Thursday, 15 October 2026

Poland's StatOffice revised September consumer price index (CPI) inflation to 4.1% year over year, up from the 4.0% reported previously.

Higher energy prices contributed around 2.5 percentage points, or roughly 60%, of the annual inflation rate in September, according to the StatOffice data cited in the analysis.

Fuel prices rose 9.2% month over month in September, while household energy prices increased 1.0%. The move was driven mainly by liquid fuels, up 14.7% month over month, and solid fuels, up 5.5%, including coal at 7.4%.

Broader price pressures stayed contained. Core inflation excluding food and energy was estimated to have slowed to around 3.1% year over year from 3.3% in August.

Germany is considering an emergency gas reserve holding 24 TWh, with costs split between consumers and industry, according to media reports cited by RT and Pressbee. The reserve was first proposed in July.

The 24 TWh volume equals 10% of Germany's storage capacity, or two weeks of winter consumption, and is intended to protect against import disruptions, according to the same reports.

Under the proposed funding split, households and commercial users would cover 40% of the reserve's costs, while industry would cover the remaining 60%, according to the reports.

ATS Energy has closed a financing round to move its Solid-State Generator (SSG) toward commercial production, the company said. The device turns industrial waste heat into electricity.

The money will pay for making thermoelectric cartridges for its generators and for finishing a first commercial unit, which ATS Energy aims to deploy by mid-2027.

The company said the funding backs its plan to put that first generator in service and start operations in 2027, alongside building capacity for further customer installations.

ATS Energy is leaning on specialized contract-manufacturing partners instead of building out its own plants, according to the company.

Deployable Energy has selected Sargent & Lundy to provide engineering and licensing support for its Unity-1 microreactor, the company announced.

The collaboration supports Deployable Energy's planned construction permit application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Deployable Energy is targeting submission of the Unity-1 application to the NRC as part of its broader development and licensing timeline.

Sargent & Lundy's scope covers Unity-1 safe shutdown and radiological analyses, initial system designs, and preparation of the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report, according to the companies' announcement. Work under the engagement is already underway.

Standard Lithium Ltd appointed Ralph Alexander to its board of directors as an independent director, effective immediately, according to kalkinemedia on Tuesday morning.

The company, which is developing lithium brine projects in the Smackover Formation of Arkansas and Texas, described Alexander as bringing more than four decades of experience across energy, chemicals, power and infrastructure, according to kalkinemedia.

Alexander previously served as chief executive of Talen Energy Corporation and then as its chairman, per the same report.

A long-term supply contract between Google and Constellation Energy will deliver 3,590 MW of electricity and includes a 20-year commitment covering 890 MW of new nuclear generation, according to Argus.

Under the agreement, Google will put more than USD 4.3 billion into upgrades at 11 reactors across Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Argus reported. Those upgrades feed 890 MW into the PJM Interconnection grid, which Argus said is roughly comparable to the output of a large conventional reactor.

The first of the reactor expansions should start operating in 2028, Google said on Tuesday, per Argus.

A second contract runs 15 years and covers 2,700 MW drawn from Constellation's existing fleet in PJM, a market spanning 13 states and the District of Columbia, according to Argus.

U.S. crude oil inventories likely edged up last week, while product stocks are seen falling as refineries lowered capacity use, according to a survey by The Wall Street Journal.

Commercial crude stocks were expected to rise by 100,000 barrels to 424.2 million barrels in the week ended Oct. 9, based on the average estimate of eight analysts and traders surveyed by the Journal.

The outlook split the respondents evenly, with four expecting a stock build and four predicting a withdrawal.

India has called on Russia and Ukraine to guarantee safe passage for commercial vessels in the Black Sea, warning that attacks on merchant ships endanger Indian seafarers and risk disrupting food and energy supplies, according to Deutsche Welle.

New Delhi says talks with both governments on protecting Black Sea shipping are in progress.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called India's proposal for a possible ceasefire with Russia the broadest of the four offers Kyiv has received, according to Deutsche Welle.

