Monday, February 16, 2026

United States News

Top Siemens Energy investors: Wind unit spin-off premature for now

Three of the largest Siemens Energy shareholders said that the company should fix its 'loss-making... wind turbine division, before considering a spin-off. They were responding to an activist investor who was pushing for a split-up. The comments show support for the current strategy of the company to stabilise the business and then look at strategic options. Ananym Capital, an activist shareholder in the United States, disclosed its stake in Siemens Energy in December.

Chevron and a consortium of companies sign contracts for gas exploration offshore Greece

On Monday, a consortium led by U.S. oil giant Chevron signed exclusive lease agreements to search for natural gas in southern Greece. This agreement expands the United States presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. The deal will double the amount of Greek marine acreage that is available for exploration. It's also the second time in recent months that a U.S. oil major has been involved. This is because the European Union wants to reduce its dependence on Russian gas and the U.S. wants to replace it.

Chevron and a consortium of companies sign contracts for gas exploration offshore Greece

The United States has expanded its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean with the signing of exclusive lease agreements by a?consortium headed by U.S. major oil company?Chevron? to search for natural gas offshore southern Greece. This deal, the second to be signed in recent months by a 'U.S. company, doubles the amount available of Greek marine acreage for exploration. The European Union is phasing out Russian supplies and the United States is looking to replace them. The European Union is looking to replace them.

Maurel & Prom hopes for a resumption of Venezuelan oil sales boosted with the easing of sanctions

Maurel & Prom, a French oil producer, is optimistic that it will be able to resume the export of Venezuelan crude oil soon after the United 'States government eased'sanctions against the country on Friday. On Friday, the U.S. government issued two general licenses, allowing major energy companies to operate in OPEC-member Venezuela. This is the biggest easing of sanctions against Venezuela since U.S. troops 'captured' and removed President Nicolas Maduro.

Take Five GRAPHIC: Giddy up

As the year of fire horse dawns, much of Asia will celebrate the Lunar New Year. This rare combination is said to combine elements of energy and volatility. The markets will be looking for the first from the consumer leader Walmart, and the second from the earnings of European miners. The week will be filled with UK data and leading economic indicators. Indonesia is also facing a crucial central bank decision. Here is everything you need to 'know' about the upcoming week in financial markets from Gregor Stuart Hunter…

Triso-X can use HALEU uranium to make reactor fuel

The U.S. Nuclear?power regulator announced on?Friday that it had issued a license to?Triso X for the use of a more-enriched uranium, known as HALEU, for making a fuel for high-tech commercial nuclear reactors. Triso-X is a subsidiary company of X-energy and plans to manufacture TRISO fuel in Oak Ridge Tennessee. This fuel contains uranium that has been coated with hard ceramics and carbon layers. Ho K. Nieh said that commercial-scale production is essential to enable the deployment of advanced reactor designs.

Caturus signs a 20-year LNG Supply Deal with Saudi Aramco

U.S. Gas Producer 'Caturus' said on Friday that its unit, Commonwealth LNG, had signed a twenty-year agreement with Saudi Aramco to supply 1,000,000 tonne per year of lNG from?its proposed Louisiana Export Project. The U.S. is working hard to surpass Qatar and Australia as the largest LNG exporter in the world. Since President Donald Trump lifted the pause on export permits last summer, commercial activity in the LNG sector has risen. Caturus CEO David Lawler said, "This agreement highlights the strong demand for U.S.

Maguire: Maguire, China's renewables boom has boosted it to a rare clean-capacity club.

In 2025, the world's largest polluter will have crossed a crucial energy transition threshold by installing more clean power than fossil fuel production capacity for the first. Global Energy Monitor data shows that China will have 1,494 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy generation capacity operating in 2025. This compares to 1,420 GW?of fossil fuel-fueled capacity. China now draws 51% of its energy from clean sources, surpassing Brazil…

Serbia's NIS wants to lift new sanctions on crude oil imports

The Serbian-owned NIS Oil Company has asked the United States for a second waiver of sanctions to allow crude imports. This is while they await a sale to Hungary's MOL. NIS is responsible for 80% of the fuel requirements in Serbia. It operates the only oil refinery, located in Pancevo in the north of the country. In October, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned NIS as part of measures targeting Russia's oil sector in response to Moscow's war against Ukraine. The U.S.

