Texas Energy Report NewsClips archives July 2026

Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Thursday July 30, 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 erased some of their previous gains on Thursday, despite escalating attacks in the Gulf as investor focus shifted to supply flows through the ​key chokepoints in the region.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 64 cents, or 0.76%, to $83.82 a barrel.

Brent futures fell 96 cents, or 1.06%, to $89.78 a barrel as of ‌0418 GMT.

Brent settled up 7.91% in the previous session and WTI up 6.56% in one of the sharpest spikes of the Iran war, reversing a 5% plunge on Tuesday ​after a pause in hostilities in the five-month conflict.

Prices surged as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened ​on Wednesday to hit Iran “very hard” after an Iranian missile attack on Tuesday on ⁠a U.S. base in Jordan.

On Wednesday, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia attacked Iran-backed paramilitary forces in Iraq, the first ​time that Saudi had publicly joined U.S. air strikes, in retaliation for drone attacks on Saudi oil targets launched ​from Iraq.

 

Top Stories

 

AOL – July 29, 2026

Shell, Phillips 66 weigh sale of stakes in $3.5 billion US pipeline Explorer, sources say

Shell and Phillips 66 are working on a potential sale of their stakes in the company which owns the Explorer refined products pipeline, in a deal that could value the major piece of U.S. energy infrastructure at around $3.5 billion, people familiar with the matter said. The move reflects how heightened demand for energy infrastructure assets, especially from financial buyers, has boosted valuations and encouraged existing owners to sell and reinvest proceeds in core or higher-growth parts of their businesses.

Shell and Phillips 66 currently hold around 61% ownership of the legal entity which holds the pipeline, which transports gasoline, jet fuel and other fuel products from Texas, through the Midwest, to end points including the outskirts of Chicago. Investment bankers at Greenhill, a Mizuho affiliate, and RBC Capital Markets, have been retained to run an auction process for the stakes, with deliberations currently at an early stage.

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The New York Times – July 29, 2026

Why Republicans Aren’t Funding a Key Senate Race Yet*

Mr. Paxton finds himself in a unique situation among Senate candidates, according to interviews with a dozen Republicans with ties to his campaign. Republican donors still hold grudges from a bruising primary. The state, with its 18-plus television markets, is an epically expensive setting. And his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, has proved to be a particularly strong fund-raiser. Perhaps the most striking piece of Mr. Paxton’s money woes is the high-stakes game of chicken that two of the Republican Party’s biggest money committees, along with their allied donors, are playing. Both of those groups, the Senate Leadership Fund and MAGA Inc., are not so secretly hoping that the other one swoops in to boost Mr. Paxton with tens of millions in spending, the Republicans said. Neither group has reached for its wallet yet. “Somebody is going to have to spend big money,” said Dan Eberhart, an oil executive who is raising contributions for Mr. Paxton. “We’ll see who blinks.” …

All of this makes fund-raising an urgent priority this summer for Mr. Paxton. Yet his relationships with donors in the state remain frosty, including the Texas network of former President George W. Bush, which he has regularly criticized. Holdouts include moderates like the G.O.P. megadonor Ken Griffin, who is said to have no plans to help Mr. Paxton, and longtime right-wing backers like the oil industry’s Wilks brothers and Tim Dunn. Mr. Paxton has made individual calls to some Cornyn-aligned givers seeking six-figure checks, a person with knowledge said. But some Cornyn donors have declined even to return calls from the Paxton camp, multiple Republicans said.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 29, 2026

New Mexico Is Divided Over What to Do With $75 Billion in Oil Cash*

Santa Fe — In a beige office park on the edge of town not far from a Walmart, waves of oil-and-gas money are crashing on Jon Clark’s desk. A flood of $7.6 billion arrived in 2024, followed by an additional $5.3 billion in 2025. This year, Clark, New Mexico’s state investment officer, is projecting $5.4 billion. New Mexico’s oil-and-gas bounty has helped build a $75 billion investment fund that would be the envy of Wall Street. New Mexico has become the second-largest-producing oil state in the country, behind Texas, and soaring crude prices from the U.S. war with Iran are translating into another burst of revenue. The question for the state now: What to do with it?

When energy prices were low early this year, about $160 million flowed into the largest bucket of New Mexico’s fund each month from royalties paid by energy companies pumping on publicly owned land. That jumped to $241 million in March after the Iran war sent crude prices higher. More cash is expected to arrive from taxes on oil-and-gas sales.  “We’re going to increasingly be part of how the state pays for everything moving forward,” Clark said. “The potential for impact is almost limitless in the long term.” Clark leads the New Mexico State Investment Council, which manages a sovereign-wealth fund projected to hit $100 billion by the end of the decade, surpassing Alaska to become the country’s largest. The fund expects to pour at least $3 billion into the state budget this fiscal year alone, and officials project it will overtake the oil-and-gas sector as the state’s largest revenue source as soon as 2039.

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Bloomberg – July 29, 2026

The US Is Making the Most Fuel Since Pre-Covid. It’s Not Enough.*

US refiners are turning crude oil into products like gasoline and diesel at a pace not seen since before the Covid-19 pandemic, but even that is unlikely to rein in soaring prices soon amid a historic fuel crunch. Refineries last week processed 17 million barrels of crude oil a day, according to the Energy Information Administration, in a full-throttle effort to meet global and domestic fuel demand. That’s the highest weekly average since September 2019. In the Midwest, refineries processed the most crude on record in a week.

Global fuel supplies are perilously tight, incentivizing refiners to go all-out to capture exceptionally strong profit margins, said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Kpler. Fuel markets have been left with little cushion after outages stemming from wars in Ukraine and Iran. “Super-sized refining margins continue to encourage refiners to run as hard as possible, resulting in a solid draw to crude inventories,” Smith said. Despite the surging processing rates, US consumers aren’t likely to see much relief at the pump soon. US fuel markets still look tight, with gasoline and diesel futures rising. That means further headaches for US drivers staring down $4-a-gallon gasoline and another wrinkle for central bankers desperate to tamp down inflation.

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KUT NPR – July 29, 2026

Data centers are being built across Texas every day. Here’s what goes on inside one in Austin

Tommy Minyard remembers University of Texas at Austin officials laughing at him when his team requested more space for their data center on campus back in 2005. He needed 15,000 square feet and 10 megawatts of electricity — enough energy to power roughly 5,000 single-family homes. “They said, ‘No, no, no, we’re gonna give you one megawatt of power and 5,000 square feet,’” said Minyard, the director of advanced computing systems at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC). “We filled up the one megawatt of power the next year.” On the outside, the TACC just looks like a warehouse. But on the inside, it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. Rows upon rows of computer servers are stacked on top of each other throughout the room. The servers are densely packed and constantly running. …

It’s painfully loud inside. The noise is generated by over 500 fans working to cool the stacks of machines, which generate heat — like your laptop after working all day without a lunch break — that needs to be dissipated for the servers to function properly. Minyard said the heat generated by computer servers is a main challenge for data centers. The servers need to be cooled somehow, and big environmental trade-offs come with each option. Air cooling with fans is loud and requires a lot of electricity. Evaporative cooling uses less electricity, but it’s noisy and water intensive. Minyard said TACC experimented with using solar panels on the building’s roof to power some of its servers, but found they only generated enough electricity to power three of its server racks — a tiny portion of the data center.

 

The Latest TERse Tips

Entergy Corporation reported second quarter 2026 earnings per share of $1.03 on an as-reported and an adjusted (non-GAAP) basis — see the press release — see the earnings call highlights

A new campaign is calling for the timely completion of a major electric transmission project aimed at meeting growing power demand across West Texas — Power West Texas launched Tuesday to support the Permian Basin Reliability Plan, saying the region has waited years for the electric grid to catch up with rapid growth — KOSA

Baker Hughes said on July 27 it expects global spending by oil and gas producers to decline modestly this year as weaker investment in Europe and the Middle East outweighs growth in Latin America, offshore Africa and North America’s onshore market — Big News Network

The DOE says the SPR is at 307.650MM barrels on Tuesday, bringing it soon within range of 270-to-300MM barrels, widely regarded as the so-called “tank bottom,” although the DOE has said the SPR can be reduced to as little as 70MM barrels

After spending nearly six months mired in negative territory, Waha natural gas cash prices staged a sharp turnaround this summer as new pipeline capacity began relieving chronic egress constraints in the Permian Basin — Natural Gas Intelligence*

Xcel Energy says Peter Carter has been elected to its board of directors — Carter serves as the president of Delta Air Lines, where he drives the company’s enterprise strategy, global policy matters and global market position — see the press release

RRC, Texas Tech build partnership to strengthen oil and gas inspector training — Odessa American

Texas is Dominant Biggest Solar Farms in the US — Energy Digital

By utilizing models like Texas’s Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ), the report emphasizes aligning infrastructure development with immediate load growth to bridge the gap between demand and traditional planning cycles — read the full report at ESIG

Elon Musk’s solar ambitions have shifted from powering homes to powering Tesla’s AI era — Business Insider

 

Oil & Gas Texas

 

The New York Times – July 28, 2026

Drilling for Oil the Old-Fashioned Way in ‘Little Texas,’ Indonesia*

The old red truck’s engine was jury-rigged to control a pump tied to a three-legged tower cobbled together from teak logs and rope. Sujiyanto sat in the cab of the vehicle, cigarette in hand. He released the gas pedal, sending the pump hundreds of feet underground before hauling it back up filled with crude oil. “This is how we extract oil from the ground,” said Mr. Sujiyanto, 51, who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name. Around him on a recent Wednesday, smoke rose over the hills, which were dotted with teak derricks. The smell of oil lingered in the air and the ground was slicked black. Nearby, a group of men used their bare hands to crank out a pump stuck into the ground.

“We are actually happy when oil prices rise, because our income increases,” said Mr. Sujiyanto, who has been working here for around 15 years. Next to his truck, three other men worked at separate stations. One sat inside a hut beside the pump, maneuvering it with a long wooden stick. Two others, equipped with buckets, scooped oil that had pooled around the well at the base of the derrick. For an hour, they worked in sync to collect the oil that totaled up to 200 liters, or a bit over a barrel. Then, they moved onto another well.

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E&E News By Politico – July 29, 2026

Trump bets Chevron’s fall lets him rewrite rules for imperiled wildlife

For decades, presidents of both parties and the Supreme Court have agreed that federal law prevents developers from destroying habitat critical to vulnerable wildlife. The Trump administration is now making the case that a landmark Supreme Court ruling ending judicial deference to federal agencies gives it room to reverse that longstanding interpretation. The problem: Many environmental lawyers say the high court’s 2024 decision doesn’t go nearly that far. If they’re right, one of the administration’s biggest efforts to narrow the Endangered Species Act could face an uphill battle in court.

“There will be a bitter fight over this rule in the courts,” said Ben Cowan, an environmental attorney at the firm Troutman Pepper Locke. Earlier this month, the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries finalized a rule that said the agencies will no longer define “harm” of protected plants and animals to include habitat changes that could be detrimental to a species’ survival. The rule change upends an approach that has been the law of the land since the Supreme Court decided in 1995 that federal regulators reasonably included habitat protections in safeguards for two vulnerable birds.

As the impetus for its new rule change, the Trump administration cited the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which ended Chevron deference. That practice refers to the high court’s 1984 ruling in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which concluded that courts should defer to agencies’ reasonable interpretations of laws like the ESA when the wording is ambiguous.

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The Telegraph (UK) – July 29, 2026

Texas oil tycoon plots $5bn Saudi oil refinery to break Hormuz blockade

A Texas oil tycoon is plotting a $5bn (£3.8bn) oil refinery to bypass Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Marc Gunderson, the founder of MWG Enterprises, has joined forces with two Middle East investment funds to develop the new terminal, which could reduce Iran’s grip on exports from the Persian Gulf. Three potential sites have been chosen in the Gulf of Oman, where tankers using it would not have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has effectively closed the vital trade route since the US and Israel bombing raids started in February, sending oil and gas prices surging. Oil prices rose 4pc to $88 a barrel on Wednesday as tensions in the Middle East escalated ‌following US and Saudi strikes in Iraq and an intercepted Iranian missile attack on US forces. The new oil refinery plan is being developed by Mera Oil, a US-Saudi joint venture between Mr Gunderson’s MWG and Saudi Arabia’s AHQ and Patel Family Office. The company has not officially named the candidate sites, but they are thought to include Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, or Sohar in Oman.

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Upstream – July 29, 2026

Baker Hughes lands massive gas turbine order from Texas power developer

Baker Hughes has won an award from US mobile power generator Dynamis Power Solutions for dozens of gas turbines for both oil and gas development and data centre projects, the energy services contractor announced Wednesday. The order was for 76 NovaLT16 gas turbines along with gearboxes and generators. The equipment will be capable of generating a total of 1.3 gigawatts of mobile power “across a wide range of data center projects and oil and gas applications”, Baker Hughes said.

Baker Hughes did not disclose the value of the deal. Baker Hughes has leaned into gas turbine orders for data centre development in the last two years. The contractor revealed a turbine deal with Kodiak Gas Services in July and also announced turbine awards last year from Turbine-X Energy and Frontier Infrastructure.

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Texas Tribune – July 29, 2026

Paxton lawsuit prompts end of federal endangered species protection for Texas lizard

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has ended endangered species protections for a Texas lizard that were introduced in 2024 after state Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the federal government over the designation. The dunes sagebrush lizard is a roughly 2.5-inch-long reptile native to the Permian Basin has faced threats from oil and gas exploration and development in the region for decades, according to biologists. After the species was designated as endangered by the Biden administration and granted federal protections in 2024, Paxton sued, arguing the Wildlife Service did not use “the best scientific and commercial data” when it declared the lizard endangered.

The end of the dunes sagebrush lizard’s endangered classification came as part of a settlement on July 21 in a lawsuit between the federal government and Paxton’s office. The agreement vacates the 2024 classification, which will require the Wildlife Service to reassess the lizard’s status. In a statement, Paxton applauded the wildlife service’s pending reassessment and framed the initial classification as a misstep that did not consider habitat restoration efforts.

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Texas Tribune – July 29, 2026

Corpus Christi City Council rejects $60,000 community gift to benefit water desalination plant

The Corpus Christi City Council voted 5-4 to reject a $60,000 gift intended to cover the cost of applying for a federal grant to help build a city-owned water treatment plant. The Tuesday night vote confirms the strength of the anti-desalination bloc in the City Council, a month before members are expected to vote on whether to revive plans to build the $978.8 million Inner Harbor desalination plant.

Business and community leaders pledged the money in hopes of moving forward on a desalination plant capable of providing a drought-resistant water supply by removing salt from seawater collected from Corpus Christi Bay. Tuesday’s vote came three weeks after a bitterly divided City Council declined to apply for the grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which has a program offering up to $120 million to help build desalination plants across the country. Five council members opposed spending money and time applying for a grant for the proposed Inner Harbor desalination plant — a project that has not yet been approved and would take three years to build.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

Reuters – July 29, 2026

Drone hits gas storage tanker at Egypt’s Mediterranean port, Ambrey reports*

A drone hit a U.S.-owned gas storage tanker at Egypt’s ‌Mediterranean port of Damietta, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday, in an initial assessment that could signal a further spread of conflict across the Middle East. A statement from Egypt’s petroleum ministry confirmed a fire at the port but made no mention of a drone attack and did ​not provide a cause for the incident.

Port services firm Inchcape said in a separate message two gas tankers ​had caught fire at Damietta. The drone hit floating storage tanker Energos Winter, causing a fire that ⁠spread to another vessel, Gaslog Salem, three trading sources familiar with the incident said. Two separate security sources said the ​likely cause of the blast was assessed as a drone strike. The Energos Winter was reportedly struck by an unidentified projectile ​on its starboard side, causing a fire that was extinguished, British maritime risk management group Vanguard said.

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Reuters – July 29, 2026

US-Saudi consortium advances plans for $5 billion Gulf refinery*

The MERA Oil consortium of U.S. and Saudi Arabian companies is advancing plans for a $5 ​billion integrated refinery and export corridor in the ‌Gulf aimed at boosting regional energy infrastructure, its partners said on Wednesday, as the Iran war continues to disrupt energy flows.

• Texas-based ​energy development company MWG Group, the Patel Family ​Office and PWS, an associate company of Saudi ⁠industrial conglomerate AHQ Group, have entered the final ​stage of site selection for the refinery, which will ​have capacity of 200,000 barrels per day.
• The consortium has narrowed the site selection process to three locations in the Gulf Cooperation ​Council six-nation bloc.
• The preferred host is expected to ​be confirmed by the end of 2026, the companies said, without ‌providing ⁠specific locations.
• The integrated refinery will be linked to deepwater port infrastructure, large-scale storage of crude and refined products, and marine export facilities.
• MERA Oil said the planned project ​is located ​outside the ⁠Strait of Hormuz and aims to provide an export platform with direct access to ​international shipping routes.

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Reuters – July 29, 2026

The US is helping to fuel the Chinese factories it’s competing with: Gavin MaGuire*

A curious pattern is emerging in U.S.-China trade. Washington has spent years trying to rebuild domestic manufacturing, reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains and shift strategic production back to American soil. Yet commodity flows suggest the United States is simultaneously becoming an increasingly important supplier of the raw materials that keep China’s industrial ​machine running.

 

The Wall Street Journal – July 29, 2026

How China Went From Dream Customer to a Nightmare for Big Oil*

China is more in control of its oil consumption than anyone realized. That will unsettle oil bosses. During one of the worst energy crises in history, brought on by the Iran war, the crude market’s top customer cut imports by 40%. China’s need for oil has turned out to be pretty discretionary, which gives Beijing sway over where oil prices head next. “We tend to joke among ourselves that China is the OPEC of oil demand,” says Homayoun Falakshahi, head of crude oil analysis at Kpler.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

Texas Tribune – July 29, 2026

“A deal with the devil”: Religion motivates data center opponents in Texas

Matt Long stood before the Granbury City Council at an April zoning meeting to oppose the influx of proposed data centers in Hood County, likening them to a spiritual abomination. “I’d consider us a Christian city inside a Christian county,” said Long, a member of the county’s development commission who lives near Granbury. “As Christians, do we think that trading 2,100 acres of natural beauty for godless technological complexes is moving us closer to the creation, or further away?”

“Do we think that entering into negotiations with Google, Meta and Amazon are closer to making a covenant with God, or making a deal with the devil?” he asked the council. Christians, Long concluded to applause, must stand up to data centers. Controversy surrounding data center construction has roiled Texas in recent months, fostering a bipartisan coalition of opposition, particularly among rural and suburban residents. With at least 248 planned data center projects and 335 in operation, Texas is poised to become a leader in data center development.

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Texas Tribune – July 29, 2026

ERCOT: Texas’ power grid meeting record demand now, but could falter when it doubles by 2032

The demand on Texas’ energy grid by 2032 will be nearly double a record that was set last week, and state regulators say they will need more varied electrical generation to meet that demand. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) forecasts the statewide electric demand will reach roughly 175,000 megawatts — one megawatt can power 250 residential customers during peak hours — in six years, driven by a massive influx of data centers, along with Texas’ growing population and other industrial projects as the economy continues to boom, the council’s CEO Pablo Vegas told the state’s Senate Business and Commerce Committee on Wednesday.

Regulators said they are confident the grid will meet that demand thanks to an influx of solar power and battery storage, but also cautioned that the state needs more natural gas power generation to keep the lights on when the sun goes down and solar quits generating electricity. “Texas is continuing to grow beyond data centers significantly,” said Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. “We’re doing great as a state and continuing to win on almost every front. There is still going to be a need to serve all the rest of the non-data center load, and that is going to require a balanced mix of resources to do that.”

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KXAN – July 29, 2026

‘It’s like your home being invaded’: Texas landowners challenge massive power line project

After months of controversy and pushback, Texas senators examined a major transmission line project and its impact on landowners Wednesday. On July 29, the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce hosted a special hearing to discuss the state grid and discuss a proposed 765-kilovolt transmission line network tied to the Permian Basin Reliability Plan, designed to strengthen the state’s electric grid and accommodate growing demand. “There are a lot of people that are really impacted by this,” said Mia Sarot with the Hill Country Land and Legacy Alliance, one of the groups representing landowners in the path of the proposed lines.

Lawmakers said testimony from landowners would help inform potential changes to the transmission line approval process, including notification requirements and opportunities for public participation. “There are three lines that run from Central Texas, a little bit north and a little bit south kind of San Antonio area, and also into the Permian Basin. So there are many, many counties involved and thousands of people,” Sarot said.

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KFOX – July 29, 2026

City asks state to extend data center electricity cost protections to Borderland ratepayer

The City of El Paso is urging state regulators to ensure residents served by El Paso Electric receive the same protections from data center-related electricity costs as customers in the state’s main power grid. City officials announced Wednesday that they have submitted formal comments to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), asking the agency to extend residential ratepayer protections being developed in response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s June 10 directive on data center growth.

The filing follows action taken by the El Paso City Council on June 23, when members amended the city’s legislative agenda to support policies aimed at preventing residential customers from paying for infrastructure costs associated with large data centers. According to the city, while the governor’s directive focuses on customers within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid, El Paso residents are served by El Paso Electric, which operates outside ERCOT. City leaders argue those customers should receive the same protections.

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Austin American-Statesman – July 29, 2026

Tesla to buy entire output of new solar farm in Texas, most from another in Arizona*

Tesla Inc. wants to use more solar energy and is purchasing the entire output of a planned Texas solar farm and nearly all the power generated by a solar plant being built in Arizona to make it happen. The Austin maker of electric vehicles, batteries and robots has signed a long-term purchase agreement for power from Lumen Farm, which is set to be built in Anderson County, about 100 miles east of Waco. Zelestra, the renewable energy company developing the project, said the plant will have 140 megawatts of capacity.

Separately, Tesla also is buying 90% of the output of a 509-megawatt hybrid solar and battery storage project being built in Arizona, according to developer ContourGlobal. Both are major projects but far from the largest in either state. A plant with generation capacity of at least 1 megawatt is considered utility-scale.  Zelestra said it anticipates starting construction of Lumen Farm by 2027 with full operation by 2029. A spokesperson for the company said the project will finalize contracts for construction and procurement of the main equipment this year. ContourGlobal’s Project Sterling project in Arizona is on track to be operational in 2028. Zelestra’s relationship with Tesla goes back at least to 2024, when the companies reached a power-purchase agreement for 57 megawatts from Zelestra’s Brazatortas I, II and IV solar plants in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain, where Zelestra is based.

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Texas Tribune – July 29, 2026

Energy agencies want more authority over Texas data centers

Texas’ power grid operators are calling for state lawmakers to expand their authority to regulate data centers, following a recent directive to rein in these facilities from Gov. Greg Abbott. In a letter to the agencies last month, Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to take action to ensure that data centers lower residents’ energy bills when the facilities connect to the grid and require data centers to pay for the costs of their electric infrastructure. The governor also directed the commission and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the state’s electricity grid, to review their authority and “identify actions that can be taken under those authorities to safeguard Texans, their property, and resources.”

PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson responded to the governor’s letter this month, outlining the steps the two agencies had already taken to prepare for an influx of data centers to the state. Most of the policies began before the governor’s directive and were undertaken in response to a state law passed in the 2025 legislative session. Gleeson said the PUCT and ERCOT have adopted new requirements for data centers looking to join the grid. He said they’ve also taken steps to ensure existing power plants continue to provide energy to everyday Texans, even when those facilities will power a new data center.

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Houston Chronicle – July 28, 2026

Texas electricity demand keeps breaking records. The added demand of data centers will raise prices: Chris Tomlinson*

Texas shattered the record for electricity demand last week, and this week we’ll likely set another record. The grid managed just fine, without any need for emergency text messages, mandatory power cuts or brownouts. The grid is strong thanks to an all-of-the-above strategy, which is exactly how the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is designed. But the huge electricity needs of AI data centers is threatening to throw a new wrench in ERCOT’s delicate balance of pricing and demand.  ERCOT starts planning 24 hours in advance with a weather forecast and an estimate for how much power will be needed. Generators bid in their lowest prices per megawatt-hour, and ERCOT keeps contracting until they have the amount they need. When the power is consumed the next day, every generator gets paid the same price as the most expensive megawatt.

On Aug. 10, 2023, ERCOT set a record of 85,508 megawatts and called on all Texans to conserve energy. But this year, ERCOT met 91,308 megawatts without any problem. Natural gas provided 52% of the mix, solar 18%, coal 11%, wind 8%, nuclear 5% and battery storage 3% for the 7 p.m. hour on July 22.  Renewable sources like solar, batteries and wind are the fastest-growing segment of the Texas fuel mix and provide the cushion. Without them, ERCOT could not have met the record demand last week or this week. They are why the grid has more than 100,000 megawatts ready to meet our needs.

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KOAT – July 28, 2026

Xcel Energy unveils power expansion plan to meet growth

Xcel Energy is planning a major expansion of its electric generation fleet to keep pace with growing demand across Texas and New Mexico. The utility announced a proposed portfolio of projects totaling nearly 4,000 megawatts of new capacity that would come online by 2030, pending regulatory approval.

The proposal includes new wind farms, solar facilities, battery storage and a natural gas power plant designed to provide electricity when renewable resources are unavailable. Company officials said the mix of generation sources is intended to balance affordability with grid reliability as communities continue to grow and electricity use rises.

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Utility Dive – July 29, 2026

DOE mulls changes to Biden-era transformer rule, raising utility concerns

The Trump administration is considering revising energy efficiency requirements for distribution transformers that were approved two years ago to wide industry acclaim, generating fresh concerns among utilities and other electric sector stakeholders about grid expansion bottlenecks. The new rules, set to go into effect in 2029, adjust transformer efficiency targets to require the use of more amorphous electrical steel in the critical grid equipment, along with the grain-oriented electrical steel, or GOES, that’s most common now.

DOE’s 2024 rule change ultimately took a middle-ground approach, allowing the use of both GOES and amorphous steel to ensure manufacturers can meet the growing need for grid equipment. When the rule was finalized, timelines to acquire new distribution transformers were running 18 months or longer, and the fear was that a rapid restructuring of manufacturing and steel supply chains would worsen the situation.   Stakeholders at the time praised the rule for balancing efficiency gains with market realities.

 

Regulatory

 

Renewable Energy World – July 27, 2026

FERC takes action to streamline reviews for hydropower projects with ‘minimal’ environmental impact

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently unanimously approved measures to simplify its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review procedures for hydropower-related actions with what it describes as “minimal environmental impact.” These regulatory changes are meant to increase efficiency and accelerate approvals while upholding environmental standards, FERC said. “We must move important approvals forward quickly while ensuring we fully meet our NEPA obligations,” FERC Chairman Laura V. Swett said. “Today’s actions are practical, common-sense solutions that streamline our hydropower environmental review processes and allow us to better focus our efforts on reviewing large-scale projects.”

Congress has enabled federal agencies to create categorical exclusions, the use of which satisfies NEPA without the need to prepare an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement, for certain types of actions that normally do not ‘significantly affect” the quality of the human environment. According to research by the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences at George Washington University, under the FAST-41 framework categorical exclusion permits are typically completed in under six months, with a median of 0.95 months. Non-federal hydropower licenses have a median of 33 months to complete on the other hand.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 28, 2026

U.S. Environmentalists Go Easy on China*

A senior judge of China’s Supreme People’s Court participated in an March 2023 online seminar sponsored by a U.S. environmental-law group and used the platform to talk up Xi Jinping’s climate-change policies. It was a strange presentation for an American legal nonprofit to support, especially one that is supposedly politically neutral and has received millions of dollars in federal grants. But it was on brand for the Environmental Law Institute, a Washington group that says it has trained thousands of American judges on climate-change issues and the law.

Issues central to ELI’s judicial-education campaign have come before the American judiciary at many levels—from state trial courts in California and Hawaii to the U.S. Supreme Court in Suncor v. Boulder, which the justices will hear in their fall term. What’s become clearer is the machinery driving this litigation campaign. A new report, “ELI and Communist China,” from the national-security organization State Armor shows how a group that presents itself as a neutral environmental organization has promoted a pro-China agenda. Earlier this month, an ELI spokesman told the Daily Signal that its work with China concluded in 2024 and “was no different than our typical work in the United States—sharing evidence-based best practices on environmental regulation, not advancing the interests of the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party.”

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gCaptain – July 29, 2026

The Case for the Jones Act: American Commerce, Workers, Security: James L. Henry

For more than 130 days, President Trump has waived the Jones Act, letting foreign ships carry cargo between American ports. Supporters of the waiver call this free trade. It isn’t.  Moving oil from Texas to New Jersey is domestic commerce, not trade, any more than a UPS truck crossing state lines is trade. Once you accept the “trade” framing, you’ve already lost the argument. This is a domestic commerce rule, not a trade barrier, and it shouldn’t be treated as one.

Waiver advocates also argue the Jones Act fleet is fully booked anyway, so the waiver costs nothing. That’s false. Vessels have sat idle for months waiting for work, brokers report they can’t secure contracts for clients, and an analysis by Navigistics Consulting found that in the waiver’s first 60 days, nearly 90% of the diverted voyages could have been handled by Jones Act vessels. The harm is real. It just hasn’t been tallied until now. The American maritime industry commissioned PwC, one of the Big 4 accounting firms, to model what a long-term waiver would cost.

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Wednesday July 29, 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 rose sharply Wednesday in Asia trading, following renewed tensions in the Middle East after Iran launched an attack on American forces, while the U.S. along with the Saudis struck Tehran-backed sites in Iraq.

West Texas Intermediate futures advanced 2.39% to $81.65 per barrel at 4:28 am CDT.

Futures for international benchmark Brent crude for September delivery gained 2.76% to $86.85 a barrel.

“Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East,” according to a post on X by the U.S. Central Command.

U.S. and Saudi forces also struck “multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites” in eastern Iraq on Tuesday stateside, retaliating against more than 30 drone attacks in the past three days by “Iran-aligned terrorists,” Centcom said.

 

Top Stories

 

CNBC – July 28, 2026

Iran launches surprise ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East

Iran targeted U.S. forces in the Middle East with several ballistic missiles late Tuesday stateside, U.S. Central Command said, raising tensions in the Middle East that had seen hostilities put on brief pause. Centcom in a post on X said that the attack originated from Iran, but all missiles were intercepted. “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East.“

While the U.S. military command did not specify where the attacks were aimed at, Axios reported the attack was directed at a U.S. base in Jordan, citing U.S. officials. In a subsequent statement posted on X, Centcom said U.S. and Saudi forces struck “multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites” in eastern Iraq Tuesday stateside, retaliating against more than 30 drone attacks in the past three days by “Iran-aligned terrorists.“

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Energy Now – July 28, 2026

CenterPoint Energy Beats Q2 Profit Estimates, Boosts 10-Year Capital Investment Plan

U.S. utility CenterPoint Energy beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit on Tuesday and increased its 10-year capital ​investment plan by $1.2 billion, aided by rising power ‌demand in the Houston service territory. Utilities are pouring billions of dollars into capital spending as they field massive requests for new power capacity ​from Big Tech firms scouring for viable locations ​for data centers to handle complex AI-related tasks.

• The company ⁠raised its capex plan for 2026 through 2035 to $66.7 ​billion from $65.5 billion.
• The ballooning electricity demand from data centers, however, ​has also led to rising electricity prices and raised concerns around affordability.
• “We know that the most impactful way we can positively affect customer ​affordability is to help facilitate regional economic growth and ​connect more new customers onto our system,” said CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells.
• The ‌company ⁠now projects 14 gigawatts (GW) of eligible base or studied load by 2031, which is a 65% increase from its current system peak demand of 21 GW.

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E&E News By Politico – July 28, 2026

Data center boom sparks lobbying surge

The number of companies, associations and advocacy groups lobbying around data center issues more than doubled this spring compared to the same time last year as Congress and the Trump administration sought to address the industry’s rapid growth. More than 200 entities lobbied between April and June on proposals to prevent data center electric demand from spiking utility rates, a nationwide moratorium on new facilities and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s actions around how to connect the massive electricity users to the grid, a review of new federal lobbying disclosures by POLITICO showed.

It’s a sharp increase from the same quarter in 2025, when fewer than 100 companies and groups reported lobbying on data center matters. “At this point, almost all my clients are lobbying on this,” said Elizabeth Whitney, who represents electric cooperatives and municipal power utilities as managing principal at the firm Meguire Whitney. The Washington lobbying rose as concern about the energy and environmental impacts of data centers exploded around the country and action trickled up from city halls and county commission to the White House and Congress, according to the disclosures. The intense lobbying hasn’t stopped lawmakers and administration officials from acting on data centers, but it’s at least keeping national moratorium demands at bay.

