Geothermal Projects Carry Substantial Risk Because Unsuccessful Wells or Underperforming Reservoirs Can Absorb CapitalThere is little good news inside Iran regarding electricity. The government long ago instituted rotations of blackouts and brownouts to manage shortages, but even these are no longer predictable. Although Iranian officials might blame the war, the …
Read More »From Manisa to Szeged: BYD’s shifting European investment strategy
In June 2026, Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturer BYD confirmed that its planned $1 billion electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle factory in Manisa, western Turkiye, had been placed on indefinite hold. The project, signed with great ceremony in July 2024 in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, had been presented as a …
Read More »UAE’s state-owned ADNOC, India’s major supplier, changes crude pricing mechanism
New Delhi: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) will change the way it prices its crude oil from 1 November, a move that is expected to better reflect current market conditions and make it easier for Asian buyers, including India, to purchase and manage the cost of its crude.According to Umud …
Read More »From the Gulf to the Mediterranean: Energy infrastructure in the line of fire
On 29th July 2026, a suspected drone struck the Energos Winter, a US-owned floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), at Egypt’s Damietta port. The resulting fire spread to the nearby Gaslog Salem. Both crews were evacuated, the fire was contained, and no casualties were reported. Maritime security firms Ambrey and Vanguard identified …
Read More »Iran signals gas price hike as fuel crisis looms
Amir Soltanzadeh Iranian authorities want to dampen fuel consumption, but a sudden increase in gasoline prices risks social unrest as many Iranian households are already under severe economic pressure Iran is moving closer to politically sensitive changes in gasoline pricing as the government struggles with a widening gap between domestic …
Read More »The Promise and Perils of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Port of Yanbu
Yanbu May Relieve Immediate Pressure, but It Does Not Remove Geopolitical Risks for Saudi Arabia While cargo passage through the Strait of Hormuz is hampered, Saudi Arabia can benefit from the Red Sea port of Yanbu to export oil. The East-West Petroline pipeline allows Saudia Arabia to divert oil from fields in …
Read More »The US–Saudi nuclear deal: An energy partnership caught in a diplomatic ultimatum
The United States and Saudi Arabia took a step toward nuclear cooperation on 22nd July 22 2026, when U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a Section 123 Agreement. It creates the legal basis for civilian nuclear trade and comes with a bilateral safeguards agreement. Washington …
Read More »Beyond the Strait of Hormuz: Refining Capacity and Product-Market Vulnerability
The recent disruption in the Middle East, including the closure and uneven reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, has exposed a shift in the global energy system’s principal vulnerability. Initial concern focused on whether enough crude oil could reach the market. Yet crude flows have recovered faster than supplies of …
Read More »Russian crude continues to make up 50% of India’s oil imports in July as Hormuz risks persist
Russian oil remains India’s biggest supply cushion, but experts say LPG & LNG imports remain highly vulnerable to renewed Strait of Hormuz disruption.New Delhi: Amid renewed uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz, Russian crude continues to dominate India’s imports, averaging around 2.5 million barrels per day (mbpd) until 15 July, and …
Read More »Chokepoints of power: Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, and the new corridor wars
The concept of “corridor wars” describes intensifying competition among major powers over critical trade, energy, and transit routes in an era of weaponized interdependence. Unlike traditional territorial conflicts, these struggles center on controlling, securing, bypassing, or disrupting chokepoints: narrow maritime passages and overland links through which global commerce flows. Key arenas include …
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