Iran dumping oil?
Satellite imagery revealed a massive suspected oil slick spreading near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, in what experts say could be evidence that Tehran’s oil infrastructure is buckling under mounting U.S. pressure.
Iran still wants control
Iran is seeking to formalize its control of the Strait of Hormuz by transferring responsibility for the vital shipping lane to a newly formed quango. Tehran said the agency, called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), will vet all vessels seeking to pass through the strait while issuing permits and collecting tolls.
A dash through the Strait
A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar is attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which — if successful — would mark the country’s first export out of the region since the Iran war began.
Another tanker grabbed
Iran seized a US-sanctioned tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Gulf of Oman, Iran’s army said Friday — as US and Iranian forces clashed in the Strait of Hormuz. The Barbados-flagged tanker, Ocean Koi, was stopped and forced back to the southern coast of Iran over an alleged attempt to disrupt the Islamic Republic’s oil exports, state media reported, quoting an army statement.
Big Iraqi oil discovery
The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has announced the discovery of a large oil field in the southern province of Najaf, near the border with Saudi Arabia. The discovery is considered one of the most important in the Iraqi energy sector in recent years, as initial estimates indicate that one of the exploration patches contains reserves exceeding 8.8 billion barrels of crude oil.
US Energy
** Eversource Energy CEO Joe Nolan is “not interested” in the development of data centers in the company’s service territory, as it’s “only going to drive up the price of energy,” he said on the company’s first quarter earnings call.
** The neighbors of a data center in Georgia are steaming after they discovered the facility had sucked up nearly 30 million gallons of water — without initially paying for it. Outrage started bubbling up last year when residents of an affluent subdivision named Annelise Park in Fayetteville, Georgia, noticed their water pressure was unusually low.
** New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announces a budget deal that includes rollbacks of the state’s climate laws, though some state legislators say the agreement is far from final.
** Tesla recently began production of its Tesla Semi electric truck at its factory in Sparks, Nevada.