Donald Trump2026-10-14 08:42:55Trump says Taiwan agreed to buy 30% of Alaska gas, while Taiwan says CPC plans 6 million tonnes a yearU.S. President Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Wasilla, Alaska, on Oct. 13 that Taiwan had agreed to buy 30% of the gas from the Alaska natural gas pipeline project over the next 20 years. Taiwan’s economic authorities responded on Oct. 14, saying state-owned CPC Corp. plans to purchase 6 million tonnes of Alaska LNG annually after production begins and take part in project development, with estimated investment of as much as $4.4 billion. The official statement did not mention Trump’s figures of 30% or 20 years. It said CPC signed a letter of intent in Taipei in March 2025 covering LNG sales and investment, and that talks and evaluation over nearly a year and a half had produced major progress with the U.S. developer. If the project moves ahead on schedule, gas could start supplying Taiwan as early as 2032. A separate semiannual report filed by Alaska LNG Project LLC, a Glenfarne unit, to the U.S. Department of Energy on Oct. 1 said the company had not signed any long-term contracts tied to long-term LNG exports. The filing listed several potential buyers, but all were described as preliminary or non-binding arrangements.420
Oracle2026-10-08 16:59:29Oracle trucks natural gas to data centers to avoid grid delaysOracle is using an unusual power supply strategy for its server farms, shipping natural gas by truck directly to sites so electricity supply for multiple data centers is less exposed to delays tied to the power grid. The move is aimed at a practical constraint rather than a product launch: data center electricity demand is rising sharply, while pressure on the grid is also increasing. According to Bloomberg Technology, the approach is meant to keep power available for Oracle’s facilities as latency and capacity issues on the grid become harder to ignore. The report points to a broader infrastructure problem around large-scale computing operations, where power access has become a critical factor for data center expansion and day-to-day operations.400
European Unio2026-10-06 14:28:44Von der Leyen says EU will act on rising energy pricesEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union will take steps to respond to rising energy prices. The measures she cited include launching a strategic dialogue with European refineries and strengthening joint energy purchasing across the bloc. Von der Leyen also pointed to the scale of the recent price surge, saying that since late February, natural gas prices in Europe have climbed 140%, diesel prices have doubled, and spending on imported fossil fuels has increased by about 100 billion euros. The remarks were reported by ChainCatcher.550
Microsoft2026-10-06 02:35:25Microsoft expands biomimicry design to 20-plus data center sites, but critics say trees cannot offset gas and water demandsMicrosoft is rolling out a biomimicry-based design approach across more than 20 data center sites in the United States and Germany, extending a pilot that began in the Netherlands in 2022. The company says the model is meant to blend facilities into local landscapes through native trees, gardens, and ecological restoration tailored to each habitat. Microsoft has also framed the effort as part of a broader push to ease community concerns as opposition to new data center projects grows across parts of the US. The push has drawn mixed reactions. Some local and environmental figures cited in the report said site-specific restoration work can deliver visible benefits, including stormwater improvements. But critics argue the environmental gains are limited when set against the scale of the industry’s power and water needs. The report points to Microsoft’s own emissions data, which showed about 20 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, up 25% from roughly 16 million metric tons a year earlier. A major flashpoint is power generation. On June 22, 2026, Chevron and Microsoft signed a 20-year power purchase agreement for a new AI data center campus in West Texas. The plant is expected to begin supplying power in 2028 and scale to 2.67 GW. Opponents say projects like that undercut the message of ecological restoration, especially when paired with rising water use and land-clearing tied to data center construction.480
Kazakhstan2026-09-29 15:31:54Kazakhstan drafts rules for mining with flared gas from oil fields, with up to 60 sites involvedKazakhstan is drafting rules that would allow cryptocurrency mining powered by natural gas currently being flared at oil fields, according to a post by Bitcoin News on X. The move is being prepared under a decree from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The country had previously auctioned off grid electricity and moved most of the mining industry away from its aging power grid. Daniyar Mubarakov of the Blockchain and Digital Mining Association told Euronews that the gas in question could generate 1.2 to 1.3 terawatt-hours of electricity. Data from Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry shows that as many as 60 oil fields may have flared gas available for this use. The report points to a possible new power source for mining operations without adding new facts beyond the disclosed policy work, energy estimate, and field count.610
United States2026-09-27 05:40:13U.S. energy secretary says military is helping oil, gas and fertilizer move through Strait of HormuzU.S. Energy Secretary Wright said on Sept. 27 that the U.S. military is assisting the movement of oil, natural gas and fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz. He also said that nearly 13 million barrels of oil pass through the waterway each day. The update was published by BlockBeats as a 7x24 news flash. No additional details were provided in the source text beyond Wright’s remarks and the daily oil transit figure tied to the strait.650
South Korea2026-09-10 06:49:48South Korea nears $100 billion-plus U.S. energy investment announcement tied to AI buildoutSouth Korea is preparing to announce a major energy investment package in the United States to support U.S. artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to The Wall Street Journal. People familiar with the matter said the package could be worth more than $100 billion and may include funding for as many as eight nuclear power plants and one natural gas project. The planned announcement is described as a long-awaited step linked to a trade agreement reached last year between Washington and Seoul. Under that deal, President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung agreed in October to lower most U.S. tariffs on South Korea from 25% to 15%, including tariffs affecting the country’s auto sector. In return, South Korea pledged $350 billion in U.S. investment and an additional $100 billion in purchases of American energy. No projects had previously been finalized, a delay that drew frustration from U.S. officials, including Trump. The report said Trump threatened in January to raise tariffs on South Korea again. The two sides are now close to finalizing two agreements, with an announcement possible as early as next week.1110
Goldman Sachs2026-08-28 03:12:47Goldman Sachs Says Gulf oil exports have recovered to about two-thirds of pre-war levelsGoldman Sachs said on Aug. 28 that oil exports from the Persian Gulf have recovered to roughly two-thirds of their pre-war level. According to analysts including Daan Struyven, higher traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has lifted combined crude and refined product exports from the region to 15 million to 16 million barrels a day. That is still 7 million to 8 million barrels a day below pre-conflict levels, but well above the March low of 5 million to 6 million barrels a day. The bank added that oil moved specifically through the Strait of Hormuz may now be close to the 8 million to 10 million barrels a day estimated by U.S. officials. Goldman also said growing use of disabled vessel-tracking signals by specialized carriers, along with more ship-to-ship transfers, suggests producers and shippers are adjusting to the Middle East conflict. Even so, it noted that shipments of liquefied natural gas and refined products remain low. In a scenario of continued supply disruption, Goldman said it still sees more upside in European natural gas prices and forward refined product prices than in crude.1390
