Ares Management Corp and ENGIE SA have added one wind and two solar projects already operating in the ERCOT market to their renewable energy partnership in the United States. The new assets have a combined capacity of 730 megawatts, a joint statement said. “ENGIE will retain a controlling share in the portfolio and will continue to operate and manage the assets”, the partners said. “The continued growth of our relationship with Ares reflects the strength of ENGIE’s portfolio of assets and our track record of delivering, operating and financing growth in the U.S. despite challenging circumstances”, said Dave Carroll, chief executive and chief renewables officer of ENGIE North America. “This transaction supports ENGIE’s strategy of continued investment in North America by deepening its partnership with a leading infrastructure investor, recycling capital to facilitate continued expansion of renewable generation to meet strong demand for power in the U.S.”, the joint statement said. French state-backed utility ENGIE has over 16 gigawatts (GW) of renewable generation projects in operation or under construction across the U.S. and Canada. Globally it has an installed capacity of 52.7 GW of renewables and energy storage, with a goal of 95 GW by 2030, the statement said. In the U.S., ENGIE has announced two projects this year, the Knox 2A and Knox 2B community solar farms in Galesburg, Illinois. The facilities are designed to deliver a combined 8.2 kilowatt hours a year to the state grid. The capacity represents an avoidance of over 7,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, the same as taking off nearly 1,700 cars off the road for a year, ENGIE said in a press release January 6, 2026. Also in Illinois ENGIE and co-venturer Solstice Power Technologies LLC started up the 2.5-MW Harmony community solar project late last year. “The Harmony community

Mitsubishi Corp announced Friday a deal to acquire producing shale gas positions in Louisiana and Texas from operators related to Aethon Energy Management LLC for $5.2 billion. “This transaction marks MC’s entry into the U.S. shale gas business across the value chain, from upstream ownership through domestic sales and export of produced gas”, the diversified Japanese group said in an online statement. Mitsubishi signed an agreement to buy all equity stakes in Aethon III LLC, Aethon United LP and related entities (collectively Aethon) with existing shareholders including Aethon Energy Management, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and RedBird Capital Partners, the statement said. Mitsubishi said it would purchase a total of nearly 1.7 million units. The parties expect to consummate the transaction in the second quarter. “Building on MC’s established North American energy platform – which includes upstream shale gas development with Ovintiv in British Columbia, midstream marketing and logistics through CIMA Energy in Houston, LNG exports via LNG Canada and Cameron LNG, and power generation through Diamond Generating Corp – this acquisition further strengthens MC’s integrated energy and power business”, the statement said. Mitsubishi said it plans to expand its U.S. presence into data center development, chemicals production and related businesses. “Aethon’s shale gas assets are primarily located in the Haynesville Shale formation, spanning Texas and Louisiana, and currently produce approximately 2.1 Bcfd [billion cubic feet a day] of natural gas (equivalent to about 15 million tons per year of LNG)”, the company noted. “Haynesville is a major supply source of natural gas for the growing southern U.S. market and offers favorable access to multiple LNG export terminals, including Cameron LNG, where MC holds liquefaction capacity rights under a tolling agreement. “Aethon’s natural gas is currently sold in the U.S. southern market, and part of this volume is being considered for export as LNG

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projected that the Brent spot average price will drop in 2026 and 2027 in its latest short term energy outlook (STEO), which was released this week. According to this STEO, the EIA sees the commodity coming in at $55.87 per barrel this year and $54.02 per barrel next year. The Brent spot price averaged $69.04 per barrel in 2025, the STEO highlighted. A quarterly breakdown included in the EIA’s January STEO projected that the Brent spot price will average $58.93 per barrel in the first quarter of 2026, $56.00 per barrel in the second quarter, $55.35 per barrel in the third quarter, $53.34 per barrel in the fourth quarter, $53.00 per barrel in the first quarter of 2027, $54.00 per barrel across the second and third quarters of 2027, and $55.00 per barrel in the fourth quarter of next year. In its STEO, the EIA highlighted that the Brent crude oil spot price averaged $63 per barrel in December 2025, which it pointed out was $11 per barrel lower than the average in December 2024. “Crude oil prices fell, or were flat, in every month during the second half of 2025 (2H25),” the EIA said in its outlook report. “Growing crude oil production and increasing oil in floating storage outweighed the effect of potential disruptions to oil exports driven by tensions in Russia and Venezuela,” it added. “We forecast that growing global oil production will continue to drive high global oil inventory builds through the forecast, causing crude oil prices to fall through 2026. However, inventory builds begin to gradually moderate next year, stemming price declines,” it continued. “Strong global oil production growth outpaced consumption growth, driving our assessment that global oil inventories rose quickly in 2H25. We expect this trend to continue in

