Saturday, 17 October 2026

North Dakota officials are advancing the second phase of the Crack the Code project, an enhanced oil recovery effort aimed at raising Bakken oil production and extending the life of existing fields, according to KFYR-TV.

The project uses technology to reach oil in shale rock formations such as the Bakken, with the stated goal of increasing production and prolonging the life of producing fields.

The research centers on enhanced oil recovery, a set of technologies officials hope will double the amount of recoverable oil in the state and extend the Bakken field's longevity by decades, according to CNHI News.

The second phase seeks to move beyond single-well tests and apply the technology across a broader area involving up to 200 oil wells, CNHI News reported.

Sen. John Hoeven is working with Under Secretary of Energy Kyle Haustveit to unlock USD 400 million in federal loan guarantees to help fund the expanded initiative, according to CNHI News.

China has drafted export restrictions or outright bans covering 40 technologies across artificial intelligence, semiconductor chips, solar power and biomedicine, with national security cited as the basis, according to Breaking Belize News.

Artificial intelligence accounts for the largest share, with 23 technologies named, among them AI models, agents and computing clusters. Beijing is seeking to limit overseas transfers of what it deems sensitive, Finanznachrichten reported.

Solar power supplies another 12 entries on the list, including polysilicon production methods central to the solar supply chain. Five biomedical technologies tied to cell and gene therapy also fall under the draft, according to Breaking Belize News.

Under the proposal, exports of core technologies behind AI models trained on sensitive national data would be banned outright. Advanced models carrying at least two trillion parameters could also be caught by the controls, according to Breaking Belize News.

Regional energy officials are studying a plan to move Cypriot gas to Europe over Egypt's existing pipelines and liquefaction terminals rather than building a dedicated subsea line, the Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) said on October 16.

The route would tie offshore fields into Egypt's pipeline network and LNG export terminals, with cargoes directed through Greece for onward delivery to southeastern Europe, according to MEES.

Under the Cronos development plan, Cypriot gas reaches Egypt, is processed at facilities tied to the Zohr field, then exits the Damietta LNG terminal bound mainly for European markets.

MEES reported that the gas deals with Cyprus, along with other energy projects, are widening Egypt's role in regional supply.

California oil well permit approvals totaled 433 in the first nine months of 2026, rising through the third quarter.

Permits climbed 22.7% between the first half of the year and the first nine months.

Approvals for new well drilling permits rose sharply year over year. State data analyzed by FracTracker shows approvals jumped from two in the third quarter of 2025 to 80 in the third quarter of 2026.

The nine-month total of 433 reflects continued growth in the third quarter.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved financing of up to USD 10 million for Nigerian energy technology startup Beacon Power Services, backing a USD 20.9 million project to improve electricity distribution and grid management in Nigeria, according to Tech In Africa.

The investment will fund the deployment of smart meters and digital electricity management solutions at six of Nigeria's 11 electricity distribution companies, Tech In Africa reported.

The EBRD loan is expected to be complemented by a USD 7.5 million parallel financing facility, with equity investment covering the remaining project costs, according to the financing arrangement cited by Tech In Africa.

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) criticised a European Commission proposal to postpone certain requirements of the EU Methane Regulation, warning that delays to rules covering imported fossil fuels could undermine the legislation's impact.

Most methane emissions tied to fossil fuels consumed in the EU arise before those fuels reach the bloc's borders, according to EIA, which said that makes the import provisions particularly important to the regulation's objectives.

Separately, a coalition of European renewable fuels companies asked EU commissioners to keep a meaningful transport target in the post-2030 renewable energy framework, calling for a clear long-term trajectory to support further deployment of renewable energy in transport.

Renewable energy made up 11.2% of EU transport energy consumption in 2024, below the 29% target set for 2030 under the current Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), according to the coalition.

Heavy crude from Canada, Colombia and Ecuador is piling up at home as record freight costs sap buyer appetite and weigh on prices, Reuters reported. Tanker rates climbed to all-time highs amid the Middle East crisis, which also left shippers short of available vessels.

Heavy grades from the three producers have each lost roughly USD 10 per barrel over recent weeks, according to Argus data cited by Reuters.

