Nvidia is in discussions to help the creator of ChatGPT lease a $500 billion, 10-gigawatt hub that SoftBank Group Corp. is overseeing in Ohio, people familiar with the matter said. The US chipmaker may provide a guarantee of as much as $250 billion to the AI lab, one of the people said. Negotiations are in their early stages and could collapse or financing terms may change, the people said, asking to remain anonymous to describe private talks. 

A guarantee by Nvidia would highlight the increasingly circular financing behind the AI boom, as tech giants fund ever-larger projects that ultimately generate business for themselves. Investors have in recent weeks begun to cool on lofty tech stock valuations, worried that there’s more capacity under construction than future AI services will require. Big US players from Meta Platforms Inc. to Alphabet Inc. have accelerated borrowing in recent months to bankroll that historic buildout, prompting fears about overly ambitious spending on a technology that’s yet to provide consistent returns.

The Ohio data center complex as envisioned would be among the largest in the world — a mega-symbol of the enormous demand for computing to propel AI development. It’s also a centerpiece project for SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son and the Trump administration, which hailed the investment as a major win. 

The Japanese investment powerhouse intends to join big tech firms in driving trillions of dollars into data center construction and AI development in coming years. A major financing deal involving Nvidia would help SoftBank borrow more capital for its tentpole Ohio project, which is being developed by subsidiary SB Energy.

“While Nvidia’s investments and partnerships reinforce confidence in long-term AI buildouts, investors remain concerned about circular financing,” said Gary Tan, a portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments. 

ChatGPT’s developer has been in talks to secure that capacity for weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier. Nvidia is separately discussing financing for OpenAI chip purchases that may total $350 billion, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter. Representatives for Nvidia, OpenAI and SoftBank didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

Nvidia’s talks to provide a roughly $250 billion financing backstop for an OpenAI data-center lease, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, look constructive for CoreWeave, Crusoe Energy and other neoclouds. The structure suggests Nvidia is prepared to support larger AI infrastructure build-outs, easing concern that capacity demand is fading or that funding markets won’t absorb the next wave of projects. Alphabet’s capex increase last week pointed to sustained hyperscaler spending, and similar signals from Microsoft, Amazon and Meta this earnings season would reinforce our view that high-end AI computing remains supply-constrained. We’ll watch whether Google makes similar credit-wrapper commitments to neocloud partners in its orbit, as it previously did with Fluidstack, and whether such backing lowers financing costs. 

- Anurag Rana and Josh Christensen, analysts

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang has directed billions of dollars into companies throughout the AI supply chain. He’s aiming to accelerate the uptake of his products and eliminate roadblocks that threaten to slow the adoption of artificial intelligence. 

Nvidia is separately investing $1 billion in Naver Corp. to help finance an AI data center under construction, and is teaming up with SK Group to build more than 2 gigawatts of AI data centers on the Korean Peninsula.

For Nvidia, closer ties with SK will help improve its access to high-bandwidth memory chips. That conglomerate’s SK Hynix Inc. business and South Korean rival Samsung Electronics Co. are the two biggest providers of the crucial components — semiconductors that are in short supply because of the global build-out of AI data centers.

Huang has argued that investments in companies such as Anthropic PBC and OpenAI will help not only his business but provide an investment return. Critics have expressed concern that such moves represent an artificial inflation of demand. 

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The status will grant the “highest level of prioritization” for progressing approvals, Woodside said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The offshore Browse project is a key pillar in Woodside’s growth plans and will help shore up supply for the country’s oldest liquefied natural gas export terminal, North West Shelf. Environmentalists have taken the federal government to court over a decision to extend the lifespan of North West Shelf to 2070. 

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The measures — which would need to be evaluated by European fiscal authorities — could include investments in energy infrastructure and measures to reduce carbon emissions, Corriere reported on Saturday. 

Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti may seek parliamentary approval in September for a budget deviation that would allow the government to widen deficit targets and create room for additional spending, the Milan-based daily newspaper said. 

Giorgetti is expected to brief lawmakers on Aug. 5 on the national escape clause, an European Union rule allowing temporary budget flexibility in exceptional circumstances.

The proposal could come with a price-tag of about €14 billion ($15.9 billion), according to Corriere, which didn’t say where it got the information. 

No decisions have been finalized, the plans could still change, and the scope of any potential deviation remains under discussion, according to the report. 

The development comes as Italy faces renewed pressure from high energy costs. In parallel to the package, Meloni’s government is working on a cut to fuel excise duties paid by Italy’s motorway network. Fuel prices are increasing on the back of US-led war in Iran, with the average self-service price standing at €2.069 per liter (about $8.90 per gallon) for gasoline and €2.249 per liter for diesel, according to the latest government data. 

Meloni’s government has used temporary fuel tax relief measures to buffer drivers during previous energy shocks and is considering further intervention.

The European Commission has allowed Italy to use additional fiscal flexibility for certain energy security investments alongside defense spending under EU fiscal rules, rather than for broad fuel tax cuts. According to Corriere, the framework could give Italy room for as much as €14 billion in spending over two years, although any increase in deficit spending would require approval by Italy’s parliament. 

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The proposal, which Shmyhal discussed with Canadian Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson, follows agreements reached by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Shmyhal said in a post on X.

As part of the talks, the two sides discussed the possibility of direct grant support from Canada worth C$650 million ($461 million) to help Ukraine buy gas for the coming winter as part of Ottawa’s broader aid package. Ukraine has faced repeated Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure through successive winters of the war, now well into its fifth year. 

Zelenskyy this month overhauled his government and said preparations for winter were a key reason driving the change. Sergii Koretskyi, chief executive officer of state-run energy company NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy, was named as prime minister, replacing Yuliia Svyrydenko. 

Ukraine’s power and heating infrastructure remain vulnerable to Russian ballistic-missile strikes and low supplies of interceptors.

Ukraine also invited Canadian suppliers to store gas in its underground facilities and sought supplies of energy equipment from Canadian manufacturers, Shmyhal said. The ministers also discussed cooperation on small modular reactors, or SMRs, an area Kyiv wants to fold into the proposed long-term agreement as it looks to Canada’s experience in the technology.

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The Iran conflict’s disruption of Middle East energy flows has strengthened the case for the conduit that would ferry African gas to Europe, Moroccan Ambassador Youssef Amrani said in an interview Wednesday in Washington. He declined to provide further details on discussions about funding for the project.

The US Exim Bank has had early stage talks about the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, a spokesperson said. The World Bank declined to comment.

Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States, a 12-nation economic bloc, signed an inter-government agreement on July 19 formally backing the proposed 6,800-kilometer (4,230-mile) pipeline. The conduit will link gas deposits in countries including Nigeria, Senegal and Mauritania, before connecting to the existing Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline that joins Morocco to Spain.

The pipeline is “one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects under development today in Africa,” Amrani said.

It joins a slate of giant energy projects on the continent including Algeria’s proposed Trans-Sahara gas pipeline, an oil refinery that billionaire Nigerian investor Aliko Dangote plans to build in Kenya, and multibillion-dollar gas developments in Mozambique. 

Morocco is pushing to get the decade-old plan for the pipeline into development as Europe looks to diversify gas supply. The US-Israeli war on Iran has pushed European prices for the fuel to their longest streak of daily gains in eight years, raising concerns around filling stocks ahead of the European winter.    

The large number of countries participating in the AAGP project would make it difficult to execute, said Anne-Sophie Corbeau, a global research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. She cited persistent operational and supply disruptions on the smaller West African Gas Pipeline that connects Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana.

