Energy briefs

** Energy Fuels Inc. reached an agreement with the Navajo Nation to resume transport of uranium ore on the nation’s territory after a six-month standoff that halted production at the company’s Arizona mine.

** Chevron Corp., investor Engine No. 1 and GE Vernova Inc. formed a partnership to develop natural gas-fired power plants next to data centers, aiming to tap into artificial intelligence’s surging demand for electricity.

** The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that U.S. nuclear generators import nearly all of the uranium concentrate they use.

** Duke Energy announces it’s completed its 10th solar farm in Florida, making good on its 2020 pledge to state regulators to build nearly 750 MW of solar generation in the state.

** Since New York’s congestion pricing plan launched on Jan. 5, one million fewer cars have entered Manhattan’s central business district and subway ridership has grown by more than 7%, transit officials say.

** Elk Range Royalties LP is acquiring Newton Financial Corp., Concord Oil Co. and Mission Oil Co., which together own mineral and royalty interests across the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale, Dallas-based Elk said Jan. 29.

World

** Australia’s reliance on coal-fired power stations has dropped to a record low, accounting for less than 50 percent of its electricity for the first time, the market operator said Thursday. Overall electricity demand hit a record high in the final quarter of 2024.

** Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has called for more decisive action against Russia’s “shadow fleet” following another incident in which a submarine cable in the Baltic Sea was damaged.

** Car production in Britain has slumped to levels not seen since the 1950s as the sector struggles with the shift to electric vehicles. The number of cars made fell to 779,584 last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which was the lowest level since 1954, aside from the Covid pandemic.

** The head of Dutch giant ASML, which makes chip-making machines that power the tech industry, Wednesday welcomed the emergence of China’s low-cost AI firm DeepSeek and predicted others would disrupt the sector.

** Carmakers are taking legal action against European Union special tariffs on electric cars from China. In addition to Tesla and BMW, Mercedes-Benz is now also taking action against the tariffs before The European Court of Justice, a company spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

** Toyota Motor sold 10.8 million vehicles in 2024, it said on Thursday, remaining the world’s top-selling automaker for a fifth straight year. The Japanese automaker posted a 3.7% drop in global group unit sales last year, including those of compact car maker Daihatsu and truck unit Hino Motors.