3-12-26

Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Thursday March 12, 2026

Asterisk (*) denotes news stories that may be inaccessible because portions are behind a paywall

 

Good morning! Here are today’s Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Oil prices surged more than 8% with Brent crude hitting $100 per barrel Thursday, as traders remain unconvinced that release of government stockpiles could offset the massive supply shock triggered by the war in the Middle East

The IEA said Wednesday that its 32 member countries would release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves, marking the biggest coordinated drawdown since the agency was created in the aftermath of the 1973 oil embargo.

West Texas Intermediate ​crude was up $7.22, or 8.28%, to $94.47.

Brent futures rose $8.54, or 9.28%, to $100.52 a barrel at 0354 GMT.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Iran’s military command said: “Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, ​because the oil price depends on regional security, which you have destabilised,” in remarks directed at the U.S.

There ​are no signs of a de-escalation in the Gulf and as a result, there is no end in sight to the disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, ING analysts said on Thursday.

“The only way to see ​oil prices trade lower on a sustained basis is by getting oil flowing through the Strait ​of Hormuz,” ING said. “Failing to do so means that the market highs are still ahead of us.”

 

Top Stories

 

Bloomberg – March 1, 2026

Refiners Hold Off Buying Oil as Prices Surge After Supply Hit*

Refiners are beginning to balk at eye-watering premiums on available oil barrels, threatening to slow down the flow of the world’s most traded commodity as the war in the Middle East upends energy markets. Markups of as much as $40 a barrel above benchmarks in the Middle East, $13 in Brazil and $10 in Azerbaijan — on top of sky-high freight rates — are leading refineries to hold off purchases at a time when many are cutting crude processing and fuel prices are surging. The soaring premiums and hesitation to close deals were related by several traders with direct knowledge of supply talks.

The holdup is just the latest sign that traders and refineries around the world are increasingly scrambling to adjust to the upheaval in a region that accounts for a fifth of global crude supplies. This could further exacerbate the shortages of fuel that are showing up in some markets around the world. Although there’s still ample time left for trades to wrap up this month’s trading cycle, the challenges to replace whatever lost volumes that they can manage are significant. Among the complications are tweaks to a key pricing mechanism for Middle East crude and distortions in the forward price structure that have muddled valuations.

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The Wall Street Journal – March 11, 2026

Escalating Hormuz Crisis Raises Specter of Prolonged Closure*

Escalating Iranian attacks and the U.S. government’s decision to hold off on military escorts for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz are raising the prospect of a prolonged closure that would choke off exports through the world’s most important energy-transport route. On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck three cargo ships attempting to transit the waterway, the only sea route out of the Persian Gulf. It warned that any other vessels trying to move through the strait also would be targeted.

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Oil Price – March 11, 2026

Shell and TotalEnergies Issue Force Majeure After Qatar LNG Shut Down

Several major energy traders have begun declaring force majeure to their own customers after Qatar’s LNG shutdown rippled through global gas markets, according to Reuters sources on Wednesday. Companies including Shell and TotalEnergies–both major portfolio players that lift liquefied natural gas from QatarEnergy–have notified downstream buyers that contractual deliveries may be disrupted following Qatar’s suspension of LNG production. The move marks the first clear sign that Qatar’s export stoppage is cascading through the global LNG trading system.

QatarEnergy halted production at its giant LNG complex earlier this month and declared force majeure on shipments after drone strikes hit facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City and Mesaieed Industrial City. The country operates roughly 77 million tons per year of liquefaction capacity and is the world’s second-largest LNG exporter.

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S&P Global Platts – March 11, 2026

Cyber agency staff furloughs could challenge energy sector as threats grow

The US Department of Homeland Security’s decision to furlough two-thirds of its cybersecurity staff could increase risks to US energy infrastructure, as defense analysts track a rise in cyberattacks targeting the operational systems of the nation’s critical assets in the wake of the Iran war. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) furloughs were discussed on Capitol Hill March 3 at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, when then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said that the cyber agency had been significantly degraded.

The CISA furloughs followed a partial government shutdown that began in February, after Democrats refused to fund the DHS unless Republicans agreed to changes to immigration enforcement as part of a budget deal. In a March 10 email, a CISA spokesperson reiterated the impact of the furloughs on the agency, referring to Noem’s written testimony that said while the agency can continue to respond to imminent threats and maintain its 24-hour operations center, “proactive work that keeps our adversaries at bay … is delayed or halted.”