Corbeau also questioned the need to extend the project into Europe, at a time when the continent wants to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels.

The proposed AAGP pipeline’s capacity is expected to be 30 billion cubic meters, half of which will be destined for Morocco and the rest to Europe, according to Moroccan state energy company ONHYM, which together with the Nigerian National Petroleum Co. is leading the project.

The pipeline is slated to start construction in 2028 and produce first gas by 2031, pending financing commitments.

©2026 Bloomberg L.P.

The empty very large crude carrier New Champion made a dramatic about-turn in the Gulf of Aden Friday, after idling there during its voyage toward the Red Sea, according to ship-tracking data. The vessel had been chartered by a Chinese buyer to pick up a cargo of crude from Yanbu, shipping fixtures show. It’s now heading eastward at a near top speed of around 16 knots.

It’s not clear what exactly prompted New Champion’s U-turn. Some providers of shipping insurance have in recent days been unwilling to offer coverage for any vessels calling at Saudi Arabia due to the risk of attacks, according to ship and insurance brokers.

New Champion’s pivot exposes the widening economic fallout of the Houthi naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, and points to increased hurdles for Chinese buyers to receive Saudi crude. While Western vessels have stayed cautious about entering the Red Sea to pick up or deliver cargoes to and from Saudi, China-bound ships had continued to receive crude barrels from Yanbu at the rate of around 520,000 barrels per day this year, Kpler data show. Those flows surged during the Iran war, as Saudi diverted Persian Gulf crude exports to Yanbu in order to avoid Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The supertanker appears to be the first Chinese tanker that has changed course in and around the Red Sea, possibly in response to the heightened risk in the region. Earlier this week, two Chinese-owned supertanker safely exited Bab el-Mandeb carrying Saudi cargoes with their transponders turned on, making them the first tankers with Saudi crude to leave the Red Sea unimpeded since the Houthis announced their blockade. 

Behind them in the Red Sea, New Explorer is nearing the chokepoint, fully laden with Saudi crude, while New Pearl that is loaded up with the commodity had just sailed out from Yanbu early Saturday.

Some Western-linked ships and others operated by cautious owners, meanwhile, have been opting to avoid the southern exit out of the Red Sea, preferring to take the safer but much costlier option of sailing both through the Suez Canal and around the African continent to reach Asian buyers. 

The Japan-bound supertanker carrying cooking fuel, Gas King, exited the Red Sea via the canal on Friday, making it one of the first to load and leave the waters with a Saudi cargo since the Houthis announced their embargo. The ship, which previously estimated that it would reach Japan in early August, now has an updated arrival date for late September, data show. 

Other tankers with Western links have sailed through Bab el Mandeb, or approached Yanbu without their transponders on, likely in order to avoid their crew and the vessel from being tracked by the Houthis. 

New Champion, New Explorer and New Pearl are managed by Associated Maritime Co (H.K.) Ltd as listed on database Equasis. The Hong Kong-based company didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment sent outside of regular business hours.

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Chief executive officers of privately held Antares Nuclear Inc., Deployable Energy, Aalo Atomics and Valar Atomics Inc. were in the Oval Office after their reactors reached “criticality.” The achievement occurs when a nuclear chain reaction becomes self-sustaining enough to produce a steady release of energy.

They represent the first privately-funded, non-light water advanced reactors to turn on in the US in more than four decades, according to the White House.

“America is building again, America is dreaming again,” Trump said in his opening remarks. 

The four companies are part of Energy Department pilot programs that aim to expedite development of nuclear technology and demonstrate its viability. 

The Trump administration is seeking wider deployment of both large, conventional reactors and smaller ones alike after a series of executive orders by the president. Trump sees nuclear reactors as a key source of power for data centers and economic growth. 

The executives each spoke during the press conference to credit the president’s orders as being crucial for developing their reactors.

(Updates with Trump quote in fourth paragraph)

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The global benchmark fell roughly 5% on Friday, its biggest intraday drop since late June. Crude fell to a session low after Reuters reported that Pakistan is exploring a path toward resuming stalled US and Iran peace talks, citing three Pakistani sources.

Technical factors also aided the pullback after the commodity reached triple digits on Thursday following attacks on tankers in the Red Sea. Traders have piled into options in record numbers to hedge against a sudden deescalation in the conflict between the US and Iran.

Oil’s relative-strength index, a gauge of its price direction, signaled it’s primed for a period of weakness following a roughly week-long rise.

Crude pared July’s more than 30% advance amid signs of persistent trade flows, with millions of barrels of Saudi Arabian crude still being shipped from its Red Sea coast, despite Yemen’s Houthi militants seeking to impose a blockade on the kingdom’s shipping. 

“The crude market is taking a breather,” said Bart Melek, global head of commodity strategy at TD Securities. “Flows via Bab el-Mandeb have thus far not been majorly disrupted,” while Saudi Arabia continues to invoke workarounds like the Suez-Mediterranean pipeline that crosses Egypt and reduced capacity supertanker transits through the Suez Canal, he added. 

Traders are closely watching US President Donald Trump after he threatened “major military punishment” in the event of further attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, and told Axios on Thursday he was considering a “massive attack” on Iran.

At the same time Trump’s revived levies have fed into worries over another inflationary spike as global bond yields surge, posing a threat to fuel demand. Retail prices of diesel fuel, used in trucking and farming, have topped $5 a gallon in the US and gasoline is above $4 a gallon, heightening the prospect of demand destruction.

Bullish risks

Traders are also contending with what appear to be Ukrainian attacks at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal on Russia’s Black Sea coast, which exports most of Kazakhstan’s oil. 

“Markets are assessing whether Brent should remain at that $100-a-barrel level” as “demand concerns are rising,” said June Goh, senior oil market analyst at Sparta Commodities SA. “But from a supply angle, we are clearly in deficit with both the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb effectively shut and CPC production curtailed.” 

Some Western shipowners now appear to be making plans to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb strait, at the southern end of the sea, or to sail through it with their location transponders turned off. Another option is to voyage around the African continent to Asian destinations. That diversion takes them north through the Suez Canal and almost doubles some voyage times.

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Governments and energy companies ended last winter believing they could afford to delay rebuilding stockpiles, even as they hit the lowest levels since 2022. The jump in gas prices following the start of the Iran war in late February made it hard to justify purchases, while traders bet diplomacy would eventually prevail and flows through the strait — a conduit for a fifth of LNG supply — would resume. 

Nearly five months later, that wager is looking risky. Fighting in the Middle East has flared up again, gas prices are near their highest since the conflict began and Europe is well behind its usual stockpiling pace. Asian buyers from China to Pakistan have been snapping up available LNG shipments to replace lost Qatari supply, effectively pulling cargoes away from Europe.

A key question is whether governments — particularly in the largest market Germany — will intervene to support purchases if Hormuz remains shut, potentially fueling a bidding war with other regions in the months ahead. Few doubt Europe will secure enough fuel for winter. The bigger risk is the cost — and whether households and industry can stomach another jump in heating and power bills just a few years after the region’s last energy crisis.

“We have been like the frog in the boiling water,” said Anne-Sophie Corbeau, a researcher at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy and former head of gas analysis at BP Plc. “The question is whether the frog will jump because now gas prices are increasing — fast.”

A resumption of LNG traffic through Hormuz remains a distant prospect, with exports effectively halted since a Qatari carrier was struck about two weeks ago. Hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough have faded, with Washington and Tehran downplaying the possibility of talks, while President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb bridges and power plants in Iran.