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World Oil – July 28, 2026

Q&A: Texas RRC Chairman lays out his agenda for remainder of the year

Interview with Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Jim Wright  It continues to be a busy year for Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Jim Wright, despite not prevailing in the Republican primary run-off election in late May. Indeed, the chairman is working on a variety of issues, including the building of partnerships to gain greater access to Canadian crude for blending purposes; trying to stabilize gasoline and diesel prices; looking for additional markets for Texas crude exports; and keeping an eye on foreign participation in Texas oil and gas properties.

With the first item in mind, Chairman Wright traveled to Calgary in early June to participate in a Global Energy Show panel discussion and also meet with Canadian officials and companies. After his panel participation, the chairman sat down with World Oil Editor-in-Chief Kurt Abraham for an exclusive interview,

 

The Latest TERse Tips

Texas senators are questioning whether some of the country’s most profitable technology companies still need billions of dollars in state tax breaks after the cost of a data center incentive program surged to $3.3 billion in 2026 — members of the Texas Senate Finance Committee on Monday also raised concerns about how closely the state monitors the 138 data centers now receiving sales tax exemptions on equipment and electricity — KXAS

Dallas-based oil company HF Sinclair will spin off its lubricants and specialty products segment, which includes the Sinclair Opaline motor oil that has been on the market for a century — Dallas Morning News*

Multiple power outages are being reported across El Paso on Monday evening, with over a thousand residents without power as triple-digit heat continues — according to El Paso Electric’s power outage map, residents across El Paso are without power as of about 7:00 pm, with an expected restoration time of 10:00 pm as multiple outages are seen across the city — KFOX

Texas music legend Willie Nelson on Tuesday came out against data center development, adding his voice to a growing chorus of bipartisan critics — San Antonio Express-News*

Now Meta is no longer part of the RE100, a corporate renewable energy initiative, after a decade of membership, the company confirmed to TechCrunch today. The breakup was mutual, according to a Meta spokesperson — Yahoo! Finance

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Oil & Gas Texas

 

Reuters – July 28, 2026

Cheniere gets approval to introduce natural gas into final LNG expansion plant*

U.S. regulators have approved Cheniere Energy’s request to introduce natural ‌gas into Train 7 of its Corpus Christi LNG export project ​in south Texas, according ​to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ⁠letter issued on Tuesday.

• The ​approval takes the largest U.S. ​LNG exporter one step closer to production from its seventh and final train ​at its Corpus Christi midscale ​expansion project.
• Corpus Christi Stage 3 is ‌designed ⁠to add more than 10 million metric tons of LNG, expanding U.S. LNG export capacity ​as developers ​seek ⁠to meet growing global demand for the superchilled ​fuel.
• The U.S. is the ​world’s ⁠largest LNG exporter, and Cheniere is the second largest LNG ⁠producer ​in the world.

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Texas Tribune – July 28, 2026

Texas imports of Venezuelan oil soar as war chokes off Middle East supply

Imports of Venezuelan crude oil into the Gulf Coast have sharply risen in the months since the U.S. took control of Venezuela’s oil industry, giving Texas oil refiners a boost during the historic energy supply shock triggered by the Iran war. Average imports have increased from roughly 110,000 barrels per day in January, when U.S. military forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and took him to a New York jail, to 575,000 barrels per day in June, according to federal data.

It’s the largest average daily import volume from Venezuela since 2018, the year of Maduro’s disputed reelection that eventually led to Trump administration sanctions that effectively banned Venezuelan oil imports to the U.S. beginning in 2019. The Texas coast has received the largest share of imports so far this year — 43% of Venezuelan oil has flowed to the more than 10 Texas refineries equipped to handle Venezuela’s heavy crude grade, according to S&P Global Energy. Another 39% has gone to Louisiana refiners, while the remainder has moved to Mississippi and Delaware.

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gasworld – July 28, 2026

Nippon Sanso Matheson to build $5.4m industrial gas site in Texas

Industrial gas major Nippon Sanso Matheson plans to build a $5.4m office and production facility in San Antonio, Texas, according to a filling with Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Construction on the plant is scheduled to start 1 August 2026, with completion expected on 1 August 2027.

The project is a privately funded, new construction on private land. According to gasworld Intelligence, Nippon Sanso Matheson already operates an air separation unit (ASU) in San Antonio, with a capacity of around 500 tonnes per day. In wider Texas, gasworld Intelligence believes Nippon Sanso Matheson to have 11 industrial gas plants.

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Midland Reporter-Telegram – July 28, 2026

Protect the Permian, power West Texas: Todd Staples, TXOGA*

For more than a decade, oil and natural gas operators across the Permian Basin have been sounding the alarm with a stark warning: the electric grid that powers the world’s most productive oil and natural gas field is running on a system built for a West Texas of the past. Teeming with reliable energy resources, the Permian Basin is the driving force behind Texas’ economy and America’s energy security. State royalties and taxes paid by Texas’ oil and natural gas industry fund our schools, universities, roads, public safety initiatives and many other services Texans rely on. In turn, nearly 500,000 Texans have good-paying jobs in the Lone Star State’s energy sector, and millions more have jobs because of this indispensable activity.

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KTBC – July 26, 2026

Can Democratic Representative Jon Rosenthal flip the Texas Railroad Commission?

Democratic State Representative Jon Rosenthal (HD-135) is seeking to become Texas’ next Railroad Commissioner, saying it’s time for someone with firsthand oil and gas experience to lead the agency and bring meaningful change. Rosenthal has represented House District 135 for nearly eight years. A mechanical engineer, he spent more than 25 years working in the oil and gas industry before serving four terms in the Texas House. Now, the Houston-area lawmaker is taking his campaign statewide.

Rosenthal said he decided to run following the widespread power outages during Winter Storm Uri in 2021, which exposed weaknesses in Texas’ energy infrastructure. “When the chairman of the Energy Resources Committee flatly refused to act on the problem, I was extremely frustrated. I used some coarse language… I had decided I was going to come back to address this problem, and this is me coming back to address that problem,” Rosenthal shared. “The first thing is weatherizing natural gas facilities, and we’re [the oil and gas industry] already working on it… In that, you want to make sure that your most critical production fields will stay up and operating if a massive winter storm happens again, and so I would just work with industry on reliability plans to weatherize our most critical natural gas facilities.”

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Egypt Oil & Gas – July 27, 2026

US Receives First Iraqi Fuel Oil Cargoes via Syria

The US has imported fuel oil of Iraqi origin shipped through Syria for the first time, marking a new milestone in Iraq’s efforts to diversify its export routes amid ongoing disruptions to Gulf shipping caused by the Iran war. According to shipping data from Kpler and sources familiar with the operations, three Aframax tankers loaded Iraqi fuel oil at Syria’s Mediterranean port of Baniyas between June and July for delivery to the US Gulf Coast. The cargoes originated in Iraq and were transported by truck across the Iraqi-Syrian border before being loaded onto vessels at Baniyas.

The first tanker, On Passion, departed Baniyas on June 17 carrying approximately 716,600 barrels of fuel oil. Around 487,600 barrels were discharged in the Bahamas in mid-July, while the remaining cargo is scheduled for delivery to Texas later this month. The second vessel, Nissos Christina, loaded around 288,500 barrels before departing by July 8 and is expected to arrive at the US Gulf Coast in early August. Meanwhile, Green Warrior loaded about 414,400 barrels of fuel oil in mid-to-late July and is scheduled to reach the US during the third week of August, according to Kpler.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

S&P Global Platts – July 28, 2026

Houthi threat triggers tanker crunch as Saudi oil reroutes

The Houthi naval blockade on Saudi Arabia has forced a mass rerouting of its crude that is tightening global tanker supply and forcing up freight rates, traders and analysts have said, adding stress to a global oil market already under strain. Saudi Arabia has increasingly depended on its East-West pipeline as an outlet for its crude, allowing Asian buyers to lift cargo from Yanbu on the Red Sea without relying on the Strait of Hormuz.

Some 3.9 million b/d of crude loaded from Yanbu in the second quarter of 2026, more than double last year’s level, of which roughly 80% went East of Suez, according to location signals detected by S&P Global Commodities at Sea. However, since Yemen’s Houthi militia announced its blockade, most shipping operators have treated southbound Saudi oil transits through the Bab al-Mandab strait as completely off-limits, opting instead to leave the Red Sea via the Suez Canal and sail around the entire African continent in order to reach Asia.

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Streamline Feed – July 28, 2026

UAE Advances Bold Diplomatic Gambit to Rebuild Iran Trade Ties

The United Arab Emirates is quietly executing a high-stakes diplomatic and economic gambit, aggressively rebuilding its traditional trade networks with Iran while simultaneously deepening its strategic defence relationships with the United States and Israel. Five months after the severe threat of Iranian drone strikes temporarily hollowed out Dubai’s bustling financial district, the emirate has orchestrated a rapid return to commercial normalcy, reflecting a masterclass in regional geopolitical balancing.

The normalisation of commerce is palpably visible along the Emirates’ coastlines, where traditional wooden dhows are once again navigating the turquoise waters of the Gulf, ferrying essential cargo between Dubai ports and Iranian coastal cities. In the financial sector, the high-rise offices that anchor global banking and asset management operations are fully staffed, signaling profound institutional confidence in the UAE’s security apparatus. For policymakers in Kenya tracking the stability of the vital Indian Ocean trade corridors, the UAE’s ability to pacify immediate security threats without severing long-term economic ties provides a crucial blueprint for maritime stability.

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The Times (UK) – July 20, 2026

Labour to deny Trump by sticking to ban on new oil licences

Andy Burnham will retain Labour’s ban on new oil and gas exploration licences in the North Sea despite the claims of President Trump that he is “opening up all the way”. The incoming prime minister is expected to announce on Monday that he intends to usher in more drilling as part of the transition towards net zero.

New drilling, however, will be confined to “tie-backs”, which involve drilling next to existing sites, and potentially the approval of drilling at Rosebank and Jackdaw, two sites where proposals are already going through the planning process. Lucy Powell, Labour’s deputy leader and a close Burnham ally, confirmed that the ban on new licences, which was in Labour’s 2024 manifesto, would stand. Burnham’s stance was a “change of emphasis” rather than a change of policy, she said.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

KSAT – July 28, 2026

Texas law shields San Antonio-area data center water usage from public records requests

As data centers rapidly expand across South Texas, KSAT Investigates learned the public cannot find out how much water San Antonio-area data centers are using because of a Texas law that its author says is being interpreted far more broadly than intended. Water is used to cool and produce power used by data centers. Data centers could potentially account for 3% to 9% of Texas’ water use by 2040, according to a report from University of Texas at Austin researchers.

A 39-acre plot of land in Cibolo is expected to become home to a new data center. Legacy Investing plans to build a 243,000-square-foot facility on the property, according to the San Antonio Business Journal. Nearby resident Davin Hicks started a petition to move the planned facility. He said many neighbors didn’t realize that the project was planned until recently.

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KUHF NPR – July 28, 2026

Texas energy agencies respond to governor’s data center directive by requesting more authority from lawmakers

Related: Texans rallied at the State Capitol today, urging Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special legislative session and strengthen oversight of data centers, as the Senate Finance Committee held a public hearing on the state’s growing tax incentive program; chanting “special session now,” demonstrators gathered outside the Capitol to voice concerns about how and where data centers are being built particularly in rural areas where residents worry about impacts on water, agriculture and local infrastructure — “Our state, our citizens deserve complete transparency and full disclosure when it comes to these data centers, and what they’re funding,” said Sid Miller, Commissioner of Agriculture of Texas — KLTV

Texas’ power grid operators are calling for state lawmakers to expand their authority to regulate data centers, following a recent directive to rein in these facilities from Gov. Greg Abbott. In a letter to the agencies last month, Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to take action to ensure that data centers lower residents’ energy bills when the facilities connect to the grid and require data centers to pay for the costs of their electric infrastructure.

The governor also directed the commission and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the state’s electricity grid, to review their authority and “identify actions that can be taken under those authorities to safeguard Texans, their property, and resources.” PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson responded to the governor’s letter this month, outlining the steps the two agencies had already taken to prepare for an influx of data centers to the state. Most of the policies began before the governor’s directive and were undertaken in response to a state law passed in the 2025 legislative session.

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Utility Dive – July 28, 2026

CenterPoint says 14 GW likely eligible for Texas’ ‘Batch Zero’ large-load interconnection

CenterPoint Energy submitted more than 17 GW of large load projects to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ new large-load interconnection process and expects 14 GW to be eligible as base load or studied load, officials said Tuesday in the company’s second quarter earnings call. Texas regulators approved the new rules in June. The first set of projects to navigate the new process is called “Batch Zero.”

The 14 GW would represent a more than 65% increase from the company’s current Houston-area peak system demand of 21 GW, company officials said. The utility is anticipating 50% load growth by the end of 2029. “Based on projected load ramps sought by customers, we expect nearly all of these projects to be energized by the end of 2030,” CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells told analysts. “We are confident the combined 14 GW of base load and study load are well positioned to move forward in the Batch Zero process, given the level of customer commitments already secured.”

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Korea Herald – July 28, 2026

Korea eyes $19.8b Texas gas power project as 1st US investment deal

South Korea is nearing a decision to back a $19.8 billion gas-fired power project in Texas as the first investment under its strategic US investment commitment, according to government and industry sources Tuesday. The project, planned for Encinal, Texas, would have 6.4 gigawatts of generation capacity and is under final discussion between Seoul and Washington.

Korea is expected to invest in the project through an equity stake in a special-purpose vehicle, with major Korean engineering and plant companies also likely to take part. The investment is expected to be financed through Korea’s US strategic investment fund, with the size of Seoul’s contribution and equity stake still under discussion. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan raised the project with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Energy Secretary Chris Wright during a visit to Washington from July 22 to Saturday, as the two sides worked through its financing structure and commercial viability.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 28, 2026

An Underground Nuclear Reactor Is Coming to This Kansas Town—and Dividing Locals*

Residents of this sleepy farming outpost agree on many things. But whether to put an experimental nuclear reactor a mile deep in the granite beneath their town isn’t one of them. Elected officials and some others see a chance to create jobs and lure data centers and manufacturers to a rural patch whose economy has been flatter than the surrounding cornfields. Another group is effectively saying “not under my backyard.” “I put $125,000 into my house, and now a nuclear reactor is coming to town,” said Jerel Johnson, an IT professional who planned to retire in Parsons. “I can’t think of a worse idea.”

No one has tried operating a commercial nuclear reactor deep underground—until now. The so-called Gravity Reactor is the creation of Liz Muller and her father, Richard Muller, emeritus professor of physics at University of California, Berkeley and an inventor. They founded Deep Fission, a three-year-old California startup that has raised around $150 million in the past year, including $40 million last month through an initial public offering, largely to fund the work in Parsons. Parsons, with a population of 9,600, sits about midway between Kansas City and Tulsa, Okla. Deep Fission drilled a first test hole this spring on 100 acres at a mostly overgrown industrial park dotted with old munitions bunkers just outside town.

On a recent day, Maurice LaFountain, Deep Fission’s senior engineering director, showed off pink-flecked granite retrieved from the company’s first test hole and joked that the billion-year-old rock would make a nice countertop. An empty steel canister sat on a cleared drill pad, waiting to go down a second hole this year. The plan is to send another one loaded with nuclear fuel into a third hole to heat water a mile underground and generate electricity on the surface in 2027 or 2028—an astonishingly short time frame by industry standards.

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Neutron Bytes – July 26, 2026

DOE OKs Startup of Oklo Research Reactor in Texas

• DOE OKs Startup of Oklo Research Reactor in Texas
• Blue Core Raises $10M for Floating LWR Type SMRs
• US Plans To Evaluate Feasibility Of Undersea Nuclear Reactors
• Samsung Heavy Inks Deal with U.S. Firm on FSMR development
• Amentum Selected for Savannah River AI Project
• Standard Nuclear Announces Licensing and Construction Milestones
• Clean Core Thorium Energy and Quadrant Nuclear Industries in MOU for HALEU
• Newcleo Announces MOX Fuel Licensing In France

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Texas Observer – July 28, 2026

With Texas’ Data Center Boom, Uncertainty Is the Business Plan

The usual worry about Texas’ data center boom is that the state is flying partly blind. It does not yet know how much electricity these projects will actually need, how much water they will take, or whether the tax breaks offered in the name of growth will return enough to justify their cost. That sounds, at first, like a paperwork problem: collect better numbers, build a better spreadsheet, close the gap, and the problem is solved. But the longer you sit with the missing information, the less accidental it looks. The uncertainty does not fall evenly. Again and again, it gives developers room to maneuver while leaving the public to plan around promises it cannot fully test.

Start with demand. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has a queue of large-load requests, meaning any single site asking to draw more than 75 megawatts, that now totals roughly 439 gigawatts. Data centers account for almost 90 percent, with cryptomining operations and industrial plants making up most of the rest. For scale, the most electricity Texas has ever drawn at one time is 87,403 megawatts, set on July 21 of this year. The queue is more than five times that. Separate estimates put the capacity that data centers have actually connected and are drawing today at closer to 7.5 gigawatts.

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Associated Press – July 26, 2026

As Trump boosts nuclear power, regulators seek to eliminate a longstanding radiation safety practice

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to eliminate a foundational safety principle that has for 50 years minimized the radiation people in the United States are exposed to and that has been adopted around the world. Currently, facilities such as nuclear plants, hospitals or academic institutions that use radioactive materials must ensure radiation exposures are kept “as low as reasonably achievable” — the ALARA principle. The NRC proposal would abandon that philosophy while keeping a separate standard on maximum radiation exposure.

The two standards have worked together in radiation safety. Dose limits set the maximum amount of radiation the public and radiation workers can be exposed to, while ALARA kept radiation exposure as low as practical under those limits. Research shows radiation exposure increases a person’s chance of getting cancer, a risk that increases as the dose increases.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 28, 2026

The Price to Finance the AI Data Center Boom Is Rising, Just Ask Meta*

Meta Platforms is counting on Wall Street to pick up the tab for a massive artificial-intelligence spending spree. It picked a time when lenders’ wallets are starting to feel light. A borrowing binge this year for big tech companies is giving debt investors fatigue and pushing up the cost of capital across the industry. Lenders on Monday demanded higher yields on bonds from a new data-center project in El Paso, Texas, leased by Meta compared with a similar project last year. Concerns about more AI-adjacent debt coming, especially after an aggressive spending forecast from Alphabet’s Google last week sparked a selloff in tech stocks and helped push down prices of bonds from companies like Microsoft and Amazon.com in recent days.

 

Regulatory

 

The Hill – July 28, 2026

5 states could take nuclear waste under Trump administration initiative

The Trump administration is eyeing five states that could accept nuclear waste, which has been a longtime issue with nuclear power.  The Energy Department said Tuesday that it signed memorandums of agreement with Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Idaho to explore possible nuclear waste storage in these states.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration indicated that it hopes to move forward quickly with new nuclear waste storage sites, saying it hopes to get “initial facilities online in the 2027 timeframe.” “I’m pleased to announce that after reviewing 28 applications from 26 states, the Energy Department has selected five initial contenders to further explore building Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a written statement.

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Tuesday July 28, 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 extended their losses Tuesday after a pause in fighting between the U.S. and Iran held, raising hopes for a de-escalation in the Middle East conflict that has upended energy supplies.

West Texas Intermediate crude futures for September delivery dropped 2.3% to $80.71 a barrel.

Benchmark Brent crude futures for September delivery fell more than 2% to $86.52 a barrel.

While Tehran has rejected reports that it has agreed to a 10-day ceasefire with the U.S., there has been a temporary pause in hostilities.

That follows reports of diminished U.S. munitions. President Donald Trump, who on Friday told Axios that he was considering a “massive attack” on Iran, later set those plans aside amid arms stockpile concerns, The New York Times reported.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday en route to Michigan, Trump dismissed suggestions that the U.S. was running short on weapons, saying the military had “plenty” of ordnance.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia said on Tuesday that recent decline in oil prices reflects easing concerns over an immediate escalation between the U.S. and Iran, but cautioned that risks to global energy supplies remain elevated.

 

Top Stories

 

The Wall Street Journal – July 27, 2026

Iran and Oman Seek Agreement on the Hormuz in Bid to Jumpstart Peace Talks*

A lull in fighting between the U.S. and Iran has accelerated diplomacy aimed at a short-term fix for the most contentious issue of the war—restarting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran and Oman huddled throughout the weekend and into Monday to hammer out an arrangement for ships to safely pass through a waterway that carried 20% of the world’s oil production before the war slowed traffic to a crawl. The narrowly focused talks aren’t meant to end the U.S.-Iran conflict once and for all, but mediators hope even a temporary agreement on an important issue could cool tempers, allow a lifting of maritime blockades and ultimately juice talks on implementing a preliminary peace deal that Washington and Tehran reached in June.

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The Texan – July 27, 2026

Texas Senate Committee to Review Decade-Old Data Center Tax Breaks

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Houston Chronicle – July 27, 2026

A rare bipartisan coalition takes aim at Texas data centers, urging Abbott to call a special session*

Related: Texas Senate panel raises concerns over tax exemption for data centers — San Antonio Express-News*

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Pipeline & Gas Journal – July 27, 2026

Silver Hill Advances Texas Gas Project Under FAST-41

Silver Hill Energy Partners has begun construction on its Cobra Master Development Plan in East Texas after securing federal approvals through the FAST-41 permitting process, which the company said reduced the project’s permitting timeline to less than one year. Located in Shelby County, Texas, the project includes a 20-inch natural gas pipeline, associated infrastructure within the Sabine National Forest, and up to four well pads supporting as many as 24 natural gas wells on existing federal mineral leases.

Silver Hill worked with engineering and environmental consulting firm Reagan Smith to coordinate permitting with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management under the federal FAST-41 program, which is designed to improve coordination for major infrastructure projects requiring multiple federal approvals. Company officials said the streamlined review process allowed the project to move into construction more quickly than a traditional federal permitting schedule.

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S&P Global Platts – July 27, 2026

DOE issues emergency order as SPP, MISO extend weather-related grid advisories

Continued hot weather is driving the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and Southwest Power Pool to extend weather-related grid advisories as the US Department of Energy issued an emergency order to SPP, which could break a peakload record on July 27.

The DOE issued an emergency order to keep the power on during the region’s energy emergency brought on by hot weather conditions, the DOE said in a July 26 statement. The order, in effect from July 26 through Aug. 3, directs SPP to dispatch specified generation units and to order their operation as needed to maintain reliability. The order also authorizes SPP to direct backup generation resources to operate as a last resort before declaring an Energy Emergency Alert 3 or during an EEA 3. The order is intended to provide SPP with additional operational flexibility through Aug. 3 if an energy emergency occurs, SPP spokesperson Seth Blomeley said July 27.

 

The Latest TERse Tips

Phillips 66 reported a process upset at its 277,000 bpd Sweeny refinery in Texas after lightning from Tropical Storm Bertha disrupted Unit 35 — Quantum Intelligence*

NRG Energy hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday (07/23/2026) in Tomball, TX to celebrate the official commissioning and operations of unit 6162 at its TH Wharton Generating Station — BIC

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Oil & Gas Texas

 

S&P Global Platts – July 27, 2026

Refiners seek court order forcing EPA to decide small refinery exemptions

Two oil refiners have asked a federal appeals court to order the Environmental Protection Agency to decide their hardship exemption applications by Aug. 11, warning that further delays will render the renewable fuel credits at stake in their legal victory worthless. Alon Refining Krotz Springs and HF Sinclair filed an emergency motion with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on July 24, according to public court records, saying the EPA has failed to act 108 days after the court vacated the agency’s denial of their small-refinery exemptions from 2024 Renewable Fuel Standard obligations. The refiners said the EPA’s inaction threatens to nullify their court win by allowing compliance credits known as Renewable Identification Numbers to expire on Sept. 1.

The motion marks an escalation in a dispute over the refiners’ applications for relief from federal mandates requiring fuel suppliers to blend renewable fuels into their products. The DC Circuit in April ordered the EPA to reconsider its August 2025 denials of the exemption requests, noting the agency had 90 days under the Clean Air Act to act. That deadline passed July 23 with no EPA decision, according to the filing.

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Texas Tribune – July 27, 2026

Floodwater delays Corpus Christi’s water emergency until fall 2028

Corpus Christi got “tremendous” news Monday when the city’s projected water emergency was delayed until fall 2028 — a year later than previously anticipated — as floodwater from recent intense storms continues flowing into some of the region’s reservoirs. Water heading downstream from hard-hit areas of Texas is expected to continue arriving in area reservoirs, potentially easing water-use restrictions for city residents and giving Corpus Christi added time and breathing room to strengthen its water system.

“This is really, really good news for the community, and it gives us time to bring on our water supply projects without the stress of heading into a Level 1 water emergency,” City Manager Peter Zanoni said at a morning water briefing. Corpus Christi, Texas’ eighth-largest city, has been racing to avoid a water emergency in which demand outpaces available water supplies. For months the city has been under pressure to find new sources of water for 500,000 people served across seven counties, along with one of the nation’s largest petrochemical corridors and the Port of Corpus Christi, the country’s top port for crude oil exports. Officials have asked residents and businesses to cut their water use.

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Reuters – July 27, 2026

Baker Hughes flags lower spending by oil and gas producers in 2026*

Baker Hughes said on Monday it expects annual global spending by oil and gas producers to decline modestly this year, with growth in Latin America, offshore Africa, and onshore in North America offset by lower spending in Europe and the Middle East. Energy ​markets this year have been roiled by repeated flare-ups in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, forcing producers to take ​a more cautious stance instead of increasing drilling activity.

“Customers remain focused on maximizing production from ⁠existing assets while preserving flexibility to respond to evolving market conditions,” CEO Lorenzo Simonelli said on a conference call ​with analysts after the company reported earnings on Sunday. Shares of the oilfield services provider were up more than 6%, ​after it beat quarterly profit estimates, with industrial and energy technology orders doubling year-over-year to a record $7.1 billion. But Baker warned that the IET segment is expected to face a 1%-2% revenue hit from the disruptions caused by the conflict.

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Austin American-Statesman – July 27, 2026

Texas company’s China fuel contracts promised millions. A Houston investor alleges fraud.*

An oil deal in China was supposed to pay millions to a group of Texans, but one investor says the deal may never have existed. Round Rock-based Fuel Group Trading LLC said it had contracts with Chinese companies needing a combined 22 million barrels of fuel each month, according to court records. It sold equity in the company, saying $1 million could net an investor as much as $550,000 each month in return. Now the company is facing a lawsuit alleging fraud. It filed for bankruptcy earlier this month.

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Pipeline & Gas Journal – July 27, 2026

Expand Energy to Acquire Twin Eagle in $1.25 Billion Natural Gas Marketing Deal

Expand Energy has agreed to acquire natural gas marketing and optimization company Twin Eagle Holdings for $1.25 billion, a move that expands the producer’s commercial, transportation and storage capabilities across North America. The transaction, expected to close in the third quarter of 2026 pending regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, will be funded through a combination of cash on hand and borrowings under the company’s revolving credit facility.

Twin Eagle markets more than 5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per day of natural gas and manages approximately 44 Bcf of storage capacity along with about 2 billion cubic feet per day of firm transportation. Following the acquisition, the combined company expects to market approximately 14 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, supported by roughly 9 billion cubic feet per day of firm transportation capacity and 49 Bcf of storage.

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KLTV – July 24, 2026

Helium shortage concerns East Texas businesses, medical facilities

Helium may be best known for making balloons float, but it also plays a critical role in modern medicine. Now, as global supply tightens and prices rise, Tyler businesses that rely on helium say they are feeling the impact first, while hospitals keep a close eye on costs. At Balloonaire Club in Tyler, owner Desiree Martinez uses helium every day to fill balloons for customer celebrations. Martinez said demand can vary, but the shop’s usage adds up quickly.

“We spend about 400 cubic feet every two weeks,” Martinez said. Martinez said the changing market makes her nervous, especially when she has to plan ahead for orders and pricing. She said the cost of helium tanks has climbed in recent months. A tank that once cost about $300 is now closer to $400, forcing the business to adjust. Martinez said the price increases affect more than just her bottom line.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

Reuters – July 27, 2026

Houthis say they targeted Saudi east-west oil transport

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis ​said on Monday they targeted a number ‌of sensitive crude oil supply and transport sites linking eastern Saudi Arabia to the critical Red Sea oil export ​hub of Yanbu. Saudi state oil giant ​Aramco did not immediately respond to a ⁠request for comment.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said ​the operation was in response to what he described ​as Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace. Saudi Arabia has re-routed its crude output to Yanbu via its east-west ​pipeline to get around Iranian attacks on ​shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which began after ‌the ⁠U.S. and Israel launched a war on Iran in February.

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The New York Times – July 27, 2026

Cut Off From Fuel, Cuba Is Still Surviving*

They are swapping their gas-guzzling 1950s American cars for electric motorcycles and rickshaws from China; importing hefty lithium batteries to keep televisions and fans running through blackouts; jury-rigging generators to run on more accessible natural gas; and installing solar panels on rooftops and even vehicles. Together, the workarounds amount to a new Cuban energy grid — this one more in the hands of the Cuban people, propping up society with the electricity off and fuel lines dry. These solutions have enabled the Cuban government to ration power by turning on the lights for just a few hours a day, stretching out whatever scarce fuel it has left in an effort to withstand Washington’s intense pressure campaign.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

Interesting Engineering – July 27, 2026

US launches 1.2 GW solar project at coal site with 2 million solar panels

Construction has begun on one of North America’s largest solar developments at an existing coal mining site, with the solar farm project set to expand Texas’ power generation without shutting down the coal plant already operating there. Panamint Capital recently broke ground on the Big Rooter Power project at its Twin Oaks power station in Robertson County, located roughly midway between Dallas and Houston. The $1.7 billion development will add 1.2 gigawatts (GWdc) of solar capacity to the site. According to the company, it will become the largest solar farm built at an active coal mining site in North America.

Despite the large renewable energy investment, the project is not replacing Twin Oaks’ existing 310-megawatt (MW) lignite-fired power plant near Bremond. The coal facility remains operational, and Panamint has not announced any plans to retire it. The solar farm project will be developed in two stages over the next several years. Construction has already started on Big Rooter West, a 491 MWdc solar facility scheduled to begin operations in August 2028. The second phase, Big Rooter East, will add another 658 MWdc. Groundbreaking for that section is planned for December 2026, with commercial operations expected in August 2029.

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Austin American-Statesman – July 27, 2026

The Texas grid held up under record power demand. It wasn’t luck: Matthew Boms, Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance

Triple-digit heat tested the Texas grid last week — and the grid delivered. Last Wednesday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, served a preliminary all-time demand record of 91.3 gigawatts while remaining in normal operating conditions, without emergency alerts or conservation appeals, and with substantial operating reserves. But that didn’t happen by luck. Years of investment and smart policies that encourage energy innovation have created a genuinely diverse resource mix — one that doesn’t rely on any single technology to keep our lights and air conditioners on when supply is tight and demand is high.

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Texas Tribune – July 27, 2026

Texas’ multibillion-dollar sales tax exemption for data centers is growing, while audits lag

Texas’ multibillion-dollar estimate for what it will lose on sales tax breaks for data centers is growing, but the Comptroller’s Office warned lawmakers on Monday they have little information about whether data centers are meeting their promises to be eligible for the exemption.

Out of 138 qualified data centers under the state sales tax exemption program, only 20 have been audited so far. Of those audits, six data centers were found to be breaching the terms of the tax break. At least four of those failed to create the required jobs, one failed to build to the required square footage and one self-reported that its mandated power agreement had fallen through, according to testimony before the Senate Committee on Finance’s interim hearing on data center tax incentives. Those data centers found to be out of compliance will have to pay back the money to the state that was previously waived in sales taxes.

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San Antonio Express-News – July 27, 2026

Century-old farm tied to H-E-B threatened by biggest-ever Texas transmission line*

Atascoca — Back in the 1930s, Michael Adamek’s grandfather loaded produce into the back of his Ford Model T and drove to San Antonio’s Market Square to sell Constanzo Farm vegetables to H-E-B. Once a week, he and other farmers would sit down at a coffee shop where an H-E-B buyer paid for their produce in cash. Nearly 100 years later, the deal between Constanzo Farm and H-E-B still exists. “There’s no contracts,” said Adamek, a fourth-generation farmer. “It is a handshake.”

