Georgia will appeal US decision ordering it to pay Turkish firm over failed hydropower project
Georgia announced on Wednesday it would appeal against a U.S. arbitral court decision that ordered the Georgian government to compensate Enka, a Turkish construction firm, for the 'abandoned' construction of a hydropower station in South Caucasus. In a decision handed down by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last week, the court found that the Georgian Government had violated its obligations towards?Enka Renewables owned by the parent company Enka Insaat based in Istanbul. Beka Dzamashvili - the deputy minister of justice in Georgia - confirmed to Georgian media on Wednesday that Tbilisi will appeal this decision.
Solar Manufacturing Group seeks US Trade Probe of Korea Cell Imports
According to a petition seen, three solar panel manufacturers urged U.S. officials to investigate imports of cells from South Korea, claiming that producers such as Hanwha’s?Qcells were using them to evade U.S. tariffs for Chinese products. Canadian Solar, SEG, and Heliene all have solar panel factories in the United States. The group American Manufacturers for Energy Resilience is seeking an anti-circumvention investigation into South Korean solar cell imports. The 'building blocks' of solar panels or modules that convert sunlight to electricity are cells. Tariffs may be applied to goods that are processed in third-country countries, even if the processing is minor.
Qcells begins cell production in Georgia factory, a milestone for US solar
Qcells is the U.S. arm of Hanwha's solar division in Korea. The company announced on Tuesday that it had begun'making solar cells' at its Cartersville factory, Georgia. This was a significant milestone for the United States' efforts to reduce reliance on imported 'equipment' from Asia. The production of cells is an important step in Qcells' quest to produce all key components for a silicon-based panel. Solar cells are the basic building blocks for modules or panels that convert sunlight to electricity. Solar Energy Industries Association reports that the United States has 3.2 gigawatts in solar cell capacity and 60?GW in panel capacity.
The largest offshore gas project in Romania is now being piped.
The Romanian Neptun Deep 'Black' 'Sea Gas Project' has started to lay the pipelines. This project is one of 'European Union's' most important energy 'deposits' with an estimated 100 billion cubic metres of recoverable 'gas. Neptun Deep, once it begins producing gas in 2027 will double Romania’s gas production. It is likely to turn Romania into a net gas exporter during a period when the EU is reducing its dependence on Russian gas. The company will also supply Germany and Moldova. Other European countries such as Slovakia are also interested. This project is a joint-venture between OMV Petrom, which is majority controlled by Austrian OMV and Romania's Romgaz, a state-owned company.
Energy chief: First new nuclear reactors planned in the US likely to receive government loans
Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy Department Secretary, told Congress in a Thursday hearing that "almost certain" the first five to ten new nuclear reactors planned for America will receive loans from its?lending department. Last year, President Donald Trump signed a?executive Order calling for ten new large nuclear reactors to be built by 2030 and for the 'Nuclear Regulatory Commission' to expedite reactor approvals. There is currently no approved plan to build large new reactors. The final U.S. nuclear reactors, which will be operational in Georgia's Vogtle, are seven years behind schedule and cost $17 billion over budget.
Ukraine Looks to Partner With Romania to Develop Black Sea Gas Discovery
Ukraine's Naftogaz, which discovered "substantial" offshore gas reserves in the Black Sea before Russia's invasion, is in talks with Romania's OMV Petrom to form a partnership relating to the field, three industry sources told Reuters.The sources did not indicate the amount of recoverable gas at the discovery, but one called it "one of the most promising gas fields in the Black Sea region", where Romania and Turkey are already developing deposits of their own.Talks were at an early stage and development of the field would not start before the war ends…
BP to perform maintenance on Central Azeri Platform in August
BP's regional president for Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as Turkey, Giovanni Cristofoli, said that the company plans to perform scheduled'maintenance on the Central Azeri -platform in August 2026. He added that the shutdown would only affect the gas infrastructure of the platform, and oil production would continue. He added that maintenance usually lasts for 19 days. The shorter outage is possible because of the new technologies. BP is the largest foreign investor and operator in Azerbaijan’s oil and natural gas sector. The ?company operates Azerbaijan's largest oil and gas projects…
US provides historic $26.5 billion loan to Southern Co subsidiaries
The?U.S. The Energy Department announced on Wednesday that it has provided a loan of $26.54 billion to'subsidiaries' of Southern Co in order to improve grid reliability. This is the largest loan ever offered by its loan office. According to the Energy Department, this financing will allow power customers in Georgia & Alabama to save more than $7 billion. Southern announced last year that it would freeze power bill increases for three years. Negotiations over loans made the company's decision possible, according to the?department. The Trump administration changed the name of the loan office to Energy Dominance Financing.