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KBMT – March 11, 2026

Diesel prices spike in states with competitive Senate elections, report says

Diesel prices spiked in three states with competitive Senate races as the country navigates oil supply issues caused by the Iran war, figures reported on Sunday show. Oil analyst Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy, a company tracking fuel costs, said in a statement that diesel prices rose by more than a hundred cents over the previous week in Texas, North Carolina and Georgia, three of the states with the largest increases. The trio will host Senate elections in November that could help decide the makeup of the chamber.

The average diesel price in Texas rose 111 cents from the prior week, De Haan said. It spiked 110.5 cents in the Tar Heel State and 108 cents in Georgia. Fuel costs around the country have soared as oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a Middle Eastern passage through which a fifth of the world’s petroleum travels, ground to a halt. Iran threatened to attack any ship passing through the strait earlier this month, when the U.S. and Israel ignited a regional conflict with a fatal strike against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

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Reuters – March 12, 2026

Crude oil futures separate from reality as Asia physical market buckles: Clyde Russell*

Crude oil futures prices are reflecting a view that the market can successfully navigate the Iran war, while prices for physical cargoes and refined products are signalling an imminent crisis. Only one of these price signals is correct – and it’s not ​what is happening in the paper oil market. Global benchmark Brent crude futures ended at $91.98 a barrel on Wednesday, up 4.8% from the prior close but ‌still down from the brief spike on March 9 that saw them reach $119.50, the highest in nearly four years. In the physical market, the premium for a physical cargo of Middle East benchmark Dubai crude over its paper equivalent rose to almost $38 a barrel on Wednesday, the highest since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Paper oil traders seem to believe the rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump and some in his administration ​that the campaign against Iran is going well and there is no real threat to oil and product shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. They also appear to ​believe that the International Energy Agency’s release of a record 400 million barrels of crude from stockpiles will help solve some of the ⁠supply disruptions. However, the current issues can’t be solved by comments from political leaders that appear untethered from the reality on the ground, as well as a stockpile release that will ​probably not put enough oil in Asia, where it is needed. While the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively blocked, the situation can only get worse and the pace at which it ​does so will start to accelerate. This is especially the case in Asia, which takes most of the 18 million to 20 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude and products that flowed through the strait prior to the U.S. and Israel launching an aerial campaign against Iran on February 28.

 

The Latest TERse Tips

Iran-backed hackers say they are expanding cyberattacks to global targets outside of critical infrastructure, aiming to wreak economic havoc in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli military strikes over the weekend — cyber activity aligned with Iran is largely contained to regional targets, such as Jordan, so far, said Kathryn Raines, team lead at threat-intelligence company Flashpoint’s national security solutions unit — The Wall Street Journal*

Three Ships Hit Near Strait of Hormuz as Iran Tries to Choke Off Oil Traffic — the U.S. has turned down requests to escort ships in the strait. The IEA will launch the largest-ever oil release from emergency stocks — The Wall Street Journal*

There is video purporting to capture VLCCs catching fire in the Gulf after being hit, from al Jazeera

President Donald Trump plans to invoke emergency law for ​Sable Offshore as it looks to restart ‌production from a cluster of offshore platforms in California, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing a person ​familiar with the matter — Trump is preparing ⁠to summon authorities under the Defense Production ​Act to preempt state laws and ease permitting ​for Sable, the report added — Reuters*

Consumer prices tick up in February, boosted by rising energy prices — the data was in line with expectations, but the escalating Iran war will push prices up further in March — Dallas Morning News*

Governor Greg Abbott admonished Corpus Christi leaders for not moving more decisively on the city’s water crisis — here is the city’s formal answer

Fitch Ratings has raised its 2026 Brent oil price assumption to USD70/barrel from USD63/barrel due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which we assume to be temporary — Fitch

TXO Partners, L.P. says Cross Timbers Energy, LLC, a joint venture in which it holds a 50% interest, has executed purchase and sale agreements with multiple private buyers to sell oil and gas properties totaling approximately $200 million in aggregate consideration — see the press release

Houston Chronicle map shows highest and lowest gas prices across Texas

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Oil & Gas Texas

 

Bloomberg – March 11, 2026

Natural Gas Boom Will Spur a Shortage of US Fracking Gear, Shale Boss Says*

Rising US natural gas exports and soaring domestic demand for the power-plant fuel will lead to a shortage of fracking gear later this decade, according to the head of one the country’s top drilling contractors. Activity in US shale fields is expected to ramp up toward the end of this year into 2027, primarily driven by gas consumption, Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. Chief Executive Officer Andy Hendricks said in an interview. That could lead to a deficit of equipment to frack gas wells in two to three years, particularly in the Haynesville basin of Texas and Louisiana, he said.