The economic consequences would be significant. Energy consultancy Baringa Partners estimates that if Hormuz remains closed through September, soaring gas and power prices could be enough to tip the UK and Europe into a contraction toward the end of the year.

“European buyers are now having to go to the market and buy gas and pay these prices they weren’t willing to before,” said Caspian Conran, economist at Baringa. “Otherwise we’re going to freeze in the winter.”

Qatar, normally the world’s second-largest LNG exporter, is preparing for a prolonged disruption. It sent several shipments through Hormuz following an ill-fated US-Iran interim peace pact in mid-June, but now plans to extend its force majeure for European customers until the middle of October and for Asia until September, according to people with knowledge of the matter. 

That would all but eliminate any chance of Europe drawing on Qatari supply in the run-up to the heating season. European Union gas inventories are just over 54% full, well below a five-year average of 70% and short of the bloc’s Nov. 1 target of 80%.

“No one expected the US-Iran war to escalate again,” said Alex Siow, lead gas analyst for Asia at Independent Commodity Intelligence Services. “Time is getting tight. EU will have to ramp up its purchases now if it were to hit the target.”

According to Corbeau, Europe would have needed LNG arrivals to match last year’s pace to hit the 80% storage target. Instead, Bloomberg ship-tracking data show deliveries are running about 27% below last year’s levels, based on a 30-day moving average, while imports into Asia have climbed. The shift suggests Asian buyers — which sourced about a quarter of their LNG from the Gulf last year — are seeking supply from other sources, leaving Europe with fewer alternatives.

“Developments in the Gulf are leading market participants to price a prolonged disruption, leaving Europe more vulnerable to a cold shock as we saw in January and parts of February this year,” said Marco Saalfrank, head of continental Europe merchant trading at Swiss-based Axpo Holding AG. 

The EU has also committed to ending Russian LNG imports by January 2027, reducing one of its key supply options. Fuel from the exporter made up 17% of Europe’s deliveries between January and June this year, ship-data shows. EU members this week failed to push through a proposal that would restrict firms from transferring Russian LNG to third countries.

Searing temperatures across Asia are keeping LNG demand elevated, with Pakistan, Bangladesh and India buying spot cargoes at some of the highest prices in years. Traders and policymakers see few signs that demand will ease despite the higher costs. Those countries are under pressure to secure fuel or face rolling blackouts or factory shutdowns.

China, the world’s biggest LNG importer, is also returning to the market. The country has ramped up purchases ahead of peak summer demand while rebuilding inventories, with June imports up 8.3% from a year earlier. Chinese buyers have increased procurement from exporters outside the Gulf to offset Qatar.

Even Japan, which leaned more on coal in March and April, is now boosting gas-fired generation as blistering hot weather boosts power prices to the highest level in over three years. That risks draining storage and adding pressure on utilities to buy from the spot market. The same goes for South Korea and Taiwan.

“Asian countries are organizing tenders, Europeans are not,” Corbeau said.

It remains unclear at what point European utilities and governments will be willing to compete for winter supplies. In May, Germany’s gas market manager said it won’t intervene in refilling inventories, citing conviction that private market actors will eventually do so themselves. In other countries, such as Italy and the Netherlands, governments have started to provide some support, raising the risk of fierce competition for supplies within Europe.

The last time Europe faced similar difficulties in rebuilding its inventories was shortly after Russia curbed pipeline supplies in 2022. The region got through that winter largely thanks to exceptionally mild weather, but counting on a repeat is a risky bet.

“If it’s not a warm winter, then there’ll be problems and the problems will be exacerbated by having less gas and storage,” Centrica Plc’s Chief Executive Officer Chris O’Shea said on a call with journalists following earnings on Thursday. “It is not a very good risk management strategy to hope for a warm winter.”

©2026 Bloomberg L.P.

The government will look at both the price and stability of supply when issuing a tender and selecting a shipper, Minister of Mines and Energy Keo Rottanak told Bloomberg Television in an interview on Friday.

Cambodia is “doubling down” on LNG as a transition fuel, and the new 900 megawatt plant is part of a plan to diversify energy sources, he added.

At present, Cambodia gets about 63% of its energy from renewable sources, a relatively elevated proportion that has helped to shield the economy from the fall-out from the war in the Middle East, the minister said. By the end of the decade that share is expected to have expanded to about 70%, with LNG accounting for part of the other 30%, Keo Rottanak said.

Electricity prices have not been increased since the war broke out despite escalating energy prices, with the government helping “absorb the shock,” the minister said. Taxes and duties on fuels have been reduced, a policy that would continue despite extra budget costs of up to $60 million a month, he said.

At this difficult time, “we want to make sure that industry continues to grow, at least keep their factory processes going,” he said. “So, if it were to take longer, we will continue to support our households, our industry.”

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Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs released an updated offshore wind road map on Thursday, targeting 18.3 to 19.9 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2035 and as much as 27.9 gigawatts by 2039. The current target for 2035 is 18.4 gigawatts. Taiwan had 3.4 gigawatts of installed capacity last year, according to BloombergNEF.

The plan comes despite headwinds for offshore wind both at home and abroad. Taiwan’s projects have struggled to move forward due to rising supply chain costs, strict localization requirements and tougher environmental approvals, forcing policymakers to retreat from a 2025 target of having 20% of its energy produced by renewable sources. 

Still, Taiwan is under growing pressure to speed up its renewable energy rollout as the war in the Middle East disrupts natural gas supplies and pushes up the cost of imported fuel. The island also became more reliant on energy imports after shutting its last nuclear reactor last year.

Taiwan plans to hold offshore wind project auctions every four years, allocating about 8 gigawatts of capacity in each round, the ministry said in the statement. Power demand is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.5% between 2026 and 2035, driven by the expansion in the semiconductor, AI and technology sectors, according to the ministry.

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Citing shipping data from Kpler, a Reuters report showed that three Aframax tankers loaded with Iraqi fuel oil at Syria’s Baniyas port between June and July. These tankers were headed to the US Gulf Coast, showing that Iraq is increasingly using land transport to access international markets after months of disruption to Gulf shipping.

The first tanker, On Passion, left Baniyas on 17 June carrying about 716,600 barrels of fuel oil. Some of this cargo was unloaded in the Bahamas in mid-July, and the rest is set to arrive in Texas later this month. Two more tankers, Nissos Christina and Green Warrior, carrying 288,500 and 414,400 barrels respectively, are expected to deliver shipments to the US Gulf Coast in the third week of August.

Land routes keep Iraqi oil on the move 

Iraqi fuel oil is trucked across the Syrian border before being loaded onto tankers at Baniyas. According to some reports, about 900 tanker trucks have reportedly been arriving at the terminal each day since this new export route opened in early May, enabling Iraq to keep moving refined products.

The US had not directly imported Iraqi fuel oil since March, according to Kpler. Traditionally, US fuel oil imports come from suppliers like Mexico, Algeria, and Iraq, making the Syrian export route a new addition to established trade flows. 

“It looks like a push and a pull: Baniyas has been increasing fuel oil exports recently, while the US Gulf is trying to fill the supply gap left by Mideast Gulf flows,” Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Kpler, told Reuters.

This trade route is part of a larger strategy by Baghdad to diversify exports beyond Hormuz. Earlier this month, Iraq and Syria signed an agreement to restore the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, inactive since 2003. Once operational, the renewed pipeline could let Iraq move up to 700,000 barrels per day. 