Those quoted levels leave out freight and insurance, which have climbed to as much as USD 40 per barrel, even as the global diesel crunch keeps demand for heavy crude unusually firm.

The shipping squeeze has contributed to oversupply conditions for heavy crude across North and South America, while buyers in Asia and Europe face a shortage of the same grades.

DEE Development Engineers signed a framework agreement with a domestic EPC contractor to pursue engineering, manufacturing and piping supply opportunities across India's nuclear power sector, including upcoming reactor projects.

The agreement lands as several Indian nuclear programs advance. Technical studies have begun onsite for Kakrapar units 5 and 6, two 700 MWe reactors planned for construction in Gujarat, according to World Nuclear News.

India's Nuclear Fuels Complex is manufacturing steam generator tubes to support the country's fleet-mode construction project, World Nuclear News reported.

India's small modular reactor project has reached a design milestone, according to World Nuclear News.

A newly commissioned standalone battery energy storage system in Larissa is the largest in Greece so far, with 330 MW of capability and 790 MWh of capacity, according to Balkan Green Energy News.

METLEN and Karatzis Group invested EUR 170 million in the system, according to Balkan Green Energy News.

Karatzis Group holds a 51% interest in the project, while METLEN retains a 49% stake, according to Power Technology.

Belgium's offshore wind rollout is at least five years behind schedule, according to analysis from the PATHS2050 Coalition led by VITO/EnergyVille.

The shortfall in offshore wind is expected to be covered largely by gas-fired generation, the coalition found. That shift would push power-sector emissions up by about 2 million tonnes of CO2 in 2030, according to the PATHS2050 analysis.

Indian oil companies are losing Rs 26 per litre on petrol and Rs 30 per litre on diesel, based on 15-day average pricing, according to Jefferies.

The estimate appeared in a Jefferies report titled "Energy Market Letter: Volume XXII". Procurement costs for oil marketing companies are similar to an Indian crude basket price of USD 125 per barrel, which Jefferies said is driving the steep losses.

Freight rates have added to the cost of bringing crude oil into India, according to Jefferies. The firm said rates rose 8% week over week and were about eight times their level at the start of the Middle East conflict.

Data-center companies have applied for about 15 GW of capacity on the Dutch electricity-connection queue, more than the combined connection capacity of all Dutch households, according to figures reported by Nieuwsuur and attributed to Netbeheer Nederland.

That figure represents requested capacity rather than actual electricity consumption.

Netbeheer Nederland, the association representing Dutch grid operators, is urging the national government to make firmer decisions about how many data centers the Netherlands should accommodate and where they may operate.

Stakeholders have cautioned Nigeria's federal government against repeating the environmental and social failures of the Niger Delta as the country expands investments in renewable energy, green hydrogen, battery storage and critical minerals, according to Leadership.

The warning frames the buildout of these sectors against the record of oil-producing regions, pressing the government to avoid the harms tied to past resource development.

Separately, Nigeria's National Single Window Secretariat has set a target of cutting cargo clearance time in the country to one day, according to Prime Time Reporters.

Toyota Tsusho Petroleum Pte. Ltd., a former Singapore-licensed bunker supplier, has entered a members' voluntary liquidation, according to Ship & Bunker.

Creditors have 30 days to submit details of their debts or claims to liquidator Alex Lee Tiong Wee of Boardroom Corporate & Advisory Services Pte. Ltd., Ship & Bunker reported, citing a notice published in the Government Gazette.

The Michigan Public Service Commission approved rate increases for two major gas suppliers in Michigan, including SEMCO Energy, according to the Mining Gazette.

SEMCO Energy will raise its rates by USD 33 million starting January 1, 2027, according to Gas Safety Engineer Timothy Dombrowski.

Residential natural gas customers of Consumers Energy will see bills rise by 4.33% starting November 1, according to WIN Country. The commission approved the Consumers Energy rate hike at Michigan Technological University in Houghton.

TotalEnergies said Thursday in a preview of its third-quarter earnings that it expected results from its liquefied natural gas (LNG) portfolio to rise sharply from the previous quarter. The company attributed the expected gain partly to a 20% increase in market prices since the second quarter.

Mizuho expects TotalEnergies to report a strong third quarter, with exceptional downstream margins and an LNG trading rebound more than offsetting lower oil prices. The firm's adjusted earnings per share forecast sits about 3% above the Street view, according to Mizuho.