These days, it looks a little different. Instead of loading a pickup, an 18-wheeler backs into Constanzo Farm every other day to be filled with black boxes brimming with leafy greens like kale, cilantro and beets. The 20 varieties of vegetables the farm grows rotate with the season, but all of them end up on H-E-B shelves. The decades-old partnership could face peril from plans by CPS Energy and American Electric Power to build the largest transmission line in Texas, which would stretch from San Antonio to Fort Stockton. Known as the Howard Solstice, the line stems from a 2023 measure requiring the Public Utility Commission and Electric Reliability Council of Texas to take steps to meet the state’s rapid surge in demand for power.

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KVII – July 27, 2026

Xcel Energy proposes nearly 4,000 megawatts of new generation across Texas, New Mexico

Xcel Energy has selected a proposed portfolio of new power generation projects that includes nearly 4,000 megawatts of wind, solar, battery storage and natural gas generation to help meet growing electricity demand across Texas and New Mexico by 2030.

The utility announced Monday that it plans to add 3,928 megawatts of new generation capacity through a mix of five solar projects, one solar project paired with battery energy storage, four wind projects and one natural gas-fired generation project. The projects were selected after the company evaluated more than 50 proposals through a competitive all-source request for proposals process.

Power Magazine – July 27, 2026

Energy Vault Breaks Ground on AI Campus in Texas for Crusoe Spark Modular Data Centers

Energy Vault, a global energy infrastructure company that supports power grid reliability and next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing infrastructure, on July 27 announced that construction has commenced at its powered AI infrastructure campus in Snyder, Texas, for Crusoe Cloud.

The company said the initial development, referred to as “Snyder AI,” represents the first phase of Energy Vault’s broader development strategy for the site. This construction milestone follows Energy Vault’s previously announced commercial agreement with Crusoe and demonstrates the company’s execution of its AI infrastructure strategy. Phase 1 is designed to deliver an initial 8 MW of powered shell capacity for Crusoe Cloud, with expansion potential to 25 MW in a second phase.

 

Regulatory

 

JD Supra – June 3, 2026

The Power Grid Passed Its Report Card. But Read the Fine Print: Foley & Lardner

What NERC’s 2026 Summer Reliability Assessment tells energy executives about where the power grid actually stands — and why the risks that remain are the ones that matter most.

On May 19, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation released its 2026 Summer Reliability Assessment — the annual report card on whether the U.S. and Canadian power grid can handle summer heat. The headline is reassuring: every assessment area in North America is expected to have adequate resources to meet normal summer peak demand. The number of regions carrying elevated risk dropped from six last year to three. On paper, this summer looks better than the last several.

Read the full report, however, and a more complicated picture emerges. The risks that defined last summer — inadequate reserve margins, insufficient generation capacity — have not been eliminated. They have shifted. The threat has moved from “do we have enough power at all” to “do we have the right kind of power at the right moment.” For energy executives, general counsel, and businesses whose operations depend on reliable electricity, that distinction matters enormously.

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Monday July 27, 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 fell Monday after Iran reportedly said it would suspend attacks as long as a U.S. pause in hostilities remains in place, easing concerns over nearly two weeks of escalating conflict.

West Texas Intermediate crude futures for September delivery similarly dropped over 5% to $84.84 a barrel.

International benchmark Brent crude futures for September delivery fell 4.88% to around $92 a barrel.

Iran has indicated it will stop carrying out attacks as long as the United States also refrains from striking, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing a senior Iranian official.

The pause follows Washington’s decision to suspend its bombing campaign after President Donald Trump’s advisers reportedly warned that the military was running out of viable targets and raised concerns about depleting U.S. weapons stockpiles.

 

Top Stories

 

Texas Monthly – July 24, 2026

This Texas Nominee Keeps Peddling Fascist Conspiracy Theories. State GOP Leaders Are Silent: Robert Downen*

Last week Bo French, the Republican nominee for the Railroad Commission of Texas, sent out a bizarre fundraising email. Framed as a reminder of the 108th anniversary of the Communist overthrow of Russia, the email included an AI-generated image of his Democratic opponent, Jon Rosenthal, smiling in the chambers where the country’s then-ruling Romanov family was executed in 1918. Rosenthal, French’s campaign

If you’re wondering what, exactly, a century-old Russian coup has to do with the railroad commission, which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry, then you’re likely not alone. But among a small audience—those attuned to white supremacist dog whistles—the accusation almost certainly perked up some ears.  You see, Rosenthal is Jewish. And while French did not explicitly name the Bolshevik revolutionaries who overthrew Russia a century ago, the email appears to be nodding to an antisemitic conspiracy theory that claims there is a Jewish Communist cabal intent on controlling the world and stamping out Christianity. Known as Judeo-Bolshevism, the theory was crucial to Adolf Hitler’s rise and a key justification for the Holocaust. It remains central to the worldviews of many modern fascists, who maintain that communism—and, by extension, immigration—are tools used by Jews to destroy the West and white people.

In a statement to Texas Monthly, Rosenthal called French’s post “true to form.” The Texas House member from the Houston area and longtime mechanical engineer in the oil and gas industry continued: “While I’m working on substantive solutions for the people of Texas and our energy grid, his whole campaign is about pejorative and racist attacks.”  Neither French nor his campaign responded this week to numerous requests for an interview, or to clarify whether he intended to invoke the conspiracy theory. But his other recent posts make clear he has a deep familiarity with esoteric racist views that were once largely confined to fringe corners of the far right.

 

Bloomberg – July 24, 2026

Devon Said to Mull $4 Billion Exit From Eagle Ford, Powder River*

Devon Energy Corp. is exploring a sale of its Eagle Ford and Powder River shale assets as part of a streamlining of its portfolio, which together could fetch more than $4 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Devon aims to announce a strategic review of the assets, located in South Texas and Wyoming, respectively, when it reports earnings in early August, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. No final decision has been made, the timing could change or Devon could opt to hold onto the assets, the people added.

A representative for Devon didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. US shale operators have been selling assets to pay down debt following a consolidation wave totaling more than $450 billion in deals since the start of 2023. Devon has been pushed by investors to sell assets and focus on its largest business in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico following its $25 billion acquisition of Coterra Energy Inc., which was announced in February. “Acquiring Coterra further diversifies a fairly diffuse asset base,” Vince Piazza, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, wrote in a July 20 report. “Though Permian concentration will grow, asset sales will likely be needed.”

Kimmeridge Energy Management Co., an outspoken shale investor, criticized Devon’s divestment program this month as too slow. Toms Capital Investment Management, a top-five shareholder in the stock, is considering all options to spur action at Devon, Bloomberg News reported this month. Last month, Devon Chief Executive Officer Clay Gaspar told investors in New York that the company is moving with haste to evaluate its portfolio, calling it a months-long rather than a years-long exercise.

 

Politico – July 24, 2026

Trump’s oil woes are even worse than they look

President Donald Trump’s gasoline price problems are going from bad to worse. It’s not just the Strait of Hormuz, where hostilities have resumed after Trump declared the shaky ceasefire “OVER!” Oil tankers now face attacks along two other major shipping routes, my colleague James Bikales reports today, as Iranian-allied Houthis choked traffic through the Red Sea and Ukraine’s attacks on Russia’s oil industry have throttled supplies coming through the Black Sea.

That triple threat to oil supplies comes as the world has almost exhausted the tactics that kept fuel prices lower than expected at the start of the war. Global fuel inventories, flush in February, are now approaching critical lows. The U.S. has also reached the limit of its refining capacity, using up the slack that had helped keep domestic prices lower than many other countries. “A very large part of the world’s oil supply is surrounded by war,” John Evans, analyst at PVM Oil Associates, said in a client note Thursday. “With cures such as further, higher U.S. production and [Strategic Petroleum Reserve] releases hard to fathom, and with other remedies already played out, this current march higher in crude prices is not only understandable but required.”

 

CNBC – July 25, 2026

Blackstone, Brookfield and KKR sign $16 billion deal with Kuwait for oil pipeline network

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has signed a $16 billion deal to lease and lease back its crude oil pipeline network with a consortium comprising global funds Blackstone, Brookfield Asset Management and KKR, the state-owned Gulf firm said on Saturday. It said it was the largest foreign direct investment in the country’s history. Under the investment called Project Peregrine, KPC’s unit Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) is establishing a joint venture with the three global investors in a lease-and-leaseback structure for a 20.5-year period that includes a volume-based tariff, KPC said in a statement.

“This transaction sends a powerful signal that Kuwait continues to rise as an attractive destination for global capital, even amid a challenging regional environment,” KPC Deputy Chairman and CEO Shaikh Nawaf Saud Al-Sabah said in the statement. The process for the stake sale was launched just before joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Reuters previously reported, citing sources.

 

Associated Press – July 25, 2026

Trump administration admits grants for clean energy were canceled based on politics

The Trump administration has acknowledged in court documents that it canceled $7.6 billion in grants for hundreds of clean energy projects “based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state” — in this case, 16 states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. The statement contradicts repeated assertions by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other officials that the projects were canceled because they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or had other problems that made them a poor investment of taxpayer dollars.

Democrats and environmental groups seized on the court filing Friday, saying the administration had “weaponized” the federal government to kill good jobs and punish working families because of their political views. “This administration has now admitted in court what has long been obvious: it terminated nearly 300 cost-cutting energy projects for no reason other than the fact that the states they were in did not vote for the president in the 2024 election,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state. Both are high-ranking Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees, respectively.

 

The Latest TERse Tips

A Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at ​the Tyumen refinery in western Siberia, ‌but the blaze was later extinguished, local Russian authorities said on Saturday — Reuters*

Peter Lake, a key architect of President Donald Trump’s effort to to grow electricity production for artificial intelligence, is leaving his position at the White House’s National Energy Dominance Council at the end of this month — Lake, a former chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, served as senior director of power for the NEDC, where he helped drive the White House proposals designed to enable data centers to quickly connect to the power grid while establishing measures to help protect ratepayers from additional costs — Politico

Floodwater starts arriving in Corpus Christi reservoirs, sparking hope for a water crisis delay — Choke Canyon has almost doubled its supply of water this week, although the reservoir is still at 15% capacity — Texas Tribune

SLB, the world’s biggest oil field services provider, rose the most in more than six months after the company said it expects constructive oil and gas investment in 2027 driven by supply disruptions from the conflict in the Middle East — Bloomberg*

Kinder Morgan’s expanded Gulf Coast Express pipeline was full soon after it entered service, executives said Wednesday, easing a Permian Basin natural gas glut and strengthening the case for the company’s next wave of takeaway projects — Natural Gas Intelligence*

Last Wednesday, a conglomeration of local, state and federal leaders came together in Texarkana at the first State of Lithium Symposium for the region to examine the future of lithium mining in Texas — the U.S. depends primarily on foreign nations, such as China and Chile, to supply its lithium, which is used in everything from electric vehicle batteries to smartphones — the Smackover Formation, a deep well of salty water stretching from Texas to Florida, has a large store of lithium that has been known about for decades. However, only recently has technology evolved to extract it safely — Texas Tribune

Podcast: Who Will Lead Texas’ Oil & Gas Industry? | Y’all-itics (40 min.) — KHOU

 

Oil & Gas Texas

 

Oil Price – July 24, 2026

US Oil Drillers Take A Break As Oil Prices Hover Near $100

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States fell this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, bringing the total rig count in the US to 587, up 45 from this same time last year. The number of active oil rigs fell by 2, reaching 450 during the latest reporting period, according to the data. This is 35 above this same time last year. The number of gas rigs rose by 1 and now stand at 127, which is 5 more than this time last year. Miscellaneous rigs stayed at 10.

The latest EIA data showed that weekly U.S. crude oil production fell slightly during week ending July 17. US crude oil production averaged 13.798 million bpd during the reporting period, down from 13.861 million bpd last week and up 525,000 bpd from a year ago. Primary Vision’s Frac Spread Count, an estimate of the number of crews completing wells, fell by 4 in the week ending July 17, to 196 crews, after losing 5 in the week prior. The number of active drilling rigs in the Permian Basin fell by 1 in the reporting period, sinking to 258. This is 2 rigs under year-ago levels. The count in the Eagle Ford stayed the same again this week at 47, which is 8 more than this same time last year.

 

Oil & Gas Journal – July 24, 2026

Poll results: Risks to natural gas pipeline construction

Midstream operators and their upstream customers are counting on a wave of new natural gas pipeline capacity to reach markets. Projects like Energy Transfer’s Hugh Brinson and WhiteWater’s Blackcomb pipeline are expected to add more than 5 bcfd of Permian takeaway capacity alone by late 2026, and the broader build-out extends well beyond West Texas. But pipeline construction costs have hit record levels, FERC’s permitting reforms are still working their way through the system, and capital markets remain watchful. History says not every project that gets announced gets built on time, or at all.

A total of 40% of respondents said permitting delays, even with FERC streamlining under way, was the biggest risk to project completion over the next 24 months.

A smaller percentage (27%) said potential crude oil price drop reducing associated gas volumes was the largest risk.

Not far behind was the risk associated with the price of materials. Of those that took the survey, 20% said steel and material cost inflation eroding project economics was the largest risk to project completion.

Thirteen percent of respondents said tightening of finance terms would be the biggest risk.

Participants were evenly split between the financial services/capital providers category and those in consulting roles.

 

Reuters – July 24, 2026

Argent LNG wins US approval for exports to nations with free-trade agreements*

The U.S. Department of Energy ‌has authorized Argent LNG to export liquefied natural gas from its proposed Louisiana export terminal to countries that have free-trade agreements with the U.S., giving the developer a key federal approval as it works toward a final investment decision ​on the project. Argent LNG is a privately held U.S. company developing an LNG export terminal at ​Port Fourchon, Louisiana, about 100 miles (160 km) south of New Orleans. The project ⁠is designed to export up to 25 million metric tons per year of LNG, which would make ​it one of the larger proposed LNG facilities on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The DOE said Argent LNG may ​export up to the equivalent of 1.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year for a 20-year term beginning on the date of the facility’s first commercial export, from its planned project. The authorization, granted on Thursday, also allows the company to ​export any unused volumes during a three-year make-up period following the end of the export term.

 

The Wall Street Journal – July 24, 2026

Chevron Is Trying to Keep Its Kazakh Assets Out of the Russia-Ukraine War*

Chevron Chief Executive Mike Wirth spoke with Trump administration officials earlier this week about a pressing matter: how to keep the U.S. oil giant’s massive operations in Kazakhstan from becoming collateral damage in the Ukraine-Russia war. A recent Ukrainian drone attack hit four tankers, including one chartered by Chevron, in the Black Sea near Novorossiysk. The Russian port is a key oil export hub and the termination point for a pipeline, partly owned by Chevron, that feeds 2% of the world’s daily oil supplies. Crude loadings have since been restricted at the pipeline, forcing Kazakhstan to curb oil production because it has limited storage capacity. Chevron has a lot at stake in the region. Wirth, his lieutenants and other oil-industry leaders engaged with senior U.S. officials this week to discuss oil markets and the situation in the Black Sea to try to protect their interests there, according to people familiar with the matter.

 

Midland Reporter-Telegram – July 25, 2026

Superior expands with Sonic Holdings acquisition*

Superior Energy Services is expanding its focus from drilling and completions to production with the acquisition of Sonic Holdings. “This is a different revenue stream for us,” Josh Shapiro, chief financial officer at Superior, said in a phone interview. Before the Sonic acquisition, he said, Superior’s revenue came from drilling and completion capital expenditures, with some revenue from ongoing production expenditures. Production was a market segment the company wanted to grow, Shapiro said.

 

San Antonio Express-News – July 26, 2026

Industrial gas company to build $5.4M facility on San Antonio’s West Side*

The world’s fourth-largest supplier of industrial, electronic and medical gases is building a new outpost in San Antonio. Irving-based Nippon Sanso Matheson plans to build a $5.4 million office and production facility on the West Side, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Construction on the 18,923-square-foot building, located at 6430 Texas 151, is expected to begin in August and be completed by the same time next year. Details in state filings are preliminary and subject to change without notice.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

Associated Press – July 23, 2026

Middle East oil producers step up plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz

Before the war in Iran, roughly 15 million barrels of Persian Gulf oil were shipped each day through the Strait of Hormuz. Within a few years, much of that oil could bypass the strait. As Iran’s chokehold over the strait drags on and oil prices surge, countries across the Gulf are planning to spend billions of dollars to build pipelines enabling them to redirect more supplies to ports on the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Mediterranean.

At least seven major pipeline projects are under construction, in the planning stage or being discussed as possibilities, according to government officials, oil companies and analysts. The war has been a wake-up call for Gulf oil producers, who are determined to become less dependent on a transit point that hugs Iran’s coast. But alternatives to Hormuz are also vulnerable to disruption. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said early Thursday they had attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, a key alternative route to the strait for Saudi oil exports.

 

Bloomberg – July 25, 2026

Saudi Oil Can Still Get Out — But It Won’t Be Cheap or Easy: Javier Blas*

Early on in the Iran war, a long-forgotten pipeline built across Saudi Arabia 40 years ago became a lifesaver for the global economy. The East-West conduit allowed the kingdom to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, keeping some of its oil flowing1. Now that the Houthis of Yemen are trying to close an essential chokepoint for that workaround, the Saudis may need a bypass for the bypass. Engineering a new detour that avoids the Bab el-Mandeb strait on the southern end of the Red Sea would be a tall task. It would require the use of one, perhaps two, extra pipelines, quite a lot of oil tankers and a good dosage of Middle Eastern cloak-and-dagger diplomacy to keep everything running despite the threat of missiles and drones. It won’t be easy — or cheap.

But it is possible. The good news is that the Saudis, who now export most of their oil from the Red Sea via the East-West bypass pipeline rather than through the Persian Gulf, have a natural way to avoid the strait. Rather than sending the oil south toward the chokepoint, the kingdom can push the barrels north. The bad news is that’s not a simple as it sounds. Worse, arranging the new bypass is urgent: The Houthis made good on their threat to close the strait earlier this week, attacking two Saudi-flagged oil tankers in the southern Red Sea. Going north means taking the Suez Canal to reach the Mediterranean Sea, and from there, the high seas. Putting aside the fact this route means Asia-bound ships emerge on the wrong side of the map, there’s still the problem of depth: The waterway is only an option for medium-sized oil tankers. The largest ones, uncreatively known as Very Large Crude Carriers, or VLCCs, and able to carry two million barrels, cannot sail the canal fully laden. That’s an issue because the VLCCs are the workhorse of the oil industry, carrying most of the Saudi crude. The only solution is to lighten the supertankers, so their draft is reduced.

 

Oil Price – July 25, 2026

The Carbon Capture Boom Is Starting to Crack

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology grew in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic as several governments and private companies pledged to support a green transition. The use of CCS was expected to help decarbonise hard-to-abate industries until a long-term transition to clean energy could be achieved. However, in recent years, many have become more sceptical about the effectiveness of CCS technologies, as several projects have failed to perform.

CCS technology is used to capture carbon dioxide at emission sources, so it can be transported and stored or buried in a suitable underground location. Several CCS technologies have been launched in recent years, including conventional CCS installations and direct air capture (DAC) – which removes CO2 directly from the atmosphere – as they have grown in popularity, particularly across hard-to-abate industries.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

Houston Chronicle – July 25, 2026

From real estate listing to city resolution: Jacinto City’s AI data center fight*

What began as an industrial real estate listing quickly sent Jacinto City leaders into overdrive, with phones ringing off the hook and City Council chambers filling with concerned residents. Chron’s reporting in May revealed that a brokerage firm was advertising an old glass bottle factory as a potential data center location. If the sale had happened, it could have been one of the largest data centers in the surrounding Houston area.

 

KXAN – July 23, 2026

Austin’s power grid weathers unprecedented demand amid Texas heat wave

Jan Justice charged her Tesla after returning home Thursday evening. A resident of Austin’s Rosedale neighborhood, she retreated through her front door to escape lingering high temperatures. “They’re so hot,” noted Justice. Earlier — when thermometers reached triple digits — the resident sent home contractors working on her garage. She felt the heat posed a “threat to their humanity.” Inside her house, Justice relies on air conditioning to cool down.

“It’s hard to keep up with the outside heat,” she conceded. But that breezy relief requires power — potentially a record-breaking amount during a string of searing days. “We’re seeing those temperatures go up, and energy demand to go along with it,” noted Matt Mitchell. The Austin Energy public information officer said situations like this are nothing new.

 

July 24, 2026

Draining the Ogallala Aquifer for AI? Project Matador and the myth of limitless growth: Environment Texas

A massive artificial-intelligence (AI) infrastructure project is rising approximately 12 miles northeast of Amarillo. Known as Project Matador, the development is being built by Fermi America through a partnership with the Texas Tech University System and promoted as the largest private energy and artificial-intelligence campus in the world.

The scale is staggering. Early plans described a roughly 6,000-acre campus capable of generating 11 gigawatts of electricity—enough to power the equivalent of approximately 8.2 million homes, by the company’s own estimate. Now the company says it will produce 17 gigawatts across 7,570 acres, with natural gas, solar energy, battery storage, and four proposed nuclear reactors providing the power. All of this infrastructure is intended principally to power AI.

 

Dallas Morning News – July 25, 2026

Welcome to Texas. Now meet our cockamamie electricity system: Dave Lieber, the Watchdog*

I keep thinking of a fictional family who moved here for, let’s say, a new job. They comprise just a few of the thousand newcomers who move to Texas every day. If I could, I’d sit the newcomers down and warn them that they are not only launching a new life in Texas, but they also are becoming enmeshed in one of the biggest scandals in state history. The cockamamie electricity system. It’s so messed up that you’ll be paying for past mistakes along with almost everyone else, even if you didn’t live here. The Watchdog prepared this primer for you. But as for everyone else, see how much you remember.

People think our most serious problems began with February 2021’s devastating winter storm. Most of us suffered with limited electricity during a four-day crisis. But actually the problems began much sooner. Enron, a Houston-based company grew into the largest energy company in the world. But its top executives played endless games with their financial books. The company used loopholes to hide bad debts. Enron also inflated its earnings.The company went bankrupt in 2001 and closed. Executives went to prison. The shutdown harmed thousands of investors. Losses were said to be $74 billion. Thousands of employees lost their jobs. Why is this included here? Enron pushed hard for deregulation. Even though the company failed, Texas leaders pushed the Enron model through when they launched deregulation.

 

Investment Engineering – July 25, 2026

US nuclear fusion engine secures key research permit for up to 1 GW power systems

American Fusion has officially cleared a major regulatory hurdle, securing research and development certification from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for all twelve registered models of its Texatron Fusion Engine platform. The development was shared by American Fusion’s Executive Chairman Brent Nelson in an interview, as reported by the company. This regulatory clearance applies to system hardware configurations across a wide power capacity spectrum, beginning with 500-kilowatt units and extending to large-scale architectures designed to output up to one gigawatt. With authorization completed, technical teams are preparing to start the next phase of experimental testing at Texas Tech University.

The primary technical objective of the upcoming experimental sequence is to verify nuclear fusion reactions inside the Texatron confinement hardware. Operational research teams plan to gather diagnostic measurements concerning plasma dynamics, specifically tracking core plasma temperatures, particle densities, and magnetic containment behaviors during operational cycles.

 

Oil Price – July 23, 2026

The AI Paradox Reshaping Clean Energy Research

Artificial intelligence is a double-edged sword for the energy sector. The rapid buildout of data centers to support widespread integration of large language models in virtually every economic sector imaginable, from our energy grids to your electric toothbrush – yes, really – is pushing energy demand growth projections to unprecedented levels, threatening to far outpace energy capacity additions and imperil energy security on a global scale. On the other hand, artificial intelligence holds enormous promise for improving energy efficiency in a wide range of systems and may hold the key to unlocking next-gen clean energy methods and technologies that could be integral to enabling feasible decarbonization pathways.

In the clean energy sector, artificial intelligence is being used to improve forecasting models for more sophisticated and accurate predictions of energy supply and demand, leading to greater grid stability at a time when our electricity grids have never been more stressed. Researchers are also increasingly using large language models to conduct “needle in a haystack” type inquiries to find the best methods and materials for certain use cases, accomplishing in months what would take a whole team of scientists years to achieve through trial and error methodologies.

 

Utility Dive – July 23, 2026

FERC eyes ‘grid-enhancing technology’ incentives: Chairman Swett

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has created a task force on “grid-enhancing technologies” to see how the agency can support them, possibly with incentives, FERC Chairman Laura Swett said Wednesday. Utilities have proactively started using GETs — which include dynamic line ratings, advanced power flow controllers and high-performance conductors — and their cost-saving data is now available, Swett told the U.S. Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee during an oversight hearing.

The Federal Power Act bars FERC from requiring utilities to use GETs, but the agency can direct transmission owners to analyze them, which can show what the most economic option is when considering new transmission infrastructure, according to Swett. In addition, FERC could incorporate GETs into its processes for doling out incentives to transmission owners and developers, FERC Commissioner Judy Chang said. When they seek incentives, FERC could ask them to explain what technologies they’re implementing, what else they have considered and why they are not using the best technologies available, she said.

 

Regulatory

 

Mother Jones – July 24, 2026

Trump’s EPA Wants Fewer People Asking Questions About Data Center Pollution

The Trump administration is quietly considering a rule change that could make it easier for polluters to build facilities—including certain gas plants and diesel generators that power data centers—with little to no notice to the public. On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency held a public hearing on a proposed rule change that would hand the power to states to decide how the public participates in the permitting process for certain new sources of air pollution.

The proposed rollback comes as data centers face greater pushback across the US, with many communities using the permitting process to try to slow down development. Any changes could have major consequences for how ordinary people are given notice about new or expanded polluting facilities coming into their neighborhoods. “As someone actively working in communities with data centers, I know this to be fundamentally true: People want to have a say,” Vanessa Lynch, a Pennsylvania organizer with Moms Clean Air Force, said at the EPA hearing.

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Friday July 24, 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

Brent ​oil prices hovered above $100 per barrel on Friday while heading for their fourth week of ‌gains, driven by concerns about disrupted energy flows in the Red Sea and fears of further escalation in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) ⁠futures were little changed at $91.20 a barrel, their highest level since June 11 and on track for an ​11.8% weekly rise.

Brent futures advanced 37 cents, or 0.37%, to $101.06 a barrel at 0330 GMT, having settled up 7% above $100 in the previous ​session for the first time since May, after Iran-aligned Houthis said they struck two Saudi oil tankers in ​the Red Sea.

The contract remained on course for a 14.6% advance this week.

Top Stories

 

Pipeline & Gas Journal – July 23, 2026

House Bill Would Fast-Track FERC Approval of National Security Pipelines

A new House bill would allow the president to designate certain interstate oil and natural gas pipelines as critical to national security, triggering expedited FERC reviews and limiting state permitting authority.

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., has introduced legislation that would establish an expedited federal permitting process for interstate oil and natural gas pipelines deemed critical to U.S. national security. The National Security Interstate Pipeline Act (H.R. 9838) would allow the president to designate qualifying pipeline projects as essential to supplying energy for military installations, the defense industrial base or other critical infrastructure. Projects receiving the designation would fall under the exclusive permitting authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with the agency required to issue a decision within 180 days of receiving an application.

The legislation would also preempt state and local permitting requirements that could delay or block designated projects. Any legal challenges filed under the measure would be heard exclusively by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Calvert said the bill is intended to improve energy reliability for critical facilities and address barriers to developing interstate pipeline infrastructure.

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The Hill – July 23, 2026

Trump slams brakes on Saudi nuclear deal with Abraham Accords demand  

President Trump has thrown the Saudi nuclear deal into question less than 24 hours after it was signed, making it conditional on the Saudis normalizing relations with Israel. His Thursday announcement appears vastly different from what sources familiar had disclosed about the deal on Wednesday, raising questions about whether it marks a U-turn or just a confusing rollout.

The Saudis have long said that any normalization with Israel is conditioned on seeing a pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state, something Israel has dismissed. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in a briefing that Trump has said if the Saudis don’t join the Abraham Accords, “the deal is off.” When asked why the condition wasn’t mentioned Wednesday when the Energy Department announced that the deal was signed, Leavitt said it was because Trump “is always the final dealmaker.”

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Oil Price – July 23, 2026

U.S. Refinery Utilization Hits 96.2% as Fuel Markets Tighten Worldwide

U.S. refinery utilization has been near-capacity for weeks, with American fuel exports jumping to record high levels amid tight global fuel markets in the wake of the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The average refinery capacity utilization across the United States was 96.2% as of July 17, the latest reporting week available, up from 94.7% in the same week in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The average may be just above 96% nationwide, but the Midwest and Rocky Mountains regions, PADD2 and PADD4, respectively, were at 100% utilization as of last week, the EIA’s latest Weekly Petroleum Status Report showed on Wednesday. At the same time, U.S. commercial oil stocks remain 6% below the five-year average for this time of year, despite a build in the past week, while stocks at Cushing, Oklahoma, and in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) are at multi-year and four-decade lows, respectively.

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KETK – July 23, 2026

SWEPCO signs White House pledge to not raise power bills near AI data centers

he Southwestern Electric Power Company publicly committed on Thursday to not raising customers’ electricity bills because of new AI data center construction. Their commitment comes as the power company signed on to the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a five-part agreement that President Donald Trump’s administration has put together to try and diminish the threat that data centers could have on residents’ power bills.

The Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) provides power to much of East Texas, northwest Louisiana and western Arkansas, and as a part of this agreement they’ve committed to negotiating separate power prices for data centers in those areas. SWEPCO President and chief operating officer Brett Mattison said their signing of the pledge reflects their belief that “growth should pay for growth” without raising their customer’s power bills, which is one of many concerns surrounding data center development.

 

The Latest TERse Tips

AAA Texas reports that gas prices are climbing as conflict in the Middle East continues, pushing crude oil into the $90-per-barrel range 

Video: Oil Market Is ‘Out of Buffers’: Bob McNally, Rapidan Energy Group (7 min.) — Bloomberg

Russia’s turn to imported gasoline and diesel after Ukrainian attacks damaged its refineries is adding demand to a tight Asian fuel market, creating a potential new complication for Iran as it struggles to cover a daily shortfall of about 30 million liters — Iran currently produces about 105 million liters of gasoline a day while consuming approximately 135 million liters, according to Reza Sepahvand, a member of parliament’s energy committee — Iran International

Southwest Airlines put Texas jet fuel on a boat to LA for the first time amid supply worries — CNBC

A controversial data center project in East Texas is no longer moving forward after the company said it wouldn’t be able to comply with Gov. Greg Abbott’s development standards — Kansas-based Diode Ventures had proposed building a data center in Henderson County near Cedar Creek Reservoir, a historic waterway in a community heavily involved in water conservation. The Fort Worth Star Telegram reported the site was expected to take 12 years to build out and consume 5 million gallons of lake water per day by its fifth year — Texas Tribune — Plus Governor approves of Diode’s actions and says will seek legislation to codify data expectations as well as:

• Require large data centers to annually report electricity and water usage data to the PUC
• Repeal sales tax exemptions and other outdated or unnecessary incentives for data centers

Democrats seize on AI data center backlash that’s dividing rural Republicans in places like Texas — Associated Press/Spectrum News

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller publicly criticized Gov. Greg Abbott in a recent social media post, accusing the governor of prioritizing corporate interests over rural Texans — San Antonio Express-News*

Warning that Texas communities are being overwhelmed by the rapid growth of data centers, Texas Rep. and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa on Thursday urged Gov. Greg Abbott to immediately halt new projects until lawmakers can take up new rules — KFOX

Energy Transfer LP disclosed execution of an Eleventh and Twelfth Supplemental Indenture dated July 20, 2026, with U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, acting as trustee — these supplemental agreements establish the terms for new Series 2026A and Series 2026B junior subordinated notes to be issued under the existing December 14, 2022 base indenture — Globe & Mail

Three very large crude carriers hauling about 6 million barrels of crude slipped out of the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, running the gauntlet of potential attack by Iran — the three VLCCs began sending automated position signals as they entered the Gulf of Oman on Thursday morning, having previously been in the Persian Gulf, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

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Oil & Gas Texas

 

TIKR – July 23, 2026

Kinder Morgan’s Q2 Earnings Prove the Natural Gas Buildout Is Real

Related: Kinder Morgan raised its 2026 earnings outlook after placing several major natural gas expansion projects into service while advancing a $9.6 billion project backlog dominated by gas infrastructure — Pipeline & Gas Journal

• Revenue of $4,477 million came in 11% higher than a year ago, while adjusted EBITDA reached $2,199 million and adjusted EPS rose 32% to $0.37.
• Raising its full-year outlook for the second straight quarter, Kinder Morgan now expects adjusted EBITDA at least 5% above its 2026 budget and adjusted EPS at least 12% above budget, worth $430 million of incremental EBITDA.
• With leverage already at 3.6x EBITDA, Chairman Richard Kinder framed the funding math bluntly on the call: “We can fund these projects almost completely with our internally generated cash flow while still continuing to pay a solid and growing dividend and maintaining a debt-to-EBITDA ratio at the lower end of our targeted range.”