Hendricks’ remarks underscore a broader industry push to build pipelines connecting the Haynesville and other gas basins in the US South with new Gulf Coast export terminals. More equipment and infrastructure would align with President Donald Trump’s efforts to expand US shipments of the fuel to overseas buyers and dominate global energy markets. Global demand for US liquefied natural gas has jumped as the war on Iran disrupts supplies from the Middle East, but Gulf Coast plants are already running at full capacity and other facilities there are still under construction. Meanwhile, domestic US gas consumption has skyrocketed as data-center developers rush to build power plants to run artificial intelligence.

In the Haynesville, the number of drilling rigs has surged over the past year as new pipelines shuttle gas from that basin to export terminals. Producers there are likely to favor fracking equipment that runs on cheaper gas versus diesel, leading to a shortfall of that gear, Hendricks said. “All the horsepower that we have that can burn natural gas as a fuel is sold out today,” he said. “There’s going to be a call on equipment in the Haynesville over the next two to three years. We’re going to have to increase the amount that’s working over there and it’s going to require new equipment to be manufactured and put to work.”

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KHOU – March 11, 2026

US to release 172 million barrels of oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which has 2 sites in Southeast Texas

The nation’s emergency crude oil is stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, tucked away deep underground in massive salt caverns along the Gulf Coast. The reserve is spread across four major storage sites. Two of those sites are a quick drive from Houston.  Bryan Mound is in Brazoria County near Freeport and Big Hill is in Jefferson County near Beaumont. The two other sites are in Louisiana at West Hackberry, which is near Lake Charles, and Bayou Choctaw, which is 12 miles south of Baton Rouge.

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Texas Tribune – March 11, 2026

Texas oil companies stand to profit from Iran war disruptions while consumers face higher gas prices

The U.S.-Israel war with Iran means higher profits for Texas oil companies and higher costs for its consumers, according to Texas experts who are tracking suddenly-volatile energy markets. The average cost for a gallon of regular gasoline in Texas hit $3.21 Tuesday morning, up from $2.55 a month ago, according to AAA. That is lower than Tuesday’s national average of $3.54.

While Texas’ position as the nation’s leading oil and gas producer insulates Texans from the steepest price hikes, drivers should expect to pay more at the pump the longer the war continues, experts said, especially during the summer travel season when gas consumption rises.

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Houston Chronicle – March 11, 2026

War in Iran sent oil prices soaring. Here’s how it’s affecting Texas production.*

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San Antonio Express-News – March 11, 2026

What to know about $300B Trump-backed refinery drawing eyes to South Texas*

A $300 billion oil refinery project with ties to the Trump administration is coming to deep South Texas — the first project of its kind in five decades — and it will be built in Brownsville, in the Rio Grande Valley. President Donald Trump announced the America First Refining oil refinery on Truth Social on Tuesday, March 10. … The America First Refining refinery will be built on 240 acres within the Port of Brownsville and will be hydrogen-powered. It’ll produce up to 50 billion gallons of “ultra low sulfur diesel” per year, as well as jet fuel and “specialized gasoline,” according to the company’s website.

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KERA (NPR) – March 11, 2026

Texas gas prices are rising amid Iran war, but we’re still paying less than other states

Gas prices in Texas are climbing as crude oil prices spike amid tensions in the Middle East, though drivers across the state are still paying less than the national average. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Texas stood at about $3.25 as of Wednesday, according to data from AAA. That’s up from last month, when prices hovered around $2.55 per gallon throughout the state.

The main reason: a spike in crude oil prices — the main ingredient in gasoline — fueled in part by the escalating conflict in the Middle East. “When you look at the bigger picture over the past week or two, you see an increase in crude oil prices, and that’s after the U.S. intervention in Iran,” said Daniel Armbruster, a spokesperson for AAA Texas.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

S&P Global Platts – March 11, 2025

Hormuz traffic increases, at least two sanctioned ships cross strait: CAS

Eight ships crossed through the Strait of Hormuz on March 10, up from three ships the day before, according to an S&P Global Commodities at Sea report on March 11. Two of the ships were tankers, both sanctioned, according to the report. The US-sanctioned Marser, a Very Large Gas Carrier, moved eastbound out of the Persian Gulf, having “likely loaded Iranian LPG via ship-to-ship transfer between March 9 and March 10,” the report said. The other tanker was the Breez, an MR tanker sanctioned by the US, the EU and the UK that sailed westbound into the Gulf, according to the report.