Renewable technologies will overtake thermal generation in South Africa's power capacity mix by 2035 as solar PV and wind replace retiring coal capacity, according to GlobalData.

Installed power capacity in the country is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.5% between 2025 and 2035, GlobalData said. The shift rests on solar PV and wind additions displacing coal plants as they come offline.

The binding limit on that buildout is transmission, not project supply. GlobalData analyst Attaurrahman Ojindaram Saibasan said the grid is increasingly the main constraint on renewable development, with a substantial project pipeline in high-resource provinces but transmission capacity in key wind and solar corridors already heavily allocated.

Grid reliability also frames the investment case. Chris Hattingh said unreliable grid power remains a fundamental issue in South Africa and expects investment in renewables and alternative energy sources to continue and even accelerate.

A new oil and gas find near Norway's Oseberg field in the North Sea holds preliminary recoverable resources put at 19 million to 50 million barrels of oil equivalent, Equinor said, crediting the discovery to its work with partners Petoro and TotalEnergies.

The three partners intend to tie the find into existing subsea infrastructure and route the volumes through the Oseberg Sør platform, according to Equinor.

An investment decision may be made as early as summer 2027, with production targeted within three years, Equinor said.

Twelve vessels were attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz between October 5 and October 11, the largest weekly number reported since the US-Israeli war with Iran began, according to The Brief.

Oil flows through the strait dropped sharply over the same period. Kpler shipping data showed average flows fell to 11.62 million barrels per day in the week to October 13, down from a baseline of 17.15 million barrels per day.

Washington is weighing measures that could let certain previously sanctioned tankers carry legally traded oil, a step that might raise available shipping capacity and ease freight costs, according to The Arabian Post.

Traders and analysts told Baird Maritime that a potential Trump administration plan to ease sanctions on vessels that have carried sanctioned oil and fuel would likely have limited impact on tanker availability.

Shadow fleet ships still face sanctions from other countries and lack the certification, insurance and maintenance needed to enter mainstream trade, according to Baird Maritime.

Kpler estimated that only about 24 ships could rejoin global trade once vessel age is accounted for and tankers owned by Iran's National Tanker Company are excluded.

DEME said its next-generation jack-up transport and installation vessel Norse Energi will carry out the turbine installation work for the first phase of the Zeevonk project, according to DredgeWire.

In a separate decision, East Cambridgeshire District Council opposed two proposed wind farms that could cover more than 8,000 acres of farmland, according to the Ely Standard.

CASE Group Founder and Managing Director Dr Roger Kumar called for thermal gasification to complement coal-to-chemicals projects and help advance India's target of gasifying 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030, according to Construction Times.

Kumar recommended a dedicated thermal gasification track, cluster-based industrial conversions and high-ash gasifier standards, according to the same report. He also pressed for easier coal access and stronger industry-academia collaboration to support the push.

The recommendations are framed to complement the government scheme backing the coal gasification effort.

Deutsche Bank committed AUD 100 million as sole lender for the 10-year financing tranche of the Parron Maam Marang Wind Farm in Western Australia, according to Deutsche Bank.

The project is expected to add up to 470 MW of generation capacity to Western Australia's electricity system, Deutsche Bank said. Located about 200 kilometres north of Perth, the wind farm is expected to comprise up to 78 wind turbine generators.

A 12-year power purchase agreement with Synergy, Western Australia's state-owned electricity utility, covers 75 percent of the project's generation output, according to Deutsche Bank.

Aura Energy's bankable feasibility study values the Tiris uranium project in Mauritania at a post-tax net present value of USD 500.3 million, using an 8% real discount rate and a long-term uranium price of USD 90 per pound, according to business-news-today.com.

The study reports a post-tax internal rate of return of 28% and a forecast capital payback period of about 3.2 years from first production.

Aura Energy aims to secure funding and a final investment decision for Tiris by the end of the year, according to kalkinemedia.com. The company's cash balance had fallen by the end of September and covered about two quarters of spending.

ACCIONA, GenusPlus and UGL Engineering have won a major award to build the Clean Energy Link - East (CEL - East), according to Trenchless Australasia. All three are Western Australia-based businesses.