China's biotech licensing boom will reach record levels in 2026, as pipelines swell

As global drugmakers cut costs before patents expire, they are increasing their search for China's experimental medicines. Industry analysts predict that licensing deals this year will reach a new record. According to Pharmcube, the value of such deals signed by companies within Greater China - including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan – rose tenfold from 2021, to an unprecedented $137.7 Billion. Mainland China is at the forefront of this search.

Take Five: Giddy up

As the year of fire horse dawns, much of Asia will celebrate the Lunar New Year. This rare combination is said to combine elements of energy and volatility. The markets will be looking for the first from the consumer bellwether Walmart, while the commodity markets are likely to see the latter. The UK's data and leading economic indicators are coming in this week, and Indonesia is facing a crucial central bank decision. Here…

Maguire: Maguire, China's renewables boom has boosted it to a rare clean-capacity club.

In 2025, the world's largest polluter will have crossed an important energy transition threshold by installing more clean power generation capacity than fossil fuel generation capacity. Global Energy Monitor data shows that China will have 1,494 gigawatts (GW) of clean power generation in operation by 2025. This compares to the?1,420-GW capacity powered by coal, gas, and other fossil fuels. China has now a 51% share of its energy fleet that is derived from clean sources.

Trump ends US vehicle emission standards, revokes climate regulations

On Thursday, the administration of President Donald Trump announced that it had repealed a scientific conclusion that greenhouse gasses endanger human life and removed federal tailpipe emission standards for cars and trucks. The administration has rolled back its climate change policies in the most dramatic way possible, following a series of regulatory changes and other actions designed to promote fossil fuels and to impede the development of "clean energy".

Sources say that Venezuela's PDVSA has expanded its oil fields to joint venture partners.

Three sources familiar with the matter said that the state-run PDVSA of Venezuela is currently in discussions with its joint venture partners including Chevron Repsol and Maurel & Prom to expand the oilfields assigned to their respective projects. This could lead to an increase in crude and natural gas production. Venezuela's National assembly?approved a reform of the main oil law in late January, allowing foreign oil companies…

Can Africa win the mineral race between China and the West? Russell

Two rail projects worth billions of dollars are underway in Africa. One project was aimed westward, and the other eastward. The one backed by Western nations, the other by China. Both aim to ship huge quantities of vital minerals. Welcome to the new race for Africa. It is estimated that the Lobito rail line will cost $6 billion when it's completed in 2030. The track will cover 1,050 km (1,700 miles) of track, mainly carrying copper and cobalt…

Gulf stock markets fall due to US-Iran tensions and earnings.

Stock markets in the Gulf slowed in early trading on Thursday, pressured both by a lacklustre earnings report and investor unease over tensions between the United States and Iran. U.S. president Donald Trump met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a Wednesday. He later stated that they hadn't reached a "definitive agreement"?regarding Iran but stressed that negotiations would continue. The announcement came…

Can Africa win the mineral race between China and the West? Russell

Two rail projects worth billions of dollars in Africa. One project was aimed west and the other east. The one backed by Western nations, and the other by China. Both aim to ship huge quantities of critical minerals. Welcome to the new race for Africa. It is estimated that the Lobito rail line will cost $6 billion when it is completed in 2030. The 1,050 km (1,700 miles) of track will take mainly copper and cobalt west from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to the port of Lobito, which is located in Angola.

Andy Home, Andy Home: The US and Canada are now working together to secure critical minerals.

The U.S. president Donald Trump just announced "Project Vault", an $12 billion stockpile of critical minerals intended to protect U.S. manufacturing companies from disruptions in supply. The U.S. will need help to fill the Vault with 60 minerals that are currently classified as "critical". The U.S. is reviving friend-shoring as it seeks to form a metal alliance with China to break its stranglehold on the metals at the heart of modern technology. The U.S. is more popular than ever.

Norway Wealth Fund seeks investment in battery storage as the market matures

Norway's sovereign fund announced on Wednesday that it hopes to make its initial investments in battery storage systems. This reflects the increasing importance of batteries for stabilising increasingly intermittent electricity markets. Since 2021, the $2.2 trillion sovereign fund, 'the largest in the world,' has invested in renewable energy infrastructure that is not listed, with a focus on offshore wind farms, as well as solar and wind assets located both onshore and off-shore.

Energy secretary warns against legitimacy of Chinese deals

Chris Wright, the U.S. secretary of energy, urged on Wednesday that the U.S. invest more in Venezuela during the most high-level visit to the U.S. focused on energy policies in almost three decades. Wright also warned about the legitimacy of Chinese companies in the OPEC nation. Wright stated that the U.S. After a meeting with the Interim President, Delcy Rodriquez, at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, the U.S.