Uniper SE and TenneT BV have agreed to develop a new central network node in Großkrotzenburg, Germany to serve data center-driven growth in power demand in the greater Frankfurt area, targeting to start operation earlier than planned. Under the partnership, German power and gas utility Uniper agreed to sell part of a plot of land at the Staudinger power plant to enable TenneT, a transmission system operator in the Netherlands and Germany, to build a switching station. “The core of the project is the construction of a new 380-kilovolt switchyard, which will create extensive additional capacity for urgently needed customer connections in the Rhine-Main area”, said a joint statement online. “The connection of new and existing extra-high-voltage lines will further strengthen electricity transmission to the Frankfurt metropolitan area and neighboring regions, particularly Lower Franconia. “At the same time, the new grid infrastructure will form the basis for connecting important Uniper transformation projects at the Staudinger site. Plans include a hydrogen-ready combined cycle gas turbine plant as part of the German government’s expected tender for flexible generation capacities, as well as the prospective establishment of battery storage facilities and data centers”. The station is scheduled to start service by 2030, Uniper said. “With this project, we are launching our extensive grid expansion program in the Rhine-Main region, one of Germany’s key growth areas”, said TenneT Germany chief operating officer Ina Kamps. In September 2025 Tennet said it had submitted a plan to authorities and thereby launched the approval process for a 380 kV extra-high-voltage overhead line stretching about nine kilometers (5.59 miles) between Bommersheim and Eschborn. The new line would replace a section of the 380-kV line between the Frankfurt Südwest and Karben substations. “This is a first, important step towards a demand-oriented and sustainable electricity grid in the region”, TenneT said

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued an emergency order for the deployment of backup generation resources in order to mitigate blackouts in Texas during Winter Storm Fern. Issued pursuant to Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the order authorizes the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to deploy backup generation resources at data centers and other major facilities. Today’s action follows a letter Secretary Wright sent Thursday to grid operators asking them to be prepared to use backup generation if needed to mitigate the risk of blackouts during the storm. DOE estimates more than 35 GW of unused backup generation remains available nationwide. The order will help ERCOT with the extreme temperatures and storm destruction across Texas and reduce costs for Americans during the winter storm. “The Trump administration is committed to unleashing all available power generation needed to keep Americans safe during Winter Storm Fern,” said Energy Secretary Wright. “Unfortunately, the last administration had the nation on track to lose significant amounts of baseload power, but we are doing everything in our power to reverse those reckless decisions. The Trump administration will continue taking action to ensure that the 35 GW of untapped backup generation that exists across the country can be deployed as needed during Winter Storm Fern and in the future.” On day one, President Trump declared a national energy emergency after the Biden administration’s energy subtraction agenda left behind a grid increasingly vulnerable to blackouts. According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), “Winter electricity demand is rising at the fastest rate in recent years,” while the premature forced closure of reliable generation such as coal and natural gas plants leaves American families vulnerable to power outages. The NERC 2025 – 2026 Winter Reliability Assessment further warns that areas across the continental United States have an elevated risk of

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued an emergency order to mitigate blackouts in the Mid-Atlantic during Winter Storm Fern. Issued pursuant to Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the order authorizes PJM Interconnection, LLC (PJM) to run specified resources located within the PJM Region, regardless of limits established by environmental permits or state law. The order will help PJM with the extreme temperatures and storm destruction across the Mid-Atlantic and reduce costs for Americans during the winter storm. “As Winter Storm Fern brings extreme cold and dangerous conditions to the Mid-Atlantic, maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the PJM region is non-negotiable,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “The previous administration’s energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable during events like Winter Storm Fern. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are reversing those failures and using every available tool to keep the lights on and Americans safe through this storm.” On day one, President Trump declared a national energy emergency after the Biden administration’s energy subtraction agenda left behind a grid increasingly vulnerable to blackouts. According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), “Winter electricity demand is rising at the fastest rate in recent years,” while the premature forced closure of reliable generation such as coal and natural gas plants leaves American families vulnerable to power outages. The NERC 2025 – 2026 Winter Reliability Assessment further warns that areas across the continental United States have an elevated risk of blackouts during extreme weather conditions. Power outages cost the American people $44 billion per year, according to data from DOE’s National Laboratories. This order will help mitigate power outages in the Mid-Atlantic and highlights the commonsense policies of the Trump Administration to ensure Americans have access to affordable, reliable and secure electricity. The order is in effect from January 25—January 31, 2026. 

