Our Top Energy Headlines

#ICYMI

(in case you missed it)

Week of January 26–February 1, 2026

Public Opinion / ESG

MIT Technology Review Newsletter Davos debrief: climate overshadowed by AI, energy sessions focus on next-gen techniogies

MIT Technology Review • January 27, 2026

At Davos 2026, climate had only four dedicated sessions versus over 40 for AI, but energy sat in between with 21 sessions—and those discussions centred on fusion, geothermal, and next-generation nuclear rather than fossil fuels, signalling a shift in elite energy discourse.

India and the true cost of coal | FT Film

Financial Times / YouTube • January 28, 2026

This FT documentary explores the environmental and human costs of India’s coal dependency, highlighting the tension between the country’s rapid economic growth and the health and climate impacts borne by communities near mines and power plants.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1YY4yfzCPY

Gas

US natural gas futures soar above $6 for the first time since 2022

Bloomberg • January 25, 2026

Extreme cold weather across much of the US drove natural gas futures past $6/MMBtu for the first time since 2022, highlighting how tightening supply-demand balances leave the market increasingly exposed to weather-driven price spikes.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-25/us-natural-gas-futures-soar-above-6-for...

EU grants final approval to end Russian gas and LNG imports

S&P Global • January 27, 2026

The EU formally approved measures to phase out remaining Russian pipeline gas and LNG imports, marking the bloc’s most decisive step yet in severing energy ties with Moscow and intensifying Europe’s search for alternative supply.

https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/lng/012726-infographic-eu-gra...

US LNG plants imported cargoes during winter storm as natural gas prices hit highs

Reuters • January 28, 2026

In a rare reversal, US LNG export terminals imported cargoes to help meet surging domestic heating demand during Winter Storm Fern, underscoring how extreme cold can temporarily redirect global LNG flows back into the domestic market.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-lng-plants-imported-cargoes-during-winter-storm...

EU eyes gas from Qatar and Canada to reduce reliance on US LNG

Bloomberg • January 28, 2026

European officials are exploring long-term gas supply deals with Qatar and Canada as part of a broader strategy to diversify away from US LNG, reflecting growing unease over Washington’s use of energy exports as geopolitical leverage.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-28/eu-eyes-gas-from-qatar-and-canada-to-re...

Russia’s first homebuilt Arc7 LNG carrier completes ice trials, adds to Arctic traffic off Norway

High North News • January 28, 2026

Russia’s domestically built Arc7 ice-class LNG tanker Alexey Kosygin completed Northern Sea Route ice trials, demonstrating Moscow’s ability to sustain Arctic LNG exports despite Western sanctions and raising maritime safety concerns for Norway.

https://en.highnorthnews.com/business/russias-first-homebuilt-arc7-lng-carrier-completes-i...

TotalEnergies restarts $20B LNG project in Mozambique after five-year freeze

Al Jazeera • January 29, 2026

TotalEnergies and Mozambique’s President Chapo announced the full restart of the $20B Mozambique LNG project, halted since 2021 due to Islamist insurgency, with first gas targeted for 2029 and capacity of 13 million tonnes per annum.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/29/total-restarts-20bn-lng-project-in-mozambique-aft...

Europe’s gas storage is draining but prices reflect no urgency

Reuters • January 29, 2026

European gas storage fell to around 44% of capacity in January—well below the 58% decade average—yet the forward price curve shows summer 2026 futures trading above winter 2026/27, signalling markets expect an incoming LNG supply wave from the US and Qatar to ease the refill challenge despite historically low inventories.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/europes-gas-storage-is-draining-prices-reflect...

Oil

Canada and India pledge to grow oil and petroleum trade in energy reset

Bloomberg / Financial Times • January 27, 2026

Canada and India agreed to expand bilateral oil and petroleum trade as part of a broader diplomatic reset, positioning Canada as a growing hydrocarbon exporter and potential alternative to US supply amid Washington’s Venezuela intervention.

Bloomberg | Financial Times

Trump administration opens Venezuela oil sector as Rubio rules out subsidies

Associated Press • January 29, 2026

The Trump administration moved to expand US involvement in Venezuela’s oil sector while Secretary of State Rubio ruled out subsidising Maduro’s regime, signalling a strategy to boost supply while maintaining political pressure on Caracas.

https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-trump-oil-sales-rubio-maduro-rodriguez-61ad64e8a983db...

US Carlyle Group agrees to buy Lukoil’s global assets after sanctions pressure

Reuters • January 29, 2026

Private equity firm Carlyle Group agreed to acquire Lukoil’s international assets, marking a significant forced divestiture by Russia’s second-largest oil producer under sustained Western sanctions pressure.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russias-lukoil-agrees-sell-international-assets-ca...

Russian oil income drops sharply as sanctions bite

Financial Times • January 29, 2026

Russian crude oil export revenues fell roughly 20% year-on-year in 2025, with the discount on Russian crude widening to $24/barrel, as tightening Western sanctions, a stronger rouble, and weaker oil prices compound to squeeze Moscow’s war chest.

https://www.ft.com/content/ebf1c6d1-bb83-4eed-9aa9-4761294c451d

Nuclear, Renewables

GlassPoint closes $20M funding round to fuel global expansion of solar industrial process heat

GlassPoint / Axios • January 26, 2026

GlassPoint raised $20M to scale its solar thermal technology for industrial steam, targeting mining and manufacturing customers in the Middle East, US Southwest, and Southern Europe where it can undercut fossil fuel heating costs.

https://www.glasspoint.com/press-release-glasspoint-20m-funding

Germany’s stretch of weak wind output set to drag on into 2026

Reuters • January 29, 2026

Germany’s prolonged period of below-average wind generation is extending into 2026, exposing the vulnerability of Europe’s largest economy to weather-dependent renewable output and increasing reliance on gas-fired backup generation.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/germanys-stretch-weak-wind-output-set-drag-into-20...

Electricity

China’s four-year energy spree has eclipsed entire US power grid

Bloomberg • January 28, 2026

China has added more power generation capacity in the past four years than the entire installed capacity of the US grid, driven by a massive buildout of solar, wind, and coal plants to meet surging demand from industry and data centres.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-28/china-s-four-year-energy-spree-has-ecli...

NERC warns long-term grid reliability risks mounting from surging demand, lagging resources

Power Magazine • January 29, 2026

NERC’s 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment raised its 10-year summer peak demand forecast by 69% over last year’s projection, warning that 13 of 23 North American regions face elevated or high risk of energy shortfalls as data centre growth outpaces resource additions.

https://www.powermag.com/nerc-warns-long-term-grid-reliability-risks-mounting-from-surging...

Investment and Finance

BloombergNEF finds global energy transition investment reached record $2.3 trillion in 2025, up 8% from 2024

BloombergNEF • January 26, 2026

Global energy transition investment hit $2.3T in 2025, led by electrified transport ($893B), renewables ($690B), and grids ($483B), though renewable investment fell 9.5% due to Chinese regulatory changes while EU investment surged 18% to $455B.

https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-energy/bloombergnef-finds-global-energy-transition-i...

Energy Infrastructure Alliance Forum launches to support energy tech deployment

EIA Forum / Axios • January 30, 2026

A new industry body, the Energy Infrastructure Alliance Forum (EIAF), launched to advocate for and accelerate the deployment of energy infrastructure technologies, working alongside the DOE loan programmes office.

https://eiaforum.org/insights/introducing-eia-forum

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Sources: Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Axios, Bloomberg, BloombergNEF, EIA Forum, Financial Times, GlassPoint, High North News, MIT Technology Review, Power Magazine, Reuters, S&P Global., YouTube

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