The project received support during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington mid-June. The US reaffirmed its support for reviving the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline as part of broader efforts to strengthen commercial ties with Iraq and improve alternative energy export infrastructure.

Revatilising the Kirkuk-Baniyas Pipeline

In a joint statement on 15 June, Prime Minister Al-Zaidi and US Special Presidential Envoy to Iraq Tom Barrack said they aim to “advance a memorandum of understanding with TI Capital to rehabilitate the Kirkuk-Baniyas Pipeline as a vital oil export route.”

Although crude oil and naphtha exports through Syria have not started yet, Iraqi and Syrian officials have stated they plan to keep using the Mediterranean route even if shipping through Hormuz returns to normal. This strategy aims to reduce dependence on a single export route, a vulnerability revealed by recent regional conflicts.

Syria has quickly become a major fuel oil export hub in the Middle East, according to a Bloomberg report. The country made up more than a quarter of regional shipments in June as thousands of trucks delivered Iraqi products to Baniyas. Iraq is also sending smaller volumes through Jordan and is exploring additional pipeline projects to strengthen export resilience.

For Iraq, which relies heavily on oil revenues, increasing use of Syria as an export gateway marks a significant change in regional energy logistics. Mediterranean routes are likely to play a more important role in Iraq’s long-term export strategy.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission plans to convene a September forum to finalize a package of solutions to overhaul governance at PJM Interconnection LLC, which serves 67 million Americans across 13 states and Washington, DC. If PJM leaders don’t act first, the regulator will force change, Chairwoman Laura Swett said Thursday.

“This commission is not going to hesitate to use the full extent of our legal authority to implement reforms necessary to restore confidence in PJM,” Swett said at the end of a day-long technical conference on grid governance. “PJM can be on a path toward success, hopefully without intervention.”

America’s aging electricity networks are struggling to keep up with surging demand from data centers, fueled by the boom in artificial intelligence. Among the country’s grid operators, PJM, which sprawls from Illinois to North Carolina, has endured the most criticism over its struggle to build sufficient electric generation and to keep utility bills in check. 

During Thursday’s conference, federal officials weighed in, with Peter Lake of the National Energy Dominance Council saying the White House will not tolerate continued failure at PJM. Meanwhile, Deputy Energy Secretary James Danly characterized the grid as “a mess.” Both faulted PJM for a failure to deliver enough affordable power generation as well as opaque decision making.

“We don’t know who does what” at PJM, Danly said.

White House officials have grown increasingly frustrated with PJM, accusing it of slow-walking an emergency auction that would aim to get data centers to pay to cover a projected power supply shortfall in coming years. They’ve even suggested breaking the grid region into pieces. One of the biggest utilities in the US, American Electric Power Co., has threatened to leave the grid.

PJM officials said Thursday that the emergency mechanism, dubbed the reliability backstop procurement, would be put forward by early next week, which would enable an auction to take place starting in September.

While plenty of potential reforms were discussed Thursday, including giving states a greater say in decisions and streamlining procedures, it remains to be seen whether there is sufficient political will within PJM to enact them. 

PJM is facing a “grave legitimacy crisis,” Swett said. “Frustrations are mounting.”

President Donald Trump has made AI a key pillar of his push to spur economic growth and maintain superpower status amid China’s rise. That goal requires enormous amounts of new electricity generation, as well as a rapid grid modernization.

“If we don’t change, there’s a 100% chance of failure,” said FERC Commissioner David LaCerte. “If we don’t get that action out of PJM, we will use every single legal authority within us, and maybe some more, to figure that out.”

©2026 Bloomberg L.P.

Adjusted net income jumped 68% from a year earlier to $6.03 billion, the French major said Thursday. That almost matched analyst estimates, which had been revised lower after Total previously flagged underperformance in gas.

Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine are tightening global fuel supplies, bolstering profits for the world’s top energy companies. Like European peers Shell Plc and BP Plc, TotalEnergies is a major oil refiner as well as a producer and runs a large trading desk, which has helped it navigate the market upheaval.

“In a high-price environment related to the Middle East conflict, TotalEnergies is leveraging its integrated model and portfolio diversification,” Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanné said in a statement. The company managed to “fully capture the increase in refining and petrochemical margins.”

Adjusted net operating income from refining and chemicals more than quadrupled from a year earlier to $1.8 billion as the firm ramped up distillates production. That’s the biggest increase of any operating segment, the company said.

Crude and petroleum products trading — a part of that division — showed similar strength to the first quarter, it said.

Refinery Runs

That windfall helped offset a decline in refinery runs, with the Satorp refinery in Saudi Arabia damaged in an attack in April, the Donges plant in France halted for maintenance for about two months and the US Port Arthur facility shut down during a tropical storm in June.

The refinery utilization rate is expected to be between 80% and 85% in the third quarter, with Satorp, which has been operating at 70% of capacity since early May, returning to full output by the end of the period.

The energy giant also got a boost from its exploration and production business, where profit soared 64% from a year earlier even as oil and gas output fell 4% because of disruptions in the Middle East. The decline was mitigated by project ramp-ups in countries such as Brazil, the US and Libya.

Earnings from the integrated liquefied natural gas unit slumped 22%. The company had already said last week that results from the division would fall “significantly” amid a lackluster European market.

Dividend Payouts

Total shares traded up 2.8% in Paris trading as of 10:23 a.m. local time.

The company will pay an interim dividend of €0.90 ($1.03) a share, up 5.9% from a year earlier. It plans to repurchase as much as $1.5 billion of stock in the third quarter, in line with the previous three months. Back in February, Total said it would buy back $3 billion to $6 billion of its shares this year with oil at $60 to $70 a barrel.

Benchmark Brent crude is currently trading near $98 a barrel. The company has said it would aim to use extra profits to reduce debt.

Total’s gearing — the ratio of net debt to equity — fell near 13% at the end of the second quarter, excluding leases, from 15.5% at the end of March.

©2026 Bloomberg L.P.

Brent crude advanced as much as 2.6% to trade near $96 a barrel after closing at a six-week high in the previous session, while West Texas Intermediate rose above $88. The Houthis said they fired missiles and drones at the vessels for violating a blockade, identifying the tankers as Encelia and Layla.

Minutes before the Houthi statement, UK Maritime Trade Operations said a ship had been struck by a projectile southwest of Al Shuqaiq on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, causing a fire on board. UKMTO didn’t identify the vessel.

Following the attack, products tanker Encelia began broadcasting a “not under command” status, indicating it may have lost maneuverability due to damage, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Layla, a very large crude carrier, has continued sailing under its own power.

The attacks mark the first strikes on oil tankers in the Red Sea, opening a new front in a regional conflict that has snarled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz following a flare-up in violence. In recent days, Iran has struck vessels in the narrow waterway that is critical to Gulf crude exports.

The Red Sea attack is “a serious escalation” of the conflict, said Daniel Hynes, senior commodities strategist at ANZ Group Holdings Ltd. “If this route is disrupted, the tightness in the oil market is only going to worsen.”

Brent has rallied more than 30% this month, and some analysts see prices returning to triple digits later this year if hostilities persist in the Middle East. US forces conducted a 12th consecutive day of strikes on Iran, while Tehran responded by attacking Kuwait, which has borne the brunt of its retaliation.

American forces struck Iranian military targets including maritime capabilities and coastal surveillance sites, according to US Central Command. Nine commercial vessels have been redirected and one disabled to prevent ships from entering or departing Iran’s ports, Centcom added.