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KUHF NPR – July 23, 2026

The Texas Panhandle was hit by a magnitude 5.0 earthquake

A rare magnitude 5.0 earthquake rattled parts of the Texas Panhandle early Thursday morning. It’s the strongest quake to hit that region in at least 100 years, according to online data compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was located about 24 miles southeast of Spearman, a town northeast of Amarillo, USGS reported. “My cat woke me up. He kind of freaked out about it a little bit and that woke me up,” said Robertson County Judge Mitchell Locke, who serves as emergency management coordinator. “But I did feel it. There was some shaking. Nothing too extreme, though.”

Robertson County is a rural community with a population of about 900 people. As of Thursday morning, Locke said he had not heard reports of any significant damage. One area of concern is the potential damage to the extensive oil and gas industry in the region. Earthquakes in the Permian Basin to the south have been linked to industrial activity associated with drilling for oil, such as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The process involves injecting large quantities of contaminated, salty water deep underground.

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Oil & Gas Journal – July 23, 2026

Matador Resources expands Delaware basin footprint, signals Woodford confidence in New Mexico

Matador Resources Co. agreed to acquire Delaware basin assets from EnCap-backed Paloma Permian LLC and Ridge Runner Resources II LLC while reporting initial results from its first Woodford exploratory well that support further development of the emerging play in southeast New Mexico. The transactions will add producing assets, undeveloped acreage, and about 300 net drilling locations and increase Matador’s Delaware basin position to about 240,000 net acres, according to a July 23 investor presentation.

Under the larger of the two deals, a Matador subsidiary will acquire Paloma Permian LLC for $1.275 billion in cash. The acquisition includes 16,235 net acres (70% held by production) in Eddy and Lea counties, NM, with estimated third-quarter production of about 11,100 boe/d (57% oil). Matador said the assets add more than 156 net drilling locations, primarily targeting the Bone Spring and Wolfcamp formations. The transaction is expected to close in fourth-quarter 2026.

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Dermot Cole – July 23, 2026

Hilcorp says it ‘contributes’ $1 billion in taxes and royalties

Hilcorp opposes the proposal that owner Texas billionaire Jeff Hildebrand be forced to start paying an oil tax that has always applied to ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil. The proposal is “punitive” and aimed at Hilcorp and Hildebrand, according to one of Hildebrand’s Alaska executives. The state failed to amend the law when Hildebrand bought BP’s major Alaska holdings in 2019.

There is nothing surprising and little that is new in this seven-page plea to keep the Hilcorp loophole in place. The missive includes all of the usual suspects: The amendment to close the loophole is flawed. Closing the loophole would make North Slope natural gas more expensive. Closing the loophole would reduce the amount of money that Hildebrand has to invest in Cook Inlet to provide natural gas. Closing the loophole would threaten future investment. It’s not fair to Hilcorp to close the loophole.

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Bloomberg – July 23, 2026

Trump-Backed Gas Pipeline to New York Struggles for Customers*

When US President Donald Trump revived a long-stalled pipeline project to bring more natural gas to the Northeast, he vowed to use the force of the federal government to make it happen. More than a year later, construction has yet to begin. New York State is battling the project in court, but the hurdles extend beyond the legal fight. More fundamentally, the US energy landscape has changed dramatically since Williams Cos. first proposed the Constitution pipeline more than a decade ago. Not a single utility has announced an agreement to buy gas from the project, and moreover, drillers are no longer pushing to ship their fuel on it.

The result is that the economic case for Constitution has weakened even as the pipeline has taken on outsized political significance. It remains a key test of Trump’s effort to revive stalled fossil-fuel projects, though analysts say the project has become more symbolic than commercially important. “The project’s strategic rationale has deteriorated,” said Amber McCullagh, a US gas analyst. “Most gas industry executives today would quietly acknowledge that, at this point, when they talk about Constitution, it’s to emphasize the need for a streamlined and straightforward permitting process, rather than as a pipeline that is itself strategically important to build.”

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Press Reader – July 22, 2026

RRC Con­cludes Record-Break­ing 2026 Reg­u­lat­ory Con­fer­ence

The Rail­road Com­mis­sion of Texas (RRC) once again set a new attend­ance record at its 2026 Reg­u­lat­ory Con­fer­ence, wel­com­ing more than 1,100 attendees and over 60 exhib­it­ors to the agency’s premier annual edu­ca­tional event. Held July 13–15 at the Kala­hari Resort & Con­ven­tion Cen­ter in Round Rock, the con­fer­ence brought together stake­hold­ers from across the oil and gas reg­u­lat­ory com­munity, includ­ing oper­at­ors, industry experts, state and fed­eral reg­u­lat­ors and other energy pro­fes­sion­als.

RRC Exec­ut­ive Dir­ector Wei Wang opened the con­fer­ence before wel­com­ing RRC Chair­man Jim Wright, who offi­cially kicked off the event. The first ses­sion fea­tured a fireside chat between Chair­man Wright and State. Rep­res­ent­at­ive Drew Darby, Chair of the Texas House Com­mit­tee on Energy Resources, as well as an update from Chair­man Wright on the Com­mis­sion’s STOP­Theft Task Force. Attendees also heard from The Hon­or­able Paul Roberti, Admin­is­trator of the Pipeline and Haz­ard­ous Mater­i­als Safety Admin­is­tra­tion (PHMSA), who dis­cussed the evolving fed­eral pipeline safety reg­u­lat­ory land­scape.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

BBC – July 23, 2026

Houthi attacks raise fears of wider Middle East conflict and more global economic damage*

Reuters – July 23, 2026

War risk insurance costs surge for southern Red Sea voyages after Houthi attacks*

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The Wall Street Journal – July 23, 2026

TotalEnergies Uses Cash From War-Induced Price Rises to Cut Debt*

TotalEnergies said it is prioritizing paying down its debt as conflict in the Middle East continues to provide earnings tailwinds and the opportunity to shore up balance sheets. The French oil-and-gas company said Thursday that continued high prices over the second quarter enabled it to cut its net debt by $3.3 billion to just shy of $20 billion. The company said it was prioritizing deleveraging as prices stay high. Higher prices also enabled TotalEnergies to maintain its $1.5 billion quarterly share buyback and declare a second interim dividend of 0.90 euros a share.

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Oil Price – July 14, 2026

Venezuela’s Oil Revival Faces a Critical Services Bottleneck

Venezuela’s upstream industry has entered a new phase. Following sweeping hydrocarbon reforms and broader geopolitical developments in early 2026, the conversation has shifted from whether the country can reopen its oil sector to whether it can successfully execute a meaningful production recovery. The country’s resource potential has never been in doubt. The greater challenge now lies in converting policy momentum into sustained operational growth.

Rystad Energy estimates Venezuela’s crude production could increase by approximately 17%, or around 194,000 barrels per day (bpd), between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the fourth quarter of 2028. Importantly, this growth is expected to come primarily from existing producing assets rather than large-scale new discoveries, highlighting that operational execution, not resource availability, will determine the pace of recovery.

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Reuters – July 15, 2026

China’s oil fortress will reshape the global order: Ron Bousso*

China caught the oil industry by surprise during the Iran war, pulling powerful levers to shield itself from the biggest energy shock in decades. In the process, it established itself as a new force in global energy markets – an independent, opaque, massive power. The measures China used to offset the energy supply shock — sharply cutting crude imports, restricting exports of refined fuels and ​drawing on domestic inventories — culminated in a decades-long campaign to reduce its heavy dependence on overseas energy supplies.

This offers a glimpse into how future crises could play out. Given the lack of transparency surounding many ‌of Beijing’s policy choices, China’s assertive strategy points to a future in which energy market blind spots may matter more than visible data. And it also suggests that we could be entering an era in which China’s energy dynamics are a weapon – both defensive and offensive – not a vulnerability. China has been insulated from much of the extreme price volatility that followed the outbreak of war in Iran on February 28.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

KIAH – July 23, 2026

Public Utility Commission seeks additional authority to regulate data centers

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) proposed additional legislative actions ahead of the next session to give itself and the Electric Regulatory Commission of Texas (ERCOT) more authority in regulating data center development in the state. Those proposals include how ERCOT would communicate with data center operators about power curtailments; requiring more information from data center developers to ensure grid reliability; and power to prevent foreign actors from disrupting the electric grid through data centers.

The recommendations — posted on the PUTCT website on Monday — were in response to a letter Governor Greg Abbott sent the commission on June 10th. The governor called on the entities to take immediate action to ensure Texans do not pay the price of connecting data centers to the state’s electric grid. Both the PUCT and ERCOT are central to the state’s electric grid. PUCT oversees the state’s electric and water utilities, while ERCOT manages the flow of electric power throughout the state– acting as the grid manager.

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KSAT – July 23, 2026

CPS Energy says no rate hike is planned as Texas braces for massive energy demand surge

As temperatures soar across Texas this week and the state’s power grid faced back-to-back peak demand days, the leaders of CPS Energy and ERCOT sat down with KSAT to address two questions on the minds of San Antonians. Is the grid keeping up? And: Are electric bills about to go up? The short answers, according to both executives: Yes, and, not right now.

ERCOT, the agency that manages the Texas power grid, said the system performed well despite the intense demand this week — the highest the state has seen since a record last set in August 2023. “We had a peak on Tuesday, we had another peak on Wednesday, and during all of that, the grid was reliable,” ERCOT president and CEO Pablo Vegas said. ”And prices were relatively moderate during all that time, as well.”

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Austin American-Statesman – July 23, 2026

‘Vote him out’: Bastrop residents unite against data centers as Texas AI boom accelerates*

Red and blue came together in a Bastrop hotel conference room as Central Texans from across the political spectrum united over a shared frustration: data centers. They heard from local and state officials urging them to take a stand against the industry that is rapidly developing artificial intelligence infrastructure across the region. The gathering was a response to a series of town halls conducted by one of the developers building data centers in the region, meetings residents said they left feeling that their concerns about the $1.4 billion project under construction in Cedar Creek were not addressed.

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Data Center Dynamics – July 23, 2026

Liberty Energy, PowerBridge form JV to power planned 2GW data center in West Texas

US energy firm Liberty Energy has formed a joint venture (JV) alongside powered land and data center development firm PowerBridge to support the development of a planned 2GW data center in West Texas. As part of the agreement, Liberty Energy subsidiary Liberty Power Innovations will design, develop and operate scalable, modular power generation architecture for the data center.

The JV is expected to support the development of PowerBridge’s Alpha Digital Campus, a planned 2GW powered campus in West Texas. The initial phase of the data center is expected to consist of 300MW of generation capacity, with the option to expand over time. First power at the site is expected in Q4 of 2027, with deployment continuing through the first half of 2028. It is unclear what form of generation will power the campus. DCD has reached out for further information.

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KENS – July 23, 2026

‘We’ve begged for help’ | Texas residents say their voices have not been heard when it comes to new data centers

Thursday, in a town hall-style Zoom presentation, Rep. Hinojosa said she had just gotten back from the Panhandle, where people were very concerned about the increase of data centers coming to Texas. “What I saw was that the people of Texas are being taken advantage of in a big way by corporations that are operating under no rules,” Rep. Hinojosa said. “Especially in these unincorporated, in these rural areas, data centers are coming in and doing as they please and the people have no say and have no power.”

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Inside Climate News – July 23, 2026

Data Center Forecasts Keep Climbing and So Does Public Opposition. Something Has to Give.

Forecasts of U.S. data center growth defy belief—and common sense. “The math isn’t mathing,” as many observers have said.  Growth forecasts continue to climb, but there is little evidence that AI data center developers have profitable, sustainable business models. And nearly every major project is facing local opposition over concerns about land, power and water use.

On Tuesday, BloombergNEF revised its estimate for data center electricity demand to 194 gigawatts by 2035, an 83 percent increase from its estimate six months ago. Under this model, data centers would use about 20 percent of the country’s electricity, up from 5.9 percent today. For context, the U.S. industrial sector—essentially all factories for all industries—used 25.7 of electricity last year.

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The Texan – July 23, 2026

Granbury Residents Take Action Against Seven City Officials Over Data Center Concerns

 

Reuters – July 23, 2026

US energy officials consider power shift in PJM electric grid*

U.S. energy officials questioned PJM Interconnection’s power structure on Thursday as regulators weigh reforms to the country’s largest power grid, which faces the growing risk ​of blackouts as data center demand soars and little new electricity supply is added. PJM, which covers 67 million Americans across the Mid-Atlantic and ‌Midwest that include the world’s biggest concentration of data centers, has struggled with power shortfalls and surging electricity prices since demand in the region began to accelerate roughly two years ago.

Officials with the White House, state governments and power industry executives convened at a technical conference held by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to discuss potential solutions to PJM’s supplies and pricing woes. Some of those proposals ​included giving the grid operator’s board of managers more independence from its stakeholders, which include voting members like utilities and independent power producers, and more control to ​enact changes in the market that covers 13 states and the District of Columbia.

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Utility Dive – July 23, 2026

GE Vernova gas turbine backlog climbs to 116 GW

GE Vernova posted double-digit revenue and order growth in the second quarter, driven once again by continued strong performance in its Power and Electrification business segments. Those segments, respectively, produce and service gas, hydro and nuclear power generation equipment; and commercial electrical equipment such as transformers and switchgears.

GE Vernova’s beleaguered third segment, Wind, saw orders fall sharply amid persistent softness in U.S. demand for onshore wind turbines and blades. “We remain focused on what we can control,” CEO Scott Strazik said on a Wednesday morning earnings call, alluding to the economic, regulatory and legal challenges facing its wind business.

 

Regulatory

 

Canary Media – July 22, 2026

State legislatures are getting better at clean-energy permitting policy

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Inside Climate News – July 23, 2026

To Block Renewable Energy Projects, Texas Republicans Have Weaponized Conservation Concerns

Environmentalists in Texas want the state to adopt new laws and regulations governing where renewable energy projects should be built, how they should run and what they can do to minimize their environmental impact. These policy proposals would be in stark contrast to what’s been introduced in prior legislative sessions—bills designed to artificially slow renewables’ progress.

Without clear rules, ideological opponents of renewable energy have weaponized conservation concerns to justify sweeping legislative proposals that would effectively ban new solar, battery storage and wind projects, according to a new report by the Environment Texas Research & Policy Center and the Frontier Group, both progressive research organizations.

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Utility Dive – July 23, 2026

DOE’s new power export rule at odds with ‘energy emergency’ findings: Public Citizen

The U.S. Department of Energy’s streamlined rules for companies seeking permission to export U.S. electricity are at odds with the department’s finding that there are “energy emergencies” across the United States that justify keeping power plants from retiring, Public Citizen said Tuesday. The DOE should reconsider the final rule on power export authorizations it issued on June 22, in part because it prevents people and groups from intervening in export authorization proceedings or protesting them, the consumer watchdog group said in a rehearing request filed July 21.

If the DOE dismisses Public Citizen’s rehearing request, the group will “likely” sue the department to overturn the new rule, Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s energy program, said in an email Wednesday.

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Thursday July 23, 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 rose Thursday after a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile off Saudi Arabia and as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iranian infrastructure.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations on Thursday Asia time posted on social media platform X that a tanker was hit around 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq. The strike sparked a fire onboard that the crew was fighting, although there were no reported casualties.

West Texas Intermediate crude futures advanced more than 3% to $89.64 per barrel.

Brent crude futures for September delivery gained 4%% to $98.02 per barrel.

The attack came hours after Trump warned the U.S. would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant each time Tehran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, signaling a further escalation in tensions following the collapse of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, according to CNBC.

 

Top Stories

 

Business Standard – July 23, 2026

Houthis claim attacks on Saudi tankers in Red Sea, raising risk of new chokepoint in Iran war

The Iranian-aligned Houthis today (23 July) claimed military strikes on two Saudi oil tankers as part of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, advancing toward a second chokehold on world oil supplies at the Red Sea in coordination with Iran’s attempt to control the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile the US military said on yesterday (22 July) it launched a new round of strikes on Iran at President Donald Trump’s direction, marking a 12th successive night of American attacks.

The Yemen-based militants, who control areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the opposite end of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz, said on Monday (20 July) they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in what some analysts have viewed as a tactical move by Iran to seek leverage. Even before the renewed threats to shipping traffic in the Red Sea, Iran’s near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz had stoked inflation around the world, pushing up oil prices and squeezing US gasoline consumers at a time when the unpopular war has put Trump’s Republican allies under pressure ahead of congressional elections in November.

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E&E News By Politico – July 22, 2026

Texas transmission policy sharpens US competition fight

Calls are growing for Texas to end monopoly dominance over major electric transmission projects — just as other regions hope to follow its approach and reduce competition. The Lone Star State is preparing for a $33 billion build-out of power lines from El Paso to East Texas, and critics are urging Texas lawmakers to repeal a 2019 law that largely bans competition for transmission projects within the state’s main grid. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas doesn’t have to allow competitors for transmission projects because it sits outside the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. FERC rules for the rest of the country require large transmission projects to undergo a competitive bidding process.

But the status quo is under threat inside and outside of Texas. Utilities say they could further streamline projects if they had Texas’ pro-utility law, while critics argue that more competition would help lower transmission costs shared by customers. “If we can save 20, 30, 40 percent by bidding out a project, that gives the transmission company the flexibility to be more accommodating in twisting and curving the line in a way that makes landowners less unhappy,” said Barry Smitherman, a former regulator who chairs the Texans for Affordable Transmission advocacy group. Utilities in a middle swath of the country, meanwhile, are looking to bring Texas’ incumbent-only model to their backyards.

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Inside Climate News – July 22, 2026

Environmental Groups Contest Texas Data Centers’ Air Pollution

Related: Three environmental groups are issuing an ultimatum to developers of a pair of West Side San Antonio data centers, telling them to clean up alleged violations of clean air laws or face a federal lawsuit — In a letter sent Wednesday, the Environmental Integrity Project, Sierra Club and Public Citizen said the projects built by Denver-based Vantage Data Centers and Houston-based VoltaGrid have skirted federal laws intended to control air pollution from their on-site gas-fired and diesel generators — San Antonio Express-News*

Two data centers in San Antonio face a looming legal challenge from environmental groups over their air pollution. The nonprofits Environmental Integrity Project, Sierra Club and Public Citizen sent a notice that it intends to sue within 60 days to Vantage Data Centers and VoltaGrid LLC on Wednesday, claiming they are circumventing federal enforcement.

The letter alleged the companies built diesel generators and natural gas power plants without the proper permits. The groups said the data centers improperly registered as “minor” air polluters under the Clean Air Act, requiring less scrutiny than if they had applied for “major source” permits. The Environmental Integrity Project concluded in early July multiple data centers across the country have followed the same strategy.

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Austin American-Statesman – July 23, 2026

Tesla profit falls as spending rises to meet Musk’s goals on AI, robots and robotaxis*

Pressured by rising operating costs driven by investments in AI and robotics, Tesla Inc. said profit fell in the second quarter despite higher revenue. The Austin electric vehicle, battery and robotics company reported a 5% decline in profit as operating expenses jumped 47%, largely due to increasing spending on artificial intelligence, ramping up for production of robots and other research and development projects. “It’s OK to be a little less capital efficient if we can get things done sooner,” CEO Elon Musk told investors and reporters, arguing the spending will drive future gains. “We’re doing an incredible amount of construction and production growth in so many different arenas simultaneously.”

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Reuters – July 22, 2026

GE Vernova misses core profit estimates as Wind weakness persists*

Related: GE Vernova Boosts 2026 Revenue Target — the energy company now expects $45.5 billion to $46.5 billion in revenue for the year, up $1 billion from last year — The Wall Street Journal*

GE Vernova missed Wall Street estimates for second-quarter adjusted core profit on Wednesday as losses ​in its Wind business widened, overshadowing strong growth in its Power and ‌Electrification units. The Wind unit was hurt by weak onshore demand and higher offshore project costs, even as the company benefited from surging demand for gas turbines and grid ​equipment as utilities expand capacity to meet electricity needs from AI data ​centers and electrification.

GE Vernova raised its 2026 revenue forecast to $45.5 billion-$46.5 ⁠billion from $44.5 billion-$45.5 billion previously. It updated its 2026 tariff hit forecast to $100 million-$200 ​million from $250 million-$350 million projected in April, citing contractual provisions, sourcing changes, trade regulations ​and tariff refunds. Wind orders fell about 40% from a year earlier, while segment EBITDA losses widened to $275 million from $165 million.

 

The Latest TERse Tips

Tropical Storm Bertha makes Louisiana landfall as it turns toward Texas — Although Bertha has steadily weakened throughout Wednesday as dry air and increasing wind shear disrupted its circulation, it is expected to remain a tropical storm through late Thursday. Tropical storm conditions continued spreading westward along the northern Gulf Coast as the storm moved toward Texas — Houston Chronicle*

Sticker shock is hitting El Paso households hard this summer as electric bills climb well above what residents were paying a year ago — the jump is not just about hotter weather causing heavier air conditioner use, either. It’s mostly because of new seasonal pricing and a higher monthly charge that recently took effect, according to KFOX14

Toyota Motor Corp. has started laying the groundwork for its $3.6 billion expansion of the South Side plant, filing plans with the state for what it’s dubbed the “Make Space” project — San Antonio Express-News*

S&P Global Ratings today assigned its ‘BB-’ issue-level rating and ‘4’ recovery rating to Howard Midstream Energy Partners LLC’s proposed $600 million senior unsecured notes — S&P Global

Fitch Ratings has placed WildFire Energy Intermediate Holdings, LLC’s and its parent’s, WildFire Energy I LLC, Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) of ‘B+’, senior unsecured notes of ‘BB-‌’ with a Recovery Rating of ‘RR3’, and reserve-based lending facility (RBL) of ‘BB+’/’RR1’ on Rating Watch Positive — Fitch

Energy firm Williams Companies has acquired its namesake office tower in Houston, marking a new chapter for the 64-story skyscraper that has defined the Uptown skyline for 40 years, according to the Houston Chronicle — the deal closed July 20 and includes the 1.4-million-square-foot office tower and a parking garage, said Glen Jasek, a senior vice president at Williams’ Houston office, in an interview. Jasek declined to disclose the sale price — Williams agreed to pay more than $300 million for the property, in one of the area’s largest single-property office trades since 2019, according to industry news site Green Street News.

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced what it described as a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, hailing it as an economic triumph. But critics and nuclear experts have raised concerns around safeguards to prevent Riyadh from developing a nuclear weapon — The Hill — The Wall Street Journal calls Saudi nuclear enrichment a “mistake”

China reportedly slashed its crude oil imports by 5 million barrels per day, a reduction so large it would effectively cut the country’s purchases roughly in half — for context, China has historically imported north of 10 million bpd during peak periods, making it the single largest buyer of crude on the planet — Crypto Briefing

Once Asking $125 Million, Bill Koch’s Aspen Home Fetches $33.515 Million — The Wall Street Journal*

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Oil & Gas Texas

 

Bloomberg – July 22, 2026

Chevron Seeks $224 Million From Ecuador in Amazon Pollution Fight*

Chevron Corp. is asking a US federal court to enforce a $224 million award against Ecuador, the latest development in a long-running legal dispute over Amazon pollution claims. The saga stretches back to 1993, when residents of Ecuador sued Texaco Petroleum, claiming that the company contaminated their water supplies by dumping oil and toxic wastewater into the jungle. Texaco was later acquired by Chevron. An Ecuadorian court in 2011 ordered Chevron to pay $9.5 billion in damages. But a US judge scrapped that award three years later, concluding that the plaintiff’s legal team won through fraud and bribery. The American lawyer who won the judgment was disbarred and sentenced to six months in jail.

In November, a tribunal at The Hague ordered Ecuador to pay Chevron legal costs plus interest. The country challenged that decision in March, however. Chevron’s demand reflects the original award issued by The Hague late last year, along with interest, according to a July 17 filing. The award stems from what Chevron, through its counsel Kobre & Kim, called Ecuador’s “blatant disregard” of international law in the petition. The government of Ecuador incurs $33,700 in interest each day it doesn’t pay up, the company said in the filing.

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Offshore Energy – July 22, 2026

Chevron’s Cypriot gas project edges closer toward binding supply deal with Egypt

Chevron Cyprus, a subsidiary of the U.S.-headquartered oil major Chevron, and its partners, BG Cyprus (Shell) and NewMed Energy, have made inroads in securing a binding agreement for the sale of gas to Egypt from an offshore gas field reservoir in Block 12, located in the Eastern Basin of the Mediterranean Sea. While reporting what it deems as “another important step forward”  for the Aphrodite gas field development, NewMed explained that the partnership completed the signing process after initiating a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the sale of natural gas from the reservoir to Egypt, marking another important milestone in advancing the project.

The host government agreement (HGA) with the Egyptian government is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, while negotiations continue toward the execution of the binding gas sale and purchase agreement (GSPA) with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS).

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The New York Times – July 22, 2026

Judge Strips Protections for Imperiled Lizard at Trump Administration’s Behest*

At the request of the Trump administration, a federal judge in Texas has stripped endangered species protections from a small lizard whose habitat overlaps with the largest oil-producing region in the United States. It was the latest twist in a long-running fight over the fate of the dunes sagebrush lizard, a light brown reptile found only in portions of the oil-rich Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The Biden administration classified the lizard as endangered in 2024, saying it faced grave threats from oil and gas development and climate change. But the state of Texas sued, and the Trump administration asked the judge to remove the lizard from the endangered species list as part of a settlement with the state.

The judge, David Counts of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, approved the settlement on Tuesday. Judge Counts, who was appointed by President Trump, found that the Biden administration’s evaluation of the lizard’s habitat was “potentially inaccurate.” It was the second time in a year that Judge Counts allowed the Trump administration to remove an animal from the endangered species list in response to a lawsuit brought by industry or states. In the previous case, Judge Counts agreed to rescind protections for the lesser prairie chicken, another species whose habitat puts it in conflict with the oil and gas industry. And the administration has moved to do the same in a third case, this one involving seven species of freshwater mussels found in rivers and creeks in Central Texas. In all three instances, the Trump administration has argued that Biden-era findings in favor of safeguarding the species were made in error or with incomplete information.

Oil Price – July 22, 2026

New Pipelines Set To Ease Permian Natural Gas Glut

The regional price of natural gas produced in the Permian, the top U.S. oil basin, was negative for most of the first half of the year. Rising associated gas output from oil-targeting wells has had nowhere to go. Producers had to either flare the gas, within allowed limits, or pay to get rid of what many Permian players see as an undesirable by-product of the valuable crude.

For years, the key constraint to local gas prices has been the insufficient pipeline takeaway capacity, which hasn’t grown in lockstep with the soaring gas production from oil-directed rigs as operators boost output in response to higher oil prices. As a result, the natural gas spot price at the Waha hub, the regional pricing benchmark reflecting Midland-area gas production and pipeline capacity constraints, averaged -$2.19 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in the first half of 2026. The Waha price hit a record low of -$7.95 at the end of April, over $10 per MMBtu lower than the national benchmark at Henry Hub of about $2.70 per MMBtu at the time.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

S&P Global Platts – July 22, 2026

Houthi threat to Saudi port traffic adds fresh Red Sea shipping risk: analysts

The Houthis’ latest threat to strike tankers calling at Saudi Arabian ports has opened a second major chokepoint on an already strained global energy supply chain, maritime and naval analysts said July 22 during a Middle East Institute webinar. The Red Sea corridor carries 12%-15% of global maritime trade and about 30% of container traffic, said moderator Mirette Mabrouk of the Middle East Institute, who noted the Houthis had shifted within days from threatening Israeli-linked vessels to warning shipping companies against using Saudi ports.

The escalation comes as Saudi Arabia routes more crude through its East-West pipeline to Yanbu, lifting flows through the Suez Canal by about 30%, said retired US Navy Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, a former director of operations at US Central Command. “Being able to potentially stop those shipments is going to be another shock or another impact on this global energy flow,” Donegan said.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 22, 2026

Trump Says U.S. Will Bomb Iran’s Power Plants, Bridges if Tehran Strikes Ships*

Related: U.S. Surges Forces Toward Middle East, Giving Trump Options to Expand Iran War — the influx of troops, medics and weaponry follows the deaths of three American soldiers in Iranian attack at a base in Jordan — The Wall Street Journal*

President Trump threatened to destroy Iranian infrastructure if Iran attacks vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest sign he is planning to escalate the conflict. Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday that the U.S. will “bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT,” including infrastructure in or near Tehran, every time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait. The president’s comments are the latest indication that the two countries might return to full-scale war. On Tuesday, he said U.S. military forces would likely attack Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, the underground site where Israeli intelligence believes Iran has buried advanced nuclear-enrichment centrifuges, “pretty soon.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded in a post on X: “Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response.”

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Pipeline Technology Journal – July 22, 2026

Enbridge Begins Construction on $4B West Coast Pipeline Expansion in Canada

Groundwork has officially begun on a $4 billion expansion of the West Coast natural gas pipeline, a project designed to boost regional energy capacity and supply emerging liquefied natural gas export hubs. The Sunrise Expansion Program will add up to 300 million cubic feet per day of natural gas transportation capacity in British Columbia. Federal Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson marked the start of construction at a ceremony in Prince George alongside local and Indigenous leaders.

“Today we’re turning the page from plans to action,” Hodgson said, noting that ground broke just three months after federal approval. The project centers on adding five 42-inch diameter pipeline loops—additional pipe sections built alongside the existing system to increase flow.

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S&P Global Platts – July 22, 2026

US Trade Representative eyes interim trade deals with Canada, Mexico by year-end

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said he hopes to reach interim trade arrangements with Canada and Mexico by the end of the year as the US, Mexico, and Canada renegotiate a free trade agreement. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is now subject to annual reviews after the US decided not to renew the trade pact for a 16-year extension. Canada is a major supplier of steel, aluminum, lithium, natural gas, oil and electric power to the US, while Mexico supplies silver and steel to the US. On July 20, the US imposed fresh new tariffs on Canadian goods, but metals were largely excluded.

“I’m hopeful that before the end of the year we can have at least options for President Trump and the leaders of Canada and/or Mexico to consider potential interim arrangements, or things that Canada can do on the one hand and Mexico can do on the other hand, to strengthen enforcement to improve their commitments toward us,” Greer told the Senate Finance Committee on July 22.

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Arab News – July 22, 2026

Iraq’s oil minister says US energy deals worth about $200 billion

Iraq’s oil minister said on Tuesday that agreements ​signed between the oil ministry and US companies during the Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s visit to US were estimated ‌at $200 billion.
In ‌an interview ​with ‌Iraqi ⁠state ​television, the ⁠minister Basim Mohammed said the agreements would add significant oil production capacity and increase investment in associated ⁠gas projects.

He also said ‌Iraq’s ‌oil production capacity ​currently ‌stands at 4.8 million barrels ‌per day.
Iraq grapples with the challenge faced by many oil-producing nations: attracting ‌investment and expanding production while remaining constrained by ⁠the ⁠OPEC+ producers’ group output limits.

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Daily Energy Insider – July 15, 2026

Peninsula Pipeline to build new natural gas pipeline in Florida

Peninsula Pipeline Company (PPC) is launching the Florida Energy Pathway, a new intrastate natural gas infrastructure project in south Florida. The $1.2 billion project will be developed, constructed and operated by PPC, which is a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation. The pipeline will seek to expand natural gas transportation capacity to address regional supply constraints, enhance system reliability and extend natural gas infrastructure to serve homes and businesses.

It will be a 24-inch intrastate natural gas pipeline originating in Palm Beach County and terminating in Miami-Dade County. The project is anchored by firm commitments totaling nearly 250,000 dekatherms per day from multiple investment grade shippers. Upstream capacity will be supplied by Florida Gas Transmission.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

Yahoo! News – July 22, 2026

Texas grid breaks power demand record amid statewide heat wave

Related: Texas’ Grid Operator Prepares for More Demand Than Ever This Week — amid triple-digit temperatures, solar and storage have created far more breathing room than in the last stretch of record energy demand — Inside Climate News

The Texas electric grid set a record for power demand Wednesday afternoon, when Texans were cranking up their air conditioners to contend with temperatures climbing into triple digits across the state. Usage hit a record 91,308 megawatts at 5 p.m., according to data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the statewide grid. That topped an unofficial record reached just a day earlier, when hourly demand hit 87,403 megawatts, a summer usage high that beat the previous official record of 85,508 megawatts, which was set in August 2023.