Some 1 million barrels of Saudi crude loaded from the Juaymah terminal on March 10 as a co-load on the VLCC tanker Majra, the CAS report said. Another 3 million barrels of Oman Blend loaded from Mina al Fahal, it said.

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The Wall Street Journal – March 11, 2026

U.S. Plan to Unblock Strait of Hormuz Collides With Realities of Global Insurance*

President Trump’s plan to sell insurance for ships in the Gulf, a way of easing the war-induced crunch in oil supplies, is proving easier said than done. The effort was designed to help “ensure the free flow of energy to the world,” Trump said in a social-media post last week. The U.S. would provide, at a very reasonable price, political risk insurance for all shipping, backed if necessary by U.S. Navy escorts, he said. The U.S. Development Finance Corp., part of the federal government, was tasked with implementing the $20 billion plan, an “America First”-style insurance program, led by American insurers. This U.S.-centric idea ran counter to the market realities, according to industry executives.

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Associated Press – March 11, 2026

Iran war becomes a contest of who can take the most pain: Jon Gambrell

The war with Iran, for all its complexity and global effects, boils down to a single question: Who can take the pain the longest? A surge in oil prices points to what may be Iran’s most effective weapon and the United States’ biggest vulnerability in continuing the campaign: damaging the world economy. A sharp rise in gas prices has rattled consumers and financial markets, and international travel and shipping have been severely disrupted.

U.S. President Donald Trump appears aware of the danger. As oil jumped to nearly $120 a barrel on Monday, the highest since 2022, he suggested the war would be “short-term.” That helped reassure markets and the price eased to around $90 — even as Trump, nearly in the same breath, vowed to keep up the war and the punishment on Iran.

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The Wall Street Journal – March 11, 2026

The Economic Winners and Losers of the Iran War*

Higher energy prices offer little comfort to the Middle East While the Gulf typically benefits from higher oil prices, the paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz has restricted sales and forced production cuts. A brief war could lead to economies in the Gulf contracting by as much as 2% this year, while prolonged clashes might trigger a 15% decline, according to Capital Economics. Kuwait and Qatar would suffer the biggest blows because of their outsize energy industries, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates may be able to partially offset losses by shipping more via pipelines.

The conflict has also shaken the Gulf’s carefully cultivated image as a stable sanctuary. That threatens ambitious economic overhauls like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which relies on foreign investment. Meanwhile, Middle Eastern tourism will likely suffer. International visitors could drop as much as 27% this year, according to research firm Tourism Economics, costing up to $56 billion in lost revenue. Contagion has spread across the wider region: This week, Egypt’s pound crashed to a record low against the dollar on concerns that more expensive energy imports will strain fragile government finances. Meanwhile, the conflict will exacerbate Iran’s economic crisis.

Europe faces another energy shock, but not like the last one. A prolonged period of higher energy prices could derail Europe’s nascent economic recovery. The European Union relies on fossil-fuel imports for about 58% of its energy. Among major economies, only South Korea and Japan are more dependent on fossil-fuel imports. While most European countries don’t buy much energy from the Middle East, they are exposed to rising global prices. Dwindling supply from the Gulf has sparked a bidding war for what’s left elsewhere, sending European gas prices up more than 50% this month.

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March 11, 2026

America’s Strategic Oil Exports: The Wall Street Journal*

The International Energy Agency said Tuesday that its 32 member countries will release a record 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves to mitigate supply disruptions caused by Iran. Stockpiles exist for this purpose, but don’t overlook how U.S. crude exports are also providing a strategic oil reserve for the West. … But refineries in Asia and Europe that import crude from the Middle East are still seeing major disruptions, which is reflected in rising crude prices. The IEA release is intended to mitigate disruptions and contain prices. Western countries established the IEA after the 1970s Arab oil embargo for this purpose.

In recent years, however, the outfit has become a mouthpiece for the anti-fossil-fuel crowd. Progressives have cited IEA projections of waning global oil and gas demand to push policies to limit U.S. production. Fortunately, they haven’t succeeded in stranding U.S. oil exports, which are now also mitigating supply disruptions for allies. Europe and Asia can thank former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who in 2015 drove legislation to overturn the U.S. embargo on oil exports that was imposed in 1975. Mr. Ryan cut a deal with Barack Obama to lift the ban in return for extending renewable subsidies. This spurred more shale fracking without crimping U.S. supply since Gulf Coast refineries aren’t well-suited to process lighter shale blends.

