WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued an emergency order to keep Americans across 17 states powered during the region’s energy emergency brought on by hot weather conditions. The order directs the Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP) to dispatch specified generation units and to order their operation as needed to maintain reliability. The order also authorizes SPP to direct backup generation resources to operate as a last resort before declaring an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) 3 or during an EEA 3. The order was issued pursuant to a request from SPP. “The Trump Administration is tapping into an abundant supply of unused backup generation to maintain affordable, reliable, and secure power for hardworking American families and businesses,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “The previous administration’s energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable during emergency events. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are reversing those failures and using every available tool to ensure Americans have continued access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to power and cool their homes.” DOE estimates more than 35 gigawatts (GW) of unused backup generation remain available nationwide. On day one of his second term, President Trump declared a national energy emergency after the Biden administration’s energy subtraction agenda left behind a grid increasingly vulnerable to blackouts. Power outages cost the American people $44 billion per year, according to data from DOE’s National Laboratories. This order mitigates the possibility of power outages in the region and highlights the commonsense policies of the Trump Administration to ensure Americans have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity. The order is effective on July 26, 2026, and shall expire at 11:59 PM CDT on August 3, 2026.                                   

In the filing, Magnolia said WildFire’s second-quarter 2025 production is expected to average 53,000 boe/d, about 70% oil, primarily from the Eagle Ford, Austin Chalk, and Woodbine formations. Magnolia said the acquisition would strengthen its position in the Eagle Ford/Austin Chalk trend by expanding its inventory of high-return drilling locations, adding development flexibility and longer laterals, and leveraging its technical expertise to improve well performance and lower costs. “WildFire has a large, low-decline oily PDP base with historic development centered on the Eagle Ford. While there are significant future Eagle Ford development opportunities, our technical teams see extensive future potential in the Austin Chalk with further upside in the Woodbine as well as other appraisal opportunities that should expand on our success in Giddings since 2018,” said Chris Stavros, Magnolia’s chairman, president, and chief executive officer. The deal is expected to result in a pro forma position in Giddings of more than 1.25 million net acres, add more than 500 miles of gas-gathering pipelines, and offer various cost savings, the company said. “Magnolia is guiding to $100 million in run rate synergies by the end of 2027, with savings coming from the chance to deploy long laterals, shared facilities and infrastructure and additional sand sourcing for operations from WildFire’s in-basin mine. As always, successful execution will be key for the longer-term success of the deal,” Enverus’ Dittmar said. Total consideration consists of $2.65 billion in cash, 32.2 million shares of Magnolia Class A common stock, and the assumption of $600 million of outstanding debt.

Vår Energi ASA has agreed to buy BlueNord ASA as part of a proposed merger that, if completed, will expand Vår Energi’s presence beyond the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), positioning the operator as Europe’s largest independent oil and gas producer. Acqusition of BlueNord would add producing assets on the Danish Continental Shelf (DCS) to Vår Energi’s current holdings, with the combined post-merger portfolio anticipated to lift long-term production to about 450,000 boe/d, with about 2.4 billion boe of reserves and resources and an estimated reserve and resource life of about 15 years. BlueNord’s portfolio includes interests in the Tyra, Halfdan, Dan, and Gorm hub areas, which are part of the Danish Underground Consortium operated by TotalEnergies SE. The assets are expected to contribute about 45,000 boe/d of net production beginning in 2026 and include about 195 million boe of net 2P reserves and 2C contingent resources, extending production beyond 2040. “The transaction marks a significant milestone in Vår Energi’s growth journey, creating the largest independent producer of oil and gas in Europe with a long-term production target of [about 450,000 b/d] and reinforcing our role as a reliable and secure supplier of energy to Europe,” said Nick Walker, Vår Energi’s chief executive officer. Vår Energi said the DCS assets complement its existing North Sea operations because of their geological, operational, and fiscal similarities to the NCS. The combination also expands the company’s exposure to European natural gas markets through access to the Nybro and Den Helder gas delivery points. The combined portfolio would maintain a production mix of about 65% oil and 35% natural gas, with operating costs projected to remain at $10-11/boe. The proposed merger remains subject to approval by BlueNord shareholders, regulatory and governmental approvals, license and partner consent, and other customary conditions. If approved, the companies said