Energy demand was expected to continuing climbing, with usage projected to peak by 3 p.m. at 90,155 megawatts. Despite demand reaching new highs, ERCOT said the grid was operating under normal conditions with capacity remaining comfortably above demand. When electricity demand topped the record at midday, data from the grid operator showed capacity topped 109,300 megawatts.  Solar accounted for more than 38% of total capacity, though natural gas remained the No. 1 source of energy generation on the grid operated by ERCOT.

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Texas Tribune – July 22, 2026

James Talarico calls for tighter regulations on data center development

Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico on Wednesday called for a broad set of tighter regulations on data centers in Texas, seizing on what has become a potential political liability for Republicans who until recently had embraced the explosion of artificial intelligence-driven development in the state.

“Texas should be a leader when it comes to innovation and technology, but that only works if Texans get a say and get a share of that economic growth — and that’s not what’s happening right now,” Talarico said at a news conference in Austin where he rolled out his plan. “We’re often told in our politics that we have to choose between policies that are pro-growth and pro-people. I reject that choice, and the plan that we’re outlining today to hold data centers accountable, I think, strikes a balance between welcoming those investments while also protecting working people.”

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Morningstar – July 22, 2026

Fermi receives first turbines for Texas AI power project

Fermi Inc on Wednesday said three Siemens Energy AG natural gas turbines have arrived at the Port of Houston for its Project Matador development in Texas, marking a milestone in the build-out of what it expects to become the largest combined-cycle natural gas project in the US. The Dallas, Texas-based artificial intelligence infrastructure and private power grid developer said the three Siemens Energy SGT6-5000F turbines, each capable of generating up to 260 megawatts in simple-cycle mode, will form the backbone of the second phase of Project Matador near Amarillo, Texas.

Together, the turbines are rated at up to 780 megawatts in simple-cycle mode. The company said commissioning of the equipment keeps it “well ahead of competitors” in bringing gigawatt-scale power online. The latest delivery follows Fermi’s appointment of Spanish engineering firm TSK for early works on the second phase of the project and Primoris Services Corp to construct the balance of plant for six Siemens SGT-800 turbines in the first phase.

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Austin American-Statesman – July 22, 2026

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Denton Record-Chronicle – July 22, 2026

Denton utility rates are on track to increase as electric revenue comes in $200M shy of projections

The average residential ratepayer’s monthly utility bill would increase by $8.30 according to city projections, from a monthly bill of $267.82 this year to $276.12 starting in October. That’s an overall increase of 3.1% in the average residential bill. … Staff also proposed adding a credit card processing fee for online payments starting Oct. 1.

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San Antonio Express-News – July 22, 2026

Tesla powers up plans for $172K project in tiny Hill Country town

If you ever find yourself driving an electric vehicle through the Texas Hill Country, you might be excited to hear about a new Tesla project coming to Comfort, Texas, a tiny, historic and buzzy town north of Boerne. The Austin-based company plans to build a new development along U.S. Highway 87, outside a QuickTrip location and across the street from the James Avery Production Facility, according to a new filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).

The new filing marks Tesla’s growing footprint in the Hill Country as the automaker continues to expand its infrastructure statewide. Although the $172,000 development is relatively small compared with other incoming Tesla projects, such as a $10.4 million sales and service center along Interstate 35 in New Braunfels, it could make travel through one of the region’s busiest tourism corridors more convenient for electric vehicle drivers.

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Renewable Energy Magazine – July 22, 2026

Spearmint Energy Secures Nearly $450M Project Financing for 600 MWh BESS

Spearmint Energy has successfully closed approximately $450 million of financing to support Red Egret, a 300 MW/ 600 MWh standalone Battery Energy Storage System (“BESS”) in the City of Texas City, Texas. Andrew Waranch, Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Spearmint, said, “As aging grid infrastructure meets unprecedented growth in electricity demand, this financing supports Spearmint’s ability to increase energy resilience in ERCOT through battery energy storage systems. Through our development of Red Egret, we are working to strengthen reliability and deliver safe, cost-effective power to homes and businesses in Texas City and throughout the Texas Gulf Coast.”

The Construction Facility comprises financing to construct the project totaling $225 million and is provided by a consortium of banks led by First Citizens Bank and Investec as Coordinating Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners, Nord/LB as Joint Lead Arranger and East West Bank as Mandated Lead Arranger.

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Reuters – July 21, 2026

Virtual power plants rise to tackle data center challenge*

Utilities, state energy agencies, and device aggregators are increasingly turning to virtual power plants (VPPs) to meet surging demand and boost network efficiency. VPPs aggregate distributed energy resources such as batteries, electric vehicles, and smart thermostats. They can manage tens of thousands of devices in unison, maximizing the amount of available power at any given time, and allowing utilities ​to effectively use underutilized grid infrastructure.

U.S. VPP capacity rose 13.7% in 2025 to 37.5 GW, according to Wood Mackenzie. California, Texas, New York, and Massachusetts led growth with 37% of all VPP deployments, while the PJM ‌network in the East and the Texas ERCOT transmission areas, which are at the epicenter of the data center boom, have the greatest disclosed VPP capacity, Woodmac found.

 

Regulatory

 

July 22, 2026

The Washout of Tom Craddick’s Overriding Royalty: John McFarland, Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody

Recently the El Paso Court of Appeals affirmed a judgment denying Tom Craddick’s claim that Cimarex and BPX had conspired to wash out his overriding royalty interest in an oil and gas lease owned by BPX. Craddick v. Cimarex Energy, et al., No. 08-24-00010-CV. An overriding royalty is created when the owner of an oil and gas lease assigns the lease but reserves a royalty interest in production. An overriding royalty can also be created by assignment from the lessee. Because the overriding royalty is carved out of the lessee’s working interest, it terminates when the lease terminates.

A “washout” of an overriding royalty occurs when the lessee releases the lease even though there is a well or wells on the lease that continues to produce in paying quantities. The overriding royalty is “washed out” by the release. Tom Craddick claimed that Cimarex’s agreement with BPX – a complex “swap” in which Cimarex, the owner of the mineral interest underlying the lease, would convey other minerals to BPX in exchange for BPX’s release — violated a duty BPX owed to Craddick as owner of the overriding royalty. Based on prior precedent, the Court of Appeals held that BPX owed Craddick no duty to keep the lease in force.

 

 

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Wednesday July 22, 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 extended gains on Wednesday as fears of further supply disruptions intensified after U.S. forces struck Iranian military targets for the 11th straight night, while oil tankers made U-turns ​in the Red Sea after warnings by Iran-backed Houthi militia.

West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 82 cents, or 1.0%, to $85.16.

Brent crude futures rose $1, or ‌1.1%, to $92.01 a barrel at 0330 GMT.

The gains came after oil settled at a five-week high on Tuesday in the wake of U.S. forces striking targets in southern and ​western Iran, while Iran attacked U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

The U.S. military said it ​began its latest strikes on Iran late on Tuesday in the United States, or ⁠early Wednesday in Iran. The U.S. attacks came a short while after the Kuwaiti army said its ​air defences were intercepting Iranian drones on Wednesday.

The constant trading of strikes have raised fears of further disruptions ​to global energy supplies after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis opened a new front in the Iran war by threatening to target vessels carrying Saudi oil in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and announcing a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters.

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Top Stories

 

Crypto Briefing – July 21, 2026

Halliburton secures five-year contract with Basra Oil for Iraq field services

Related: Halliburton shares fell more than 6% on Tuesday after the U.S. oilfield services provider forecast weaker third-quarter revenue and flagged uncertainty about the ​pace of recovery in the Middle East — Reuters*

Halliburton has secured a significant contract with Iraq’s Basra Oil Company to provide services for oil fields in southern Iraq. This five-year integrated management contract involves the development of the Bin Umar and Sindbad oil fields, aiming to enhance production capacity significantly. The deal, officially announced on July 20, 2026, reflects Iraq’s strategic efforts to boost its national oil and gas capacity under Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi. Payments for the contract’s services are tied to verified completed work, aligning with Iraq’s recent collaborations with other U.S. firms like Chevron and KBR.

The announcement appears to have drawn attention within the commodity markets, particularly in the context of WTI crude oil prices. The potential increase in oil production capacity in Iraq could influence oil prices, especially if geopolitical conditions remain stable. Current market indicators suggest that participants are weighing the potential impacts on oil prices, with some pricing consistent with increased likelihood of higher WTI prices in July.

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Austin American-Statesman – July 21, 2026

ERCOT predicts record demand as temperatures across the state rise to triple digits*

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is expecting record energy demand this week as temperatures across Texas rise to triple digits. Grid demand is expected to surpass the previous record by Wednesday afternoon, when San Antonio and Austin could record 100-degree readings — the first of the year for the Alamo City. But while the grid operator is bracing for a surge in demand, it isn’t calling for energy reductions or issuing emergency alerts.

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KLBK – July 21, 2026

Utility commission moves to lower electricity costs, prepare for data centers

Related: That indicates a big shift in thinking, according to University of Houston Professor Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti. “The idea a year ago was to bring in data centers of all stripes, all kinds,” he explained. “And consumer affordability was not a big factor in play.” Krishnamoorti said the recent correspondence between Abbott and PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson tells a new story. — KTRK

The Public Utility Commission of Texas, the directing body of ERCOT, filed a letter and memorandum for Governor Abbott detailing its plans to protect Texans from rising costs due to data centers. The memo, per the governor’s request, detailed ongoing projects and needs from the 2027 legislative session. “There’ll probably be 181 members that will file 181 best practices bills for data centers,” said State Senator Charles Perry (R-Lubbock). “The PUC has over 200 data center applications, the bulk of them will never see the light of day.”

PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson said in the letter he agrees that the state should prioritize affordability and reliability of the electric grid. The PUC already requires new large load customers like data centers to provide their own power, and is focused on making them pay for interconnection up front. Perry said much of the memo talks about policies that have been in the works for years.

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CNBC – July 21, 2026

Abu Dhabi approves $6.2 billion gas project to boost UAE supply

Abu Dhabi’s National Oil Company will invest $6.2 billion to develop the Umm Shaif Gas Cap, a massive offshore oil and gas field, as part of its strategy to expand natural gas production and liquefied natural gas exports. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, usually an avenue for around 20% of the world’s LNG trade, have underscored the importance of the project and highlighted the vulnerability of global energy supplies. Umm Shaif, Abu Dhabi’s longest-operating offshore field, is being developed alongside TotalEnergies, Eni and China National Petroleum Corporation.

The field will unlock more than 600 million standard cubic feet of natural gas and associated gas liquids per day, according to ADNOC, equivalent to nearly 10% of the UAE’s current daily gas consumption. Production is expected to begin by 2030. The investment comes as the UAE seeks to monetize its gas reserves, while strengthening domestic energy security and bolstering its position in global LNG markets. The country holds the world’s seventh-largest proven gas reserves, in addition to its over four million barrels per day of oil production. The UAE left OPEC earlier this year and now has no output limits. Abu Dhabi is hoping to surpass 5 million barrels per day of production by next year.

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S&P Global Platts – July 21, 2026

Tropical Storm Bertha to weaken July 22-24; heat wave boosts Texas power prices

Related: A blast of intense heat across eastern Texas is set to challenge the state grid’s all-time power demand record. Preliminary estimates from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or Ercot, show demand late Monday afternoon neared the 85.508 gigawatts record set in August 2023. The grid operator has forecast even higher peak loads Tuesday and Wednesday evening. As cooling demand spiked, the grid operator said more than 114 gigawatts was available to supply the system on Monday — Bloomberg*

Tropical Storm Bertha may have reached its peak intensity offshore of the northern Gulf Coast, weather forecasters said July 21, but electric utilities along the westward forecast path continued to monitor the storm and prepare for any consequences. Across 11 hurricanes affecting Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions from 2022 to 2025, loads dropped an average 20.2%, and power prices dropped an average 29.5%, S&P Global Energy data shows.

At the four affected locations where S&P Global Energy had natural gas power burn data, those numbers fell an average of about 20% from the same day a week prior. Across the region’s relevant gas price points, Platts spot gas indexes from S&P Global Energy fell 12.5% from the same day a week prior.

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The Latest TERse Tips

BP has followed Chevron in evacuating some of its personnel from US Gulf assets as Tropical Storm Bertha continues to gain speed in the region, the UK supermajor said Tuesday — BP moved some non-essential workers from its operated Thunder Horse and Na Kika platforms, the company confirmed to Upstream

The grueling, 630-mile road race where the only fuel is sunlight — the annual Solar Car Challenge for high school students celebrates its 30th year anniversary with a high-stakes trek across Texas — The Verge

ExxonMobil has removed all staff on oil and gas platforms that are in the path of the Tropical Storm Bertha — Quantum Energy Intelligence*

Crude oil prices could surge to $120 per barrel towards the end of the year if the war in the Middle East extends and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for longer, Goldman Sachs has warned in its latest prediction in response to geopolitical developments in the Middle East — Oil Price

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Oil & Gas Texas

 

The Wall Street Journal – July 21, 2026

Ken Paxton Scrambles to Win Back the GOP’s Big-Dollar Donors*

A day after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn for the party’s Senate nomination, his campaign called billionaire businessman Bob Rowling. Rowling, who had contributed more than $750,000 to groups supporting Cornyn, is one of the high-dollar Republican donors who could be key to Paxton’s efforts in a competitive race. But Rowling, a onetime supporter of Paxton, had been turned off by his alleged extramarital affairs and was emotional over his drubbing of Cornyn, he said. He initially declined to help. Then Rowling got a call from Sen. Ted Cruz, who asked him to meet with Paxton. Rowling said he had begun to consider whether Democratic opponent James Talarico was a concerning enough threat for him to open his wallet again. He ended up taking a meeting with Paxton and Cruz to hear them out.

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S&P Global Platts – July 21, 2026

Americas oil production growth cushions blow from Hormuz closure, experts say

Growing oil production in the Americas has blunted the oil market impact of the closure of Strait of Hormuz during the US-Iran war, compared to the impact that would have occurred with a similar closure 15 years ago, energy experts said July 21. The US was the largest oil and gas producer last year, with production growing 4% in 2025, Nick Wayth, CEO of the UK-based Energy Institute, said during a discussion of the organization’s 2026 Statistical Review of World Energy.

“All of this goes some way to explaining why we’ve not quite seen the sort of catastrophic impacts of the Strait of Hormuz closure,” Wayth said during a webinar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Five years ago, the Americas were about equal to the Middle East in total oil production, Wayth said. But now the Americas produce about 20% more oil than the Middle East, he said.

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Reuters – July 21, 2026

Refiners elbow traders to take a larger slice of Venezuela’s oil*

Refiners and oil-producing firms in the U.S. and elsewhere are gaining market share in Venezuela’s crude as they sign direct contracts with ​state-run PDVSA, challenging the global traders that inked earlier deals with the government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez. Trading houses Vitol and Trafigura currently ‌control the lion’s share of Venezuela’s oil exports through agreements signed in January with Caracas that are overseen by Washington, allowing them to take more than 100 million barrels for resale to final buyers in six months.

PDVSA, however, is slowly going back to the business model it had before U.S. energy sanctions were imposed on the OPEC country in 2019, which prioritizes supply contracts with ​its joint-venture partners and refineries over intermediaries. … U.S. refiner ​Phillips 66 in May began buying spot cargoes from PDVSA after a seven-year pause. In July, the company was allocated three ⁠cargoes of flagship Merey 16 heavy crude for delivery at the country’s main oil port, Jose, shipping documents showed.

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Fast Company – July 21, 2026

This Texas startup wants to reinvent desalination with a spinning membrane

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San Antonio Current – July 20, 2026

The hard ceiling over Texas cities’ climate plans

In 2015, a 25-year-old flooring installer named Roendy Granillo collapsed and died of heat stroke on a construction job in Melissa, a small town northeast of Dallas, after his family said he was denied a water break. They carried his story to Dallas City Hall, and the council passed an ordinance on a 10-5 vote, guaranteeing construction workers a 10-minute rest break every four hours. Austin had passed a similar rule in 2010. The rules stood for more than a decade. Then, in 2023, a single state law erased them both and barred any other Texas city from passing one.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

The New York Times – July 21, 2026

Oil Firms Knew for Decades of Methane’s Danger to Planet, Documents Suggest*

The oil and gas industry has known for decades that its wells were releasing far more planet-warming methane than companies acknowledged, according to industry documents identified by an environmental group. In a report on the findings released on Monday, the Center for Climate Integrity cited, among other examples, a 1979 report commissioned by the research arm of the American Gas Association, an industry group. That report said that major gas fields in the United States could be releasing far more planet-warming gases than was being officially reported.

Methane, a main component in natural gas, is a particularly potent greenhouse gas when released into the atmosphere. It has “always been unclear what the industry directly knew” about its methane releases, said Steven Hamburg, chief scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, who has researched the question for years and wasn’t involved in the center’s report. The Center for Climate Integrity is a nonprofit that has called for the oil industry to be held financially responsible for the effects of climate change, which has been caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The group said it examined decades’ worth of industry documents, available in university libraries and other public archives, to draw its conclusions.

Despite industry findings like these, the group said in its report, the industry publicly underplayed the concerns over methane. And as the natural gas industry faced increasing competition from electric stoves and heaters, industry groups worked on an advertising campaign that highlighted gas as a clean fuel, according to documents cited by the Center for Climate Integrity. The American Gas Association, whose research arm commissioned the 1979 review, did not respond to requests for comment. Since 1990, natural gas production has surged in the United States, transforming the nation from a net importer of the fuel to a leading exporter. By the 2010s, the United States had overtaken Russia as the world’s largest producer of natural gas.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 21, 2026

War Risk to Oil Supplies Grows With Red and Black Sea Disruptions*

Global oil supplies face a growing list of disruptions, as a threat by Yemen’s Houthi militants to blockade Saudi Arabia began to take shape and Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s Black Sea shipping disrupted operations of a key pipeline there. Two oil tankers loaded with Saudi crude oil turned around Tuesday. A successful blockade would open another front in the U.S.-Iran conflict and compound the disruption caused by Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Ukrainian efforts to cripple Russia’s war effort have disrupted crude oil shipments in the Black Sea and fuel production at Russian refineries.

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Reuters – July 21, 2026

Equinor profit soars on wartime oil and gas prices*

Equinor on Wednesday reported a sharp rise in second-quarter profits, as expected, lifted by a surge in oil and gas prices as the war in the Middle East disrupted global energy supplies. The ​Norwegian group’s adjusted earnings before tax for the April to June ​period rose to $11.48 billion from $6.54 billion a year earlier, broadly in ⁠line with the $11.37 billion predicted in a poll of 17 analysts compiled by ​Equinor.

“Strong production in the second quarter enabled us to capture value from higher prices, ​contributing to strong cash flow and financial results,” CEO Anders Opedal said in a statement. The shares of majority state-owned Equinor are up 54% year-to-date, outperforming a 30% increase in European energy ​stocks, reflecting its position as a major supplier of oil and gas to ​Europe and with no direct exposure to the Middle East. The company last month said it ‌will double its ⁠share buybacks, returning more cash to owners as the wartime rise in oil and gas prices filled its coffers, while at the same time scaling back investments in renewable energy due to weak demand.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

Houston Chronicle – July 21, 2026

More Texas communities are taking a stand against data centers. Here’s how lawmakers are responding.*

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Dallas Morning News/Yahoo! News – July 21, 2026

Texas electricity companies are playing games. Most customers don’t even know they’re losing: Dave Lieber, the Watchdog*

Memo to Laurel Peltier, retail energy expert
From: The Watchdog

Laurel, I read your recent study on how Texas electricity companies deceive customers and nearly fell out of my chair. You blew up the system.

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KFOX – July 20, 2026

El Paso council approves fast-track legal response to utility rate, project filings

El Paso city leaders have approved a move aimed at giving the city more power to push back quickly when electric and natural gas companies seek changes that could raise customers’ utility bills. The El Paso City Council approved a measure allowing the City Attorney’s Office to respond more quickly when utility companies seek approval for projects, rate increases or other changes that could affect what residents and businesses pay for electric and natural gas service.

City officials said the action is intended to help protect customers from unnecessary costs by ensuring the city can participate early in regulatory decisions. Utility companies may ask regulators to approve rate increases, recover the costs of major infrastructure projects or build new facilities — decisions that can directly affect customer bills. The city said the faster-response authority will help it review those requests, challenge unreasonable costs and advocate for customers before decisions are finalized.

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KFOX – July 20, 2026

City of El Paso to intervene in EP electric data center rate case

El Paso city leaders are moving to take a formal role in a new state regulatory case that could affect how much local customers pay for electricity as demand grows from large data centers.

The El Paso City Council has authorized the City Attorney’s Office to intervene in a new proceeding before the Public Utility Commission of Texas involving proposed changes to El Paso Electric’s Economic Development Rate for data centers. The council action allows the city to intervene in the case, retain outside legal counsel and technical experts as needed, and advocate for protections aimed at ensuring residential and business customers are not asked to subsidize costs associated with serving large, high-energy users.

Royse City Herald Banner – July 21, 2026

Giga Energy introduces proposed project near Royse City

The Hunt County Commissioners Court at last week’s regular session heard a presentation from Houston-based Giga Energy on a proposed data center development on County Road 2656 near Royse City. County officials said Giga Energy requested the meeting to introduce the project and answer questions from commissioners and the public. Speaking by Zoom from Houston, Brent Whitehead – co-founder and chief operating officer of Giga Energy – said the company develops, builds, owns and operates its own data centers rather than serving solely as an investment firm.

“Our goal is to build electrical infrastructure that helps modernize the electric grid,” Whitehead said. The proposed BT Gateway Data Center would occupy about 30 acres outside Royse City, with roughly 20 acres slated for development. Whitehead said the main building would cover about two acres and would process artificial intelligence computing workloads.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 21, 2026

Utilities Join Trump Pledge to Limit AI-Driven Increases in Electricity Bills*

The nation’s largest utilities and developers of data centers have signed on to President Trump’s pledge to pay more for the electricity needed to run artificial-intelligence models, hoping to quell a backlash that has fueled protests and political proposals to halt the AI boom. NextEra Energy, Duke Energy, Equinix and Digital Realty are among the nearly 200 entities committing to the president’s promise aimed at ensuring AI’s energy consumption doesn’t push up electric bills for consumers across the U.S., according to a White House list of signatories obtained by The Wall Street Journal. Trump is expected to announce the new commitments at a Thursday event at the Environmental Protection Agency, a White House official said. Republican governors including Louisiana’s Jeff Landry and Georgia’s Brian Kemp also signed the pledge and are expected to attend.

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Bloomberg – july 21, 2026

Data Centers on Track to Suck Up a Fifth of US Power Use by 2035*

Data centers in the US will account for about 20% of the nation’s electricity consumption in 2035, up from 5.9% today, according to BloombergNEF. 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.”

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Dallas Morning News – July 21, 2026

BlackRock-backed group closes $40 billion deal for D-FW data center company*

A consortium backed by BlackRock and Abu Dhabi-based fund MGX has completed the $40 billion acquisition of North Texas-based Aligned Data Centers. The Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), MGX and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners announced Tuesday that the group acquired 100% equity in the data center firm from private infrastructure funds managed by Macquarie Asset Management and its co-investment partners. The deal values Aligned at about $40 billion, which represents one of the largest data center deals ever.

After the closing, the consortium also committed $5 billion to fund Aligned’s continued expansion. The deal is AIP’s first investment, part of plans to deploy $30 billion of equity capital, with the potential of reaching $100 billion, including debt. Other members backing the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership include Microsoft and Nvidia. Plano-based Aligned Data Centers is one of the largest and fastest-growing data center developers in the world. The firm has 51 campuses and more than 6.4 gigawatts of operational and planned capacity. The company will keep its headquarters in the Dallas area. Aligned CEO Andrew Schaap and the existing team will continue to lead the firm.  Schaap told The Dallas Morning News in October that the deal will allow Aligned to continue its growth in North Texas and expand into new markets. Aligned has 144 employees and four data centers in Dallas-Fort Worth.

 

Regulatory

 

RTO Insider – July 21, 2026

States Seek to Join Suit Against Federal Wind Power Freeze*

A coalition of 19 state attorneys general has officially moved to intervene in an ongoing federal lawsuit against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to challenge a nationwide freeze on land-based wind farm permits. The Pentagon effectively paused all routine reviews of onshore wind projects in August 2025, citing concerns that tall wind turbines could interfere with military radar and provide cover for modern drones

The legal coalition—including states like Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Colorado—argues that the DOD’s sudden refusal to complete routine, legally mandated safety reviews has indefinitely delayed over 100 wind projects. According to the attorneys general, the prolonged stall is arbitrary, violates the Administrative Procedure Act, and severely hinders state-level clean energy goals, tax revenue, and economic growth. The participating states seek to force the DOD to resume the review process, as developers allege the year-long standstill has frozen 44 gigawatts of potential capacity and cost the industry billions of dollars

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Tuesday July 21, 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 softened on Tuesday, with markets weighing reports of mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran against an exchange of fresh attacks between the two and threats of a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthis.

West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.47 a barrel.

Brent crude futures eased 35 cents, or 0.4%, to $88.87 per barrel by 0052 GMT.

Both contracts were trading below their highest levels in more than a month hit in the previous session.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they would impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front against the U.S. in its war on Iran and raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.

“The threats of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia by the Houthis are significant because they raise the risk of disruption to another major oil exporter,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.

 

Top Stories

 

E&E News By Politico – July 20, 2026

Oil, electric cash fuels Texas GOP campaigns

The oil and electric industries are rallying around Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, helping him rake in more than $25 million over four months and boosting other statewide Republican candidates. Democrats, whose fundraising trails the GOP in most statewide races, said they’ve raised enough money to stay in the fight — while arguing that the gusher of oil money shows their opponents are out of touch.

Texas gasoline prices sit well below the national average, but on Sunday, the state average was about 29 percent higher than a year earlier, according to AAA. And Texas’ data center construction boom has rural residents worried about the impact on their local electric rates, as well as the disruption of living near new facilities and the power plants they require.

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Politico – July 20, 2026

Solar’s new GOP champion

A former governor from the decidedly non-MAGA corner of the Republican Party is hoping to sell solar to President Donald Trump’s allies. The solar industry has faced significant headwinds during the second Trump administration, including losing federal tax credits for solar projects and a crackdown on solar equipment imports. Even at the state level, lawmakers in states like Texas are seeking ways to limit solar’s growth on the grid.

Enter former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who took the helm of the Solar Energy Industries Association last month. “Let’s be candid. In Washington, there is a scarcity of Republicans who are willing to embrace renewable energy in various ways,” Pawlenty told our Manuel Quiñones in an interview on POLITICO’s Energy Podcast.

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AOL – July 20, 2026

Grid operator in US central states warns of potential rolling blackouts

The regional U.S. grid operator for 14 central states warned on Monday evening that it could order rolling blackouts because the power system was on the brink of an electricity shortfall due to record demand. Several power plants unexpectedly tripped offline, leaving reserve margins razor thin amid a heat wave in the territory stretching from North Dakota to Louisiana.

The pool, called the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), issued a level three energy alert, meaning the grid operator used some or all of its operating reserves to serve demand. The grid operator said it had not had to order rolling blackouts despite the high risk. SPP issued the level three alert about 6 p.m. EDT for its western territory, before ratcheting down the threat level a couple of hours later.

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World Oil – July 20, 2026

Magnolia’s $4.06 billion WildFire deal creates major South Texas position

Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp. has agreed to acquire WildFire Energy for approximately $4.06 billion, creating a significantly larger position across the Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk in South Texas and more than doubling Magnolia’s acreage in the Giddings field. The transaction will add approximately 810,000 net acres and 53,000 boed of production, roughly 70% weighted to oil. Following closing, Magnolia will control more than 1.25 million net acres in Giddings, with development opportunities across the Austin Chalk, Eagle Ford and Woodbine formations.

“The acquisition of the WildFire oil and gas properties and acreage is a natural and strategic fit,” Magnolia Chairman, President and CEO Chris Stavros said. “It makes our business better by extending our runway of advantaged profitability and significant free cash flow generation.” Magnolia said WildFire’s acreage is adjacent to and overlaps portions of its existing Giddings position, creating a larger contiguous operating footprint. The company expects the combination to generate more than $100 million in annual cost savings and synergies through longer laterals, shared infrastructure, lower corporate expenses and streamlined field operations.

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Center Square – July 20, 2026

Cleco plans 756-MW gas plant alongside Rapides data center, LA

Cleco plans to build a new natural gas power plant as part of a broader deal to supply electricity to Applied Digital’s massive data center in Rapides Parish, according to testimony filed with state regulators. The $3.6 billion data center is expected to use as much as 430 megawatts of electricity, making it “the largest single load ever served by Cleco Power.”

Applied Digital would pay the full cost of the power lines, substations and other equipment needed to connect the data center directly to Cleco’s electric grid. That work includes building a new substation at the data center, upgrading existing substations and improving transmission lines in the area.

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City Journal – July 20, 2026

The Myth of an Energy Transition: Mark P. Mills, National Center for Energy Analytics

The summer 2026 news cycle continues to be dominated by the Iran War and its vicissitudes and consequences. The disruptions to oil and natural gas supplies and the economic fallout are animating articles with headlines such as Bloomberg’s last month, “Iran Shock Jolts Asia and Europe to Speed Up Energy Transition.” The energy transition is the idea that the United States and the world are already starting to see the wholesale replacement of oil, natural gas, and coal by three politically favored energy technologies: solar and wind, moderated by batteries.

The claim that an energy transition is underway, much less that it can be sped up, is an illusory but tenacious idea anchored in a claim of technological inevitability: fossil fuels are the buggy-whips of the energy industry and thus face inevitable obsolescence. And, of course, the transition ideology is further animated by the cult of climate catastrophism that demands the elimination of hydrocarbons. Meantime, the promised solar-wind energy revolution seems to be losing appeal. A recent Pew poll found public support for prioritizing wind and solar has dropped by over 20 percentage points in the past six years.

 

The Latest TERse Tips

U.S. gas prices jumped back to $4 a gallon on average Monday, as Washington’s latest fighting with Iran renews strain on the flow of fuel worldwide — Associated Press/KBTX

Stocks of crude oil ​in the U.S. Strategic ‌Petroleum Reserve fell by about 5.1 million barrels to 311.4 million ​barrels last week, the ​lowest level since March 1983, ⁠according to data from the ​Department of Energy — Reuters*

Chevron is shutting-in production at its Petronius facility in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and all associated personnel are being moved onshore in preparation for ​Tropical Storm Bertha, the company said in a statement on Monday, adding that it is transporting nonessential personnel from its Tubular Bells and Blind Faith platforms — KFGO

Tailwater Capital LLC, an energy and infrastructure private equity firm, announced its investment in Pickton Gas Storage LLC, a natural gas storage and infrastructure platform led by the former management team of NorTex Midstream Partners — concurrently, Pickton announced that it has reached Final Investment Decision (“FID”) on its natural gas storage facility and new transportation and trading hub in East Texas and ii) closed on a new project finance debt facility to support the project — BIC

Soluna has appointed former Microsoft hyperscale executive Ryan Carver as CDO to lead its AI and HPC data centre platform rooted in renewable energy — Data Centre

The United States is supporting efforts by Iraq and Syria to revive ​a crude pipeline between the two countries, which ‌could reduce Iran’s ability to block oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, a State Department official said ​on Tuesday — Reuters*

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Oil & Gas Texas

 

Pipeline Technology Journal – July 20, 2026

Chevron Weighs $366 Billion Iraq-to-Syria Pipeline Revival Amid Gulf Shipping Crisis

U.S. oil giant Chevron Corp. is in preliminary talks to invest in major Iraqi oil fields and is evaluating the reconstruction of a long-dormant pipeline to the Syrian coast, a move aimed at bypassing the increasingly volatile Strait of Hormuz. The $366 billion energy behemoth is scheduled to sign early-stage agreements with the Iraqi government following a meeting Thursday between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi and Chevron Vice Chairman Mark Nelson at the company’s Houston headquarters.