The Georgia Public Service Commission approved a deal under which Google will help pay for upgrades to Georgia's nuclear reactors starting in 2028, according to Spotlight PA.

The agreement was struck between Georgia Power and Google. Georgia Power wants to upgrade four older nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle and Plant Hatch so they can produce more energy, Spotlight PA reported.

LS Electric secured a $138.7 million contract from Bloom Energy to supply transformers and switchgear for fuel cell-powered data center operations in Pennsylvania, according to Event Registry.

The contract covers 38-kilovolt high-voltage switchgear and distribution transformers.

Deliveries are scheduled between April and July 2027, according to Event Registry, positioning the company to support dedicated power infrastructure for the facility.

German clean energy startup 1KOMMA5° raised more than EUR 70 million, equivalent to USD 78 million, in a new funding round, according to ESG Today.

The financing valued the company at USD 1.35 billion before the investment.

1KOMMA5° said the proceeds are intended to accelerate the development and commercialization of its platform connecting home devices with the grid.

Oil prices rose as a flare-up in attacks in the Middle East raised uncertainty over a recovery in Persian Gulf energy flows. Brent moved toward USD 107 a barrel after falling 0.9% a day earlier, while West Texas Intermediate advanced to around USD 95.

Morgan Stanley raised its forecast for the physical benchmark Dated Brent by USD 5 a barrel for the current quarter and the next, citing elevated uncertainty around crude exports and attacks on Saudi Arabian infrastructure. "Crude oil exports continue, but uncertainty around it remains elevated," Morgan Stanley analysts including Martijn Rats said in a note.

India plans to widen the use of artificial intelligence across its power sector, aiming for a grid that is more reliable, resilient and secure, Union Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik said on Wednesday.

Naik put total installed generation capacity at 558 GW, of which non-fossil fuel sources supply 308 GW, or around 55%.

In Eleuthera, Works and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting said he would keep pushing for steadier electricity supply in his constituency after residents reported repeated outages over the holiday weekend that hit homes and businesses.

Sweeting said the EA Energy project would deliver cleaner, more reliable power and cut reliance on ageing diesel generators.

Amwins Global Risks expanded its specialist commercial and industrial insurance facility to cover battery energy storage systems and electric vehicle infrastructure, the firm said on Tuesday.

The facility offers limits of up to USD 10 million per project, according to Business Insurance. It allows portfolios of smaller distributed energy assets across different locations to be insured under a single program.

The expanded facility lets developers, owners and investors insure multiple distributed energy assets across different locations under one insurance program, according to Reinsurance News.

Coverage spans construction and operational risks, including delay in start-up and business interruption, as well as construction of EV charging stations in the United States, according to Business Insurance.

Petrol and diesel prices climbed across two markets this week, with Australian drivers paying more at the pump as conflict in the Middle East threatens global oil supplies, according to Neos Kosmos.

Regular unleaded petrol rose above AUD 2.40 per litre across Australia for the first time in more than six months, while diesel exceeded AUD 2.80 per litre, according to Neos Kosmos. The outlet reported that prospects for de-escalation in the Middle East remain uncertain, adding pressure to global supply.

Separately, a review raised fuel prices effective October 15, 2026, according to KBC. Super petrol rose by KES 12.93 per litre and diesel by KES 9.90 per litre, while kerosene users faced the steepest increase at KES 28.49 per litre, KBC reported.

Under the revised prices, effective midnight, the maximum retail price reaches KES 226.96 per litre for super petrol, KES 227.76 for diesel and KES 219.87 for kerosene, according to KBC.

India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy increased enlisted solar cell manufacturing capacity under ALMM List-II to approximately 37.8 GW, according to GreentechLead.

The latest revision, issued on October 8, 2026, added 402 MW of annual manufacturing capacity from Gopin Semicon's facility in Kamrej, Surat, Gujarat, per GreentechLead.

