BERKELEY— During a visit to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced a new contract with Dell Technologies to develop NERSC-10, the next flagship supercomputer at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) user facility at Berkeley Lab. The new system, due in 2026, will be named after Jennifer Doudna, the Berkeley Lab-based biochemist who was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize for Chemistry in recognition of her work on the gene-editing technology CRISPR. The new supercomputer, a Dell Technologies system powered by NVIDIA’s next-generation Vera Rubin platform, will be engineered to support large-scale high-performance computing (HPC) workloads like those in molecular dynamics, high-energy physics, and AI training and inference—and provide a robust environment for the workflows that make cutting-edge science possible.   This announcement reflects the Trump Administration’s commitment to restoring the gold standard of American science and unleashing the next great wave of innovation. Doudna will be one of the most advanced supercomputers ever deployed by the Department, advancing U.S. leadership in the global race for AI. “The Doudna system represents DOE’s commitment to advancing American leadership in science, AI, and high-performance computing,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “It will be a powerhouse for rapid innovation that will transform our efforts to develop abundant, affordable energy supplies and advance breakthroughs in quantum computing. AI is the Manhattan Project of our time, and Doudna will help ensure America’s scientists have the tools they need to win the global race for AI dominance.” “At Dell Technologies, we are empowering researchers worldwide by seamlessly integrating simulation, data, and AI to address the world’s most complex challenges,” said Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO, Dell Technologies. “Our collaboration with the Department of Energy on Doudna underscores a shared vision to redefine

WASHINGTON— U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today approved a final authorization for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to non-free trade agreement (non-FTA) countries from Port Arthur LNG Phase II in Jefferson County, Texas, following the Response to Comments on the 2024 LNG Export Study issued on May 19. This is the first final LNG export approval under President Trump’s leadership and marks another step in restoring regular order to LNG export permitting–reversing the previous administration’s pause and delivering on the President’s pledge to unleash American energy.  “Port Arthur LNG Phase II marks a significant expansion of the first phase already under construction– turning more of the liquid gold beneath our feet into energy security for the American people,” said Secretary Wright. “With President Trump’s leadership, the Energy Department is restoring America’s role as the world’s most reliable energy supplier.”   “U.S. LNG exports continue to gain momentum, and I am glad DOE is able to do its part to answer the call for more reliable and affordable energy, at home and abroad,” said Tala Goudarzi, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.  Port Arthur LNG Phase II, owned by Sempra Energy, is projected to export 1.91 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) once completed. In addition to Port Arthur Phase I—which is currently under construction and expected to begin exporting LNG in 2027—Sempra also operates the Cameron LNG export terminal in Louisiana, which has been exporting LNG since 2019, and is currently constructing the Energia Costa Azul terminal in Mexico, which will begin commercial export operations of U.S.-sourced gas as LNG beginning in 2026.  Today’s action marks the fifth LNG export authorization issued by Secretary Wright, bringing the total volume of exports associated with approvals under President Trump’s leadership to 11.45 Bcf/d.      

Oil declined as soft US economic data and concerns about rising supplies eroded the risk-on sentiment from a court ruling that blocked a swath of the Trump administration’s tariffs. West Texas Intermediate fell 1.5% to settle near $61 a barrel after Interfax cited Kazakhstan as saying that OPEC+ is set to hike output at a meeting on Saturday, with the size of the increase still to be decided. Broader markets eased off of earlier highs on data showing the US economy shrank at the start of the year, further pressuring the commodity. Crude had earlier rallied after a trade court blocked a vast range of President Donald Trump’s trade levies, including elevated rates on China — the world’s top importer of crude. “The path to sustainably higher prices remains extremely narrow,” with the market likely to struggle to absorb additional barrels from OPEC+ over the coming months, said Daniel Ghali, a commodity strategist at TD Securities. In the near term, algorithmic selling activity will weigh on prices into the weekend meeting, he added. Oil has trended lower since mid-January on concerns about the fallout from Trump’s tariff war, with the revival of idled production by OPEC+ adding to headwinds. The trade measures have rattled global markets, raising concerns over economic growth and demand for commodities. Meanwhile, wildfires are threatening about 5% of Canada’s crude output as a blaze in Alberta’s oil sands region spreads. Oil Prices WTI for July delivery slipped 1.5% to settle at $60.94 a barrel in New York. Brent for July settlement dipped 1.2% to settle at $64.15 a barrel. What do you think? We’d love to hear from you, join the conversation on the Rigzone Energy Network. The Rigzone Energy Network is a new social experience created for you and all energy professionals to Speak Up