The Western Australian government announced the contracts on October 14, according to pv magazine. The completed project is expected to unlock around 2.3GW of renewable energy capacity, the state government said.

The government expects the project to create 300 jobs at first, rising to 600 at the peak of construction, according to pv magazine.

Guinea-Conakry plans to operate five alumina refineries by 2030, with three already under construction, according to The Energy Republic.

The country is targeting annual alumina production capacity of between seven million and eight million tonnes by 2030, according to Africa Briefing.

The refinery targets were set out at African Mining Week, as African mining nations push for local processing of their mineral output.

Enbridge subsidiary Texas Eastern Transmission has launched a non-binding open season for the proposed Katy to Gillis Expansion Project, according to Kalkine Media. The project would move natural gas from the Katy Hub near Houston, Texas, to Gillis in southwest Louisiana.

The proposal would add up to 2 Bcf/d of incremental gas transportation capacity from Katy to the Gillis Hub in southwestern Louisiana, according to RBN Energy.

Rather than building a new system, the plan combines transportation services on the Mustang Express and Texas Eastern systems to create a path between the two regions, according to Kalkine Media. The Katy Hub ranks among the busiest gas trading points in Texas.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency said it remains confident Australia can expand onshore solar module manufacturing capacity to meet an aspirational target of 1 GW a year, according to reneweconomy.com.au. The agency is seeking to foster competition for the nation's sole panel maker, Tindo Solar.

ARENA this week launched the third round of its $850 million Solar Sunshot scheme, putting another $250 million up for grabs through production subsidies and grants, according to reneweconomy.com.au.

Separately, Munich-based Helios Solar AG announced a memorandum of understanding with Keong Hong Holdings to develop renewable energy, solar, battery storage and data center infrastructure across Asia and Europe, according to finanzwire.com. The collaboration targets markets including Malaysia, Cambodia and Kazakhstan.

Qcells plans to launch new versions of its residential solar panels with U.S.-made aluminum frames by the end of 2026, according to pv magazine. The updated Q.Tron AC and Q.Peak Duo AC lines will use aluminum frames made at Aluko Group's facility in Halls, Tennessee.

The frames at the Tennessee plant will be extruded, anodized, and fabricated on site, pv magazine reported. Once operational, the plant has a planned annual capacity to manufacture enough frames to support 4 GW of solar modules, according to pv magazine.

The initiative is aimed at helping residential installers and third-party ownership providers qualify for the U.S. Investment Tax Credit domestic content bonus, pv magazine reported.

New curtailment rules in Brazil hand solar developers a firmer regulatory footing, yet worries about how deep future generation cuts will run, and what they cost, keep holding investment back, pv magazine reported.

Even with the rules clarifying how curtailment is compensated and allocated, industry experts told pv magazine they see little prospect of a rebound in new utility-scale solar builds.

Developers have repeatedly handed back project authorizations, pointing to curtailment running near 25% and the lack of clarity on payment for the power they cannot sell, according to pv magazine.

Redwood Materials and Rivian are widening a partnership they already run together, electrive reported. The deal routes Rivian's end-of-life EV battery packs to Redwood through Rivian's nationwide service-centre network, where each pack is sorted for a second life in energy storage or sent to recycling.

Redwood will decide, pack by pack, whether to redeploy a unit for storage at Rivian's manufacturing sites or elsewhere, or break it down for recycling. Scrap generated on Rivian's production lines also falls to Redwood to recycle.

The two firms have already built 10 MWh of storage from unused Rivian packs at the carmaker's plant in Normal, according to electrive.

Wallbox and EDP électrique have installed 120 new EV charging points at the YHU terminal of Montréal Metropolitan Airport, according to electrive.

The partners plan to add 48 more chargers once construction of a new airport building is completed, electrive reported. That installation would raise the site total to 168 chargers.

A 12 MW grid-connected solar plant in Sidi Bel-Abbes, western Algeria, saw its performance drop in 2020 after maintenance was scaled back under COVID-19 restrictions, according to pv magazine. Researchers at Djillali Liabes University of Sidi Bel-Abbes tracked the plant over six years, from 2018 to 2023.

The decline in 2020 was primarily attributed to reduced maintenance activities during the pandemic, according to pv magazine.