India's manufacturing capacity nears 50 GW, though that figure includes a stabilization period for newly commissioned solar cell lines, according to Mercom India.

Oil prices finished mixed as hopes for added supply from a US-Russia diesel deal offset concern over disruptions from attacks in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, according to Business Post.

Brent futures fell 0.9%, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 0.4%, according to Business Post.

The prospect that the diesel deal could free up more supply countered the attacks, which could result in additional supply disruptions, according to Business Post.

Australia's petroleum industry has criticized the Federal government's proposed domestic gas reservation scheme, calling it a short-term reaction, according to themarketonline.com.au.

Lobby group Australian Energy Producers (AEP) said the government retained key provisions that risk undermining investment, competition and Australia's long-term energy security.

AEP chief executive Samantha McCulloch said the proposed must-sell requirement could force producers to sell gas below cost or on non-commercial terms.

Nomura named Ather Energy, Mahindra & Mahindra and Hyundai Motor India as its preferred automobile stocks, tying future returns to how fast each manufacturer builds EV penetration.

The brokerage said stock returns for original equipment manufacturers over the next few years were likely to depend on their level of EV penetration. It added that Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles was also positioned to gain if EV adoption rises faster.

Separately, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun said he intends to expand the group's Indian business beyond automobiles into energy, robotics and artificial intelligence.

BP expects third-quarter post-tax impairment charges of between USD 3 billion and USD 4.5 billion, according to business-news-today.com.

The charges are primarily associated with transition businesses within BP's gas and low-carbon energy segment.

The impairments reflect reductions in the carrying value of assets and are excluded from underlying replacement cost profit, BP's preferred measure of earnings, according to kalkinemedia.com.

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has called on Nigeria's Federal Government to prioritise subsidised mass transportation and support for food production, arguing that the current fuel price relief offers limited benefits to households facing rising living costs.

The current relief does little for households contending with higher costs of living, according to the CPPE, which pressed for the two measures as a more direct form of support.

Separately, the Federal Government identified infrastructure, capital, market access and predictable regulation as critical to unlocking the economic value of Nigeria's estimated 215 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves.

New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has announced the first application round for offshore renewable energy feasibility permits, according to Dentons.

The move follows the enactment of the Offshore Renewable Energy Act 2026 and accompanying regulations, Dentons reported.

Applications open on 19 October 2026 and close on 19 April 2027.

The developer of a planned natural gas pipeline across North Dakota reached a final investment decision after securing long-term, demand-side commitments for almost all of the line's 1.4 Bcf/d capacity, according to RBN Energy.

Separately, a Kaieteur News editorial accused ExxonMobil's managers of secrecy over what was wrong with a gas pipeline off the village of Crane, West Coast Demerara, Guyana. The editorial said the company settled for stealth rather than transparency about the pipeline near the Crane community.

TotalEnergies and Namibia are still negotiating terms for the development of the Venus oil discovery, according to World Oil, leaving less time to meet a target of first production by 2030.

TotalEnergies said in April it was aiming for a final investment decision this year, but talks with the government remain unresolved, World Oil reported. The company had previously targeted 2025 to sanction the project.

Kornelia Shilunga, special adviser and head of the upstream petroleum unit in the Namibian Presidency, confirmed in an interview that the discussions are continuing.

Energy and Petroleum Minister El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf said Senegal is offering 104 oil and gas blocks to investors and seeking new upstream contracts to speed up exploration and production, World Oil reported from the African Energy Week conference in Cape Town.

The acreage was restructured in March into 113 blocks, of which 65 sit onshore and 48 offshore, according to World Oil.

Senegal is separately hunting for partners on the Yakaar-Teranga gas project alongside national oil company Petrosen, which assumed full control after Kosmos Energy pulled out in April, World Oil reported.

A Tesla crossed the grass median of Route 55 in New Jersey, entered oncoming traffic and struck an SUV head-on, killing 68-year-old Phillip Eastman, according to Electrek.

Tesla's report to federal regulators said the car's driver-assist system was engaged during the fatal crash, Electrek reported.