Central to the discussions is a proposal to rebuild a defunct oil pipeline stretching from Kirkuk, Iraq, to the Syrian Mediterranean port of Baniyas. The pipeline has been out of service for more than two decades after sustaining severe damage during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

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Midland Reporter-Telegram – July 18, 2026

Autonomous drones offer security at energy sites*

Drones are flying across the Permian Basin oil patch to monitor emissions or fluid leaks. LandSkyAI, a startup, now has drones active in West Texas, but its drones have a different purpose. While the drones have inspection capabilities, “we’re focused on security,” said Jake Shild, founder and CEO of the company. “What’s different is, one, we focus on security, and two, these are drone-in-a-box systems,” he told the Reporter-Telegram by phone.

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Austin American-Statesman – July 19, 2026

Water scarcity won’t only leave Texans high and dry, it’ll be bad for business: Cody Copeland*

News from the States – July 14, 2026

Energy expert tells NM lawmakers Project Jupiter could roll back air quality progress by 20 years

Related: The New Mexico land commissioner has denied a request to place a gas pipeline through state trust land for Project Jupiter — KOAT

Environmental advocates on Monday told New Mexico lawmakers that power plants built specifically for large data centers such as Project Jupiter could undo more than 20 years of progress on air quality. David Baake, an attorney and energy policy consultant for the regional conservation nonprofit Western Resource Advocates, told lawmakers on the interim Water and Natural Resources Committee that

He specifically pointed to Project Jupiter, the Oracle and OpenAI data center campus under construction in Doña Ana County. The project’s developers initially sought permitting to build two natural gas plants to power the facility, but later revised their proposal to instead rely on fuel cells, which convert natural gas, biogas or hydrogen into electricity.

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Midland Reporter-Telegram – July 18, 2026

Chevron banks on technology to optimize production*

Chevron has had great success growing its Permian Basin operations, with more than 1 million barrels of oil equivalent a day coming from the region. Now the multinational oil major is shifting its Permian Basin strategy from growth to plateauing production. “We went from capital intensive growth to shifting to a plateau and making sure we’re leveraging efficiencies,” said Kim McHugh, vice president of Chevron’s shale and tight operations.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

CNBC – July 20, 2026

Ships shun Strait of Hormuz as renewed fighting strains key oil corridor

Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slumped since U.S. President Donald Trump’s blockade took effect last week, with shipowners increasingly avoiding one of the world’s most important energy corridors as fighting between the U.S. and Iran intensifies.  Crossings through the Strait have fallen sharply across multiple shipping datasets with renewed U.S. strikes on Iran, Tehran’s declaration of a blanket ban on maritime traffic and fresh attacks on commercial vessels has prompted operators to reassess the risks of entering the Gulf.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence recorded just 53 vessel transits in the week through July 20, down 66% from 157 the previous week. Tanker and gas carrier movements, which are the ships responsible for transporting most Gulf crude oil and liquefied natural gas, dropped to 30 crossings from 90.  Kpler data similarly show activity deteriorating almost immediately after the blockade began. Daily crossings, which had averaged more than 20 vessels before July 15, fell to 16 that day before dropping to single digits on July 16. Traffic remained subdued through the rest of the week, with only sporadic recoveries. The latest slowdown reverses weeks of gradual normalization after the mid-June ceasefire had encouraged some shipowners to resume Gulf voyages.

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SRN News – July 20, 2026

Why oil prices haven’t gone crazy despite 5 months of US-Iran war: Anushree Mukherjee

As the United States and Israel went to war with Iran at the end of February, analysts predicted the price of crude oil could hit $150 a barrel or even rise as far as $200, with the fifth of global supply that transits the vital Strait of Hormuz suddenly cut off from world markets.

But, Brent crude futures peaked around $126 – comfortably below 2008’s all-time high of $147 – and averaged just $101 a barrel between the start of the conflict on February 28 and June 11 when U.S. President Donald Trump called off strikes on Iran, before briefly retreating to pre-war levels of $70 in early July.

Below are some of the reasons why the oil price hasn’t gone crazy. Yet.

1. CHINESE SURPRISE

The biggest surprise was China, the world’s largest oil importer, which had slashed crude imports to the lowest in nearly a decade by June. Fuel exports were curbed, its population started using electric taxis instead of personal cars and its petrochemical sector also reduced volumes.

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Bloomberg – July 19, 2026

Diesel Squeeze in Europe Set to Deepen, Morgan Stanley Says*

A diesel squeeze is playing out across Europe as a slew of major supply challenges coincide, according to Morgan Stanley, which flagged record refining margins in the region and slumping stockpiles. “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.”

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Bloomberg – July 18, 2026

Thousands of Trucks Haul Iraq’s Oil Through Syria in Sign of Hormuz Legacy*

Iraq is using a vast fleet of trucks to carry fuel oil through Syria and reroute flows away from the Strait of Hormuz, rapidly transforming its neighbor into the Middle East’s top export hub. In just months, Syria has gone from shipping none of the fuel to making up more than a quarter of Middle Eastern volumes. The supplies are arriving on thousands of trucks that can take about four days to reach Syria’s Mediterranean ports, and highlight how the Iran war is reshaping the region’s energy flows. Persian Gulf countries have been looking at how to reduce their reliance on Hormuz for exports, including through existing or new pipelines and expanding infrastructure at ports that sit outside the waterway. A fresh flare up in hostilities in the region is affecting the movement of fuel cargoes, further underlining the importance of alternative routes. The strait normally accounts for about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

The sharp increase also underscores efforts to bring Syria into the global economy, after the US lifted years of sanctions and supported the country’s turnaround. The nation is increasingly seen as a gateway for energy flows from Iraq, including plans for crude oil pipelines, so as to weaken Iran’s leverage over the crucial waterway. Fuel oil, used in shipping and power generation, is the main refined fuel that Iraq exports. But with tensions in the Persian Gulf and limited ability to work around Hormuz, the country is having to find other routes to prevent refineries from running out of storage space and being forced to shutter. That in turn would affect supply of other fuels such as gasoline and diesel. The country is also looking to shore up its oil revenue after the closure of Hormuz hit its finances hard. Besides Syria, it’s also sending fuel-oil-laden trucks through Jordan, and traders say that small volumes of crude oil — the cornerstone of the economy — are being trucked in the same way.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

The Wall Street Journal – July 20, 2026

BlackRock Leads $12 Billion Financing for New Meta Data Centers in Texas*

BlackRock is leading a debt sale targeting at least $12 billion for its massive new El Paso data-center project backed by Meta Platforms , people familiar with the matter said. The world’s largest investment firm, along with its infrastructure and private-credit arms, owns an 80% stake in the Texas data-center project, while Meta Platforms, which will use the data centers, owns the other 20%. The complex is expected to have around 1 gigawatt of capacity, the people said. JPMorgan Chase  and Morgan Stanley are leading the jumbo debt sale to finance the project and are reaching out to other potential investors, the people said.

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KETK – July 20, 2026

Petition to save Cedar Creek Lake from data centers gains over 2K signatures

 A petition created by nonprofit ‘Save Cedar Creek Lake’ has gathered over 2,500 signatures in an attempt to save the East Texas lake from data centers. ‘Save Cedar Creek Lake’ is a local non-profit that’s aiming to stop a planned data center from being built near the Key Ranch Estates on Cedar Creek Lake in Henderson County. Their new petition is just the latest step they’ve taken towards stopping data center plans near the lake.

According to the nonprofit’s website, the petition, it’s signatures and the following demands will be sent to the respective organizations: … Their goal is to reach 5,000 signatures before they send off the petition. To learn more, visit Save Cedar Creek online.

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Texas Tribune – July 20, 2026

Texarkana region embraces lithium mining potential

On Wednesday, a conglomeration of local, state and federal leaders came together at the first State of Lithium Symposium for the region to examine the future of lithium mining in Texas. The U.S. depends primarily on foreign nations, such as China and Chile, to supply its lithium, which is used in everything from electric vehicle batteries to smartphones. The Smackover Formation, a deep well of salty water stretching from Texas to Florida, has a large store of lithium that has been known about for decades. However, only recently has technology evolved to extract it safely.

The symposium sought to educate leaders on the economic opportunities of mining on U.S. soil, the extraction technology and the environmental impacts of mining for lithium. The symposium marked a turning point in regional interest and provided important talking points before lithium mining could even begin, such as job creation, local infrastructure development and partnerships between the communities and corporations.

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Yahoo! News – July 14, 2026

Old Wind Turbines Are Being Used In Ways That Totally Would Surprise You

While wind turbines continue to improve in both efficiency and power generation, recycling them has been more of a challenge. And with the amount of waste expected to rise as wind power continues to garner more popularity, the situation calls for solutions. In 2025, New York’s first wind farm was torn down, with some of its components potentially ending up in a landfill.

Fortunately, in addition to conventional recycling methods, one part of these machines (the nacelle) has found a new purpose as a tiny home. The project, “The Nestle Tiny House,” is the first of its kind by Superuse Studios and a European energy company, Vattenfall. Perhaps more of these homes could be on the way.

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July 16, 2026

For energy systems that power a reliable grid, the future is all about location: MIT News

Will a warming climate and changing weather patterns lead to more grid blackouts and other energy disruptions? Answering that question requires studying both regional climate forecasts and local energy systems, including emerging renewable generation, storage, transmission lines, and demand forecasts. The lack of such studies is one reason why energy developers and grid operators rarely consider climate change when deciding where to build their next project.

Now MIT researchers have created a way to make more climate-informed energy siting choices, and shown how it can be used to make energy systems more resilient and reduce blackouts. The researchers’ framework, described today in Nature Energy, combines fine-scale meteorology with detailed simulations of energy infrastructure. It shows how the location of new energy projects will play a significant role in meeting future demand in a changing climate.

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Renewable Energy World – July 20, 2026

As Colorado River and tributaries shrink, a public power system frays

The Wayne N. Aspinall Unit, Colorado’s only stake in a federal hydropower system that sells power across the West, is on pace to generate nearly 30% less electricity than its historical average dating to 1978, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. The shortfall is the latest sign of a decades-long decline eroding a system that accounts for about 3% of Colorado’s energy supply. The unit’s three dams on the Gunnison River — including Blue Mesa, Morrow Point and Crystal — make up Colorado’s only piece of the Colorado River Storage Project, a Depression-era network of federal dams selling power to municipalities, cooperatives, tribes and irrigation districts across the West. Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest body of water entirely within Colorado, is expected to end the year at just 17% of its live storage capacity.

As the river shrinks under the stresses of climate change, so does the unit’s output. And the electricity that the waterway does not help to generate has to come from somewhere else, usually at a higher price. Nationwide, residential electricity users have already seen an annual price increase of more than 7% in the year ending in March. Judging by Xcel Energy’s recent effort in Colorado to obtain rate increases that might exceed 50% by the end of the decade, additional hits to consumers’ budgets could become the most obvious consequence of the building crisis in the Colorado River Storage Project’s capacity to generate power.

 

Regulatory

 

Oil & Gas Journal – July 20, 2026

FERC advances Gulf South, Kinder Morgan, and MVP gas projects

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has advanced three major US natural gas infrastructure projects, fast-tracking a proposed Gulf Coast pipeline and moving multibillion-dollar expansions in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic closer to construction and service. Gulf South Pipeline Co. LLC’s $1.4-billion Texas Gateway Project has been accepted into the federal FAST-41 permitting program, placing the proposed 1.45-bcfd natural gas pipeline system on an expedited federal review schedule.

The project, operated by Gulf South Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of Boardwalk Pipelines, would connect East Texas gas supplies with growing demand from LNG export plants, power generators, and industrial users along the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Plans call for 155 miles of new 36-in. and 42-in. OD pipeline extending from Carthage, Tex., to the Gillis Hub in Beauregard Parish, La., a new compressor station in San Jacinto County, Tex., and modifications at two existing compressor stations.

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Monday July 20, 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 rose Monday as continued conflict between the United States and Iran has heightened concerns over disruptions to energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, following another round of U.S. strikes and American military casualties.

West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery climbed roughly 2.4% to $84.49.

International benchmark Brent crude for September delivery rose about 2.77% to top $90 per barrel.

The latest escalation comes after the U.S. military confirmed a third American service member had been killed in recent operations, while investigators recovered unidentified remains near the site of an Iranian attack in Jordan that had previously left two U.S. personnel dead and another missing.

American forces completed a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iranian targets. “The strikes will continue degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. Central Command said in statement on X.

 

Top Stories

 

Midland Reporter-Telegram – July 18, 2026

Low gas prices have Permian wells being shuttered*

Negative natural gas prices at the Waha hub have prompted some Permian Basin oil and natural gas producers to curtail production or shut in wells to limit exposure to low prices. Analysts with East Daley Analytics say those curtailments will defer oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids production that will likely return later in the year. “As Waha basis continues to improve, producers will get more benefit from their associated gas production. Constraint relief, in the form of expansion, allows Waha basis to improve. So overall, this is a good thing for producers. You might be sacrificing a little bit now, but on the prospect of better returns later,” Jack Weixel with East Daley told the Reporter-Telegram by email.

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The Hill – July 17, 2026

US firms sign energy and other deals with Iraq after Trump touts its oil

U.S. firms signed several oil-related and other deals with Iraq on Friday, days after President Trump said the two sides would be “doing a lot of deals” because of the Middle Eastern nation’s oil. Among the U.S. companies that signed energy-related deals during an event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce were Chevron, ConocoPhillips, HKN Energy and Halliburton.

Chevron signed deals related to the development of Iraqi oil fields and a potential cross-border pipeline between Iraq and Syria.  ConocoPhillips signed one deal related to the potential exploration of a gas field, as well as an agreement to join BP in developing an oil field. And HKN signed a contract for oil field development and production.

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mees – July 17, 2026

Murphy Oil & Chariot Eye Mauritania Exploration Blocks

Mauritania hopes to revitalize its offshore exploration sector after a series of relinquishments in recent years, aiming to capitalize on renewed international interest in prospective acreage outside the Gulf. Although Mauritania achieved its ambition to become an LNG exporter last year, growth plans have been scaled back and IOCs have relinquished assets.

Energy minister Mohamed Ould Khaled said during a cabinet meeting on 8 July that US-based independent Murphy Oil and London-listed junior Chariot Limited had separately applied for three exploration blocks off the country’s Atlantic coast

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Stock Titan – July 17, 2026

Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP Announces $215.4 Million Drop Down Acquisition

Kimbell Royalty Partners agreed to acquire certain oil and gas royalty interests from affiliated sellers for approximately $215.4 million in a drop down transaction expected to close on or around August 21, 2026, subject to customary conditions.

The consideration includes $74.9 million in cash (about 35%) and 9.5 million newly issued OpCo common units valued at $140.5 million, with standard closing and post-closing adjustments. The assets comprise about 2,568 Net Royalty Acres (20,547 NRA normalized to 1/8th) across the Eagle Ford, Permian, Mid-Con and Appalachia, with expected Q3 2026 average daily production of 2,347 boe/d. According to Kimbell, the multi-basin portfolio covers over 3 million gross acres, more than 29,000 gross producing wells, near-term growth backed by 9 active rigs and 177 DUCs and permits, and a shallow 13% production decline, and is expected to be immediately accretive to distributable cash flow per unit.

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WFAA – July 17, 2026

Who controls the water? Dallas investor Kyle Bass takes East Texas property-rights fight to court

Related: “After years of poor planning and a bungled attempt at building a desalination plant, Corpus Christi faces the possibility of a total evacuation if the city doesn’t receive a significant amount of rainfall in the coming year. Recent rains gave Corpus Christi some breathing room, but the water department still expects it will have to declare a water emergency in September 2027, when the city will be 180 days away from being able to meet its water demand” — Austin American-Statesman* editorial writer Cody Copeland

 

The Latest TERse Tips

RBOB up 5c/gal, national average gas price will hit $4/gal either tomorrow or Tuesday, likely to see increases ahead for most states — Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy

National Hurricane Center warns Tropical Depression Two could target Texas this week — KRIV

Saronic has selected Brownsville, Texas, as the site for Port Alpha, a next-generation shipyard the company plans to build to expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity — the company said it plans to invest more than $3 billion in the facility, with construction expected to begin in 2026 and operations scheduled to start in 2028 — Marine LInk

The private investment company working to buy New Mexico’s largest utility has extended the timeline for the deal to close after PNM says it has secured funding to reverse a problematic $400 million stock sale to the buyer completed without regulatory approval — New Mexico Political Report

The Bureau of Land Management has opened a 30-day public comment period to receive public input on plans to include 30 oil and gas parcels totaling 8,071 acres in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas in a November 2026 sale — the comment period ends Aug. 17, 2026 — OK Energy Today

Higher electric bills are catching some El Paso residents off guard this summer, with some customers saying they are paying more than they did this time last year — El Paso Electric says several factors are driving the increase, including a shift into summer rates and newly approved rates that took effect June 1 — KFOX

Csquare, a Coppell-based provider of data center services, made its stock market debut Thursday, pricing its initial public offering below the target range it had filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — Dallas Morning News*

The Disappearing Art of Deep-Sea Oil Rig Fishing — for decades, dropping a line below a deep-sea oil rig has proven a bucket-list, high-octane fishing challenge. But now the rigs are disappearing from the Texas Gulf — Texas Highways

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Oil & Gas Texas

 

Oil Price – July 17, 2026

US Oil Drilling Picks Up As Brent Gains 4%

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States rose this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, bringing the total rig count in the US to 588, up 44 from this same time last year. The number of active oil rigs rose by 7, reaching 452 during the latest reporting period, according to the data. This is 30 above this same time last year. The number of gas rigs stayed the same, at 126, which is 9 more than this time last year. Miscellaneous rigs stayed at 10.

The latest EIA data showed that weekly U.S. crude oil production rose during the week ending July 10. US crude oil production averaged 13.861 million bpd during the reporting period, up slightly from 13.860 million bpd last week and up 486,000 bpd from a year ago. Primary Vision’s Frac Spread Count, an estimate of the number of crews completing wells, fell by 5 in the week ending July 10, to 200 crews, after gaining 5 in the week prior. The number of active drilling rigs in the Permian Basin climbed by 3, reaching 259. This is 4 rigs under year-ago levels. The count in the Eagle Ford stayed the same at 47, which is 6 more than this same time last year.

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CityBiz – July 16, 2026

Silver Hill Energy Partners Closes $1.277 Billion Fund to Expand U.S. Shale Investments

Silver Hill Energy Partners has closed its fifth investment partnership and third institutional private equity fund with $1.277 billion in capital commitments, providing additional capital to expand and develop oil, natural gas and midstream assets across some of the nation’s largest shale basins.

The Dallas-based energy investment firm said Silver Hill Energy Partners V, LP closed above its fundraising target, attracting commitments from a diversified group of institutional investors that includes endowments, pension funds, medical and family foundations, and family offices. The majority of the capital came from existing investors, reflecting continued support for the firm’s strategy of acquiring and operating energy assets directly.

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Alaska Beacon – July 17, 2026

Hilcorp killed Alaska LNG bill, some legislators say, but governor calls the claim ‘bulls**t’

On Wednesday, one day before the Alaska Legislature voted on a multibillion-dollar tax break for the proposed trans-Alaska gas pipeline, Rep. Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage, gave the pipeline’s lead developer a sneak preview of the bill. For weeks, Schrage had been in charge of negotiating a compromise version of the tax break that could get approval from the state House, Senate and Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

He walked Glenfarne Alaska President Adam Prestidge through the compromise, explaining section by section how skeptics in the state Senate had given ground on labor issues and project timing. Skeptics also were no longer insisting that the pipeline be subject to a revised tax on privately held oil and gas firms. Given those changes, Schrage asked: Could Glenfarne support the bill? According to Schrage, Prestidge said it could, and Glenfarne would publish a news release to that effect.

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Center Square – July 17, 2026

Mitsubishi finalizes $7.5B purchase of Louisiana gas assets

Mitsubishi Corp. finalized a $7.5 billion acquisition of Dallas-based Aethon Energy Management’s Haynesville Shale assets this week, as another Japanese conglomerate moved to secure natural gas from northwest Louisiana for its LNG supply chain. Tokyo-based Mitsubishi is the latest Japanese multinational energy company to buy production in north Louisiana following JERA’s February close on a $1.5 billion purchase of the South Mansfield gas field and supporting infrastructure from Williams and GeoSouthern Energy affiliates, both U.S.-based companies.

Taken together, Japanese multinationals will produce an estimated 4.5 billion cubic feet per day or about 30%-35% of the Haynesville region’s total natural gas in 2026. These companies have also bought stakes in LNG export terminals, giving them control of their LNG supply chains. With Mitsubishi’s purchase of 400,000 gas-producing acres across Louisiana and East Texas, the underground pipelines, and its ownership interest in the Cameron LNG export terminal, the Japanese conglomerate seeks to secure a reliable, low-cost source of supply for its operations and customers overseas.

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Pipelin & Gas Journal – July 17, 2026

Corpeus Christi LNG Train 7 Cleared to Introduce Fuel Gas by FERC

A U.S. energy regulator on July 17 approved Corpus Christi Liquefaction’s (CCL) request to introduce fuel gas and hot oil into Midscale Train 7, a further step toward getting the last train of the company’s Stage 3 Project into service. The Stage 3 expansion of U.S. liquefied natural gas company Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi LNG export plant in Texas consists of seven midscale liquefaction trains designed to add over 10 million tons of production capacity per year.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission added that CCL must comply with all applicable remaining terms and conditions, as well as procedures stipulated in its previous filings. The approval does not grant CCL the authority to construct, commission, or introduce hazardous fluids to other project facilities at the LNG terminal, the U.S. regulator said.

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The Allegheny Front – July 17, 2026

Energy Transfer seeks to expand gas plant with history of problems in Washington County PA

A Texas-based energy company wants to expand a natural gas processing facility in western Pennsylvania that has had multiple environmental violations since opening in 2020. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection(DEP) has proposed issuing an air permit to Energy Transfer LP, a Dallas-based pipeline conglomerate, for its ‘Revolution Cryo II,’ an enlargement of its ‘Revolution Cryo I’ plant at 76 Rover Lane, in Smith Township, Washington County.

The expansion would enable the facility to produce an extra 27,000 barrels per day of ethane and 18,000 barrels per day of propane. Smith Township is already home to multiple natural gas processing facilities, pipelines, and Marcellus shale well pads. The Revolution plant fractionates, or separates, gas produced at wells into methane and natural gas liquids.

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Midland Reporter-Telegram – July 18, 2026

Battalion Oil details Monument Draw development plans*

Battalion Oil Corp. has secured financial support to advance development of its West Texas holdings. Earlier this month, the company refinanced its senior secured credit facility through a third amended and restated senior secured credit agreement. The agreement reduces borrowing costs, extends debt maturity through December 2029 and could give Battalion access to additional discretionary capital for its development program. Battalion has signed a joint development agreement for an eight-well Monument Draw program in Ward County.

Oil & Gas National & International

 

Fort Worth Star Telegram – July 17, 2026

Inside the Granbury data center revolt: recalls, lawsuits and Texas Rangers*

A lakeside city of roughly 13,000 people has become the front line of a rural Texas revolt against data centers — a fight now playing out through a recall petition, an Open Meetings Act lawsuit, a Texas Rangers complaint and a citizen-drafted zoning ordinance. Here is what rural Texans need to know about the procedural fight over Project Patriot, a proposed 2,000-acre power plant and data center campus on the former Knox Ranch, and why residents in Hood County, Johnson County and beyond are watching Granbury closely. The project and the annexation Project Patriot is being developed by Dallas-based Bilateral Energy LLC. A concept plan released by the city in June shows five data center buildings, storage and administrative structures, and more than a dozen unlabeled spaces.

In 2025, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved an emissions permit allowing Bilateral Energy to build eight simple-cycle power turbines and 87 linear generators at 1225 Meadow Wood Road — the center of the parcel. The land, straddling Meadow Wood Road south of U.S. 377 and north of Paluxy Highway, was annexed by Granbury in January At that meeting, city leaders said they had received no communications from a developer interested in the site. On April 7, the City Council voted to rezone the roughly 2,000 acres for industrial development, which allows power plants and data centers. The Open Meetings Act lawsuit On April 6, Granbury attorney Steven Dias with the firm Dias Hall filed suit on behalf of several residents, naming City Manager Chris Coffman, Mayor Jim Jarratt, Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Wadley and City Council members.

The suit seeks a permanent injunction, a temporary restraining order, a jury trial, reversal of the annexation, and compensation for lost property values. The core allegation is that the council violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when members toured a Dallas data center in early January — days before the Jan. 6 annexation vote. Internal communications included in the lawsuit list all council members, Jarratt and other city leaders as expected attendees. Granbury’s former economic development director, Shea Hopkins, suggested in emails that the tours be staggered “even two minutes behind” to avoid a quorum. “I just want to make sure that we are doing things the appropriate way,” Hopkins wrote, according to Star-Telegram reporting.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 17, 2026

The Threat to Saudi Arabia’s Main Oil-Export Route Is Growing*

Growing hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia are raising the threat to a crucial oil-export route that the kingdom has been using to work around the blockage in the Strait of Hormuz. A pipeline routing oil west across the country to a port on the Red Sea has allowed it to keep up export volumes during the U.S.’s war with Iran. From there, its tankers sail through the chokepoint at Bab al-Mandeb and out to its main markets in Asia, stabilizing prices as shipping in the Persian Gulf has been bottled up by Iranian attacks. So far, Bab al-Mandeb has been kept open by Saudi diplomacy with the Houthis, whose intermittent attacks crippled Red Sea shipping on and off over the past three years. But a 2022 truce underlying those efforts is breaking down.

The Houthis fired drones and missiles at a civilian airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia after the militant group accused the kingdom of bombing an airport runway in the Houthi-controlled capital of San’a this week to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. Then on Thursday, the Houthis’ reclusive leader doubled down, lashing out at Saudi Arabia in an angry televised speech. “The real equation is this: San’a airport for Riyadh airport,” Abdul Malik al-Houthi said. “The equation is airports for airports, seaports for seaports, and blockade for blockade.”

The militant leader threatened to target Saudi oil facilities if Riyadh, which led a coalition against the Houthi insurgency more than a decade ago, goes back to war in Yemen. He also called on his supporters to rally on Friday to protest restrictions on free movement in and out of the country, which the Saudis and their Yemeni allies have imposed for years. The Houthis are expected to test Saudi resolve again by trying to land another Iranian plane in San’a soon.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 17, 2026

Sharp Drop in Diesel Supplies Threatens to Rev Up Inflation Again*

American consumers caught the biggest break in inflation in five years by at least one measure last month. But a sharp drop in diesel supplies threatens to reverse the trend and boost prices for everything from dog food to lumber. U.S. diesel futures have surged about 20% since the beginning of last week, while the U.S. and Iran continue vying for control of the Strait of Hormuz. The resurgent conflict compounds market fears of a diesel shortfall after Russia, one of the world’s largest suppliers, banned exports. Prices will likely keep climbing as domestic stockpiles—already close to the lowest mark since the early 2000s—continue thinning, analysts warn. The supply crunch is showing up at the pump. The national average for a gallon of diesel rose to $5.01 on Thursday. Retail prices could soon climb an additional 20 to 25 cents a gallon, analysts say, after peaking near $5.70 in April.

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Oil Price – July 18, 2026

Canada Unveils New Pipeline to Cut Reliance on U.S. Oil Routes

A new oil pipeline could connect eastern and western Canada as the oil-rich country seeks to become more self-reliant and reduce its energy dependence on the United States. However, not everyone is in support of the project, which is at odds with Canada’s climate targets.

Alberta is home to vast oil reserves, totalling around 158.9 billion barrels. At present, the United States is the main importer of Canadian crude, which accounted for 63.4 per cent of U.S. crude imports in 2025. In recent years, as Canada’s federal government has favoured plans for a green transition, thereby hindering the expansion of the oil industry, there have been calls from a minority of Alberta residents to hold a referendum on a potential separation from Canada.

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World Oil – July 16, 2026

Vitol weighs $2.3-billion sale of Delaware basin producer VTX Energy

Vitol Group is in late stage talks to sell its shale oil venture VTX Energy Partners LLC to a consortium of two private equity buyers – Carnelian Energy Capital and EnCap Investments, a deal that would mark a scaling back for the trader in U.S. upstream oil and gas production. The companies could sign the deal as soon as next week, according to people familiar with the matter who declined to be named citing confidential talks. The valuation being discussed is around $2.3 billion, one of the people said.

A deal would mark Vitol’s second U.S. shale oil exit in two years following the sale of Vencer Energy to Civitas Resources for $2.1 billion in 2024. Known as the world’s biggest independent oil trading house, Vitol started VTX in 2022 with the management of ATX Energy Partners and the intention to build up a portfolio of producing assets. VTX produces nearly 46,000 boed in the Texas portion of the Delaware basin. Representatives for Vitol, EnCap and Carnelian didn’t immediately return calls and emails seeking comment.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

The Wall Street Journal – July 17, 2026

The Americans Striking It Rich in the Data-Center Buildout*

Salem Township, PA — When land developers drove to Marilee and David Kiliti’s farm two years ago, the couple invited them into their home, sat them down and sliced up some deer bologna. The men told the Kilitis that their 89-acre farm in this rural town of 4,000 might be worth more than $20 million. To Marilee and David Kiliti, that ridiculously high price sounded like a bunch of deer bologna. The couple thought the fields where the family raised and butchered hogs would be lucky to fetch even a fraction of that. Unlike other parts of the state, there was no oil or natural gas in the ground. But the developers had no interest in farming or fuel. The Kilitis’ land was worth a fortune—more than $22 million—as the future site of a data center.

Towns and neighborhoods across the country have rejected data centers. Residents have staged noisy protests, with public anger driving a movement against the spread of these massive, multibillion-dollar projects. At the same time, a select few are quietly saying yes to data centers and becoming wealthy in the process. The Kilitis are one of 96 families in Salem Township, an unassuming community in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, who collectively sold about 1,700 acres to a single data-center developer, QTS, an arm of the investment firm Blackstone. The families sold for an average of $330,000 an acre and earned $5.5 million on average. The total sale price was $586 million. These Pennsylvania families are part of a burgeoning class of newly minted multimillionaires. They are raking in fortunes because they own one of the most valuable commodities in the U.S. today: land that can be used to build a data center for artificial intelligence.

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Washington Post – July 18, 2026

Data centers have united Americans of both parties in a shared hatred*

Related: US data center protests go national as backlash grows — AOL

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CNBC – July 19, 2026

Elon Musk’s Memphis AI empire is the epicenter of the data center backlash

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July 17, 2026

Battery storage proves its value in moderating Texas power price volatility: Wood Mackenzie

Research suggests storage reduces price peaks, benefiting consumers but reducing returns for investors  The climate of west Texas is described in Larry McMurtry’s epic novel Lonesome Dove as “a blur of heat and as dry as chalk”. It is a punishing environment that puts people and machinery to the test. One of the technologies that is being put through its paces in Texas today is battery storage, with potentially significant lessons for electricity markets around the world.  Not all of Texas has the same desert conditions as the far west, but it still gets hot in the summertime. Most of the state is formally designated as a “humid subtropical” climate. Air-conditioning is essential for modern life, which means that power demand always peaks over the summer.

Driven by population and economic growth, cryptocurrency mining and data centres, those summer demand peaks have been getting higher year by year. In July 2021, about 39 terawatt hours of power were supplied on ERCOT, the grid operator for most of Texas. In July 2026, it is expected to be about 49 terawatt hours.  ERCOT is an “energy-only” market, which means that unlike some other large US electricity grids, it does not pay generators to keep capacity available to be brought online when supplies are tight. Instead, it relies on movements in wholesale prices to encourage additional generation to come online or consumers to cut back. That can lead to some extreme movements in wholesale prices.

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Austin American-Statesman – July 17, 2026

‘Prefer an outright ban’: Small Texas town weighs data center restrictions amid industry growth*

Another small Texas town has joined the growing number of communities considering action as data centers expand across the region and draw scrutiny from lawmakers. Elected officials in Lockhart, the city 30 miles south of Austin known as the “Barbecue Capital of Texas,” have directed city staff to develop “very strict standards” for the resource-heavy developments. City Council members said a data center ban, though preferred, could expose the city to legal challenges.

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Utility Dive – July 15, 2026

The grid’s fastest-growing resource isn’t generation. It’s flexibility: Jeanine Johnson, former PJM Interconnection board member 

The power industry is entering a period of extraordinary growth. Data centers are expanding. Electrification is accelerating. Utilities across the country are revising load forecasts upward faster than many planners expected just a few years ago.