The durability of the price rally will depend on whether the Red Sea attack proves to be isolated, or triggers prolonged supply-chain disruptions, said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at Phillip Nova Pte. She added that “bulls can comfortably aim for $100 a barrel” Brent.

Washington and Tehran have both played down the prospect of peace talks, raising the possibility of prolonged hostilities that could tighten oil markets. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb bridges and power plants, and reiterated threats to strike Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected Iranian nuclear site.

Houthi militants issued their threat to blockade Saudi shipping in the Red Sea earlier this week. The waterway has become a key alternative export route for Saudi Arabia, allowing the kingdom to bypass Hormuz and export millions of barrels a day to global customers.

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The agreement, signed by US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, establishes the legal framework for US companies to participate in Saudi Arabia’s nuclear energy programme. 

The deal, known as a “123 Agreement”, will now be submitted to the US Congress for review before it can enter into force. 

According to the US Department of Energy, the agreement, alongside a bilateral safeguards agreement, will support cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy while strengthening commercial ties, energy security, and nuclear non-proliferation. 

US export of nuclear technologies 

The Department said the agreement would provide “great access” for American companies in Saudi Arabia’s nuclear programme, creating opportunities for US industry and supply chains while helping the Kingdom meet its growing energy demand. 

In a press statement, Saudi Arabia said the agreement follows the visit of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to the US in November last year.

The statement added that the agreement aims to “enhance cooperation between the two countries in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to facilitate the exchange of expertise, knowledge, and technologies, contributing to strengthening bilateral cooperation in accordance with the highest international standards of nuclear safety, nuclear security, and non-proliferation.”

The US Department of Energy said the agreement complies with the non-proliferation requirements set out in the US Atomic Energy Act and maintains high standards of nuclear safety and security.

“These agreements reflect our two nations' shared commitment to strengthening US-Saudi commercial relations, delivering prosperity at home and security to our allies abroad,” Secretary Wright said in a statement. “Rest assured, these agreements uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and non-proliferation, while relying on the world’s best nuclear technology and scientists, designed right here in the United States.”

A decades-long nuclear partnership

The agreement is expected to support the potential deployment of US-designed AP1000 nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia over the coming decades, with the US stating that the project would be a “multi-billion-dollar partnership”. 

However, analysts have noted that feasibility studies, licensing, and construction timelines mean any commercial reactors would likely take years to become operational.

The agreement will now be reviewed by the US Congress, which has 90 legislative session days to object before it can take effect. 

UAE: the Gulf’s nuclear pioneer

Saudi Arabia is the second GCC country to strike a deal with the US in order to develop its nuclear programme. The UAE remains the Gulf region’s pioneer in civilian nuclear energy, having become the first Arab country to operate a commercial nuclear power plant. The project has also demonstrated how Gulf states can diversify their energy mix while reducing carbon emissions.

In 2012, the UAE began its nuclear programme by constructing the first reactor for Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant's Unit 1, entering service in 2020. 

The facility's all four APR-1400 reactors came online in 2024, and are now fully operational, making Barakah the largest single source of electricity in the UAE. Together, the reactors generate around 40 terawatt-hours of carbon-free electricity annually, supplying approximately 25% of the country's power needs.

According to Barakah's operator Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC), the nuclear plant prevents up to 22.4 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year, supporting the UAE's net-zero ambitions and broader energy transition goals.

An agreement announced Wednesday between the Interior Department’s Marine Minerals Administration and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is intended to strengthen cooperation between the agencies as they evaluate the possibility of deploying undersea nuclear power plants.

No commercial nuclear power plants are approved or planned in federal waters, but the agreement is designed to assess whether and how the technology could be “responsibly implemented” in the future, the Marine Minerals Administration said.

“Submerged reactor systems have been safely deployed in naval applications for decades, demonstrating their potential as a reliable source of energy in demanding marine environments,” said Matt Giacona, the Marine Minerals Administration’s acting director. “It could greatly strengthen America’s energy security in the future.”

Also on Wednesday, the Department of Transportation and the Port of Long Beach signed a memorandum of cooperation to test small modular reactors, or SMRs, for commercial vessels and other applications at the port.

“Everything that’s going on in the energy market, the cost of fuel, and the uncertainty surrounding that is strengthening the case for energy diversification,” Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Officer Noel Hacegaba said after the signing at the Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration in Washington. “Now is the right time for us to explore nuclear energy.”

Hacegaba said Long Beach-based Bluecore Energy is working with the port on research and development for maritime applications of small modular reactors.

“My team and I took nuclear reactor technology that’s been running power plants safely for seventy years, made it smaller, and put it on a barge — a power plant that floats,” Kofi Asante, Bluecore founder and CEO, said in a statement released Tuesday.

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The utility known as MSEDCL has selected SBI Capital Markets Ltd., IIFL Capital Services Ltd., ICICI Securities Ltd, Motilal Oswal Investment Advisors Ltd., IDBI Capital Markets & Securities Ltd. and HDFC Bank Ltd. as advisers for the proposed share sale, the people said, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are private. The company could appoint more banks before formally launching the process, the people said.

The IPO is expected to comprise a mix of newly issued shares and an offer for sale, with state-owned parent MSEB Holding Co. likely to dilute about 10% of its stake, the people said.

Deliberations are ongoing, and key details including the size, valuation and advisers of the offering remain under discussion and could change, the people said. Representatives for MSEDCL and the banks didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

India’s IPO market, which set records in each of the last two years, is regaining momentum after a subdued first half of 2026. Companies have raised about $5.2 billion so far this year, compared with roughly $22 billion during all of 2025. SBI Funds Management Ltd. just completed the country’s first billion-dollar offering of the year, with large deals in the pipeline including share sales by Manipal Health Enterprises Ltd., National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. and Jio Platforms Ltd.

An IPO by MSEDCL would be among India’s first listings of a government-owned electricity distribution utility and could serve as a test case for long-pending reforms in the power distribution sector.

The Maharashtra cabinet has approved a restructuring plan for the company, including a proposal for the state government to assume about 330 billion rupees ($3.5 billion) of the utility’s liabilities to strengthen its balance sheet ahead of the share sale.

MSEDCL supplies electricity to about 35 million consumers across Maharashtra and is among the largest electricity distribution utilities in Asia by number of consumers and power supplied, according to the company’s website.

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Indian Oil Corp. abandoned plans to load the supertanker Lila Jamnagar, which can hold as much as 2 million barrels of oil, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. The refiner concluded it was too risky for a fully laden tanker to attempt a Hormuz crossing, after several freighters were struck by projectiles in recent days.

Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd., controlled by state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp., has also suspended lifting from Iraq because of the deteriorating security situation, the people said. Indian Oil, Mangalore Refinery and India’s oil ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment.

India’s halt further highlights the sharp pullback in shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran targeted multiple oil tankers in an attempt to assert control over the waterway. Vessels that had their transponders off to avoid detection have also come under fire, leaving shipowners with the big question about whether they’re still willing to transit dark.

“The situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the escalating conflict in the region” have increased transit risks and insurance costs, Iraq’s Oil Ministry spokesman Salim Al-Rikabi said. “As a result, some companies have canceled scheduled loading operations,” he said, wihtout elaborating further.  

Indian state refiners typically purchase Iraqi crude under long-term contracts that requires the buyer to arrange shipping. Reuters first reported India’s loading suspensions.