Electrek said the engaged system is not proof that it caused the crash, noting the driver may have been overriding it. The available information does not establish which driver-assist system was active.

Changan and CATL plan to expand battery capacity at their joint venture to 75 GWh, according to electrive. The venture's production capacity had previously been planned at 50 GWh.

In a separate development reported by electrive, Gelion signed an agreement with an unnamed major automaker to test its sulphur-based Nano Encapsulated Sulfur cathode technology.

Base Power will deploy about 100 MWh of residential energy storage for Central Georgia EMC using 2,500 Base Core batteries, according to ESS News.

The batteries will give the co-op 50 MW of dispatchable capacity sited at customer homes across its territory, ESS News reported.

First installations are scheduled for 2027.

The agreement marks Base Power's first utility partnership outside Texas, where the company has signed several such deals, per ESS News.

The Government of Canada committed $100 million to advance offshore wind development in Nova Scotia, with funds aimed at moving the province's Wind West project from concept toward development, Natural Resources Canada said. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson announced the commitment, which the department said would help secure the private investment the project needs.

Of that total, $5 million will fund floating light detection and ranging buoys that measure offshore wind speeds and ocean conditions, according to Natural Resources Canada. The data will help proponents prepare for a Call for Bids that the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator plans to launch in winter 2027.

Natural Resources Canada is also providing nearly $3 million to Net Zero Atlantic to expand transmission modelling and conduct marine survey work. The modelling covers the transmission of offshore wind power from Nova Scotia to Quebec, Ontario and beyond, while the survey work supports transmission cable routing, the department said.

China Huadian has completed the first grid connection of a 100 MW/1,000 MWh compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) energy storage plant in Mulei County, Xinjiang, according to ESS News. ESS News described it as China's first 100 MW compressed CO2 storage plant to connect to the grid.

The facility achieved its initial grid connection on Sept. 30, according to China Huadian. ESS News reported the plant has a nominal discharge duration of 10 hours.

Nightpeak Energy brought its 150 MW / 300 MWh Bocanova 2 project in Brazoria County, Texas, into commercial operation on September 17, following financial close.

The second phase doubled the capacity of the battery storage project, which operates within ERCOT, according to ESS News.

The combined Bocanova site now holds 300 MW of capacity and sits in Brazoria County near the Houston metropolitan area, according to Solar Builder.

UK energy company Octopus Energy has unveiled Cosy Cooler, an indoor cooling unit that turns its Cosy heat pump heating system into a residential air-conditioning solution, according to pv magazine.

The device uses chilled water supplied by a compatible Cosy heat pump to cool individual rooms, removing the need for a separate refrigerant-based indoor split air-conditioning system.

It connects to existing radiator pipework, which Octopus Energy says can simplify installation in homes already equipped with its heat pumps.

Octopus Energy expects to offer the unit for between GBP 500 and GBP 600, with commercial availability planned for 2027, according to pv magazine.

Jody Kerns is leaving Tesla, where he served as Senior Manager of Cybercab General Assembly at Gigafactory Texas, to join Rivian as Director of General Assembly for the R2 in Normal, Illinois, according to Electrek.

Kerns is the second Cybercab launch leader to leave Tesla this year, Electrek reported.

Kerns announced the move in a LinkedIn post, thanking his Tesla team for everything "from the WEOL project to the launch of the Cyber Cab," according to Electrek.

The top 200 US law firms are on pace to hire nearly 300 data center lawyers in 2026, according to an analysis of public data by legal business intelligence firm Pirical, first shared with Semafor.

The hiring pace is up 21% from the year before, Pirical found. Kirkland & Ellis and Dentons hold the largest teams, each with more than 200 lawyers working in the area, according to the analysis.

The hiring has shifted geographically. Pirical analyst Craig Savitzky said Houston has matched Washington DC so far in 2026, a move he tied to power availability now deciding whether a project gets built at all.

Rising energy costs were a major driver of hotter-than-expected US inflation figures, according to Semafor Net Zero.