The Energy Institute (EI) announced, in a release sent to Rigzone on Thursday, that Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber has been made an honorary fellow of the EI “for leadership in energy, AI, and economic growth”. Al Jaber is the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, Chairman of Masdar, and Executive Chairman of XRG. He was also president of COP28. “The EI has awarded an honorary fellowship to His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, recognizing his leadership in the energy-AI nexus, while driving international collaboration to strengthen global energy systems that underpin sustainable economic growth,” the EI said in the release. The EI noted in its release that the award is its highest honor and added that it “acknowledges both Dr. Al Jaber’s transformational deal-making and his role in delivering among the world’s lowest cost and lowest carbon-intensive hydrocarbons, while also scaling renewables and applying advanced technology as global energy demand keeps surging to 2040 and beyond”. Honorary fellowship is awarded by the EI, led by President Andy Brown OBE FEI, to “individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to advancing the Institute’s mission – creating a better energy future through a just, secure, and low-carbon energy transition”, the EI highlighted in its release. “The honorary fellowship highlights Dr. Al Jaber’s unique experience across government, industry, and energy in building dialogue between producers, consumers, and across the public and private sectors as global energy demand rises,” it added. Al Jaber was presented with his honorary fellowship by Nick Wayth FEI, Chief Executive of the EI, during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2026, the release highlighted. As Chairman of Masdar, Al Jaber has overseen a 150 percent increase in energy capacity to 51GW since 2022, the release noted, “positioning the

Singapore has opened applications for new licenses to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel at the Port of Singapore. “This call follows the recent updates to the Singapore LNG bunkering licensing framework and standards, which now include the provision of sea-based LNG reloading and the supply of liquefied bio-methane and e-methane in the Port of Singapore”, the Southeast Asian city-state’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said in an online statement. Both existing license holders and prospective debutants can apply. Applications must be submitted online by March 27, MPA said. “Licensees are required to implement end-to-end LNG bunkering supply arrangements, which include securing LNG supply, demand planning, cargo transfers operations, storage and safe handling of LNG, as well as the sale, supply and delivery of LNG fuel to vessels in Singapore”, it said. Licensees must own at least one refueling vessel registered with Singapore and compliant to the MPA’s port limit throughout the license period, MPA said. Applicants must detail technical readiness to supply LNG with lower lifecycle planet-warming emissions, such as liquefied bio-methane and e-methane. “The proposal should also cover intended supply pathways and sourcing arrangements”, MPA added. Applicants must also outline measures to mitigate and monitor methane emissions from their bunkering vessels. Such measures must include vessel design features, operational practices and monitoring and reporting methods, MPA said. “To further enhance Singapore’s LNG bunkering ecosystem, MPA and Enterprise Singapore, through the Singapore Standards Council, will upgrade the existing Technical Reference for LNG Bunkering (TR56) to a Singapore Standard (SS) in Q2 2026”, it added. “The new SS will update and strengthen the requirements under TR56, aligning them with Singapore’s broader bunkering standards and serving as a key reference for LNG bunkering license applicants”. Last year MPA received over a dozen proposals under an invitation for expressions

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today convened the first meeting of the National Coal Council (NCC) following U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright’s formal renewal of its charter—reversing the Biden Administration’s 2021 termination of the Council and reaffirming coal’s essential role in America’s national and economic security. Today’s convening of the NCC under renewed charter marks the formal implementation of that decision, restoring the National Coal Council as a key advisory body to inform coal policy, technology, and market considerations, advancing President Trump’s Executive Order, Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry.   “For years, the Biden Administration waged war on American coal, shutting down coal plants prematurely, decimating American communities and workers, while also driving up energy prices,” said Secretary Wright. “Thanks to President Trump, the war on coal is over. The Trump Administration has already saved more than 15 GW of reliable coal power from shutting down and is working alongside American workers and the entire coal industry to ensure coal continues to be mined in the United States and continues to help provide reliable power to the American people. I look forward to working with the National Coal Council as it helps guide the Department’s efforts to strengthen America’s energy security and grid reliability.” “Coal remains a fundamental component of America’s energy strategy, providing essential energy for America’s infrastructure and industries,” said Assistant Secretary for the Office of Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy, Kyle Haustveit. “The National Coal Council’s expert recommendations will be instrumental toward our efforts to modernize and extend the life of our existing coal assets while also supporting the growth of new coal power generation, exports, and product manufacturing.” In the coming months, four regional coal workshops will be held to gather industry input that will inform Department programs and ensure they reflect market realities, workforce needs, and technological progress. During today’s meeting, which included workers and industry experts, council leadership was formally