** US authorities prevented a ship from unloading Russian fuel in New Orleans, according to the Wall Street Journal. The ship had planned to arrive on Sunday but is still being checked out by US Customs and Border Protection.
** U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said on Tuesday Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a warning to nations around the world that they cannot be hostage of oil-rich autocratic governments to meet their energy needs.
** Tesla has reportedly laid off approximately 200 workers from its Autopilot team and closed an office in California. According to Bloomberg, the company notified staff of the move on Tuesday.
** In a recent interview, Tesla Inc CEO, Elon Musk said about the UAW: “They have so much power over the Whitehouse, they can exclude Tesla from an EV (Electric Vehicle) summit.”
** A controversial plan from Gov. Gavin Newsom would reshape how business is done on the California power grid, potentially helping to extend the life of beachfront gas plants and the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, making it easier for solar and wind farm developers to sidestep local government opposition, and limiting environmental reviews for all kinds of energy projects.
** Chevron recently acquired Ames, Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group, a decision that was made at the end of February and closed earlier this month. According to Kevin Lucke, president of Chevron Renewable Energy Group, the deal was part of Chevron’s energy transition strategy.
World
** A Russian politician and former regional military commander has suggested that Europe will “totally croak” if Russia militarily targets Europe’s biggest oil hub in the Netherlands.
** Arab states could come close to achieving renewable energy targets for 2030 if they complete planned utility-scale solar and wind projects according to projected timelines, a report published on Tuesday said.
** CATL, the world’s biggest EV-battery maker based in China unveiled a new battery technology that it claims can deliver more than 620 miles of driving range. The longest-range electric car in the US, the Lucid Air sedan, can travel 520 miles between charges.
** Germany wants to repurpose part of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline for an LNG terminal, according to Der Spiegel. The Russia-owned gas pipeline is not in use after Berlin vowed not to make it operational due to the war in Ukraine.
** Norway must do more to prepare for a decline in its dominant oil and gas industry in the coming decades as other nations start to free themselves from petroleum dependence, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says in a new report.
** Hungary has passed a decree empowering the government to take over the supervision of vital energy firms and the gas pipeline network operator FGSZ in an emergency that would require it to ensure continuous supply.
** Germany is in talks with Canada over options to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe via a terminal on Canada’s east coast, a German government official told Reuters on Tuesday.