Author: Erick Parel

U.S. Weekly Rig Count Edges Up to 550 as Inventories Tighten at Cushing and SPR Draws Down

Energy News Beat The latest WellDatabase US Rig Report for June 26, 2026, shows the U.S. active rig count rising by 1 rig week-over-week to 550. This modest increase bucks a broader pattern of stability over the past year and comes against a backdrop of sharply tightening crude oil inventories—especially at the critical Cushing, Oklahoma […]

Jeff Currie: Oil Market in Surplus Today, But That Tells Us Nothing About Tomorrow

Energy News Beat In a sharp and timely appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Street today (June 26, 2026), veteran commodity strategist Jeff Currie delivered a clear-eyed assessment of the oil market’s current dynamics. While acknowledging a near-term surplus, Currie stressed that today’s conditions offer almost no guidance on what lies ahead. Currie, Senior Advisor at the […]

Aalo-X Gets the Approval to Turn On the Aalo-X Critical Test Reactor Secretary Chris Wright Signs the Critical Notice – A Landmark Milestone for U.S. Advanced Nuclear and AI Power

Energy News Beat In a powerful symbol of America’s accelerating nuclear renaissance, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright visited the Aalo-X campus next to Idaho National Laboratory (INL) on June 25, 2026, and signed the final authorization allowing Aalo Atomics to turn on its Aalo-X Critical Test Reactor (CTR). This marks the final regulatory step […]

Saudi Arabia Starts Loading Tankers at Ras Tanura’s Sea Port

Energy News Beat Saudi Aramco has resumed crude oil loadings at its flagship Ras Tanura terminal in the Persian Gulf after a nearly four-month halt, marking a key step toward restoring normal export flows from one of the world’s most important oil hubs. Satellite imagery captured on June 26, 2026, by the European Union’s Copernicus […]

Iraq Set to Accelerate Hormuz Bypass

Energy News Beat As tensions flare once again around the Strait of Hormuz—with recent incidents including a vessel struck off Oman’s coast and Iranian Revolutionary Guard warnings—Gulf oil producers are racing to secure alternative export routes. While the strait has historically carried nearly 20% of global seaborne oil trade, Iraq is moving decisively to reduce […]

Ed Miliband Vetos Plan to Boost Oil Output for Defense Fund

Energy News Beat In a decision that highlights his uncompromising stance against domestic fossil fuel expansion, UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband reportedly vetoed a Treasury-backed proposal to increase North Sea oil and gas drilling. The plan was designed to generate additional tax revenues to help fund the Ministry of Defense’s urgent need for an extra […]

Oil and gas expansion gains momentum; outlooks improve but cost pressures grow

Energy News Beat Dallas Fed Energy Survey and Market Impact The U.S. oil and gas sector is showing clear signs of accelerating activity in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest Dallas Fed Energy Survey. Executives report stronger business conditions, improved outlooks, and rising capital spending, even as input costs and operating expenses […]

AI Boom Forces Tennessee to Plan Massive Natural Gas Expansion

Energy News Beat ENB Pub Note: This article first appeared on ZeroHedge, and we recommend following them. Stu Turley covered much of this on the Energy News Beat podcast with Steve Reese, Kirk Edwards, and Kimberly Page.  The Tennessee Valley Authority says electricity demand is already exceeding its reference forecast, driven primarily by AI and hyperscale […]

Energy Security Starts at Home: Preparing for the Grid of Tomorrow

Energy News Beat This was a fun discussion around Energy Security and the importance to consumers. Neil Chatterjee, Chief of Governmental Affairs, Palmetto, stopped by, and we had a wild discussion. Neil was also the Chairman and Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. 1. Palmetto’s Consumer-Focused Clean Energy Platform Neil Chatterjee discusses his role […]

U.S., Qatar, Nigeria, and Algeria Warn Proposed E.U. Methane Regulations Could Disrupt Europe’s Oil and Gas Supply

Energy News Beat ENB Pub Note: This is from the US Department of Energy and is very important. Well done, Secretary Chris Wright. Make no mistake, the EU’s overreach on methane reporting adds costs and is a way for them to justify their carbon markets for the wealth transfer they want to keep funding. We […]