Prices across all goods and services in the US gained 3.7% over the past 12 months, per Semafor Net Zero.

Gasoline prices climbed 34.2% over the same period, according to Semafor Net Zero. Fuel oil prices, which Semafor noted matter mostly for home heating, rose 74.2% over the past 12 months.

Subsea7 has hired Worley Rosenberg to build subsea structures and spools for the second phase of Norway's Northern Lights carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

Under the deal, Worley Rosenberg will fabricate subsea infrastructure that supports a larger carbon dioxide transport and storage network running beneath the North Sea.

Phase 2 will lift the project's yearly CO2 transport and storage capacity from 1.5 million tonnes to more than 5 million tonnes, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Backers reached a final investment decision on Phase 2 in March 2025, and operators aim to reach the higher capacity by 2028.

BMW Group has started series production of its Gen6 high-voltage batteries for the Neue Klasse in Shenyang, in northeastern China, according to electrive.

The Shenyang facility is the third plant in BMW's new battery network, following Debrecen and Irlbach-Straßkirchen, electrive reported. The energy storage systems built there will power the Neue Klasse models that BMW manufactures in China for the local market.

According to electrive, the Gen6 cells raise energy density by more than 20 percent compared with the previous cell generation, while charging speed and range improve by up to 30 percent.

A rise in domestic U.S. diesel prices is driving discussion of a possible ban on U.S. diesel exports, according to The Conversation Energy.

Republicans from hard-hit U.S. farm states have called for the ban, and President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing the idea, The Conversation Energy reported.

Because the country is a net exporter of petroleum products, such a move would separate the U.S. and global diesel markets, according to The Conversation Energy.

The resulting mismatch between domestic supply and demand could depress U.S. diesel prices in the short term, The Conversation Energy said.

Solaria signed an agreement with the Uruguayan government to develop a data center technology park in Uruguay, according to pv magazine.

The project includes USD 5.5 billion for the construction of data centers with a combined capacity of 500 MW, pv magazine reported. It also allocates USD 200 million for 350 MW of solar PV capacity to supply renewable electricity to the facilities.

The Uruguayan government said the USD 5.7 billion project is the largest foreign investment ever announced in the country, according to pv magazine.

Fluence won a contract from Vattenfall to build a battery storage system rated at 254 MW and 1,016 MWh on the grounds of a decommissioned nuclear plant in Germany, ESS News reported.

Groundbreaking is set for 2027, and Vattenfall expects the plant running by the close of 2028, according to ESS News. The project is to link to the grid in late 2028.

The Brunsbüttel installation runs on a turnkey contract, handing Fluence responsibility from engineering and build through commissioning and extended servicing, ESS News reported.

A Norwegian appeals court ordered Seadrill to pay SFL approximately USD 55 million, or NOK 525 million, resolving the companies' dispute over the redelivery of the Hercules offshore drilling rig, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

The Borgarting Court of Appeal unanimously found that Seadrill breached its contractual obligations when it returned the Hercules rig in December 2022, OEDigital reported.

The award covers compensation, late-payment interest and legal costs, and includes full reimbursement of SFL's legal expenses before the Oslo District Court and the Borgarting Court of Appeal.

The appeals judgment largely upheld the Oslo District Court's February 2025 ruling, with accrued interest raising the total amount payable, according to OEDigital.

Angola plans to implement faster exploration concessions from next year under a new long-term hydrocarbon strategy aimed at attracting investment and stimulating oil and gas production, a senior government official said on the sidelines of an energy conference in Cape Town.

The country intends to drop its multi-year auction rounds and open more than 100 blocks, mainly onshore, once the plan is passed, according to Alcides Andrade, a board member at the National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG).

ANPG aims to cut the concession award process to three months, down from the current six months, Andrade said.

Lithium-ion batteries are cheaper than the fossil-gas turbines that technology companies are installing at gigawatt scale to power AI data centers, according to Canary Media.