India’s shipping ministry has directed shipowners, managers and recruitment agencies to refrain from deploying Indian seafarers on vessels transiting Hormuz until further notice following the rise in attacks on commercial vessels.

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Brent rose to trade around $92 a barrel, climbing for a fourth day, while West Texas Intermediate was above $85. Trump vowed to respond if Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen disrupted shipping in the Red Sea and reiterated threats to strike soon at Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected Iranian nuclear site.

The American military conducted an 11th straight day of attacks on the Islamic Republic in an effort to degrade the country’s abilities to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to US Central Command. The waterway remains open, despite Iranian aggression, it added.

Oil futures have rallied this month as the US and Iran escalated hostilities across the Middle East, with three tankers attacked in recent days in Hormuz near Oman. Beyond the region, the market is also contending with a spate of attacks at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal on Russia’s Black Sea coast, which ships most of Kazakhstan’s crude.

On Tuesday, Trump said Iran “want to desperately meet,” adding that the US has no interest. Tehran dismissed claims that it’s seeking talks. Crude has repeatedly swung on the prospects for escalation and détente.

“Our view is that we’ll be kind of in this $80 to $90 range, depending on the news flow,” said Jay Hatfield, chief executive of Infrastructure Capital Management LLC. “If we actually have a closed Red Sea, that’s a threat. We haven’t seen that yet. That could shoot us over $100.”

The Houthi threat to Saudi Arabia’s maritime traffic has started to have some impact. Some tankers appeared to pause as they approached Yemeni waters, while others carrying oil from the kingdom reversed course and headed toward the Suez Canal. Still, other vessels continued to move toward the area. 

The Red Sea became a crucial export route for Saudi Arabia during the war, allowing the kingdom to redirect some flows via pipelines and bypass Hormuz. Observed commercial vessel traffic through the narrow waterway near Iran has fallen to the lowest level in three weeks.

Brent could breach $100 a barrel before year-end if the Middle East conflict drags on and commercial inventories across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development draw further, according to a note from Bernstein. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has also flagged the possibility of prices returning to triple digits, although that’s not the bank’s base case.

©2026 Bloomberg L.P.

Taking emergency action following the US-Iran war, IEA member countries agreed to release 400 million barrels on 11 March. Since then, they have released around 290 million barrels of oil onto global markets, helping offset supply disruptions linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite the releases, Dr Birol warned there is “no room for complacency” as commercial oil inventories continue to decline and geopolitical tensions remain elevated. “The escalation in hostilities affecting the Strait of Hormuz and energy infrastructure in the region increases security of supply concerns and uncertainty over the market outlook,” Dr Birol added.

Markets remain supplied for now

While security risks have intensified, the IEA said crude markets continue to benefit from several cushioning factors. The agency noted that weaker Chinese crude imports have reduced pressure on global demand, helping to keep oil markets balanced despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have maintained significant exports through alternative routes as well as limited shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, while higher production from countries including the United States, Brazil, Venezuela, and Kazakhstan has helped offset some of the losses from the Gulf.

The IEA, however, highlighted that refinery activity has not recovered as quickly as crude production, leaving supplies of refined products such as diesel and gasoline tighter than crude markets. Meanwhile, the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) fell to its lowest in 43 years last week, exacerbating supply concerns. 

Threats to inventories 

Rystad Energy has also noted that 2.5 million barrels per day of Saudi oil is at risk, due to threats from Houthi rebels to blockade the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Jorge Leon, Senior Vice President and Head of Geopolitical Analysis at Rystad Energy, said, “The threat is particularly significant because Saudi Arabia has increased exports from Yanbu to around four million barrels per day as it seeks to bypass the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

“Rystad Energy vessel-tracking data indicates that approximately 2.5 million barrels per day of these volumes are currently moving south through Bab el-Mandeb, leaving a critical alternative export route directly exposed to potential Houthi action,” said León. He added that the situation could give rise to a significant rebound in oil prices if a ceasefire deal is not reached. 

The combination of shrinking commercial inventories and continued geopolitical tensions means oil security remains a key concern, even as strategic reserves continue to cushion the market.

The IEA said a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains essential to reducing uncertainty and strengthening global energy security, warning that emergency stockpiles are designed to provide temporary relief rather than replace sustained oil supplies.

“There is no room for complacency on oil security amid the escalation in hostilities and a continued drawdown of available commercial inventories,” Dr Birol said. 

That compares with an estimated 12% in 2030, it said in a report Tuesday. In states such as Virginia and Texas where data centers are concentrated, their share of electricity use will be even higher.

Given the speed at which soaring demand from artificial intelligence is increasing, BNEF projects data center power needs to reach 194 gigawatts in the country by 2035. That’s a jump of 83% from its December forecast. The gain reflects a growing pipeline of AI facilities poised to be built within the next decade. One gigawatt is equivalent to the capacity of a traditional nuclear reactor.

Surging demand from AI data centers is already straining electric grids that are racing to provide enough energy to meet customer needs after two decades of stagnant load growth. That’s forcing companies led by data center operators to find new ways to power their huge campuses. At the same time, developers face obstacles such as permitting freezes imposed by local governments and political opposition over the projects’ growing energy needs and environmental impacts.

“Every coal plant, every gas plant, every solar farm in the US — one unit of energy out of five generated by them is going to data centers,” said Lloyd Arnold, an analyst at BNEF and one of the authors of the report. “So that’s the same energy that’s going to be going into powering electric vehicles, powering cities, et cetera.”

Data centers in areas served by PJM Interconnection LLC, the grid operator covering 13 states including Data Center Alley in Northern Virginia, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. are expected to account for an above-average share of annual electricity use in 2035.

“We’re already seeing the grid struggling to keep up, and that’s driving a change in how assets connect to the grid,” Arnold said.

Annually, the record for the amount of data center capacity that can get connected to the grid is 7.1 gigawatts in a single year, according to BNEF. Even if that pace is maintained, the analysts project a 19 gigawatt shortfall by 2035 under the base-case scenario, despite additions of on-site gas generation, assuming that demand is served from the on-site gas pipeline.

©2026 Bloomberg L.P.

A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations, which followed attacks in recent days on ships owned by Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd. Hormuz was deserted on Tuesday with no vessels observed transiting, ship-tracking data shows.

Iran’s recent spate of attacks has focused on oil tankers shuttling through the strait along the Omani coast, often with their transponders turned off. While the latest vessel to be hit remains unidentified, earlier strikes have affected major operators such as South Korea’s Sinokor Group and Greece’s Dynacom, which have been instrumental in sustaining crude flows during much of the war.

In the week ending July 19, Hormuz crossings averaged seven tankers each day, compared with 16 per day a week earlier, said Rahul Kapoor, global head of shipping analytics and research for S&P Global Energy. “Ship operators remain increasingly cautious, with risk tolerances continuing to be tested,” he said.

An empty Sinokor supertanker, Plata Singapore, that was sailing toward the Gulf of Oman with the aim of reaching Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura in the Gulf, deviated from its path on Sunday, according to ship-tracking data. The vessel is currently in the Arabian Sea. The South Korean company didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The threat by Iran-backed Houthi militants to blockade Saudi Arabia’s maritime traffic has added another element of risk. Shipowners with vessels seeking to transit the Red Sea were advised to review their affiliations with the kingdom, with at least one supertanker in nearby waters switching its broadcast to say that it belongs to the Indian government. 

