** House lawmakers on Tuesday grilled members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission about electric affordability, grid reliability and the agency’s reviews of natural gas pipelines and liquefied natural gas projects.
** Xcel Energy says Permian Basin electricity demand driven by the oil and gas industry, new data centers, and nuclear manufacturing facilities threatens to outpace generation supply by up to 20,000 MW by 2035.
** A Texas petroleum firm asks Alaska regulators to designate a new oil and gas unit on the North Slope, positioning the company to produce methane for the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline.
** PA Governor Shapiro announces heightened consumer protections from data center development & rate increases. With the 2026/2027 Budget Proposal, Governor Shapiro’s issued “GRID”: the Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development – standards that aim to support continued data center development while protecting local stakeholders.
** The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee passed H.R. 7273, the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026, during a full committee markup Wednesday.. This important legislation strengthens America’s leadership in space by providing clear direction for NASA and supporting critical programs and initiatives that will keep our nation at the forefront of exploration and discovery well into the future.
World
** The IRGC Navy’s Public Relations Department alleged that more than one million liters of smuggled fuel were found on the ships. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy claims it seized two vessels near Farsi Island that were carrying smuggled fuel, Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported on Thursday.
** Qatar’s national oil company QatarEnergy this week signed a deal with JERA, Japan’s largest power generator, to supply 3 million tons per year (mtpa) of liquefied natural gas over 27 years.
** Russian missiles and drones have pounded Ukraine’s energy grid in recent weeks, plunging people into frozen darkness in one of the country’s coldest winters on record. Ukraine has accused Russia of illegally targeting power infrastructure during the war to deny civilians light, heating and running water.
** India’s Tata Power is examining potential sites in three states for future nuclear power projects but is awaiting further regulatory clarity before finalising plans, Chief Executive Praveer Sinha said on Wednesday.
** Rolls-Royce has halted a taxpayer-backed plan to put a mini nuclear reactor on the Moon. The engineering giant drew up plans to develop a lunar power source for the UK Space Agency and was handed £9m by the government to develop the project.