The plant's performance ratio fell to 78.74% in 2020 from 85.37% in 2019, before recovering to 84.83% in 2023, according to pv magazine.

The researchers said regular maintenance and improved cleaning systems are important for sustaining electricity production.

Austrian renewable energy and storage groups say the country's grid tariff rules taking effect in 2027 are too weak on batteries and want storage treated more like pumped hydro.

Reports on October 14 cited PV&B Austria, Windkraft Österreich and the Austrian Energy Storage Association as holding that position.

Separately, a techno-economic study found that Tunisia could operate its entire electricity grid on renewable energy by 2050 using solar photovoltaics, hydropower and pumped hydro energy storage, modelling a path to 100% renewable electricity.

TotalEnergies expects Refining & Chemicals cash flow to rise by USD 2 billion from the previous quarter. The European Refining Margin Marker reached USD 33.2 per barrel, against USD 13.5 in the second quarter and USD 8.4 a year earlier, according to the October 15 trading update.

The margin gains come as global oil prices climbed toward USD 110 per barrel, reaching their highest levels since May. Concerns about Middle Eastern supply disruptions and renewed attacks on Russian energy infrastructure increased uncertainty across petroleum markets.

Colt Data Centre Services (Colt DCS) and RMZ have started building Mumbai 3, a 64 MW data centre at their shared Navi Mumbai campus in India, according to Manufacturing Today India.

Site work at the location began in December 2025, with full construction following after the two partners landed their first hyperscale customer, the outlet reported.

Manufacturing Today India reported that the plant will draw entirely on renewable energy and rely on a closed-loop cooling system intended to cut cooling wastewater to near zero.

The campus is set to reach 86 MW of operational capacity once Mumbai 3 enters service.

US natural gas prices settled higher on Thursday after weekly storage levels rose less than expected, according to Nasdaq.

November Nymex natural gas closed 1.19% higher on the session.

The EIA reported that US natural gas inventories increased by 67 bcf in the week ended October 9, below expectations of 74 bcf, according to Nasdaq. That build also came in well below the five-year weekly average of 90 bcf.

A business owner is campaigning for alternative energy solutions in response to the frequent power outages hitting St. Thomas and St. John, according to the St. Thomas Source and St. John Tradewinds.

Residents and businesses across the Virgin Islands faced frequent planned and unplanned outages, with disruptions occurring regularly from March through October 2026, the outlets reported.

Dan Boyd, owner of Solergy, Inc., said he has promoted creating a spinning reserve for the territory's utility system since 2014. Boyd proposed installing about 140 battery systems on St. John as part of a microgrid approach, according to the reporting.

US wholesale inflation ran much hotter than expected in September, with energy costs accounting for more than 80% of the reading, according to americantalk.live.

The Producer Price Index rose 1.3% over the month, the outlet reported. Over the preceding 12 months, the index increased 6.3%.

More than 80% of the September wholesale inflation reading was driven by energy costs, according to americantalk.live.

The outlet reported that the hotter-than-expected figure signals Americans could face further pressure from soaring energy costs through the holiday season.

Waterford City and County Council rejected plans for a data centre at Kilmeaden, citing the project's electricity demand and its impact on the surrounding countryside.

In its decision letter, the council pointed to a failure to demonstrate sufficient existing capacity on the electricity grid, the lack of planned on-site renewable generation, and a failure to engage with corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs).

The proposed development would have carried an average electricity demand of approximately 203 MW, according to Waterford Sinn Féin TD Conor McGuinness.

The council also raised concerns that the development would disrupt the rural landscape and result in a loss of village character.

Separately, a proposed liquefied natural gas facility on Pelican Island is moving closer to construction after approval of a long-term lease with the port, according to the Galveston County Daily News.

A sharp selloff in AI-related stocks coincided with a spike in crude prices in mid-October 2026, according to Crypto Briefing.

More than USD 1 trillion in technology market capitalization was wiped out within a single week, Crypto Briefing reported.

The Nasdaq 100 fell 5.5%, its worst weekly performance since April 2025, according to Crypto Briefing.

Brent crude reached USD 110 per barrel, its highest level since May 2026, with Middle Eastern supply issues pushing prices up, Crypto Briefing reported.

