beyond California. Across the western United States, almost all proposed or developing lithium projects sit in counties where drought risk is expected to rise sharply, far more than in most of the nation, Inside Climate News reported.

A recent study concluded that most lithium mining areas will lack enough water by mid-century to meet the industry's demands, according to Inside Climate News.

A federal judge rejected Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's antitrust case targeting BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell and the American Petroleum Institute, finding the state had no antitrust standing to sue, according to NaturalNews. Nessel alleged the companies colluded to hold back renewable energy and drive up energy bills for Michigan families.

U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering ruled the alleged scheme sat too far from the Michigan energy overcharges to have caused them, NaturalNews reported.

Chevron's attorneys said the court dismissed the entire case on antitrust-standing grounds and did so without oral arguments.

Sri Lanka faces a dilemma over whether to assist vessels connected to Iran, a country under heavy international sanctions, when they require help in the waters around the island nation, according to Lanka Newspapers.

The outlet described the situation as a difficult bind involving Iranian oil tankers, with the country caught between sanctions pressure and requests for assistance at sea.

Separately, the Daily Mirror reported that Sri Lanka could aggressively export apparel, tea and precious gems to Indonesia's growing middle class.

The number of people directly benefiting from Pakistan's Fuel Relief Scheme has crossed 10 million, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, according to Daily Times.

The beneficiaries include motorcyclists, rickshaw and Qingqi operators, and owners of cars up to 800cc, per Daily Times.

Sharif announced a national award for Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja for her role in the programme's digital implementation, according to Daily Pakistan. The same report said Khawaja is due to receive the national honour on March 23, Pakistan Day.

Shields will be awarded to other officials and team members involved in the scheme, Daily Pakistan reported.

Starting Oct. 16, applicants to the USDA's Rural Energy for America Program must finish their energy projects and show a full year of demonstrated savings before they can apply for funding, under changes made by the Trump administration.

The USDA said the revisions are meant to tie payments to measured results rather than forecasts. A USDA spokesperson said the program should "pay for actual production and results of projects, not just projections".

The upfront-cost burden is what worries farmers and renewable-energy advocates. Because applicants now have to fund projects themselves before seeking reimbursement, the new rules could delay or deter applications, they warned. One grant assistance business has already cut all five of its employees after applications stalled.

Serhii K is due to go on trial in Hamburg following his extradition to Germany, according to the BBC. He is charged with causing an explosion and a war crime, accused of attacking civilian infrastructure while allegedly acting on behalf of state agencies of Ukraine. The BBC reported he spent months in isolation in a high security prison before the trial.

Separately, Polish far-right politician Grzegorz Braun called for the restoration of the Nord Stream pipelines and for Poland to participate in the Russian-German energy project, according to the Kyiv Post. Braun said he hoped to declare, "I love the smell of Russian gas in the morning".

The tanker Aframax Rio was attacked on October 5 and again on October 6, with major damage to its superstructure, according to The Hindu.

None of the 23 Indians aboard the vessel was injured, The Hindu reported.

Greenpeace analysis found that an oil slick covering about 25 square kilometers was visible on satellite images as of October 9, according to OC Media.

A representative of a local ecology institute, interviewed by Abkhazian government-controlled media, claimed there was no evidence that the Aframax Rio fire off the coast of Sochi had polluted Abkhazia's coastline, OC Media reported.

India will protect its national interest and energy security as a US decision on punitive tariffs over Russian oil is expected within days, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said. Goyal described India as a self-respecting country facing the tariff threat.

Goyal also said India and Mexico will begin trade deal talks next week after finalizing the Terms of Reference.

Three proposed megaprojects, a steel plant in Iowa, an aluminum smelter in Oklahoma and a long-sought gas pipeline in Alaska, face significant questions about whether they will fully materialize.

Century Aluminum and Emirates Global Aluminium have not reached a final investment decision on the proposed smelter in Inola, Oklahoma. The companies are soliciting proposals for engineering design services and seeking to clear permitting hurdles.

Iowa legislation unlocked as much as USD 1.4 billion in tax incentives for the proposed steel mill.

South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said the country's investment in Alaska's LNG project would hinge on commercial viability.

EU finance ministers approved greater energy-spending flexibility for Greece on October 9, 2026, supporting Athens' investment plans through 2028, according to Greek Reporter.

Greece plans approximately EUR 1 billion of investment covering energy storage, household equipment, public buildings and transportation infrastructure, Greek Reporter reported.

The country will finance the projects from national resources rather than through a new EU grant.

Under the approval, eligible Greek expenditure can be excluded from the EU framework's limit on net primary expenditure growth, up to 0.3% of GDP annually and 0.6% cumulatively through 2028, according to Greek City Times.

North Carolina suspended its 41-cent-per-gallon motor-fuel tax after Governor Josh Stein signed a bipartisan relief bill aimed at lowering pump prices, according to Newsweek.

The suspension expires November 30, Newsweek reported.

Drivers may pay less at the pump, though stations can wait until older, tax-paid inventory is sold before reflecting the change, according to Newsweek.

The state will replace transportation revenue lost from the suspension using money from the Stabilization and Inflation Reserve, directing those funds to accounts that would otherwise receive the revenue, including the Highway Fund and Highway Trust Fund, Newsweek reported.

A drone attacked the Panama-flagged crude oil tanker MT GEM NO. 2 near Sharjah Anchorage in the UAE on October 9, according to Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. All 22 Indian seafarers aboard were safe, Sonowal said.

The vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile, and the resulting fire was extinguished, according to the maritime security agency.

The European Union condemned a diesel supply deal struck between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying any loosening of sanctions would hand Moscow fresh revenue to fund its war in Ukraine, according to dpa.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas rejected any softening toward Moscow. "This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won't," she said.

EU foreign ministers are set to target more individuals and organizations backing Russia's war effort than in any sanctions round since the conflict began, Kallas said, per dpa.