The India-flagged supertanker, Desh Viraat, which is half-filled with crude from Fujairah, began sailing southwest earlier this week toward Bab el Mandeb in the Gulf of Aden, signaling it had armed guards onboard. Soon after the Houthi threat on Monday, it switched that signal to “Govt. of India Await,” making clear that it has links to New Delhi. 

Desh Viraat’s owner, the Shipping Corp. of India, didn’t immediately respond to emailed request for comment.

“Companies maintaining regular Saudi trade should consider their exposure elevated, particularly for vessels calling at Red Sea ports,” maritime risk company Marisks said in a note to clients late Monday seen by Bloomberg News.

Even though it remains to be seen whether the Houthis will carry through with their threat, “for shipowners, risks have heightened,” said Anoop Singh, global head of shipping research at Oil Brokerage Ltd. “If you have an alternate voyage to take, then you will take that and avoid those in the region.”

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The global benchmark fell below $89 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate dipped to trade near $83. The US conducted a 10th straight day of strikes after President Donald Trump vowed Tehran “will pay” for killing American soldiers. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Kuwait.

Still, diplomatic efforts have continued. Iran said mediators were in touch with proposals to ease hostilities after more than a week of worsening clashes, while Reuters reported a suggestion for a 10-day halt of strikes.

Oil prices have repeatedly swung on the prospects for escalation and détente in the conflict, and a threat by Yemen’s Houthi militants to blockade Saudi Arabia’s maritime traffic in the Red Sea adds another level of risk. The Red Sea route allows the kingdom to export millions of barrels of crude via a cross-country pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.

“If there’s a disruption in the infrastructure, particularly the shipping lanes, then that could cause a spike in oil prices,” said Rob Thummel, senior portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital LLC, referring to the Houthi threat. “Inventories have drawn down a bit, so there’s just not a lot of margin for error.”

Saudi Arabia has ramped up exports from Yanbu, its key Red Sea export hub, and roughly 2.5 million barrels a day are at risk from Houthi attacks, Jorge Leon, senior vice president and head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy AS, said in a note. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said it would take all necessary measures to protect its ships in accordance with international law.

Brent could exceed $120 a barrel by the fourth quarter if Hormuz disruptions persist, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc., although that’s not the bank’s base case. At present, Goldman sees $80 in the final three months of the year, with the Houthi threat adding to upside risks to the forecast.

Visible traffic through Hormuz came to a near standstill on Monday following Iranian attacks on vessels over the weekend. An oil supertanker called the Acheloos and a smaller fuel tanker were both struck in the waterway, according to Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd., the ships’ manager.

Early Tuesday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said that a tanker had been struck by an unknown projectile in the strait northeast of Oman’s Limah, citing multiple reports, without identifying the vessel. The notice indicates a separate attack to those on the Dynacom tankers.

The flare-up in violence around the waterway has prompted some shipowners to offer huge bonuses to get crews to sail through Hormuz. Sinokor Group, the world’s largest owner of supertankers, has offered six months extra salary if seafarers make a return voyage.

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The project will be developed in partnership with TotalEnergies, Eni, and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), with first production expected by 2030.

The development is expected to release more than 600 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas and associated gas liquids, which is equivalent to nearly 10% of the UAE’s current daily gas consumption.

Enhancing the UAE's energy security goals

The project will support domestic energy security while reinforcing the UAE’s position as a reliable supplier to global energy markets, ADNOC said in a statement. 

The investment is part of ADNOC’s larger strategy to increase production from the UAE’s substantial gas reserves and expand its LNG portfolio as demand for natural gas continues to rise, driven by industrial growth and the increasing power requirements of AI infrastructure.

His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said, “ADNOC is accelerating its integrated gas strategy to further harness the UAE’s vast gas resources and expand our global LNG platform, as global demand for natural gas continues to rise. The Umm Shaif Gas Cap FID is another important milestone in delivering this strategy and reinforcing ADNOC’s position as a reliable gas supplier.”

The announcement follows the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs’ award of the Bab Gas Cap concession, which is expected to unlock a further 1.5 billion scfd of natural gas and associated gas liquids.

It also comes after ADNOC launched its integrated LNG marketing and trading platform targeting 47 million tonnes per annum of marketable LNG capacity by 2035.

As part of the development, ADNOC awarded three engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts worth a combined $5.1 billion to consortiums comprising UAE and international contractors for offshore infrastructure works.

The project also includes a $365 million drilling and integrated drilling services programme, under which ADNOC Drilling will deliver 14 wells over an 18-month period using three existing rigs.

Their currency has risen in near step with the rise of renewable energy sources like wind and solar that require back-up systems to address intermittency issues. Successive assessments by the International Energy Agency indicate that battery storage in the power sector happens to be among the fastest growing energy technologies around.

This global BESS deployment is led by the world’s leading 20 economies, but two of Asia’s economic powerhouses – China and India – appear to be in a league of their own.

Tenfold growth and then some

If data from various sources, including the IEA, Bloomberg NEF, and Ember, is aggregated, China’s installed BESS capacity has risen from 12.5 GW to 155 GW between 2021 and the first quarter of 2026. That represents more than a tenfold increase in just five years. 

For India, the growth trajectory may appear negligible, rising from 0.1 GW a decade ago to just over 0.5 GW of commissioned grid-scale capacity by the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. However, in its case – the market dynamic is not about where it currently is, but rather where it’s imminently heading to.

And ‘tenfold’ growth delivery over a different time scale very much seems to be the order of the day for India as well. For the country’s BESS industry, a clear catalyst happens to be its pledge to increase its renewable energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030.

In order enable this, India’s 14th National Electricity Plan outlines aspirations of having 47 GW to 50 GW BESS capacity range, with the lower end of that range equating to around 236 GWh for its power sector. 

What is making things interesting is how market participants have responded to the target. Government data suggests nearly 100 GWh of BESS projects are already in the pipeline. They include three major drives by Tata Power, Adani Energy Solutions, and JSW Energy – Fluence. Additionally, 69 new BESS tenders were floated in 2025 totalling just over another 100 GWh – a 35% increase over 2024.

India is also attempting to diversify the make-up of its battery storage portfolio. A clear example of this is Reliance New Energy’s first utility-scale non-lithium storage system in Gujarat state. It is based on a vanadium flow battery that offers a chance for diversification beyond a typical lithium-ion battery set-up.

Recognising challenges the Indian BESS industry faces in terms of lithium-ion battery manufacturing, the government’s latest budget also made customs duty exemptions to stabilise supply chains and accelerate domestic production capacity.

China’s dominance

For its part, China – a battery manufacturing powerhouse – has no such supply chain issues. It dominates global lithium battery production accounting for two-thirds of it. This relative strength gives it the confidence to relentlessly amplify its BESS footprint as evidenced in the capacity build-up between 2021 and 2026.

In fact, China’s battery storage build-out has no global parallel thanks to this one factor alone, according to Ember. It estimates that nearly all (i.e.149.8 GW) of China’s “new energy storage” consists of lithium-ion batteries.

In terms of the future, following a June update to its 15th Five-Year Plan, China is now aiming to deploy 300 GW of new energy storage by 2030. That would keep the country’s BESS industry progression, that outgrows all other countries combined, firmly on track.

This exponential BESS new-build and bolstering of existing energy storage infrastructure is being led by China’s global household names. They include eight of the top ten global BESS integrators like Sungrow and BYD. They routinely secure top spots worldwide alongside Elon Musk’s Tesla.

Potential market growth worth billions

Both China and India will likely prove vital in terms of potential market growth to the end of this decade, as they pivot from BESS scale-ups to utilisation backed by policy initiatives.