The dominant response has been straightforward: build more infrastructure, generation, transmission and storage. Those investments are essential. But as the industry prepares for a future of growing demand, it may be overlooking one of the fastest-growing resources already connected to the grid: flexibility.

The mismatch is one of speed. A large data center can add gigawatts of new demand within a couple years, while permitting timelines, supply-chain constraints, and capital requirements mean new infrastructure often takes far longer to deploy.

“Flexibility” is the ability to adjust when and how electricity is consumed, stored or delivered. It spans traditional demand response, virtual power plants, behind-the-meter batteries, flexible industrial loads and smart buildings. It is based on actions that are individually modest, collectively significant and deployable in months, not decades, with corresponding gains for affordability and resilience. That speed is what can bridge the mismatch.

 

Regulatory

 

E&E News By Politico – July 17, 2026

Feds call on Western power markets to coordinate transmission*

As two separate regional power markets stretch their Western footprints from the Pacific Coast to Colorado, U.S. regulators on Thursday stepped in to ensure things run smoothly. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission directed the California Independent System Operator and Arkansas-based Southwest Power Pool to report on how they will coordinate when their systems intersect. By coordinating on transmission seams, FERC Chair Laura Swett said the two electricity market operators can head off the kind of cross-market inefficiencies that have dogged the patchwork power grid in the Eastern Interconnection.

Areas where markets touch, Swett said, have created transmission congestion and raised power prices in the East. “Expansion of the CAISO and SPP service territories and markets could raise potentially even more issues of this kind because the West is characterized by such a wide diversity of market participation and transmission ownership arrangements,” Swett said at the commission’s meeting Thursday.

July 19, 2026

A Climate Coup at the National Academies of Science: The Wall Street Journal*

Public confidence in scientific institutions has declined as they’ve become more political. A textbook case is the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which on Thursday released a report that explicitly seeks to aid the tort and regulatory raid on fossil-fuel companies. The 253-page report examines the purported scientific advances in quantifying the extent to which CO2 emissions contribute to natural disasters and extreme weather. A National Academies report in 2016 found that this area of research wasn’t well-developed. Yet this year’s report claims a sea change in the science. “Major advancements” in climate methodology and modeling now “allow for more robust assessments,” the report says. According to the report, scientists can now attribute particular extreme, heat, and rainfall events with a high degree of confidence to man-caused climate change, and wildfires, droughts and tropical cyclones with moderate confidence.

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Friday July 17, 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 rose Friday as investors weighed escalating tensions between the United States and Iran after Tehran vowed to target regional infrastructure if President Donald Trump followed through on threats to strike the country’s key facilities.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for August delivery rose 1.32% to $80.09 per barrel. September futures for international benchmark Brent advanced 1.33% to $85.35 per barrel.

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump said U.S. forces would target Iran’s infrastructure next week unless the two sides reached a diplomatic breakthrough.

Responding in a statement posted on Telegram on Thursday, a spokesperson for Iran’s top military command warned that if Trump’s threats were carried out, “everything that is still intact … that is, all the infrastructure in the region – will be crushed.”

Jorge León, senior vice president at Rystad Energy, wrote in a note on Friday that a limited agreement between Washington and Tehran remained the firm’s base case scenario, though confidence in that outcome had weakened.

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Top Stories

 

Rigzone – July 16, 2026

SLB, Liberty Agree to Form Data Center Alliance

In a joint statement posted on their respective websites, SLB and Liberty Energy Inc announced an agreement to form a strategic alliance “that will deliver modular infrastructure and integrated power generation solutions for new data center projects globally”. “The collaboration will bring together complementary expertise in modular infrastructure, power generation, and operations to support the rapid deployment of new data center capacity and help the world’s leading AI companies address increasingly complex energy requirements,” the statement noted.

The growth of AI and high-performance computing is driving “unprecedented” demand for data center capacity, according to the statement, which revealed that, “as developers work to add new compute capacity, many are seeking behind the meter power solutions that can be deployed independently of traditional grid connections, while also improving reliability, efficiency and flexibility as power needs grow”.

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Houston Chronicle – July 16, 2026

Greg Abbott says he’s ‘pushing back’ on data centers. His biggest donors are cashing in on them.*

Hunt Energy, Harlan Crowe, Kelce Warren, Majestic Realty

The governor also took $500,000 donations this year from Rhett Bennett of Black Mountain, an energy company building data centers across Texas, and Elon Musk, the tech titan and AI developer who is pushing to send data centers to space. The donations, shown in the governor’s latest campaign finance report filed this week, underscore how data centers are becoming lucrative business opportunities for an array of Texas industries, beyond just tech and AI companies using their servers.  Abbott has gone from touting Texas as the “epicenter of AI development” to vowing to push back against “AI data centers” in just a matter of months, as he came under mounting pressure from rural voters who polling shows are widely opposed to data center development near them.

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Barron’s – July 16, 2026

New Science Report Could Boost Climate Suits Against Oil Giants

Climate lawsuits seeking massive damages from fossil fuel companies increasingly hinge on the question: how reliably can scientists pin specific extreme weather to human-caused climate change? Very confidently for events like heat waves and heavy rainfall — but much less so for others, like thunderstorms and tornadoes, according to a major new report published Thursday by the United States’ top science advisory body.

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Houston Chronicle – July 16, 2026

Pipelines or power lines? Battle over Texas grid threatens reliability, raises prices and pollutants: Chris Tomlinson*

 

The Latest TERse Tips

The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline went up 10 cents since last week to $3.94, according to AAA

Baker Hughes Co. Downgraded To ‘A-‘ On Chart Industries Acquisition; Outlook Stable — S&P Global

Fitch Ratings has assigned ‘AAA’ ratings to approximately $300 million of State of Texas general obligation refunding bonds, taxable series 2026, issued by the Texas Public Finance Authority — Fitch

Crude oil levels at Oklahoma’s Cushing Hub climbed back above 20 million barrels, according to this week’s report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration — the Hub level had dropped to 19,614,000 barrels as of July 3 but on July 10, it stood at 20,044,000 barrels — OK Energy Today

On July 6, Ochoa Energy Storage LLC, a division of Texas-based Vesper Energy, dropped its legal action against the City of Katy, in a new motion filed with the Texas Public Utilities Commission — the motion is “without prejudice,” meaning that the matter could be revisited at some point in the future — Katy Times

As electricity demand accelerates across the U.S., Houston is emerging as one of the nation’s most promising hubs for advanced nuclear energy — Greater Houston Partnership

Tailwater Capital LLC, an energy and infrastructure private equity firm, Thursday announced its investment in Pickton Gas Storage LLC, a natural gas storage and infrastructure platform led by the former management team of NorTex Midstream Partners — concurrently, Pickton announced that it i) has reached Final Investment Decision on its natural gas storage facility and new transportation and trading hub in East Texas and closed on a new project finance debt facility to support the project — see the press release

Oil and gas regulator Wayne Christian today voiced his support for the joint directive issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and Speaker Dustin Burrows, which requires state agencies and institutions of higher education to review and reduce their base Legislative Appropriations Requests (LARs) by 3% for the 2028–29 biennium — see the press release

ONE Gas, Inc has appointed Nickolas Stavropoulos to its board of directors, effective July 13, 2026, expanding the board from eight to nine members — Tulsa Journal Record

Sea Drone Maker Saronic to Build New Shipyard in South Texas — an Austin-based technology startup whose maritime drones were used by the US military in combat for the first time this week plans to build a $3.2 billion shipyard in South Texas — Saronic Technologies Inc. plans to build medium-class and large-class autonomous surface vessels at the Port of Brownsville — Bloomberg*

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Oil & Gas Texas

 

Houston Chronicle – July 16, 2026

Houston oil giant Chevron signs Iraq deals for major oilfields and pipeline*

The agreements would bring Chevron closer to gaining extended exclusivity in the country’s oilfields while the oil giant would invest in the Nassiriya and West Qurna-2 oilfields, located in the south and north of Iraq respectively, a senior Chevron executive told reporters on Thursday. The West Qurna-2 oilfield is one of the world’s largest, producing about 460,000 barrels a day. Also included in the agreements is a pipeline project that would cut through Syria and into Turkey, similar to Chevron’s pipeline system between Kazakhstan and Russia.

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Pipeline & Gas Journal – July 16, 2026

Freeport LNG Restarts Texas Export Plant After Power-Related Shutdown

Freeport LNG’s export plant in Texas was on track to take in more natural gas on July 16 after all three liquefaction trains shut on July 15, according to a company report and data from financial firm LSEG. Freeport is one of the world’s most closely watched liquefied natural gas export plants because the shutdown and startup of the facility previously caused massive price swings in global gas markets.

When Freeport shuts, U.S. gas prices usually drop because the plant’s demand for the fuel declines, and when liquefaction trains at Freeport restart, U.S. gas prices typically rise as demand for the fuel increases. That is what happened so far on July 16 with U.S. gas futures trading up around 1% due in part to the return of Freeport.

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July 16, 2026

Rig count no longer a reliable bellwether for risk in oil and gas services lending: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

For decades, commercial lenders relied on a simple rule when evaluating credit risk in oil and gas support services: follow the U.S. rig count. When drilling activity surged, service companies prospered. When rigs went idle, defaults followed. This relationship became embedded in credit models, risk ratings and portfolio stress tests across the banking industry. But something fundamental has changed.

Since 2021, upstream capital spending has remained at historically subdued levels. Yet many service companies are reporting healthy operating margins and stable cash flows. This pattern defies decades of precedent and reflects a structural transformation in how leading service companies generate revenue and manage risk. To understand why the current shift matters, consider how exposed service companies traditionally were to industry cycles. Unlike upstream producers who own reserves or midstream companies with long-term contracts, service firms operated in a spot market for drilling services.

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Center Square/Houma Today – July 16, 2026

Public comment begins for contested Commonwealth LNG permit

Houston-based Caturus Energy filed an application for a state coastal use permit that would allow it to convert a site about 5 miles from the company’s proposed liquefied natural gas export facility in Cameron Parish into a park-and-ride lot for construction workers, Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy records show. According to a state public notice filed July 5, Caturus is seeking a coastal use permit to clear and excavate a 5.35-acre property along Highway 82 in Johnson Bayou for use as a transportation hub that would bus up to 2,000 construction workers to the Commonwealth LNG construction site.

Because of its deepwater access to the Gulf of America and the large local supply of natural gas, this 25-mile strip of coastline has become a major hub for LNG exporters. An area west of the Calcasieu Ship Channel stretching to the Texas state line has become a legal battleground between environmental groups and energy companies over six different, multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas export terminals.

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Bloomberg – July 16, 2026

Keyera tells Competition Tribunal $5.15B Plains purchase ‘pro-competitive’*

The Competition Bureau’s challenge to Keyera Corp.’s purchase of Plains All American Pipeline LP’s natural gas liquids business is rife with incorrect assumptions about the industry and should be dismissed with costs, the companies argued in responses filed this week.

The federal competition watchdog announced in May that it had applied to the independent, court-like Competition Tribunal to challenge the $5.15-billion deal, which closed shortly thereafter. The bureau argues the purchase is likely to harm energy producers and stifle investment, and that the tribunal should either order the acquisition be dissolved or that Keyera divest some assets. In its rebuttal, Keyera said the purchase is a “pro-competitive” development in the natural gas liquids industry.

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KDFW – July 16, 2026

Six plead guilty in Permian Basin crude oil theft conspiracy

The guilty pleas come as Texas lawmakers and the oil industry work to combat widespread crude oil theft in the Permian Basin. Six people have pleaded guilty in a federal crude oil theft conspiracy that prosecutors say stole tens of thousands of barrels of oil from producers in eastern New Mexico before transporting it into Texas for resale. An April federal indictment alleges the conspiracy targeted oil producers in the Permian Basin and involved transporting stolen crude across the Texas-New Mexico state line. The region spans more than 86,000 square miles and accounts for the majority of U.S. crude oil production.

On July 15, six of the 14 defendants pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to steal crude oil.

• Gyardo Gonzalez, of Lovington, New Mexico
• Mario Mendoza, of Lovington, New Mexico
• Miguel A. Soto, of Lovington, New Mexico
• Luis Rojo, of Seminole, Texas
• Diana Marquez Rojo, of Hobbs, New Mexico
• Jesus Martin Hernandez-Borja, of Hobbs, New Mexico

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Gas Compression Magazine – July 16, 2026

New Pipeline Loop To Power South Texas Growth

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (TGP) is requesting FERC approval for its South Texas Enhancement Project. The project consists of the construction of the STEP Loop, a new 1.54 mile (2.4 km), 30-inch (76-cm) diameter pipeline loop; a skid mounted overpressure protection facility to tie the proposed STEP Loop into TGP’s existing system; modifications to three existing meter stations in Nueces Cunty, Texas; and the construction of a new compressor station in Brooks County, Texas.

TGP proposes to construct a new compressor station near Falfurrias, Texas, consisting of a single 15,900 hp (11,861 kW) Solar Mars 100 centrifugal compressor unit.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

CNBC – July 16, 2026

Oil pipelines around the Strait of Hormuz won’t end the threat Iran poses to Middle East crude exports

Middle East oil producers plan to build new pipelines to reduce their dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran disrupts the Gulf states’ seaborne crude exports with near daily attacks on tankers. But new pipelines will not end the threat to the region’s energy exports, analysts said. This infrastructure is just as vulnerable to the low-cost, asymmetric attacks that have targeted ships in Hormuz, they said.

The U.S. is supporting Iraq’s effort to rebuild a crude oil pipeline that runs from its northern city of Kirkuk through Syria to the Mediterranean Sea, a State Department official told CNBC Thursday. U.S. companies are expected to play a role in the pipeline’s construction, the official said. The disruption in Hormuz has hit Iraq, OPEC’s second largest producer, particularly hard because it exports mostly through the southern port city of Basra with limited alternatives. Its production was more than 50% in June to 1.9 million barrels per day compared to the 4.2 million bpd it pumped in February before the U.S. and Israel launched the war against Iran.

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S&P Global Platts – July 16, 2026

Energy markets face coming stress if no new US-Iran deal reached: analysts

Oil, refined products and LNG markets will face mounting stress into the fall absent a significant change in the conflict between the US and Iran that leads to a lasting reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran grows more skeptical of US diplomacy, energy and geopolitical analysts said at a July 16 International Crisis Group webinar.

The Strait’s brief reopening in the first week after the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was signed on June 17 was meant to buy time, but gained little tangible benefit for the US, said Robin Mills, CEO of Qamar Energy. Roughly 100 million barrels of crude trapped inside the Gulf — effectively floating storage — have since cleared to market, he said, but outflows have recovered to only about 80% of pre-war levels as global stocks continue drawing.

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Yahoo! News – July 14, 2026

ARC Resources shareholders approve Shell’s $22B acquisition proposal

ARC Resources Ltd. says its shareholders have voted in favour of a previously announced plan that would see global energy heavyweight Shell PLC acquire the Calgary-based natural gas producer. The deal, announced in April, is valued at $22 billion, accounting for the target company’s debt. It would give Shell access to ARC’s holdings in the prolific Montney shale formation that last year produced 374,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

ARC says 99.54 per cent of voting shareholders approved the proposed transaction during a special meeting on Tuesday. The deal is expected to close in the second half of this year once it receives all regulatory and court approvals needed.

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July 16, 2026

BLM’s Second-Quarter 2026 Oil and Gas Lease Sales Generate $4.1 Billion: Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management generated more than $4.1 billion in total receipts from oil and gas lease sales held in the second quarter of 2026 – in line with the Trump administration’s Energy Dominance initiative. These revenues reflect an ongoing focus on unleashing domestic energy, supporting job growth, and promoting efficient, streamlined permitting and leasing processes.

“This quarter’s totals generated more revenue than the entire four-years of the Biden administration and it shows how we can use public lands to their fullest potential,” said BLM Director Steve Pearce. “These successful sales demonstrate the BLM’s unwavering commitment to fostering American Energy Dominance while ensuring public lands are supporting national security, economic strength and the livelihood of the American people.”

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S&P Global Platts – July 16, 2026

Japanese utilities seek long-term LNG supply as existing contracts near expiration: sources

Japanese utilities have returned to the long-term LNG market to secure replacement volumes for contracts nearing expiration and to meet anticipated demand growth, according to sources familiar with the matter. Saibu Gas and Hokkaido Electric have secured long-term LNG supply contracts, while Chugoku Electric is negotiating with potential suppliers, the sources said.

Saibu Gas has signed a 10-year agreement to buy two LNG cargoes a year from 2028, equating to 130,000 metric tons/year, following negotiations that began in 2025, a source familiar with the matter said. Another source familiar with the matter said that Tokyo Gas is the seller to Saibu Gas. Both companies declined to comment on the matter when contacted by Platts, part of S&P Global Energy.

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NPR – July 16, 2026

Oil companies are making billions. In the U.S., calls to tax their windfall are growing

Oil prices have surged in recent days amidst renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran. Higher oil prices have meant U.S. consumers are paying more for gasoline at the pump. And oil and gas companies are profiting. The world’s top 100 oil and gas firms made $30 million every hour in excess profits during the early days of the U.S-Israeli war with Iran. That’s according to an analysis by the environmental nonprofit Global Witness and the Guardian.

“That’s as a direct result of oil prices spiking globally,” says Dominic Eagleton, who researches fossil fuels at Global Witness. Yet for many oil companies the cost of actually producing oil hasn’t changed that much since the beginning of the war, according to the American Petroleum Institute, a trade organization for the U.S. oil and gas industry. This has led to windfall oil profits — unexpected profits as a result of the war. Global Witness found that the top six European oil companies have made at least $22 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2026. That’s 43% higher than their profits in the first quarter of 2025, the nonprofit tells NPR.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

KUHF NPR – July 16, 2026

W.A. Parish coal plant leads region in cloud-forming pollution, researchers find

The study found that the coal plant creates tiny particles associated with respiratory illness

Researchers from UC San Diego and their partners found that the W.A. Parish coal plant is the largest producer of cloud-forming particles in the greater Houston region. In a statement, NRG Energy, which owns the power plant, said it is evaluating the study. The researchers are part of the Experiment of Sea Breeze Convection, Aerosols, Precipitation, and Environment (ESCAPE) campaign. The team is studying how pollution is impacting atmospheric heating and cooling patterns that lead to cloud formation.

Greg Roberts, an atmospheric scientist with UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, helped lead the study. “Obviously Houston itself has many different sources of pollution,” he said. “It could be vehicular traffic. It’s obviously refineries, the power plants, cooking fires — these kinds of things — and in any urban environment you will see those sorts of pollution.” Roberts said the Houston area is surrounded by both the Gulf Coast and rural areas with low air pollution, which provide a baseline for comparing pollution impacts.

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KERA NPR – July 16, 2026

Granbury residents seek to recall mayor, 4 council members over data center concerns

A group of Granbury residents filed recall petitions against Mayor Jim Jarratt and four city council members this week, marking the latest chapter in a months-long dispute over the proposed Project Patriot data center and the city’s handling of the project. The petitions, filed Monday at Granbury City Hall, seek the removal of Jarratt and council members Skip Overdier, Bruce Wadley, Zeb Ullom and Greg Corrigan.

Organizers declined to say how many people signed the petitions, but claimed each petition contained more signatures than the number of votes each official received in their most recent election. The signatures will need to be verified before any further action can be taken. One of the recall organizers, Jacob Herbold, said the effort was not driven by personal animosity toward elected officials, but by what organizers see as a failure to be transparent with residents.

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Yahoo! News – July 16, 2026

Energy company’s equipment was ‘substantial factor’ in cause of Aspen Acres Fire, lawsuit claims

A lawsuit filed this week on behalf of four people claims power lines and equipment belonging to San Isabel Electric Association were a “substantial factor” in the cause and origin of the fire that has destroyed hundreds of homes and burned nearly 100,000 acres. The fire, burning northwest of Rye, was first reported around 6 a.m. on June 29 and has so far burned 99,820 acres. Fire officials have said the fire was “human-caused,” but the exact cause remains under investigation.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday claims that a witness reported seeing a tree on a power line. Another witness, according to the lawsuit, reported hearing an explosion. Witness video, the lawsuit says, shows the fire’s origin was just south of the Aspen Acres Campground on the same side of CO 165.

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IEEE – July 16, 2026

Grid Operators Weigh High-Voltage DC Power for Data Centers

Data center developers and hyperscalers are experimenting with 800 volt direct current (800 VDC) inside their largest data centers. It enables them to pack more compute power in much smaller spaces to run the latest AI applications. 800 VDC also reduces waste heat from electric wires, lowers cable weight, and eliminates equipment needed in multiple AC to DC to AC conversions.

The Large Load Working Group (LLWG) of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is evaluating how to accommodate several 800 VDC facility designs. Data center power infrastructure provider Dimaag, for example, presented in April a way to protect the grid from AI’s massive load variations, which can switch from almost nothing to hundreds of megawatts and back again several times per second. DiMaag’s system also enables data centers to stay connected to the grid, or “ride through,” during short drops in voltage. This ability is known as Low Voltage Ride Through (LVRT).

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The Conversation – July 16, 2025

When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?

The artificial intelligence boom in the United States is being matched by a data center building boom. There are more than 3,000 data centers in the U.S. and another 1,500 in development, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. While President Donald Trump has promoted AI advancement, calling it crucial to economic and national security, polling shows that 7 in 10 Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their communities, citing higher utility bills, pollution, noise and the loss of green space. These centers, which hold computer servers that process words, images and lines of code for large language models such as ChatGPT, also use high amounts of water and electricity.

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The Hill – July 16, 2026

Data center electricity demand is expected to drive up costs after recent power auction

Data centers are expected to add billions in electricity costs across 13 states in the years ahead after a recent power auction. Grid operator PJM this week announced the results of an auction to buy power for the 13 states that it serves for June 2028 through May 2029. Monitoring Analytics, an independent market monitor for PJM, found that of the $16.4 billion in total capacity market charges that will result from the auction, about $6.3 billion will come from demand that’s driven by data centers.

Over the last four PJM power auctions, data center demand has added a total of $29.4 billion in electricity costs, according to the market monitor. Monitoring Analytics President Joseph Bowring said in an email that it’s the market monitor’s position that “data center load should be removed from the capacity market and procured through a dedicated auction.”

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Utility Dive – July 16, 2026

Retail electric rate increases outpace inflation with prices set to rise higher

U.S. electric rates increased 2.6% from 2024 to 2025 after adjusting for inflation, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory said this month in a 2026 update to an influential journal article researchers published last year on retail electricity price trends and drivers. Since 2019, nominal residential electric rates rose by 33%, commercial rates grew 26% and industrial rates increased by 27%, widening what LNBL described as a persistent gap between residential and C&I pricing. But while residential electricity pricing outpaced overall inflation, it rose more slowly than residential natural gas rates, LNBL said in its report, which was prepared by The Brattle Group.

While inflation-adjusted national average retail electricity prices are 3% higher now than they were in 2019, they are actually 6% lower than in 2010, and total electric bills as a fraction of income are near all-time lows, LBNL said. Those national averages veil significant price differences between regions.

 

Regulatory

 

Texas Tribune – July 16, 2026

Proposed EPA rule could weaken Texans’ voice on certain air permits used by data centers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to change its rules for permits issued to so-called minor air polluters by handing states greater power to decide how much notice and public input residents receive before such permits are approved or denied. For Texans, the rule change could limit their right to speak out about a type of pollution permit that’s commonly issued to concrete batch plants and rock crushers, but is becoming increasingly used by massive data centers coming to the state.

It would allow the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality — the state’s environmental regulator — the authority to rewrite its own rules, which could include scaling back opportunities to protest or challenge permits before they are issued. If the EPA makes the change, any subsequent change TCEQ seeks to make would go through its own rulemaking process, where people can give input. The EPA says the change is “intended to reduce administrative burden and responsibly speed up permitting, supporting American economic development and energy dominance” by putting state agencies “most familiar with local issues in the driver’s seat.”

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Thursday July 16, 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 turned lower on Thursday as traders took profits and evaluated the risks ​from a new wave of U.S. strikes on Iranian military installations, which fuelled fears of renewed full-scale ‌conflict and supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States struck Iran’s coastal defences and missile sites on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, while Iran threatened to shut off more regional energy exports, saying it was engaged in an “existential war” with America.

After initially rising ​for a fourth straight session, ​U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 15 cents, or 0.19%, to $79.45 a barrel. Brent had gained almost $1 earlier ⁠in the session and both contracts remained close to one-month highs.

Brent crude futures slipped 24 cents, or 0.28%, to $84.95 a barrel as of 0435 GMT.

Oil prices have gained this week as attacks deepened supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, which handled about a fifth of ​the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war began.

 

Top Stories

 

Dallas Morning News – July 15, 2026

Family money, celebrity support collide in the Texas Railroad Commission candidates’ fundraising*

One candidate’s top campaign donation came from his mom. His rival’s biggest backer is a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.  It’s the race for a spot on the Texas Railroad Commission, and Republican nominee Bo French’s mother, Marsha French, who is retired and lives in Midland, gave him $100,000, almost a quarter of the $427,000 he raised since May 17. Eagles co-founder Don Henley, of Hotel California fame, donated $25,000 to the Democratic nominee, state Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston. That was the largest contribution in Rosenthal’s overall tally of $167,000, which goes back to Jan. 1.

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gCaptain – July 15, 2026

After Hormuz, Here’s Why the Red Sea Is Now the World’s Most Vulnerable Shipping Route

Iran has warned that its campaign to throttle global energy markets could be expanded from the Strait of Hormuz to the vital Red Sea route if U.S. attacks continue, a threat that depends on its Houthi allies in Yemen. This is why it matters and what it means for the Iran war and the global energy crisis:

Closure of the Bab el-Mandeb strait — gateway to the Red Sea — would open a new front in the energy crisis and Iran’s overarching conflict with the U.S. With Hormuz already disrupted, the Red Sea is now a critical alternative outlet for Gulf oil and other products. Any serious interference at Bab el-Mandeb would raise the prospect that both of the region’s major oil export routes could be shut simultaneously.

Iran’s partial blockade of Hormuz after Israel and the U.S. attacked it on February 28 disrupted most oil and other exports from the Gulf, raising prices and delivering a global energy shock. Saudi Arabia responded by diverting more than 70% of its normal daily crude exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

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Oil Price – July 15, 2026

China Just Connected the World’s Biggest Hybrid Solar Plant to the Grid

The face of energy security is changing. Historically, fossil fuels have represented security thanks to their established supply chains and round-the-clock production potential, while renewable energies represented risk and variability. But that equation is reversing as consecutive global oil shocks throw the fossil fuels industry into turmoil and energy storage systems make wind and solar more dependable options at any time of day.

The offensive in Iran, led by the United States and Israel, has led to a near-total blockage of the oil industry’s most important artery. Since March, one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and gas trade has been choked off in the Strait of Hormuz, causing volatility in global oil prices and creating an especially potent threat in Asian markets, which were the primary buyers of oil and gas coming out of the Strait. In this context, the relative benefits of renewable energies have become increasingly evident on a global scale. “Wind and solar cannot be embargoed, blockaded, or shut off by a foreign power,” David Frykman, General Partner at Stockholm-based venture capital group Norrsken, wrote in an op-ed for Fortune earlier this year. “Every terawatt-hour of domestic renewable generation is a terawatt-hour that no adversary can weaponize.”

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S&P Global Platts – July 15, 2026

Environmental, tribal groups sue to block Trump ESA rule changes to habitat

Environmental and tribal groups filed three federal lawsuits July 14 challenging a Trump administration rule that removes habitat protections under the Endangered Species Act, creating regulatory uncertainty for energy project developers seeking permits despite industry support for the changes. The rule — announced July 10 and published in the Federal Register July 14 — eliminates the definition of “harm” to species habitat without providing a replacement, prompting attorneys who represent energy clients to warn that companies could face litigation over how federal agencies interpret the law going forward.

The lawsuits allege that the rule defies the text and purpose of the ESA and reverses 50 years of administrative policy, as well as a 1995 US Supreme Court precedent. The suits were filed in federal district courts in California and Washington State.

 

The Latest TERse Tips

Texas agencies must cut spending by 3% under new order from Abbott, Patrick and Burrows — Texas Tribune

ExxonMobil’s XTO Energy unit has IP’ed a Dean well in Martin County for 4,043 bbl about 2 miles northeast of Lenorah, Texas, a Hart Energy analysis found — the well is located roughly 2 miles northeast of Lenorah, Texas — Hart Energy*

RapiCure Solutions, Inc. (RapiCure), innovators of a highly effective rapid-curing resin technology, announced it has been selected by Chevron Technology Ventures for its Catalyst Program™ aimed at accelerating technology innovation within the energy sector — Hydrocarbon Processing

New York becomes first state to impose moratorium on data center development — during this one-year pause, the state seeks to create a regulatory framework that will evaluate and address how data centers impact the environment, energy use and more — Utility Dive

Oil & Gas Texas

 

Source NM – July 15, 2026

NM environment officials push for limits on contaminants in produced water while awaiting hearing

New Mexico environment officials are pushing to establish limits on contaminants found in wastewater left over from fracking operations before the state water quality commission begins a rule-making process on the matter. There has long been conflict among state leaders over whether the water, which is known as produced water and often contains radioactive material and other proprietary chemicals used by oil and gas operators in their fracking endeavors, should be put to use in New Mexico. Currently, operators sell much of it to Texas, which has more lax regulations for disposing the water.

At an interim Water and Natural Resources Committee hearing Tuesday, Jonas Armstrong, the New Mexico Environment Department’s Water Protection Division director, told state lawmakers that a hearing before the state Water Quality Control Commission has yet to be scheduled. Any rules governing how the water is used beyond oilfields need strong protections, he said.

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Enlit – July 15, 2026

Baker Hughes and Kodiak in 1.8GW power-gen alliance

Texas-headquartered energy infrastructure services provider, Kodiak Gas Services, and energy technology company Baker Hughes, have signed a multi-year strategic agreement to support the deployment of power generation equipment for energy infrastructure and data centre projects across the US. The agreement begins with an initial equipment package capable of delivering around 1GW of generating capacity by 2030, while the wider framework establishes the potential for the companies to collaborate on projects totalling up to 1.8GW over time.

As part of the first phase, Baker Hughes will supply a combination of NovaLT 16 gas turbines, Frame 5 gas turbines and BRUSH Power Generation generators. This equipment will be used to provide on-site, behind-the-meter electricity generation for projects where increasing power demand and grid capacity constraints are driving interest in alternative energy solutions.

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Oil & Gas 360 – July 15, 2026

Buccaneer Energy reports production growth at East Texas Pine Mills field

Buccaneer Energy reported continued production growth at its Pine Mills field in East Texas, where average net production has increased to approximately 135 bopd as the company advances enhanced recovery projects and prepares to launch a waterflood later this year. The company said production at Pine Mills has more than doubled since its current management team took over in mid-2024, when the field was producing about 54 bopd. Buccaneer added that its Pine Mills and Fouke assets generated approximately $250,000 in positive net cash flow during May, supported by realized oil prices above $100/bbl.

Buccaneer expects average net production to increase toward 250 bopd through a combination of recent acquisitions, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) initiatives and the planned Fouke waterflood project. The Fouke waterflood remains on schedule to begin during the third quarter of 2026. The company said leaseholder unitization is progressing, while the acquisition of the Carlisle-1 well earlier this year increased its working interest in the proposed waterflood unit to more than 50%, giving Buccaneer operational control of the project.

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The Guardian – July 15, 2026

US trial could reveal who paid hackers to target Exxon climate critics: ‘on the edge of our seats’

A group of American climate activists are closely watching a US court case that could reveal who hired hackers to target their inboxes a decade ago. In 2015, a set of explosive media reports revealed that ExxonMobil’s own scientists determined as early as 1982 that the extraction and burning of fossil fuels caused the climate crisis – but Exxon went on to fund climate denial campaigns anyway. The reports prompted attorneys general to investigate the company.

In 2016, as a group of climate activists sought to hold Exxon accountable for climate deception, they found themselves targeted by a wave of phishing emails. Kert Davies, the founder of the Climate Investigations Center, a group that monitors the fossil fuel industry, received more than 80 phishing emails, including one pretending to be his colleague sharing a Dropbox document titled “ExxonMobil (confidential).docx”. A Department of Justice investigation eventually confirmed the successful hacking of more than 100 victims, including the group of Exxon critics.