Gulf Petrochemical Industries Co. (GPIC) has awarded Fluor Corp. a contract to execute front-end engineering and design (FEED) for a proposed aromatics plant to be built at GPIC’s petrochemicals complex located across 60 hectares of reclaimed land in Sitra, Bahrain. As part of the contract, Fluor will deliver a FEED study based on commercially proven process technologies for the plant’s targeted production of 1.2 million tonnes/year (tpy) of paraxylene and 500,000 tpy of benzene, the service provider said on July 21. Critical building blocks for plastics, polyester fibers, and packaging materials, paraxylene and benzene production from the plant would help meet global demand for high‑performance consumer and industrial products, as well as expand capabilities of GPIC’s current operations at Sitra, Fluor said. GPIC’s existing complex currently uses a feedstock of natural gas domestically produced in Bahrain to produce about 1.2 million tonnes/day of ammonia, 1.2 million tonnes/day of methanol, and 1.7 million tonnes/day of urea. Neither Fluor nor GPIC revealed details regarding a timeline for completion of the proposed aromatics plant. GPIC is a joint venture of Bahrain Petroleum Co. (33.3%), SABIC Agri-Nutrients Investment Co. (33.3%), and Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries Co. (PIC; 33.3%).

Oil prices jumped on Wednesday, July 22, with escalating geopolitical tensions and mounting risks to key maritime chokepoints driving the rally. International Brent crude rose nearly 5% to above $95/bbl, its highest level in almost 6 weeks, while US crude climbed more than 4% to above $88/bbl. The gains extend a strong upward trend, with prices up about 30% since the start of the month and more than 55% year to date, reversing declines seen after a mid-June memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran. Stay updated on oil price volatility, shipping disruptions, LNG market analysis, and production output through OGJ’s Iran war content hub. The earlier agreement, aimed at de-escalating conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, was declared “over” on July 8 by President Donald Trump. Since then, hostilities have intensified, with US forces carrying out an 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran. Comments from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio further dampened expectations for near-term diplomacy, noting that while Washington remains open to talks, Iran does not appear to be engaging seriously. At the same time, security risks to global shipping have increased. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)  has reported multiple recent attacks on vessels in the region, including incidents that forced crews to abandon ships. As a result, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply, with just 13 vessels transiting Monday and 9 on Tuesday, according to MarineTraffic data. Concerns are also growing at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another critical oil transit route linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have threatened a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia, raising fears of broader supply disruptions. While vessel traffic through Bab el-Mandeb remains relatively steady—73 ships transited Tuesday—it has edged lower and signs of hesitation among

Global LNG trade reached a record 437 million tonnes in 2025, up 6.3% year on year (y-o-y) and marking the fastest growth since 2022, according to the International Gas Union’s (IGU) World LNG Report 2026. The increase of roughly 25 million tonnes was driven primarily by rising US supply, alongside higher exports from Qatar, Malaysia, Angola, and Nigeria. Canada and the Mauritania–Senegal project also shipped their first LNG cargoes, expanding the pool of exporting countries. Investment kept pace with market growth. Developers sanctioned 68.4 million tonnes/year (tpy) of new liquefaction capacity in 2025—the highest annual total since 2019—bringing approvals over the 2021–25 period to about 206 million tpy, roughly double the volume sanctioned in the previous 5-year cycle. Much of the new capacity was concentrated in US Gulf Coast projects. The outlook for 2026, however, is more uncertain. The Middle East conflict has knocked Qatar and the UAE—together about 16% of global liquefaction capacity—off the market for periods this year, and missile strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex are expected to keep roughly 12.8 million tpy of capacity offline for 3-5 years. Shell PLC’s separately published LNG Outlook 2026 is blunter about the near-term picture: Depending on how quickly the Strait of Hormuz reopens, 2026 could see global LNG trade contract year-on-year—something that’s never happened before in the past decade of rapid growth Shell has tracked. The Asia Pacific has absorbed most of the supply shock so far, responding through storage draws, fuel switching, demand curtailment and increased spot buying, while a wave of US cargoes has been rerouted from Europe toward Asia to fill the gap. Despite near-term volatility, both reports highlight a strong long-term trajectory. IGU expects global LNG supply capacity, including existing and under-construction projects, to exceed 700 million tonnes by 2030, a roughly 40% increase from