Sunday, 8 November 2026

Bulgaria's parliament approved revisions to the country's Renewable Energy Sources Act on a second reading, BTA reported. The Council of Ministers had introduced the bill on July 10, 2026, and lawmakers discussed it earlier in the week but did not reach a vote before time expired.

The revisions finalize Bulgaria's transposition of Directive (EU) 2023/2413, the EU directive promoting renewable energy that replaces Council Directive (EU) 2015/652.

A central element of the bill creates a framework for joint renewable energy projects with other EU member states, intended to deepen cross-border cooperation, according to BTA. The legislation also sets rules for decentralized electricity generation and storage systems, establishes a credit mechanism for renewable electricity consumed in transport, and introduces provisions to support heat production from renewable sources.

At least 13 North Korean ships made 14 visits to Russia's Nakhodka port in October, according to MarineTraffic ship-tracking data reported by Hellenic Shipping News. At least nine of the 13 vessels transmitting position signals near Nakhodka were located around coal terminals.

The cumulative deadweight tonnage of North Korean vessels calling at the port reached 204,065 tons, 49 times the previous year's figure, according to an NK News tally cited by Hellenic Shipping News. The average length of calling ships also grew sharply, rising from 56 meters last year to 123 meters this year.

New York State is making USD 27 million available through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to support innovative alternative fuel solutions, according to Electric Energy Online. The funding flows through NYSERDA's Advanced Fuels & Thermal Energy Research program.

Separately, nearly USD 10 million has been awarded to five projects that develop, pilot, or improve the safety of alternative fuel technologies, the same report stated.

NYSERDA's competitive solicitation targets projects producing sustainable aviation fuel, renewable natural gas, renewable diesel, low-carbon methanol, or renewable propane, and is open to developers, technology firms, manufacturers, and research organizations.

The UK government is introducing a 5% VAT on heat pumps from 1 April 2027, a move that could slow adoption of the technology, according to Heat Pumps & Renewables Journal, citing Eco Experts Deputy Editor Max Schwerdfeger.

Schwerdfeger said British households would need to install heat pumps before the deadline to avoid the new charge. The VAT hike could deter households from purchasing heat pumps and solar panels, hindering uptake of both technologies, according to the report.

The tax change arrives alongside broader energy cost pressures. The energy price cap increase from January is forecast to exceed GBP 400, according to the East Lothian Courier.

Canadian airlines indefinitely suspended flights to Cuba after a United States oil blockade triggered severe fuel shortages on the island, according to WTX News.

The suspension has forced Canadian vacationers to seek pricier alternatives. A seven-day all-inclusive package at a four-star Cuban resort cost under $1,400 per person last holiday season, according to SSBCrack News. Comparable trips to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica now average about $1,800 per person.

The fuel crisis stems directly from the US blockade choking Cuba's oil imports.

Iraq's Oil Ministry said the country will remain within its currently agreed OPEC+ production limit for now, even as it signaled a push for a higher quota in the future, according to The Insight International.

The ministry said Iraq's maximum sustainable production capacity was well above its present OPEC+ ceiling, and that production rose in October.

Any increase in Iraq's production ceiling would require agreement among OPEC+ members and depend on global supply and demand, the ministry said.

Some 218 shadow fleet vessels have passed through Ireland's exclusive economic zone so far this year, according to satellite data from Starboard Marine Intelligence reported by The Irish Times. Some of the tankers made multiple transits.

Of those 218 oil tankers, 208 were under EU sanctions at the time of their passage, The Irish Times reported. The remainder were sanctioned by the US, UK, or New Zealand.

Inspectors recorded 676 individual deficiencies across the fleet, with a single ship carrying 20 defects. Fire-safety issues appeared on 71 vessels, structural problems on 22, and pollution-control failings on 28.

A total of 218 shadow fleet vessels have passed through Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone this year, according to Starboard Maritime Intelligence data reported by Newsy Today.

Safety issues were found on 156 of those 218 vessels, with 676 individual deficiencies recorded across the fleet during their most recent inspections, according to Newsy Today. The figures highlight the environmental risk posed by aging, poorly maintained tankers transiting Irish-controlled waters.