The batteries can also cushion the cost of expanding grid infrastructure and power plants needed to meet the peak energy demand of data centers, Canary Media reported.

Britain does not support the US-Russia deal to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports and has called on allies to maintain economic pressure on Moscow, according to ThePrint.

The position emerged alongside a Downing Street meeting at which Zelenskiy said Ukraine still relied on its partnership with the United States, ThePrint reported. Zelenskiy said he wanted to discuss difficulties over Starlink and intelligence sharing.

Burnham announced a planned GBP 45 million delivery of surface-to-air missiles for Ukraine, with GBP 10 million of that package fast-tracked to meet an urgent need, according to ThePrint. The missiles are used to target jet-powered Russian drones.

Mexico's mixed-investment model, which pairs the state utility CFE with private entities, gives renewable energy investors certainty, Baja California official Josué Alberto Valenzuela said, according to energy-storage.news.

Under the scheme, the investor covers a project's capital expenditure while CFE guarantees the purchase of at least 70% of the energy produced, energy-storage.news reported. Valenzuela said interest in promoting renewable projects is strong and that the arrangement provides investors with certainty.

In India, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani said the country's energy transition must balance decarbonisation with affordable and reliable power, according to Millennium Post. He warned that a shift to clean energy should not increase costs for households or slow industrial growth.

Adani said clean energy must become a reliable and affordable option for households and businesses for the transition to succeed, Millennium Post reported.

Slovakia and Bulgaria discussed developing the Vertical Gas Corridor and using Greek LNG terminals, according to TASR. The talks with the Bulgarian energy minister centered on the corridor's development and access to Greek regasification capacity.

The discussions coincide with recognition for Greek gas infrastructure serving the same region. Greece's Alexandroupolis Independent Natural Gas System won the European Commission's REGIOSTARS 2026 award in the "A Connected Europe" category, according to Greek City Times. The award recognized the terminal's contribution to regional energy connectivity and security of supply across southeastern Europe.

The Alexandroupolis facility enables the import, storage and regasification of LNG, expanding natural gas supply options for markets across the wider region, according to Greek City Times.

Equinor and its Troll partners will finish the Troll West Electrification (TWEL) project in offshore Norway without installing a second electric export compressor on Troll C, according to World Oil. The move scales back the plan set out in the field's 2021 plan for development and operation (PDO).

Installing the second compressor would have cut Troll C production for up to 21 months, World Oil reported, for equipment needed only until the mid-2030s.

Equinor said the decision will make about 2.3 Bcm, or 81 Bcf, more gas available to Europe in 2027 and 2028.

TWEL has delivered roughly 75% of the annual emissions reduction planned in the field's development plan, according to World Oil.

Proposed reliability standards for data centers and cryptocurrency loads have cleared their final stakeholder ballot and moved to board review, according to Power Magazine.

The standards would require qualifying data centers, artificial intelligence facilities, and cryptocurrency operations to provide grid data, coordinate protection settings, and follow grid operators' instructions, Power Magazine reported.

The cost of credit default swaps tied to hyperscalers is climbing as more investors hedge against a potential downturn in the AI boom, according to Semafor Net Zero.

Insuring $1 million of CoreWeave bonds against default over five years has risen from under $40,000 a year ago to $100,000, Semafor reported. The same demand is lifting the cost of protection across the sector.

Hedging against an Oracle default rose 12% in a week, according to Semafor. A $1 million policy covering an Oracle default now costs $28,000.

Three companies in the Obrist Group are insolvent with combined debts of about EUR 31.8 million, equivalent to roughly USD 37 million, according to Electrek.

The Feldkirch Regional Court in Vorarlberg opened bankruptcy proceedings at the end of September for Obrist Powertrain and Obrist Technologies, both based in Lustenau, Electrek reported.

Obrist DE, the group's German sales and development arm in Lindau, is also insolvent, carrying about EUR 6.8 million in liabilities, according to ORF Vorarlberg as cited by Electrek.