As a result, the U.S. is now a net exporter of oil. Since 2015, U.S. crude exports have increased nearly 10-fold to four million barrels a day, about 1.8 million of which supply refineries in Europe and 1.5 million in Asia and Australia. (See the nearby chart.) U.S. exports have reduced allies’ reliance on Russia and the Middle East. Yet that hasn’t stopped progressives from trying to reinstate the ban. Democrats introduced legislation during the Biden years to block crude exports. “We cannot continue to fuel the global climate crisis at the expense of American communities burdened by fossil fuel pollution,” Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey said in 2021. U.S. exports are “perpetuating a merry-go-round of oil dependence,” Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said. These guys are clueless about the security and economic benefits of fossil fuels. They prefer that allies depend on Russia and the Middle East. Biden Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm floated a ban on crude exports in 2021, though wiser heads prevailed after Russia invaded Ukraine.

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Real Clear Politics – March 11, 2026

If Trump Can’t Keep The Strait of Hormuz Open, This War Will Be An American Defeat Before Very Long: Newt Gingrich

FOX News contributor Newt Gingrich on FOX Business’ “Kudlow” said it will be considered an American defeat if President Trump can’t keep the Strait of Hormuz open. “I don’t care what it costs. If they can’t keep it open, this war will in fact be an American defeat before very long,” Gingrich told host Larry Kudlow.

“If we can get the Strait open, then the world will calm down, the price of oil will collapse, and everything will be fine,” Gingrich said. “So I think the president probably has two or three weeks—every day he can hold open the Strait of Hormuz. Every day that oil tankers go through that strait safely, he buys another week in terms of getting things done. And that’s why I think the actual critical path to this whole fight is to get the Strait open, have lots of ships coming through safely, have the price of oil collapse, and all of a sudden people will relax and say, you know, we are going to win this thing. But that, I think, is the question which has to be answered.”

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The Wall Street Journal – March 10, 2026

The World Needs These Two Middle East Pipelines Now More Than Ever*

Two pipelines built just for the occasion—one in Saudi Arabia and one in the United Arab Emirates—bypass the Strait of Hormuz. They are the only ways to get a significant amount of oil out of the Persian Gulf into world markets. The pipes can’t replace the flows carried by tanker ships, but their use is almost all that is preventing an even worse crisis from unfolding. Saudi Arabia in particular is pumping as much crude as possible through its pipeline to its Red Sea port of Yanbu, built in the early 1980s when the Iran-Iraq War threatened shipping in the Persian Gulf.

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Reuters – March 11, 2026

Historic oil reserve release is only a band-aid on a gaping supply shock: Ron Bousso*

The International Energy Agency’s plan to release 400 million barrels of oil reserves is unprecedented in scale and desperately needed to blunt the devastating supply shock triggered by the Iran war. But it will offer only limited relief as long as energy exports ​from the Middle East remain blocked. The IEA said on Wednesday that its 32 member countries unanimously agreed to move forward with the biggest collective drawdown ever from their ‌strategic petroleum reserves (SPR).

The release is more than double the scale of the previous – and until now, largest-ever – coordinated drawdown in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when the U.S. released 180 million barrels. Yet the enormity of the crisis confronting the global oil market today certainly warrants these record-breaking volumes – if not more. Nearly 20 million barrels per day (bpd) of supply – roughly a fifth of global output – have been trapped inside the Gulf since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz shortly after the launch ​of the joint Israel‑U.S. war against Iran on February 28. Measured against that disruption, the announced release looks a lot less impressive. After only 11 days of conflict, the current market deficit has already ​reached roughly 220 million barrels. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are working to divert some exports to ports outside the Gulf, which should provide additional ⁠relief, but those flows remain limited and vulnerable.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

San Antonio Express-News – March 11, 2026

New ERCOT process aims to end ‘doom loop’ for large power users seeking to connect to Texas’ grid*

When the Electric Reliability Council of Texas designed its process for connecting big industrial users to the statewide grid, it envisioned receiving from eight to 15 such requests every three months. Now, with the state at ground zero of the data center boom, it’s getting as many as 100 requests in that same time period. So, for the past 18 months, the grid operator has been discussing how to handle the rapid influx of demand. It’s looking for a way to keep data centers and other big requests from getting stuck in what’s been nicknamed the “doom loop.”