The Balearic Islands government approved the permanent closure of Mallorca's last two coal-fired units, according to EconoTimes, removing the island's final coal generation capacity as Spain pursues broader electrification.

Electricity accounted for 25% of Spain's final energy consumption in 2024, well below the government's 35% target for 2030, EconoTimes reported. The gap underscores the scale of the shift still required across heating, transport, and industry.

The closure coincides with the COP31 climate summit, where fossil fuels are entirely absent from the formal agenda, according to MENAFN. Turkey, the summit's host, has set its own electrification target of 35% of energy demand by 2035, up from around 20% currently, MENAFN reported.

US President Donald Trump said he would soon decide whether to resume large-scale military action against Iran, according to TokenPost.

Trump downplayed the ongoing US confrontation with Iran, calling it "not a war" but rather a "minor military operation," and said there had been no US casualties for five months, according to Times Now.

Trump also claimed Washington is extracting more oil than before the hostilities with Iran, according to Times Now.

Mohsen Rezaei and Vladimir Putin held a three-hour meeting focused on strategic cooperation between Iran and Russia, according to Kazem Jalali, Iran's ambassador to Moscow, in an interview reported by Mehr News Agency.

The two sides reviewed operational aspects of a project to transfer Russian natural gas to Iran, Jalali said, describing it as a strategic mega-project.

Jalali also outlined a proposed short-term gas swap arrangement involving Azerbaijan, according to APA. Under the proposal, Russia would supply northern Azerbaijan while Azerbaijan would deliver gas to Iran from its south.

A 417-page permitting reform bill known as the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) would ease construction of electric transmission corridors and gas pipelines by allowing developers to sidestep environmental laws that opponents have used to slow projects, according to a Substack analysis by Bill McKibben.

The legislation was announced by Democratic Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Martin Heinrich alongside two Republican senators, according to the same analysis. The bill is framed as a grand bargain giving both fossil fuel and clean energy interests concessions.

Spiritus, a company operating in New Mexico, said it supports Sen. Heinrich's bill and argues the state can lead the energy transition by demonstrating that low-carbon energy production delivers on both economic and climate goals, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

The EU Council has endorsed a proposal to postpone methane-related compliance requirements for fossil fuel imports by one year, shifting the initial deadline from January 2027 to January 2028, according to EUtoday. Subsequent requirements would also be pushed back.

The proposal would delay importer monitoring and reporting duties alongside methane-intensity requirements for both importers and EU producers, EconoTimes reported.

The Council's agreement does not constitute final legislation. Negotiations with the European Parliament are still required before any changes take effect, according to EUtoday.

India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) expects to secure rights to operate two oil projects in Venezuela within three to six months, according to Indian Oil & Gas, citing remarks by ONGC head of finance Anupam Agarwal on an analyst call.

The company is in advanced talks with Venezuelan and US authorities over the arrangement, which would shift ONGC from a passive investor role to an operator that runs the projects and sells their output.

ONGC expects full operatorship of the San Cristobal project, where it holds a 40% stake, with Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA holding the remainder, according to the report. For Carabobo, ONGC would take joint operatorship alongside other investors.

ONGC Videsh, the company's overseas investment arm, has more than USD 500 million in pending dividends from its stakes in the San Cristobal and Carabobo 1 projects, the report said.

Zero Russian diesel has reached the United States under a deal that temporarily authorized such sales, according to Al Jazeera.

Traders are balking because of a clash between executive and legislative authority. The US Treasury temporarily authorized Russian diesel sales that would normally fall under sanctions, but Congress's ban on Russian energy imports remains in place, Al Jazeera reported. That legal contradiction leaves a high level of uncertainty for anyone attempting to move the fuel.

The result is a deal that exists on paper but has produced no physical trade.

Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said the Middle East conflict had triggered a major supply shock, particularly in energy markets, with consequences extending well beyond the region, according to Anadolu Agency.

The conflict partly drove higher inflation as global growth slowed and financial conditions tightened, Simsek said, as reported by Anadolu Agency.