The Troll partnership has canceled plans for a second electric export compressor on Troll C, a decision Offshore Magazine reported is expected to help maintain gas supplies to Europe while extending the Norwegian field's productive life.

In the same North Sea roundup, Offshore Magazine reported that Equinor's Grimsnes discovery near Oseberg could be fast-tracked through existing infrastructure, pointing to continued near-field growth opportunities in the mature North Sea.

DNO and Kistos are expanding their positions on the Norwegian Continental Shelf through acquisitions and licensing activity aimed at supporting future exploration and development, according to Offshore Magazine.

Tech giants and other large corporations in North Carolina want 24/7 carbon-free electricity, according to Canary Media.

Across most of the state, only Duke Energy can sell power to these corporations, Canary Media reported. The utility's grid is not required to be 100% clean until mid-century.

That timeline leaves companies seeking round-the-clock carbon-free supply without a ready option through the state's vertically integrated utility.

Rivian will roll out its point-to-point driving feature through an invitation-only Autonomy Early Access Program, according to Electrek.

The feature will launch for that group in late 2026 and will not expand broadly until 2027, Electrek reported.

Selected owners must sign a participation agreement that includes a non-disclosure agreement covering program details, according to Electrek.

Wallbox and Quebec-based EDP Électrique have partnered to deploy public EV charging infrastructure at Montreal Metropolitan Airport, the two companies said on October 15, according to Solar Builder.

The project has installed 120 Wallbox Pulsar Pro charging stations at the airport's YHU terminal, Solar Builder reported.

The partners plan to add 48 more charging stations once the airport's new building is complete, bringing the total to 168 chargers across the airport campus, according to Solar Builder.

US commercial crude oil inventories, excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, dropped by 8.6 million barrels in the week ended Oct. 9 from the prior week, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) cited by Oil & Gas Journal.

Total US crude oil inventories stood at 415.6 million barrels, according to the EIA report. At that level, stocks were 3% below the five-year average for this time of year.

Eni will begin drilling up to six development wells from November to feed gas to its Coral North floating liquefied natural gas platform offshore Mozambique, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

The project is on track to start production by 2028, per OEDigital.

Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported that Coral North is expected to take Eni's output to around 7 million metric tons per annum.

A disguised prototype of Ford's Fathom electric pickup appeared outside the company's World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, according to Electrek.

The truck is expected to start at around USD 30,000 and go on sale in early 2027, Electrek reported.

Ford said preorders will open in early 2027, with first customer deliveries expected by the end of that year.

Turkey's Osman Gazi floating gas platform is expected to begin production in early 2027, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

The platform is expected to raise daily output from Turkey's Sakarya gas field to 20 million cubic metres, up from the current 9.5 million, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital. That level equates to 7.3 billion cubic metres annually.

Hydra Subsea and Shell agreed on a standardized pipeline installation model for US Gulf tie-ins, according to Offshore Magazine.

The agreement creates a framework for selected short-distance subsea tie-ins in the Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Magazine reported. The Appomattox gas-lift flowline is identified as the first proposed application, with support planned from the upgraded Subsea Legend vessel.

Standard Solar has purchased two solar projects in Washington from OneEnergy Renewables, according to Solar Builder.

The projects are Palouse Junction in Connell and Cunningham in Othello, and both are under construction, Solar Builder reported. The developer focuses on commercial and community solar.

Once completed, the two projects will provide a combined 15.79 MW of ground-mounted solar capacity to the local grid, according to Solar Builder.

OneEnergy estimates the projects will generate about 29 GWh of renewable energy during their first year of operation.

Suzuki will start its first electric kei car, the e Sky, at 2.12 million yen in Japan, about EUR 12,000, according to electrive. That entry price undercuts electric kei rivals from BYD and Honda, electrive reported.

Sales begin on 16 November, according to electrive.

Above the entry-level A trim, the G version will retail at 2.39 million yen and the X version at 2.79 million yen, electrive reported.