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San Antonio Express-News – March 11, 2026

Data centers are economic infrastructure for San Antonio*

San Antonio is known as Military City, USA, for good reason. We are home to the largest joint military installation in the U.S. Department of Defense, a nationally recognized cybersecurity ecosystem, and a growing advanced manufacturing and health care sector. Every one of these industries depends on something most people never see — data. Data centers power the digital infrastructure behind modern life. They support defense operations, cybersecurity, financial transactions, telehealth, logistics and the artificial intelligence tools increasingly used in both commercial and military environments. In today’s economy, digital infrastructure is foundational, not optional.

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Just the News – March 11, 2026

Oil-rich Texas to build power lines for renewables, and landowners face possible eminent domain

xas produces so much oil that if it were an independent country, it would rank in fourth or fifth place in the world’s top oil producers. Yet the state is still looking to build massive high-voltage transmission lines primarily to satisfy the needs of wind, solar and battery facilities.  The lines will cross over tens of thousands of acres of private land. The Texas legislature shrunk the timeline to construct them at breakneck speed, which has made the landowners very conerned, considering they have little time to provide input and are potentially facing eminent domain to make room for the projects.

The power lines are 765 kilovolt lines, which are strung over 200-foot towers requiring corridors 200 to 300 feet wide.  Margaret Byfield, executive director of the American Stewards of Liberty, said that landowners who object to the lines crossing their land are effectively asking for the company to reroute it to other property owners, who also don’t want the lines on their property.  “So it pits neighbor against neighbor. It’s just a terrible system,” Byfield told Just the News.

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Governing – March 11, 2026

Why Texas Is Outpacing New York in Renewable Energy Development

Over the last two years, Texas added more wind and solar power than New York has in the last two decades, a gap that has increased even as the mandates required by the state’s 2019 Climate Act are looming.
Those mandates, which Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to delay, include having an energy system relying entirely on clean energy by 2040. But nearly seven years after they were established, the state isn’t on track to hit that mandate or its near-term target of converting the grid to 70% renewable energy by 2030.

Texas never set ambitious clean energy goals, but is building faster than New York, in part because of deregulation, limited local opposition and investments into the infrastructure that carries power from rural parts of the state to urban cores.

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Reuters – March 11, 2026

RWE targets gas-fired power plants in $20 billion US expansion drive*

RWE, Germany’s largest power ​producer, on Thursday said ‌it would expand more aggressively in the United ​States, a market ​where data centres have significantly ⁠fuelled power demand, ​by investing in new ​gas-fired power plants. Overall, the U.S., where RWE already has 13 ​gigawatts (GW) of installed ​solar, wind and battery storage ‌capacity, ⁠will account for 17 billion euros ($20 billion), or nearly half, of ​the company’s ​planned ⁠spending by 2031.

Installed capacity in ​the United States is ​expected ⁠to increase to 22 GW as a ⁠result, ​the company ​said.

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Politico – February 28, 2026

Solar power’s newest friends: MAGA influencers

Environmentalists and solar power proponents have found a pair of surprise allies: Katie Miller and Kellyanne Conway. Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and Conway, the polling guru who led President Donald Trump’s first campaign, raised eyebrows this month when they publicly touted the clean energy source that has come under fire from the Trump administration.

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Phys Org – March 4, 2026

A tool lets residents track Texas power outages and aids in disaster response

Texas is known nationwide for its grueling hot summers. However, hurricanes and occasional winter weather can have a harsher impact on citizens and infrastructure due to the effects of power outages. Led by director and primary investigator Dr. Samuel Brody, researchers from the Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas (IDRT) have created a tool that can show residents, emergency responders and policy makers where power outages are occurring in near real-time, helping users respond to disasters faster, safer and smarter.

The live power outage map is part of the Texas Disaster Information System (TDIS)—a project in partnership with the General Land Office, Texas Water Development Board, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management—aiming to create data-driven systems to support disaster mitigation, response and recovery. The tool addresses a long-standing challenge in disaster response—knowing where power is currently out, and what services are affected by outages.

 

Regulatory

 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved eight pilot programs that will allow a handful of companies, including Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Joby Aviation, and Wisk to start widespread electric aircraft testing as early as this summer.

The three-year program, which will span 26 states, is designed to ensure U.S. companies lead the way in next-gen aircraft used for personal travel, regional transportation, cargo logistics, and emergency medicine, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in remarks Monday.