Azerbaijan BTC Pipeline Exports Fall 8.9% in January
Azerbaijan’s oil exports via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline fell to 2.112 million metric tons in January 2026, down 8.9% from a year earlier, as supplies were affected by tainted oil, Azerbaijani data showed.The BTC pipeline, which runs through Georgia to Turkey, is used to export oil from the Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli oilfields, which are operated by BP.Azerbaijan’s total oil transit amounted to 2.731 million tons in January 2026, with 77.3% shipped via the BTC pipeline, according to the country’s statistics committee.Transit oil volumes from other countries, including Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, transported via BTC fell to 363,600 tons in January 2026 from 392,600 tons in sam
The US LNG production was cut in January by the winter freeze; imports from Trinidad filled the gap.
LSEG's preliminary data shows that exports of liquefied gas from the U.S. in January fell to 11.3 million metric tons, down from December’s record of 11.5 MT. A winter freeze in late-January shut some plants while lowering output at others. On January 26, gas flows into U.S. liquefied natural gas plants reached a record low. Freeport LNG, the country's third largest LNG exporter, was partially offline during the freezing. Kinder Morgan's Elba Island plant in Georgia, which stopped taking in feedgas in the week before the freeze, imported LNG from Trinidad and Tobago. In the U.S., spot gas prices rose to record highs during the last week in January.
Prices for gas in Europe go up after US winter storm restricts LNG exports
The Dutch and British wholesale prices of gas rose slightly Tuesday morning, as the freezing weather in America continued to?curb liquefied gas exports. A winter storm in the U.S. has left more than 548, 000 homes and businesses without power. The storm is set to be the most expensive severe weather event since wildfires that ravaged the Los Angeles area in early 2025. LSEG data shows that the benchmark European gas contract (the front-month Dutch contract) at the TTF Hub reached its highest level in April of last year on Sunday, but fell below it on Tuesday morning, at 39.85 Euros per megawatt hour or $13.87/mmBtu by 1010 a.m. GMT.
Prices of EUROPE Gas are slightly higher as US cold continues a curb on LNG
The wholesale gas prices in the Netherlands and Britain rose slightly Tuesday morning, as freezing temperatures in the United States continue to limit liquefied natural gas exports. By 0931 GMT the benchmark Dutch front-month contract was 0.60 euros higher, or $14.02/mmBtu at the TTF Hub. On Monday, the price of oil reached its highest level since April of last year. The British day-ahead contract rose 3.70 pence, to 105 pence a therm. Meanwhile, the front-month contract increased by 0.22 pence, to 103.60 cents therm. The U.S. Gas Market could continue to be of concern, as the supply disruptions affect LNG exports. U.S.
Winter storm increases demand for power in US data centers Alley
The largest U.S. power grid saw its prices rise sharply Sunday, as the demand for energy in a region that has?the largest concentration of data centers in the world? exceeded forecasts in the midst of a deep freeze gripping the majority half the nation. Dominion Energy territory in Virginia saw real-time wholesale prices of $1,800 for a?MWh as early as Sunday morning, up from $200 on Saturday. Virginia is home to the largest cluster of data centres in the world. These centers are used for artificial intelligence, and the rising demand and price of electricity in large swaths across the nation.