HYDRA SUBSEA has signed a commercial agreement with Shell Offshore Inc. for a standardized deepwater pipeline installation solution covering selected short-distance subsea tie-ins in the Gulf of America, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Shell's Appomattox gas lift line is the first project proposed under the agreement, subject to project-specific approvals and requirements, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Each project under the agreement remains subject to separate evaluation, approval and award, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Econergy has connected its 40 MW/120 MWh Dalmarnock battery energy storage system in Glasgow, Scotland, to the UK grid, according to ESS News.

The company expects the Dalmarnock battery to reach full commercial operation by December, ESS News reported.

The project is financed with approximately GBP 21 million of project debt from Santander UK, according to ESS News.

Econergy has also signed a 10-year agreement with EDF that guarantees a minimum annual revenue and provides a revenue-sharing mechanism above the floor, ESS News reported.

Central Maine Power, the state's largest electric utility, has filed suit in federal court to block a Maine law requiring participation in the regional electric grid, according to Maine Public. The law also removes a longstanding financial bonus for joining ISO-New England.

Maine's Office of Public Advocate said eliminating that incentive, known as an "adder," would save electricity customers USD 2 million a year.

Separately, state and county lawmakers raised financial and environmental concerns about the proposed County Line wind farm in talks with Haynesville, Maine, residents, according to the Bangor Daily News.

Eko Power Limited says it holds a distribution license issued directly by the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC) to distribute electricity in the southern parts of Lagos State, according to Nairametrics.

The company describes itself as the successor distribution company recognized under the Lagos framework, operating under the LASERC license and bound by the regulator's tariff methodology and service-level standards for Lagos customers, according to Nairametrics.

Eko Power Limited said its distribution, tariff and customer-service commitments are governed under Lagos State law, according to Nairametrics and Daily Post. The company said it is licensed by LASERC for distribution and tariffs, and that its service commitments to customers are set independently under Lagos State law.

Canadian energy companies are preparing to raise production and investment in 2027, while institutional investors have shifted toward a stronger preference for growth spending, according to ATB Cormark Capital Markets' Fall 2026 Energy Sector Survey.

The survey found that 96% of exploration and production companies expect to increase production over the next year, according to ATB Cormark Capital Markets. Among energy services respondents, 90% anticipate higher activity in 2027.

Growth spending has become institutional investors' leading capital-allocation preference, with 41% ranking it first, up from 18% in spring 2026, according to the survey.

The Ratepayer Protection Act failed to advance in the U.S. Senate, according to Cryptonomist. The outcome left open who pays for the power grid upgrades that large data centers require, per the same report.

The procedural vote drew 57 supporters and 43 opponents, short of the 60 votes needed to move the measure forward, according to Cryptonomist.

Under the proposed measure, states would retain authority to decide whether to adopt the cost standards, according to CoinDesk.

Researchers at Princeton Engineering corrected internal defects in perovskites by adding a novel combination of chemicals during fabrication.

The additives, zinc bromide and methyl ammonium chloride, produce perovskites with fewer defects in the crystal structure, which allows electrons to retain energy from sunlight longer.

According to the researchers, the technique could translate to a 1% improvement in the power generation of even the most cutting-edge perovskite solar cells.

The advance is attributed to the defect-free perovskites retaining energy from sunlight 10 times longer than untreated perovskites.

Ireland's dependence on one gas pipeline could leave the country facing an economic shutdown within hours if supplies were disrupted, according to Seán O'Driscoll, a member of the Government's Accelerating Infrastructure Task Force.

Separately, a Forvis Mazars energy insights report identified infrastructure as the critical lever for Africa's energy security, industrialisation and energy transition.

Higher crude prices raise the cost of refining and fuel production, squeezing marketing margins when retail fuel prices are not revised to match, according to livemint.

Separately, a petroleum dealers' association in Himachal demanded prompt redress of maintenance problems at retail outlets, according to The Tribune. The association said the delay in fixing those problems caused monetary losses to both the retail outlets and the government.