Two of Wall Street’s top investment banks cautioned that the impact of a court ruling striking down many of President Donald Trump’s tariff measures may prove limited, given that the administration has other avenues to impose import duties. “The tariff levels that we had yesterday are probably going to be the tariff levels that we have tomorrow, because there are so many different authorities the administration can reach into to put it back together,” Michael Zezas, Morgan Stanley’s global head of fixed income and thematic research, said on Bloomberg TV Thursday. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s Alec Phillips wrote in a note to clients late Wednesday that “this ruling represents a setback for the administration’s tariff plans and increases uncertainty but might not change the final outcome for most major US trading partners.”  The judgment by the US Court of International Trade halts 6.7 percentage points of levies announced this year and the White House could use other tariff tools to make up for that, wrote Phillips, Goldman’s chief US political economist. “For now, we expect the Trump administration will find other ways to impose tariffs.” Zezas had a similar assessment. Trump’s power to “raise and escalate — it might be a little bit slower moving, but it is still there.” Talks with countries such as Japan were always likely to take time, he said. And while they proceed, the administration would be able to “stitch together that authority on the other tariffs that went away — so all the same leverage is effectively there during the negotiation.” For now, the White House is signaling it’s not planning to proceed with other tools. “There are different approaches that would take a couple of months” to put in place, Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said on Fox Business Thursday.

Emmanuel Martin-Lauzer is director of business development and public affairs at Nexans. The jury is still out on whether the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has helped contain or reduce inflation. Nevertheless, certain provisions have delivered tangible benefits that deserve closer examination before any potential repeal. While some provisions may not have broad appeal, one success of the IRA has been its impact on strengthening U.S. energy production. The bill speaks more to renewable energy innovation and increase in energy independence to support U.S. economic growth than to direct economic impact. Repealing it wholesale risks far more than we might anticipate. At its core, the IRA tax credits for energy generation are driving significant investment in innovative energy production. Because renewable energy makes up around 21.4% of the energy mix, these incentives have been passed down the chain to the benefits of the ratepayer, while simultaneously sustaining the creation of entire industries. These investments have sparked construction and manufacturing jobs across both red and blue states, proving that clean energy isn’t just an environmental initiative. These tax credits have also bolstered America’s energy independence. Renewables like solar, onshore wind and offshore wind are integral to our domestic energy supply chain, reducing reliance on foreign sources, and making our own infrastructure more resilient. They’ve also driven initiatives to improve long-term cost competitiveness, incentivizing developers to innovate to reduce costs.   Our current grid infrastructure and energy generation systems are nearing obsolescence and over the next decade the demand on these systems is expected to skyrocket. Data centers alone are expected to double their electricity demand, and by 2035, over 71 million electric vehicles will require around 400 kWh to charge per month. Urbanization trends are compounding this demand as more people move to cities. Without the IRA tax credits, we risk slowing down our

An order by a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission administrative law judge threatens cost caps included in competitive transmission solicitations across the United States, according to the California Independent System Operator. A May 22 ruling by FERC ALJ Joel deJesus could also upend FERC’s framework for providing refunds to electricity customers when the agency finds a company has been overcollecting revenue, CAISO said in a filing with the commission on Tuesday. The California grid operator urged FERC to overturn deJesus’ findings, saying they “will harm ratepayers, undercut the consumer protections afforded by the Federal Power Act …, and cast doubt on the CAISO’s and customers’ ability to rely on voluntary, binding cost caps proposed and agreed to by project sponsors in competitive transmission planning processes.” The issue centers on a dispute over a proposal by a Lotus Infrastructure Partners affiliate to recover more than double a cost cap for the 500-kV Ten West Link transmission project between California and Arizona. CAISO selected the DCR Transmission project in 2014 following a solicitation that grew out of its transmission planning process. The transmission line started operating a year ago. DCR in June 2023 asked FERC to approve a transmission tariff based on a $553.3 million estimated project cost compared to a $259 million binding cost cap. Three months later, FERC accepted DCR’s proposal, subject to refund, but ordered hearings and settlement procedures, according to CAISO. The proceeding was moving under the Federal Power Act’s section 205, according to CAISO. However, deJesus said FERC’s initial order was “ambiguous” as to what FPA section the case should advance under. He contends FERC should have determined that the DCR rate filing was an “initial rate filing” to be handled under section 206 of the FPA and that FERC should have established a refund date under that