Commenting on the projections and the progress of BESS development in India, a spokesperson for the country’s Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said: “The sustained growth reflects India's strategic focus on strengthening the nation’s grid reliability and enabling higher renewable energy integration.”

China’s latest five-year plan is similarly upbeat on its prospects and global leadership on BESS. The global market is currently valued in the range of $60 billion to $75 billion. McKinsey & Co. expects the market size to double to around $120 billion to $150 billion by 2030.

Meanwhile, the IEA projects that were Net Zero Emissions by 2050 scenarios or “NZE Scenarios” of major economies to materialise as planned, the headline BESS market valuation could potentially be four times over current projections to the end of the current decade. That sounds plausible given the scale of developments in China and India alone, let alone elsewhere in the G20. 

“The picture is genuinely tight,” analysts including Martijn Rats said in a July 19 note. “Our supply/demand modeling points toward European diesel inventories falling to multi-year lows toward year-end,” they added.

Global energy markets have been jolted this month by the fresh flare-up in the US-Iran war, although petroleum product prices have rallied harder than underlying crude oil. The market for diesel — a workhorse fuel that powers trucks, agriculture and industry — has been tightening on a host of factors including the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, but also Ukrainian attacks against Russian refineries, and a diesel-export ban imposed by Moscow.

“The real bottleneck in the oil system right now is refining, more so than crude,” the analysts said, pointing to some unsold African oil cargoes, as well as bearish contango pricing in some parts of the market. “The epicenter of all this is the diesel market, and Europe in particular.”

Diesel-refining margins in Northwest Europe — known as crack spreads — have surged to a record, they said. Local stockpiles are expected to draw steadily from August, reaching a low of about 299 million barrels in November - the smallest for the time of year since at least 2015, they added.

Further afield, industry conditions in China were also contributing to the tightness as refiners processed less crude. “China never supplies Europe with diesel directly,” the analysts said, but when “China runs less, there’s simply less product in the global system to spill westward.”

Still, Morgan Stanley cautioned that the tightness was already reflected in prices, advising investors against betting on more gains from current levels. The market is “full priced — don’t chase,” they said.

European diesel futures traded as much as 3.5% higher at $1,219.50 a ton on Monday, the highest level since May 20. In crude oil, Brent contracts rallied to top $90 a barrel, taking gains this month to 24%.

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The Kavomaleas, a products tanker, started signaling early Monday near the tip of the Musandam Peninsula, indicating that it’s anchored and empty. The previous broadcast from the vessel was in the Gulf of Oman early Sunday, suggesting the ship had initially had been transiting through the strait into the Gulf with its transponder turned off — a tactic to avoid detection.

A few hours before the re-appearance of Kavomaleas, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement that four vessels had attempted to transit the narrow waterway via an “unsafe route” after disregarding warnings. The ships had switched off their transponders, and two were “met with accidents and were stopped in their tracks,” Iranian media reported, citing the IRGC.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations said it had received information from military authorities that a vessel is on fire northwest of Kumzar, Oman, adding that the cause of the blaze has not been verified. The group didn’t name the ship, but the location mentioned in its alert was close to Kavomaleas’s location.

Greece’s Dynacom Tankers Management manages Kavomaleas, and fixtures seen by Bloomberg show it was chartered to pick up a cargo in the Gulf over the weekend. The company didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment sent outside of business hours. Dynacom was among the first shipowners to get tankers out of the gulf with their transponders off.

Visible traffic through Hormuz appeared at a near standstill early Monday after a weekend of escalating hostilities between the US and Iran. The vessel attacks will likely raise fresh concerns over the safety of ships transiting the waterway while hugging the Omani coast — often with their transponders switched off, known as going dark, and at times with the support of the US military.

A Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier is among the few ships that appeared to be attempting to transit Hormuz on Monday, exiting the Gulf after going dark while approaching the strait near Oman. A liquefied petroleum gas carrier that’s been marked as being part of the dark fleet involved in Iranian exports also appeared to be approaching the strait.

Another bulk carrier that’s registered with Marshall Islands began signaling from the Gulf of Oman after indicating that it was in the Gulf early Sunday, suggesting that it had crossed Hormuz dark.

Oil traders and shipping executives have been monitoring whether vessels are getting through Hormuz along the Iran-approved corridor further to the north, which would expose charterers and shipowners to compliance risks, or the Omani route to the south.

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The company added that the acquisition will enhance its ability to deliver long-term earnings growth and cash flow through a broader industrial offering and an expanded portfolio of recurring aftermarket services.

“Chart’s thermal management solutions bring complementary capabilities and aftermarket service offerings that accelerate our portfolio strategy,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baker Hughes.

“Together, we will expand the solutions we deliver across a broader range of energy and industrial markets and create greater value for customers and shareholders,” Simonelly said, adding “we welcome our new colleagues to Baker Hughes and look forward to working with them to deliver disciplined execution and maximise synergies as we move forward.”

Serving multiple industries 

As part of the integration, Baker Hughes has appointed Jim Apostolides, the company’s Chief Infrastructure & Performance Officer, as Senior Vice President to lead the new Chart business segment. Apostolides has overseen integration planning since July 2025 and brings more than 25 years of operational and supply chain leadership experience.

Chart will operate as a separate reporting segment within Baker Hughes, reflecting the strategic importance of its capabilities in air and gas handling, thermal management, and lifecycle services. The company generated $4.3 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2025 and serves customers in more than 50 countries across sectors including gas infrastructure, nuclear energy, data centres, carbon capture and storage (CCS), geothermal, space, and other industrial markets.

The acquisition forms part of Baker Hughes’ broader portfolio optimisation strategy, which aims to expand its presence in industrial and lifecycle-driven markets while streamlining non-core businesses. The company said it remains focused on disciplined capital allocation and continues to target a net leverage ratio of between 1.0x and 1.5x within the next 24 months.

Baker Hughes has launched a company-wide integration programme aimed at aligning operations, product and technology platforms, engineering capabilities, commercial activities, and digital services. The company expects to achieve annualised cost synergies of $325 million within three years, with early savings focused on manufacturing, supply chain operations and corporate functions.

Honeywell said the acquisition enables the company to offer a broader end-to-end suite of solutions for industrial customers. 

“This acquisition significantly enhances Honeywell Technologies’ ability to deliver end-to-end solutions that help our customers drive efficiency, reduce emissions, and accelerate energy security goals,” added Ken West, President and CEO of Process Technology at Honeywell Technologies. “By combining Johnson Matthey’s differentiated catalyst expertise with our leading technologies and digital capabilities, we are creating a strong platform for future growth while enabling our customers to immediately unlock the benefits of a more robust set of offerings.”

The completion of the deal comes as Honeywell Technologies continues to reshape its business following a series of portfolio changes. The company completed the separation of its Aerospace Technologies business, now operating as Honeywell Aerospace, on 29 June 2026. That followed the spin-off of its Advanced Materials business, Solstice Advanced Materials, in October 2025.

Since 2023, Honeywell Technologies has completed around $11.5 billion in acquisitions aimed at strengthening its technology portfolio. These include Compressor Controls Corporation, SCADAfence, Carrier Global’s Access Solutions business, Air Products’ LNG business, Sundyne, and Li-ion Tamer.

The company has also streamlined its operations through divestments. It completed the sale of its Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) business in 2024 and expects to close the previously announced sales of its Productivity Solutions and Services and Warehouse and Workflow Solutions businesses during the second half of 2026.