Author: Erick Parel

Why Do Californians Pay More At the Pump?

Energy News Beat ENB Pub Note: This article first ran at the Energy Institute at HAAS. We recommend reading their blogs.  Breaking down more than two decades of the state’s gasoline price premium. The war is back on, crude oil prices are back up, and the cost of gasoline has reversed its declines of a few […]

The Energy Balance Globally is Shaken, and Green Energy is Tripling Down, While Oil and Gas Are Unbalanced

Energy News Beat ENB Pub Note: This article was first published on the Energy News Beat Substack. Head over there to comment.  Tough times ahead, and countries are picking sides. The world’s energy system is under simultaneous assault from geopolitics and policy ideology. Critical oil and gas flows through maritime and pipeline chokepoints are disrupted […]

OPEC+ Plans Quota-Hikes Pause after September – But Does It Matter?

Energy News Beat OPEC+ is preparing to hit pause on its gradual oil production quota increases after a final bump in September 2026. According to delegates, the group plans to ratify a 188,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) hike for September at a virtual meeting on August 2, completing the current tier of increases, with no further hikes […]

Red Sea Tanker Traffic at Multi-Month Low as Insurance and Houthi Threats Are Real

Energy News Beat Tanker traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea has slumped to a multi-month low, underscoring how Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi threats and recent attacks continue to disrupt one of the world’s most critical oil shipping lanes. According to vessel-tracking data, only 11 commodity-carrying vessels—including just seven […]

Asia-Bound Tanker Exits Red Sea Via Suez as Others Risk Strait

Energy News Beat An Asia-bound supertanker carrying Saudi crude has taken the longer, more expensive route out of the Red Sea through the Suez Canal rather than risk the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, even as other vessels—particularly those with Chinese links—continue to test the waterway amid Houthi threats and a declared blockade on Saudi-linked shipping. The […]

Leaked UK Grid Report Warns Net Zero Push Raises Blackout Risks

Energy News Beat A leaked report commissioned by the UK’s National Energy System Operator (Neso) has raised serious alarms that the country’s aggressive net zero transition is increasing the risk of blackouts while driving up electricity costs for consumers. Produced by energy consultancy Cornwall Insight and shared with The Times by a whistleblower, the document […]

Expand Energy Buys Twin Eagle to Gain Market Access in $1.25B Deal

Energy News Beat Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: EXE), North America’s largest natural gas producer, announced on July 27, 2026, that it has agreed to acquire Twin Eagle Holdings, N.A., LLC, a leading private asset-backed natural gas marketing and optimization business, for $1.25 billion from Five Point Infrastructure. The deal, subject to customary adjustments, closing conditions, […]

Saudi Arabia Under Attack – What does this mean to the Oil Markets?

Energy News Beat In a sharp escalation of regional conflict, Saudi Aramco’s critical oil infrastructure has come under direct assault, with drone and missile strikes hitting key facilities on the kingdom’s eastern and western coasts. Combined with a pullback by major marine insurers at Lloyd’s of London on wartime coverage for Saudi-linked tankers in the […]

German Industry Warns Energy-Price Shock is Crippling Investment and Growth

Energy News Beat German companies are delaying investments and increasingly eyeing production moves abroad as stubbornly high energy costs erode competitiveness, according to the latest survey from the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK). The findings, highlighted in a July 27, 2026 Bloomberg report drawing on the DIHK’s Energiewende Barometer 2026, underscore deepening structural […]

Russia Says It Will End Diesel Export Ban When Market Recovers

Energy News Beat Russia is extending its gasoline export restrictions through the end of 2026 while signaling that its temporary diesel export ban will be lifted once domestic markets stabilize, according to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. Speaking in Omsk on July 25, 2026, Novak said the diesel restrictions—imposed amid severe domestic fuel shortages—will be […]