The Black Sea Infrastructure is at risk, according to the Romanian National Defence Strategy
A draft national defence strategy released on Wednesday said that Romania must strengthen its ties with allies along the Black Sea to protect energy projects, which will make Romania the largest gas producer of the European Union in 2027. In the past two years, the EU and NATO member state has been repeatedly violated by Russian drones. Mines have also been spotted in the Black Sea along key trade and energy routes. Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia, along with Turkey and Ukraine, share the Black Sea, which is vital for grain, oil, and oil-based products.
Plug Power will unlock $275 Million in data center power market
Plug Power said it expects to generate over $275 million through monetizing assets and releasing restricted funds, while reducing maintenance costs. The hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer is shifting its focus to high-return opportunities, and the rapidly growing data center market. The shares of the company rose over 10% during premarket trading. The company signed an non-binding letter to intent to monetize their electricity rights in New York, as well as another U.S. city. They also agreed to work with a data center developer who is expanding across the nation.
Qcells furloughs 1000 workers in US solar factories because of stalled shipments
Qcells, a U.S. subsidiary of Hanwha of Korea, has announced that it will lay off 1,000 workers from its Georgia plants because U.S. Customs officials are routinely delaying shipments of parts it needs. The company announced the news months after it said that some of its shipments had been held at U.S. port under a law which will be in effect by 2021 and ban imports from China’s Xinjiang due to concerns over forced labor. Qcells is investing $2.5 billion in a complete U.S. supply chain for solar panels to compete with China. The company imports panels assembled from cells manufactured in Malaysia and South Korea. The company is also increasing its U.S.
Urals Crude Differentials Steady; Russia Ships Oil to New Georgia Refinery
Urals crude differentials were steady again on Tuesday, while Russia has supplied a first oil cargo to the newly built Kulevi oil refinery in Georgia this month, according to LSEG ship-tracking data and industry sources.According to LSEG and a trader, the tanker Kayseri delivered 105,340 metric tons of Siberian Light oil grade from the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk to the Kulevi Oil Terminal on October 6.Hungarian oil and gas company MOL was gradually restarting units at its Danube refinery following a late Monday fire at one of the plant's crude units.PLATTS WINDOWNo bids or offers were reported in the Platts window on Tuesday for Urals, Azeri BTC or CPC Blend crude.NEWSK
The United States has experienced a number of deadly industrial accidents this century
Officials said that multiple people died in an explosion at a military explosives facility in Tennessee on Friday. They also reported the absence of 19 other people. Here are some of the most notable industrial explosions that have occurred in the United States during this century. An explosion on the 23rd of March 2005 at a BP Refinery in Texas City in Texas City left 15 workers dead and 180 others injured. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board reported that a series of explosions took place during the restarting a hydrocarbon-isomerization unit. The report stated that the explosions happened when a distillation unit was flooded with hydrocarbons, and then over-pressurized.
Solar groups sue Trump Administration over cancellation of $7 billion in grants
On Monday, a group of labor unions as well as nonprofits and solar companies filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its cancellation of an $7 billion grant program from Biden's era that was intended to increase solar energy in low-income areas. The complaint filed in federal courts in Rhode Island alleges that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and its administrator Lee Zeldin broke the law by rescinding grants granted in 2024 to sixty nonprofit groups, tribals, and states. The plaintiffs include the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and the nonprofits Rhode Island Center for Justice and Solar United Neighbors.
Solar groups sue Trump Administration over cancellation of $7 billion in grants
On Monday, a group of labor unions as well as nonprofits and solar companies filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its cancellation of an $7 billion grant program from Biden's era that was intended to increase solar energy in low-income areas. The complaint filed in federal courts in Rhode Island alleges that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and its administrator Lee Zeldin broke the law by rescinding grants granted in 2024 to nonprofit groups, tribals, and states. The plaintiffs include the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, nonprofits Rhode…