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The New York Times – July 13, 2026

This California Oil Pipeline Was Dormant for 11 Years. Trump Reopened It.*

On a hillside trail near Santa Barbara, Calif., songbirds chirped in the arching branches of oak trees. The bright blue Pacific Ocean lapped at the secluded cliffs below. Given the breathtaking views, it was easy to miss a knee-high sign on an orange pillar. Warning: Crude Oil Pipeline. For decades, state and federal officials had halted new offshore drilling here on California’s coast to protect its shoreline. But in March, amid an oil shortage during the war in Iran, the Trump administration ordered the reopening of a Santa Barbara pipeline that had been dormant since 2015 after a major spill. The reboot has spawned enormous backlash locally, as well as several lawsuits against Sable, the pipeline’s Texas-based owner, from environmental groups and California officials. The pipeline initially burst in 2015 because of corrosion, and it remains vulnerable to another rupture, opponents say.

It is a twist of nature that this region, nicknamed the American Riviera for its postcard-perfect beaches and red-tiled roofs, overlooks one of the world’s richest offshore oil reserves. And it is perhaps a twist of politics that the bounty of petroleum sits next to California, a liberal state where environmental protections are held sacred. President Trump has made increased domestic oil production a central part of his platform, and the “drill, baby, drill” mind-set tends to be popular with his base for its near-term economic and national security benefits. But the opposition to the pipeline is an example of how his agenda plays out on a local level, challenging the identity and ideology of Santa Barbara. For the people who live here, coastal beauty takes precedence over almost anything else. On a breezy Santa Barbara beach, Amber Armistead walked her pug, Nacho, under palm trees and swooping sea gulls. Beachgoers nearby snacked on guacamole and fish tacos while others dragged their surfboards into the waves.

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The Hill – July 15, 2026

Trump: Texas, Alaska could be ‘alternatives’ to Strait of Hormuz

President Trump on Tuesday suggested pipelines in Texas and Alaska could serve as alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump said is “open if people want to go through it” despite Iranian officials blocking maritime shipping through the region. In an interview with Fox News, Trump was pressed on shipping tracking data that showed only 10 vessels passed through the strait on Monday — less than 10 percent of what normally passes through.

The steep decline occurred in the aftermath of tit-for-tat exchanges of airstrikes between the U.S. and Iran and escalating tensions in the region. “When you say the strait is open, what do you mean?” Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst asked the president. “It’s open if people want to go through it,” Trump said. “We’re not opening it for Iran. That’s the only one it’s closed for. It’s closed for Iran both in and out. But it’s open now.”

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

Oil Price – July 13, 2026

Oil Refiners Are Cashing In on a Market That Won’t Stay Broken

Related: America’s oil refiners could more than triple profits as Iran war sparks massive boom — MarketWatch

Oil refiners have stumbled into one of the best profit environments in years. Crude prices have fallen back to where they traded before the Iran war erupted. But gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel remain stubbornly expensive. That combination has pushed refining margins to extraordinary levels, giving refiners a windfall that few expected just weeks after the Strait of Hormuz reopened.

The benchmark U.S. 3-2-1 crack spread—a closely watched measure of refining profitability—recently climbed above $60 per barrel, the highest level on record. Similar gains have spread across Europe and Asia. Every barrel of crude processed is generating unusually large returns because feedstock costs have collapsed faster than refined-product prices. The crude market changed almost overnight after the U.S. and Iran reached a ceasefire agreement in mid-June. During the months-long closure of the Strait of Hormuz, hundreds of millions of barrels accumulated on tankers and in storage across the Gulf. Once shipping resumed, those barrels began reentering the market.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 15, 2026

China’s Crude Buying Pause Has Helped Cushion the Market. That Might Be Changing.*

A prolonged slump in China’s crude buying might be nearing an end, removing a key cushion for the global oil market just as renewed U.S.-Iran tensions put Gulf supplies at risk once again, according to some market watchers. Chinese refiners largely stepped back from the market during the Iran war, leaving more barrels available for Europe and other Asian buyers at a time when traders were grappling with one of the worst supply shocks in modern history. The world’s top crude importer was able to cut purchases because it had built up large inventories before the conflict. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates China added an average of 1.1 million barrels a day to strategic reserves in 2025, pushing stockpiles to nearly 1.4 billion barrels by the end of the year.

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Rigzone – July 15, 2026

USA Oil, Gas Workforce Drops from May to June

The number of employees in the oil and gas extraction industry dropped from May to June, data on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website showed. According to preliminary figures included in the data page, the number of employees in the sector stood at 115,300 in May 2026 and 114,500 in June 2026. Previous BLS data had the number of employees in the sector at 115,600 in May 2026.

June’s figure of 114,500 was the second lowest June figure in the BLS data, which spanned from January 2016 to June 2026. The lowest June figure in the data was seen in June 2021, at 111,900. The highest June figure was seen in June 2016, at 169,900.

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X – July 15, 2026

Ukraine Attacks Create Russian Oil Crisis: NStrike

Russia is facing a massive bottleneck in its oil sector as loaded crude effectively piles up at sea because the country cannot find buyers for a surging surplus of unprocessed oil. According to a Bloomberg report citing EA Analytics data (below), this crisis is directly linked to Ukraine’s intensified drone campaign, which has successfully struck at least 24 of Russia’s 34 major oil refineries over the past 100 days. Consequently, domestic oil refining output has plummeted to an average of 3.91 million barrels per day this July, marking its lowest level in over 21 years since March 2005 and falling more than 1.4 million barrels below last year’s average.

Because Russia lacks large-scale storage facilities and cannot process the crude domestically, it has been forced to aggressively divert the raw oil into seaborne exports simply to keep its oil fields from shutting down. However, this sudden surge in raw exports has not been matched by global demand, causing nearly 135 million barrels of Russian crude to become stranded on tankers idling off the coasts of Egypt, Singapore, and Russia’s Far East ports. This massive maritime gridlock and drop in sales has hit the Kremlin’s bottom line, cutting weekly seaborne export revenues by approximately $200 million in a single week.

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Bloomberg – July 13, 2026

Russian Refinery Runs Plunge to Lowest in More Than Two Decades*

A wave of Ukrainian attacks has pushed Russian refining runs to the lowest in more than 21 years, deepening a domestic fuel crunch and further squeezing the global market. Crude-processing rates have averaged 3.91 million barrels a day so far this month, the lowest level since March 2005, according to figures compiled by EA Analytics. That’s more than 1.4 million barrels a day below the year-ago average, the data show. The drop in production has prompted a ban on most diesel exports to the end of July, in addition to restrictions on gasoline and jet fuel shipments introduced earlier. The loss of diesel from a key global supplier has driven prices to multiyear highs, with the market already tightened by disruptions to Middle East flows.

Russia has classified its official statistics on refinery operations, making independent assessments of damage to the industry challenging. The Energy Ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment. EA Analytics, a division of consulting firm Energy Aspects Ltd., estimates refinery runs by monitoring the entire crude supply chain, from satellite tracking of oil fields and storage tanks to real-time cargo flows. In the past 100 days, Ukrainian forces have carried out about 50 attacks on Russia’s fuel-producing facilities, hitting at least 24 out of 34 large refineries, mostly linked to the nation’s major oil producers, according to a Bloomberg tally of public statements from both countries. “A blistering wave of Ukrainian attacks” has affected more than half of Russia’s refining capacity since the start of May, the International Energy Agency said in a report on Friday. The Paris-based agency estimates Russian plants processed 3.8 million barrels a day in June, 1.6 million barrels a day lower than a year earlier.

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Forbes – July 14, 2026

Russia’s Economy Is Slowly Sinking

This past Friday the US announced that it was moving forward with legislation to sanction buyers of Russian oil. By doing so lawmakers are hoping that this will have a ripple effect across Russia’s economy, deterring countries from trading with Russia as the US would place heavy tariffs on imports from nations that import Russian oil, uranium and natural gas. Whether these sanctions will be the tipping point remains to be seen, but this is an effort to hit Russia where it hurts. The Russian economy is totally dependent on its fossil fuel exports revenues, which earn Russia 734 million euros a day.

While Russia’s economy is still enormous– worth about $2.6 trillion–growth is slowing and its economy is shrinking each quarter. Growth rates are projected to be only 0.4% for 2026. This is even worse than 2025, when Russia grew by only 1%, and narrowly escaped a recession.

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

Latitude Media – July 10, 2026

The Southeast is missing out on cheaper power from PJM and MISO

The Southeast’s relatively low energy costs and available land have made it an emerging data center hotspot. But the region could reduce electricity prices even further —  by an average of $10 a megawatt-hour — by building more long-distance transmission lines that bring in power from neighboring markets .  That’s according to the Department of Energy’s draft 2026 National Transmission Needs Study released this week. The study, which the Federal Power Act requires the DOE to publish every three years, offers an assessment of current and future bulk transmission constraints, as a resource for regional planning and federal financing.

Nationally, the report found that transmission congestion costs reached $11 billion in 2023 and $12 billion in 2024, down from a peak of $21 billion in 2022, when severe weather and natural gas prices caused a spike. Congestion bottlenecks, the report emphasized, both constrain the delivery of low-cost generation for data center growth and directly inflate wholesale electricity prices.

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The New York Times – July 15, 2026

Data Centers to Add Billions in Power Costs in 13 States*

PJM, the nation’s largest electrical grid operator, on Tuesday released results of an electricity auction that would add $6.3 billion in costs to the bills of millions of households and businesses within the next three years, an increase driven by the power demands of data centers. During the annual auction, power companies supplied prices that they were willing to accept to supply electricity to PJM at times of peak demand. Those prices are then factored into the electricity rates that are eventually charged to the grid’s customers in 13 Eastern states and the District of Columbia. In a statement, PJM said data centers were increasing electricity demand throughout the region.

“These auction results show that demand for electricity continues to grow faster than electricity supply,” David Mills, president and chief executive at PJM, said in an announcement of the auction results. “We are working with government and industry leaders on multiple fronts to restore that balance by bringing on new generation as fast as possible and managing the growth of new load on the grid.” Over the last few years, individuals and politicians have grown frustrated with PJM’s operations as electricity prices have steadily increased. At the same time, anger over data centers has spread nationwide. New York on Tuesday announced the nation’s first statewide moratorium on construction of the giant facilities, a one-year pause to assess their impact on the environment and energy use.

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News from the States – July 15, 2026

PJM Interconnection electricity price hits cap again in latest auction

Electricity prices will remain elevated in PJM Interconnection’s 13-state service area, including Pennsylvania, following an auction setting prices for future generating capacity. PJM, a Valley Forge-based nonprofit that manages the supply on the largest electricity grid in the nation, announced the results Tuesday of the auction held from late June to mid July.

The $325-per-megawatt-day price for generating capacity in 2028 and 2029 is at the maximum price under a cap initially negotiated by the Shapiro administration last year after the 2024 auction closed at a record price of $269.92 per megawatt-day.  The cap was extended by PJM at the request of a coalition of PJM-state governors and the Trump administration to cover the latest auction and one to be held in December for 2030 and 2031.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 13, 2026

Data-Center Builders Are Racing to Offload Stakes Worth Billions*

America’s data-center developers are ready to cash in on the AI boom. Data-center builders and operators across the U.S. are working with bankers to sell majority equity stakes worth tens of billions of dollars in their companies this summer, according to people familiar with the efforts. Bankers are working to sell stakes in firms including Netrality Data Centers, DataBank, Edged, EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure and others with properties located from Phoenix to Atlanta. They are pitching private-equity firms on a hot asset class benefiting from unrelenting demand for computing power. Sales of data-center operators are on the rise as owners of these firms seek exits and investor interest in owning the physical infrastructure behind advanced artificial intelligence grows. A massive backlog of demand for server capacity pushed companies to pursue novel strategies to secure more of it, from renting chips from direct competitors to launching data centers into orbit.

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The New York Times – July 15, 2026

The American E.V. Has Been Crushed. Will It Take the U.S. Auto Industry With It?*

The first sign of real trouble arrived two years ago, in the guise of an electric S.U.V. so new it did not yet have an official name. Fast and capacious, sleek and quiet, with plenty of comfortable seating and enough juice to carry a family 350 miles on a single charge, the vehicle was unveiled in May 2023, at a Ford investor event in the Michigan factory town of Dearborn. “It’s beautiful,” Doug Field, the head of Ford’s E.V. unit, promised the audience. “And it’s unlike anything else in the segment so far.” A “personal bullet train,” he called it.

He had good reason to be optimistic. Buoyed by billions of dollars in federal investment in charging infrastructure and a generous $7,500 consumer tax credit, the electric vehicle market in the United States had recently hit historic highs, climbing from annual sales of roughly 490,000 in 2021 to more than 800,000 in 2022 — an increase of approximately 60 percent. Many experts believed that the United States was now poised to enter the fruitful second phase of what’s commonly known as an S-curve, in which early interest in an emerging technology gives way to widespread adoption. If they were right — and data from other parts of the globe suggested they were — the rollout of a long-range electric S.U.V. was more than savvy thinking. It was an investment in the future.

And yet the project seems to have been cursed from the outset. Unlike many of the earlier Ford E.V.s, the “bullet train” was not merely a retrofitted version of an existing vehicle with an internal combustion engine — ICE, in the industry parlance. It was an entirely new car, requiring a large and complicated battery to match the vehicle’s projected heft. In April 2024, Ford pushed back the sale of the “bullet train” by two years, to “enable Ford to take advantage of emerging battery technology”; that August, it confirmed it was killing it entirely. “These vehicles need to be profitable,” Ford’s chief financial officer, John Lawler, explained in a conference call with reporters. “If they’re not profitable, based on where the customer is and the market is, we will pivot and adjust and make those tough decisions.”

 

Regulatory

 

Houston Chronicle – July 15, 2026

Trump wants to politicize scientific research. That’s bad news for Texas’ energy industry: Michael E. Webber, University of Texas*

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Texas Energy Report NewsClips

Wednesday July 15, 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 rose in choppy trading Wednesday as U.S. forces carried out another round of strikes against Tehran and Washington reinstated its naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for August delivery rose 0.45% to $79.70 per barrel. September Futures for international benchmark Brent were up 0.68% at $85.31.

U.S. Central Command said late Tuesday stateside that it had carried out another wave of strikes against Iran late Tuesday, targeting dozens of military assets near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iran’s coastline in a seven-hour operation.

The attacks, involving fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels, struck missile and drone facilities, naval assets and coastal defense systems to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping, Centcom said.

The operation started as U.S. forces resumed a naval blockade on vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports earlier in the day.

 

Top Stories

 

San Antonio Express-News – July 14, 2026

ERCOT nowhere near meeting Texas goal for residential demand reduction*

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is far from meeting its goals for residential demand response, barely making a dent in the total reduction regulators had hoped the program would achieve. The statewide grid operator told the Public Utility Commission that it achieved only a sliver of the sought-after 20% reduction from customers who have given their utility the ability to reduce their usage during “rush hour” periods of peak demand. The reality was a 2.5% average reduction — just 10% of what the commission sought.

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Utility Dive – July 14, 2026

Utilities requested $9.2B in rate hikes in Q2: PowerLines

Electric and gas utilities in the second quarter asked state regulators to approve $9.2 billion in rate hikes, up 26% from the $7.3 billion in rate increase proposals filed in the same period last year, according to an updated report released Tuesday by the advocacy group PowerLines. In the first half this year, utilities asked for $18.6 billion in rate hikes, down from about $25 billion in the same period last year, according to data collected by the nonprofit.

The report comes as average U.S. residential electric rates increased 7.3% from the year before to 18.8 cents/kWh in April, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As a result, “regulators face mounting pressure to scrutinize utility spending plans while balancing the infrastructure investments that a modernizing grid genuinely requires,” PowerLines said.

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E&E News By Politico – July 14, 2026

He sued the oil industry for $51B. Now he faces Republicans in a private grilling.

It’s a rare occurrence for a private lawyer to be hauled before a congressional committee and be deposed. But in the sharply political world of climate and energy litigation, Roger Worthington is no ordinary lawyer. A champion among environmental activists and a villain to the Trump administration and congressional Republicans, the ambitious attorney’s latest gambit — representing Multnomah County, Oregon, in a $51 billion lawsuit that accuses the oil and gas industry of contributing to a heat wave that killed 69 people in 2021 — has landed him in the hot seat before the House Judiciary Committee.

The 65-year-old, who made his name taking asbestos manufacturers to court, will be questioned Wednesday by Republicans who are investigating what they say are efforts to influence judges overseeing climate lawsuits, like the one brought by Worthington’s firm and two others on behalf of the county that includes Portland.

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Bloomberg – July 14, 2026

Ukraine Hits Russian Refineries, Ships; Moscow Targets Odesa*

Kyiv struck a slew of Russian energy targets overnight, while Moscow hit fuel facilities in the Ukrainian port of Odesa in a fresh wave of tit-for-tat attacks. Ukraine targeted two Russian refineries, causing fires at both sites, as well as five tankers and an oil transshipment area in the Black Sea, the country’s General Staff said in a statement on Tuesday. Kyiv has been carrying out almost daily strikes on Russian energy assets in an effort to bring the Kremlin to the negotiating table. As a result of its recent bombardment of refineries, Russian oil-processing rates have dropped to the lowest in more than two decades, according to EA Analytics, deepening a domestic fuel crunch.

 

The Latest TERse Tips

US attacks Iran and Tehran retaliates across the Middle East as both vie for control of strait — Associated Press/KTRE

Ukraine targets another 11 Russian ships in Sea of Azov — Ukraine said it struck tankers and cargo vessels in the Sea of Azov, in the latest strikes on Russian commercial shipping. Moscow’s Agriculture Ministry said “alternative shipping routes” are being sought — Reuters/AFP

Cheniere Energy announced Tuesday that its Board of Directors (“Board”) has appointed Britt Vitalone to serve as a member of the Board, effective July 14, 2026 — he is considered an independent director and has been appointed to the Audit and Compensation Committee — see the press release

Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, TX’s (GVEC) Issuer Default Rating, and Fitch has also affirmed GVEC’s Fitch-rated electric revenue bonds at ‘AA-‌’ and commercial paper (CP) at ‘F1+’ — Rating Outlook is Stable — Fitch

Rio Grande LNG LLC Senior Notes Assigned ‘BBB-‘ Rating; Outlook Stable — S&P Global

After nearly two years as general counsel of the Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Andrea Stover has returned to Baker Botts, the firm announced on Tuesday — Texas Lawbook

Ranger Energy Services entered into a contract with Hess, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron, to deploy three additional ECHO hybrid workover rigs in the Lower 48 United States — the rigs are expected to be delivered to Chevron in 2027 and will be equipped with winterization packages for operations in the Bakken — Drilling Contractor

West Texas Resources, Inc. Tuesday announced the acquisition of a package of producing oil and gas assets consisting of eight producing wells in Jackson County, Texas, and one producing gas well in Fort Bend County — see the press release

Plug Power Inc. Tesday announced two transactions with Stream US Data Centers, LLC that involve Texas assets, advancing the Company’s previously announced strategic infrastructure optimization initiatives, which collectively target more than $275 million in liquidity improvement — see the press release

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Monday in response to airstrikes they blamed on Saudi Arabia that struck Sanaa International Airport earlier in the day — Washington Times

 

Oil & Gas Texas

 

Mining Weekly – July 13, 2026

Chesapeake Utilities unit to build $1.2bn Florida gas pipeline project

Chesapeake Utilities said on Monday its unit Peninsula Pipeline Company will develop, construct and operate a natural gas pipeline project in Florida for about $1.2-billion. The project will help expand natural gas transportation capacity to address regional supply constraints, it said. Utilities have been investing in new infrastructure to improve reliability and support growing residential, commercial and power generation needs.

The Florida Energy Pathway is expected to be a 24-inch gas pipeline from Palm Beach to Miami-Dade counties, supported by nearly 250 000 dekatherms per day of firm shipping commitments. Chesapeake Utilities expects the project to enter service in 2030, subject to final commissioning, and said it plans to partner with one or more third parties that could own up to 49% of the project.

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C-Tech – July 13, 2026

ExxonMobil is making a move toward the Israeli market, but competition in the gas sector remains a long way off

From the Ministry’s perspective, the very fact that one of the world’s major energy companies is showing interest indicates that, despite the protracted war and regional turbulence, Israel is still viewed as an attractive destination for energy investment. However, even if Exxon does decide to join the tender, there is still a long road ahead before it actually enters the Israeli gas market, and certainly before it drives increased competition within that sector.

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KUHF NPR – July 14, 2026

LNG company one step closer to building on Galveston’s Pelican Island

A liquified natural gas (LNG) company is one step closer to building a facility on Pelican Island in Galveston. Power LNG is seeking to lease 30 acres on Pelican Island to build a $250 million facility that will initially produce 400,000 gallons of liquified natural gas per day, primarily used to fuel cruise ships coming in and out of the region. The Galveston Wharves Board — whose board members are appointed by the Galveston City Council — on Tuesday approved the basic terms that will be used to create a lease and development agreement with Power LNG Ventures, LLC. …

Trustees said Power LNG wants to build a small-scale facility that will provide fuel to cruise ships. According to the Galveston Daily News, city leaders have also expressed interest in building the facility to attract more cargo ships, which increasingly rely on LNG. The company anticipates that the plant will begin LNG production in December of 2028 and plans to design the facility to produce up to 800,000 gallons of LNG per day.

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Financial Post – July 14, 2026

Texas Port CEO Sees US Oil Exports Holding Above Prewar Levels

The historic boost to US crude exports triggered by Iran war disruptions to global energy supply will likely endure and has even revived interest in new pipeline infrastructure, according to the head of the largest US oil port. US oil exports surged this year as the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz choked off Mideast crude and sent buyers scrambling for alternative supplies. The market tightening was a major boon to US oil companies and the ports that handle their product including the Port of Corpus Christi.

“It’s been a nonstop parade of ships past our windows,” Port of Corpus Christi Chief Executive Officer Kent Britton said in an interview with Bloomberg News Tuesday. The port had a record first half of the year for cargoes of commodities such as oil and liquefied natural gas passing through its waterways.

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Texas Tribune – July 14, 2026

Mexico relies heavily on Texas natural gas. The Trump administration could imperil that relationship.

Mexico and the U.S. may frequently spar, but the two nations are bound by energy — networks of pipelines that stretch from Texas to its southern neighbor to deliver the lion’s share of Mexico’s natural gas. This longstanding economic relationship is at risk as the Trump administration backs out of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a free-trade pact President Donald Trump spearheaded and that was enacted in 2018 as a replacement for NAFTA to bolster trade between the three countries.

Trump administration officials said they would instead negotiate amendments annually for a decade until the agreement expires in 2036. Further complicating the issue is the U.S. war on Iran, as ceasefire talks collapse — which is all but likely to throw global energy markets into further disarray.

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KTRH – July 14, 2026

Economic Double Whammy Is Sending Gasoline Prices Higher

Oil prices jumped 10-percent on Monday, so can increases in gasoline prices be far behind? “They’re probably on their way,” says Patrick De Haan, petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, but this is a new situation we’re seeing on the oil and gasoline marketplaces.

“The big difference this time around from the Strait of Hormuz and the new escalations is — Ukraine is continuing to hit Russian oil refineries, which is also having an impact,” he says. “Gas prices in Houston are actually down a penny this week so far, but I suspect that within 24-48 hours we could expect to see gas prices about $3.50 or even a little above that.” With Russia continually being pounded by Ukrainian drones and bombs — especially Russian oil facilities, badly hurting President Vladimir Putin and his administration — De Haan says he expects continued price rises.

 

Oil & Gas National & International

 

Reuters – July 14, 2026

Shell targets 2027 drilling at Venezuela’s key offshore gas field, sources say*

Shell has begun tendering for drilling services for ​its Dragon offshore gas project in eastern Venezuela, part of a plan to drill four wells ‌there beginning in the second quarter of 2027, according to two people familiar with the process. The contract is expected to be awarded by the end of September, the people say. However, it will not take effect unless a positive final investment decision is ​made for the 4.2 trillion-cubic-foot development. But the requirement is a sign that the company is taking ​concrete steps to advance the long-delayed development after years of sanctions-related uncertainty.

Progress at Dragon ⁠has repeatedly been interrupted by shifts in U.S.policy toward Venezuela. The Trump administration earlier revoked licenses granted under former ​President Joe Biden that had allowed Shell and NGC to move forward with Dragon and other cross-border gas developments. Washington later ​issued new authorizations allowing the project and others in the oil industry to proceed following the removal from power in early 2026 of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

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The Wall Street Journal – July 14, 2026

BP Sees Further Oil-Trading Gains as Iran Conflict Fuels Volatility*

BP said it expects further gains from oil trading but lower upstream production in the second quarter than in the first, as the U.K. energy major continues to navigate turmoil in energy markets due to the Iran conflict. The company said Tuesday that it would take a $1 billion hit in the second quarter from write-downs on transition businesses in its gas and low-carbon energy segment. But it forecast a slightly higher oil-trading result in the second quarter compared with the first three months of the year, when it flagged an exceptional performance. The company also said price lags would lift the results of its oil and gas segments, while seasonal maintenance and Middle East disruptions led to a decline in its quarterly output.

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S&P Global Platts – July 14, 2026

Global diesel market tightens as Russian export ban, Ukraine strikes bite

The global diesel market is tightening fast, as Russia, the world’s second-largest exporter of the fuel, bans exports of key refined products amid escalating attacks on its energy infrastructure by Ukraine, while the war in the Middle East threatens flows from the region again. Europe, Latin America and Africa, as importing markets, are set to feel the biggest pinch, according to Eleanor Budds, director of fuels and refining research at S&P Global Energy CERA.

Benchmark European diesel margins have already ballooned since Russia announced a full export ban of the fuel on July 8, in addition to existing jet fuel and gasoline restrictions. The diesel and gasoline bans run until the end of July, while the jet fuel ban stays in force until end-November. The physical ARA diesel crack reached $70.3/b on July 13, the highest since March 23, according to Platts, part of S&P Global Energy.

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S&P Global Platts – July 14, 2026

Shell greenlights Bahamas LNG regasification terminal

Shell said July 14 it has reached a final investment decision on a small-scale LNG regasification terminal in the Bahamas that it plans to supply using its portfolio of US LNG offtake. As part of the FID by its subsidiary, Shell Bahamas Power Company, the energy giant said it acquired a 40% interest in New Providence Gas Ltd., a joint venture with a subsidiary of the Bahamian company FOCOL Holdings Limited. The joint venture will construct, own and operate the regasification terminal at Clifton Pier in Nassau, New Providence — the country’s most populous island.

The terminal is designed to support baseload generation at Clifton Pier in excess of 170 megawatts, according to a Shell spokesperson. The company is targeting first gas in the first quarter of 2027. “This investment marks an important milestone for The Bahamas and its transition to a lower-emissions energy system,” Shell’s Tom Summers, executive vice president of LNG marketing and trading, said in a statement. “It also reinforces Shell’s focus on growing its integrated gas and LNG business by delivering competitive, scalable LNG solutions in emerging markets, in partnership with local stakeholders.”

 

Utilities, Electricity & Renewables

 

KTXS – July 14, 2026

Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the US must win the AI race with China

As tensions rise in the Middle East and demand for electricity continues to grow with the expansion of artificial intelligence, Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the Trump administration is focused on strengthening U.S. energy production while keeping consumer electricity costs under control. Speaking with The National News Desk, Wright discussed the administration’s strategy for protecting energy supplies in the Strait of Hormuz, expanding data center infrastructure, and competing with China in the global race for artificial intelligence.

The interview comes as President Donald Trump announced the United States would oversee shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following recent attacks on commercial vessels that the administration attributes to Iran. Asked about the administration’s proposal to impose a fee on cargo moving through the strategic waterway, Wright said the broader objective is ensuring global energy supplies continue to flow.

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KBTX – July 14, 2026

Grimes County to vote on data center safeguards, discuss incentives for new manufacturer

Grimes County commissioners are set to take up two agenda items on Wednesday that highlight the county’s push to attract major industry while addressing concerns about infrastructure and natural resources. At the 9 a.m. regular meeting of the Grimes County Commissioners Court at 270 FM 149 W in Anderson, commissioners are scheduled to vote on a resolution supporting “responsible data center and associated technologies development while protecting natural resources, and the interests of Texas communities.”

The item appears on the posted agenda as Item 19. In simple terms, the resolution says Grimes County supports new development, including large-scale data centers and related technology projects, but wants guardrails to protect what residents already depend on.

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Union of Concerned Scientists – July 14, 2026

Transparency Win: Judge Orders Meta to Reveal Withheld Evidence Behind Louisiana Gas Plant Buildout

On Friday, an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ordered Meta to turn over key information it has hidden from the public about Entergy Louisiana’s proposal to build seven additional gas power plants for its “Hyperion” hyperscale data center in Richland Parish, granting Earthjustice’s request, representing the Alliance for Affordable Energy (AAE) and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The decision came just days before Meta publicly announced its plan to more than double the size of the data center and its energy demand from what was previously publicly disclosed. Meta has until July 20th to respond to the ruling.

The ALJ ruled that Meta must turn over analyses, data, reports, calculations, and/or other evidence that:

• demonstrate Meta’s level of economic investment and permanent job creation for its Richland Parish data center; and
• substantiate the amount of electricity load the Richland Parish data center will need.

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Forbes – July 14, 2026

Reshoring Solar Manufacturing For Energy (National) Security: Ed Hirs, University of Houston*

The Trump administration has made it a national imperative to reshore manufacturing and technology development. Nowhere is that more evident than Texas where new investments in manufacturing solar panels and large-scale batteries are taking place. Surging demand for electricity and the now obvious insecurity of global supply chains for oil and gas are driving the investment forward.

Space X, fresh off its initial public offering, is joining the game with a 10-GW solar factory. SEG Solar is opening at 4 GW facility near Houston. Near Austin, T1 Energy is investing more than $400 million to build an integrated manufacturing plant with annual payroll of more than $100 million. U.S. tariffs on imported solar panels and associated materials have created the economic opportunity for investors to profitably manufacture solar panels domestically and consolidate the supply chain. With that comes less dependence on foreign suppliers and fewer market disruptions.

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Reuters – July 13, 2026

Mid-year check-up on the US power system’s vital signs: Gavin Maguire*

If the U.S. power sector were undergoing a mid-year physical, the doctor’s verdict would be encouraging: vital signs continue to improve, clean energy is steadily gaining strength, and some long-standing ailments are becoming less severe. The transition is far from complete, but the ​trend lines remain firmly pointed in the right direction. What’s more, total electricity output continues to grow as the overall system gets cleaner.

Total electricity output from January through June ‌was 2,234 terawatt hours (TWh), according to energy think tank Ember, the highest ever for that half-year period, marking a nearly 3% expansion from the year before. Much of that growth is driven by AI-hungry data centers and electrification, according to the Energy Information Administration, which expects U.S. power consumption to hit record highs for a third and fourth straight year in 2026 and 2027.

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Oil Price – July 13, 2026

Can Sodium-Ion Batteries Help the U.S. Close the Gap With China?

A massive industrial manufacturer of sodium-ion battery systems is being constructed in Northern California. The 183,000-square-foot Sacramento plant will be able to produce 4 gigawatt-hours of sodium-ion battery systems per year, enough batteries to power almost four million households. This marks a major step forward for the state’s clean energy sector as well as a considerable endorsement of sodium-ion battery technologies as a promising next-gen storage solution.

The plant will be the first production site in the country dedicated solely to manufacturing grid-scale sodium-ion energy storage systems for utility companies to use during peak demand hours. Peak Energy, the developer of the project, says that their technology will reduce costs considerably for utilities’ energy storage needs. These novel storage systems manage operational heat without the need for mechanical components like fans or liquid pumps, significantly reducing long-term operating expenses.

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Utility Dive – July 10, 2026

What can best ease transmission bottlenecks? More transfer capacity, DOE says.

Interregional transmission and links between grid operators have the highest potential for easing transmission congestion and improving resource adequacy, according to a draft transmission report the U.S. Department of Energy released Thursday. Total U.S. congestion costs increased to $12 billion in 2024 from $11 billion in 2023, but were down from $21 billion in 2022, a year that was affected by high gas prices and severe weather, the DOE said in its draft National Transmission Needs Study. The department expects congestion costs will continue to increase.

Locational marginal prices, or LMPs, indicate that more transmission links between the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and its neighbors and between the Eastern and Western interconnections could have significant value, DOE said, citing analysis from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

 

Regulatory

 

Forbes – July 13, 2026

How Louisiana Became A Key Battleground For Anti-Energy Activism: David Blackmon*