The Trump administration said it’s canceling almost $30 billion of financing from the Energy Department’s green bank after reviewing transactions approved under former President Joe Biden. The Energy Department said Thursday that its Loan Programs Office — now called the Office of Energy Dominance Financing — also plans to revise another $53 billion of funding. In a statement, the department said it has eliminated about $9.5 billion in financing for wind and solar projects as part of the adjustment and plans to redirect the funding toward natural gas and nuclear projects. The Energy Department, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, didn’t provide specific details on which other deals were affected. The Energy Department’s loans office swelled into a $400 billion green bank under Biden, partly due to an infusion in funds from his signature Inflation Reduction Act. The office has been used to finance Tesla Inc.’s Model S sedan and some of the first new nuclear reactors built in the US in decades by Southern Co. But the program drew criticism from Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who said the department closed or offered $85 billion of financing in the final months of the Biden presidency after Donald Trump’s election. “We found more dollars were rushed out the door of the Loan Programs Office in the final months of the Biden Administration than had been disbursed in over 15 years,” Wright said in Thursday’s statement.  While Trump once proposed killing the Energy Department program — arguing during his first term that the government had no business picking winners and losers — his administration later sought to tap the bank to pay for its own energy priorities. The administration has laid out plans to use the program, which has more than $289 billion in loan authority remaining, to finance

Oil rose as traders factored in the possibility of US military action in Iran that could upend supplies from one of OPEC’s leading producers, and a massive winter storm in the US pushing up the price of refined products. West Texas Intermediate rose 2.9% to settle above $61, posting a fifth weekly gain. Prices rose after President Donald Trump revived his threats to use military force against Iran’s senior leadership, with a US Navy carrier strike group moving toward the Middle East. While Trump previously walked back pledges to attack the country, a renewed pressure campaign could add to oil’s geopolitical risk premium given Iran’s strategic importance to the industry. Adding to the concern and the geopolitically driven bullish momentum, the US is also pressuring Iraq to disarm Iran-backed militias, the Financial Times reported. Meanwhile, the Kremlin poured cold water on hopes of a breakthrough to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. An end to the conflict could limit supply disruptions and sanctions on Moscow’s crude. “The bottom line is that geopolitical headlines remain plentiful and uncertainty remains exceptionally high. Heading into the weekend, crude is likely to trade in whichever direction the headlines push it,” said Rebecca Babin, a senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group. “For now, recent shifts in military assets and official commentary appear to be leaning back toward renewed concerns over potential military action involving Iran,” Babin added. If the US strikes Iran, prompting a retaliation, it is unlikely but possible that the conflict will impact oil supplies, according to Rapidan Energy Group. The geopolitical analysis firm assigned a 20% probability to a “sustained and severe interruption” in energy production and flows in the region. Oil products such as diesel, which can be used as heating oil in the US Northeast, are also pushing higher

SLB, the world’s largest oilfield-services provider, raised its dividend and posted fourth-quarter earnings that beat estimates as activity in the Middle East and other key regions accelerated and its data-center business rapidly expanded. The worst may be behind the global oil market, Chief Executive Officer Olivier Le Peuch said in a statement, predicting a gradual ramp-up in drilling activity in major regions including OPEC countries after a supply glut sent crude prices tumbling last year. Deriving the bulk of its revenue from overseas markets, Houston-based SLB is often regarded as a bellwether for the global oil industry and its financial health. Shares rose by as much as 4.8% to $51.67, briefly hitting the highest price since April 2024 before paring gains. “As we move into 2026, we believe that the headwinds we experienced in key regions in 2025 are behind us,” Le Peuch said. “In particular, we expect rig activity in the Middle East to increase compared to today’s level, and our footprint in the region puts us in a strong position to benefit from this recovery.” The data-center business, which grew 121% from a year earlier, helped to shield the company from lower oil prices and geopolitical uncertainty, he added. SLB has also increased its focus on production and recovery services, which help drillers to boost efficiency and extract more crude at lower cost. SLB has been expanding into oilfield tech and other ancillary business lines to offset muted growth in traditional drilling and US shale activity.  SLB posted adjusted fourth-quarter earnings of 78 cents a share, surpassing analysts’ estimates of 74 cents. The company increased its quarterly divided 3.5% to 29.5 cents a share. The company’s global footprint positions it to benefit from US government efforts to revive Venezuelan oil production, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Scott Levine wrote in