Canada's benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index closed up 39.45 points, or 0.1%, as gains in energy shares offset a steep drop in technology stocks.

The S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index rose 2.7%, tracking a rally in crude oil prices.

Technology shares declined, with the S&P/TSX Capped Information Technology Index down 3.5% amid concerns about debt-fueled AI infrastructure spending.

Canada-based subsurface engineering firm VZFOX announced plans to enter India, targeting mature-field revitalisation, reservoir optimisation and enhanced oil recovery, according to Financial Express. The company is part of the Government of Canada's Team Canada Trade Mission to India.

Financial Express reported the move comes as India looks to strengthen domestic energy production and reduce its dependence on imported crude. VZFOX's services will also cover injection strategies and field redevelopment.

The firm plans to open an office in Bengaluru with a five-member team by the end of 2026 and expand as business grows, according to Financial Express.

In Saskatchewan, Rafferty Dam was selected for further study as the site for the province's first small modular reactors, according to SaskToday. Estevan city council received more information on the selection at its Oct. 13 meeting.

Work at the proposed Rafferty Dam site could begin in January, according to SaskToday.

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate says potentially significant petroleum resources could exist beneath extensive basalt formations in the western Vøring and Møre basins of the Norwegian Sea.

The areas have drawn minimal drilling since they opened for petroleum exploration in 1994, according to reporting on the directorate's assessment. The basalt layers interfere with conventional seismic imaging, making it difficult to identify subsurface structures. That technical barrier accounts for the limited activity over the decades since the acreage became available.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has licensed the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange (LCFE) to handle trading and clearing of petroleum liquids, Businessday reported.

With the licence in hand, LCFE plans to run a trading platform linking the physical petroleum market to Nigeria's capital market, according to Businessday.

The exchange is pitching organised commodities trading as a route to more transparent petroleum pricing in Nigeria's downstream market, Businessday and Leadership reported.

LCFE managing director and chief executive Akin Akeredolu-Ale said the venture would create a marketplace where petroleum products trade through structured clearing and settlement processes, according to Leadership. He made the comments in a statement on Friday.

Akeredolu-Ale said the framework would use two-way quotations, standardised contracts and transparent transaction records to produce more reliable pricing data.

Electricity prices in New South Wales peaked at $23,107 per MWh around 3:30 PM AEDT during a heat wave, exceeding $5,000 per MWh across 11 separate five-minute intervals, according to SSBCrack News.

Home battery owners sold power back to the grid as prices surged. Dan Adams, co-CEO of Amber Electric, said battery owners generated approximately $2 million within two hours, in what might have set a record. Each of the 30,000 participating customers averaged about $69, while top earners received over $500, according to Adams.

Several factors drove the spike, SSBCrack News reported. Four of the state's 12 coal units were offline, and high-voltage transmission lines could not operate at full capacity because of maintenance work.

State authorities in Victoria, Australia approved the Warracknabeal Energy Park, clearing the renewable project to advance to federal review, according to rocketnews.com.

The project involves 219 wind turbines and two battery storage systems, each with 300 MW of capacity, rocketnews.com reported.

Once operational, the wind farm is projected to generate 1.5 GW of renewable electricity, enough to power approximately 1.2 million homes, according to rocketnews.com.

If completed, the Warracknabeal Energy Park would be the largest wind farm in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, oilprice.com reported, overtaking the Golden Plains Wind Farm west of Geelong, Victoria, which has 215 turbines and a 1.33 GW capacity.

The FAI validated the SolarStratos altitude record attempt after verifying the flight data. The governing body confirmed the mark during its 120th general conference in Lausanne, held Wednesday to Friday.

The record flight departed from Sion airport in southwest Switzerland on August 12 of the previous year.

The previous certified altitude record for a solar plane stood at 9,235 metres.

A team led by Wen Ma at Inner Mongolia University of Technology reported the first synthesis of hollow nanostructured high-entropy carbides using direct electroreduction in molten salts at 800 degrees Celsius, according to scienmag.

The researchers produced the carbides in molten calcium chloride-sodium chloride, with compositions including (HfNbTaTiZr)C and rare-earth variants using gadolinium, cerium, or yttrium. The method avoids templates: the team found the microstructure could be shifted from solid to hollow particles by selecting a different carbon source, according to scienmag.

The best-performing catalyst, (HfNbTaTiZrCeY)C, reached an overpotential of 167 millivolts at 10 milliamperes per square centimeter, scienmag reported. It recorded a Tafel slope of 58.8 millivolts per decade and a charge-transfer resistance of 2.7 ohms.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced a $50 million federal grant to upgrade Virginia's power grid, according to WSET. He made the announcement alongside Congressman John McGuire and Appalachian Power President and CEO Brian Abraham.

Appalachian Power said it plans to match the federal funding, bringing the total investment to $100 million, according to WSET.

The upgrades are expected to add an estimated 290 MW of transmission capacity across Appalachian Power's Virginia system, WSET reported, as electricity demand continues to grow.

Appalachian Power expects the work to begin within the next two years, according to WSET.

Coastal GasLink plans to build three new compressor facilities in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako as part of a pipeline expansion in northern B.C., according to The Northern View.

The work follows the final investment decision for LNG Canada's Phase 2 expansion, a collective $33 billion commitment to building and expanding assets in northern B.C. that will proceed into construction in 2027, the outlet reported.

The company aims to increase the pipeline's capacity to 5 billion cubic feet per day without adding another pipeline, Moulton said.

The maritime authorities of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia ran a joint ground deployment exercise aimed at tightening how the three countries respond together to oil spills across the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, according to Marinelink and Hellenic Shipping News.

The drill ran ahead of Singapore's 17th Joint Oil Spill Exercise (JOSE) 2026. Its scenario put a vessel collision in Singapore waters, releasing oil that then drifted toward the Indonesian and Malaysian coasts.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) ran the exercise, which put information sharing, response planning and mutual assistance between the three states to the test.

Indonesia and Malaysia each sent response assets into their own waters to check how their arrangements held up.

Britain's electricity system operator issued rare formal requests for emergency assistance from continental Europe this week, according to the Express. NESO, the body responsible for keeping Britain's lights on, made the formal calls for "emergency assistance" from the continent.

The most recent request, issued on Monday evening, was the grid's largest on record, with France supplying the power, the Express reported.

Balancing costs reached a record GBP 505 million in September, according to figures from energy consultancy LCP Delta.

NESO said there was no increased risk of electricity blackouts this winter and that frequency remained within statutory limits during the week. The operator said it continuously balances electricity supply and demand using established operational tools as system conditions change, and that Great Britain's electricity supplies remain secure.

The Coal Ministry has drafted rules that would let authorities suspend coal and lignite mining where operators breach their approved mining plans, according to Businessworld. The draft sets out a tougher line on enforcement for mining firms.

Authorities could halt operations in full or in part under the proposed framework when needed to safeguard public safety or the environment, or to head off imminent or irreparable harm.

The draft also calls on company boards to file yearly declarations attesting that their mining matches approved plans and the applicable laws.

Kenya plans to build a 10 MW thermal multipurpose open-pool reactor at Konza, according to the-star.co.ke. The reactor is intended to support cancer diagnosis, treatment and local production of medical isotopes.

The government expects to finance the research reactor through a public-private partnership, which it identifies as a long-term investment, according to kbc.co.ke.

The project remains at the preparatory stage, with decisions on procurement, institutional responsibilities and staffing still pending before the government can move toward selecting a supplier, according to the-star.co.ke.

South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy is negotiating with Washington over possible participation in the Alaska LNG project, according to Adnkronos.

Alaska imposes an annual tax equal to 2% of assessed value on natural gas pipelines and processing facilities. State tax authorities expect the project's annual tax to reach USD 740 million when fully implemented by 2033, and Seoul believes a reduction would improve the project's profitability, according to 매일경제 as cited by Adnkronos.

The ministry is in talks about a possible stake in the project.

China will restrict exports of several solar technologies, according to Bloomberg Law. The country plans to add 12 solar-related technologies and core equipment to its list of items subject to export controls.

The move forms part of a wider package. China announced plans to restrict or ban exports of 40 key technologies spanning artificial intelligence, advanced chips and solar power, according to Archyde.

China's Ministry of Commerce said the controls are intended to safeguard national security and interests.