Ukrainian and US negotiators are seeking to move past the breakdown in transatlantic relations this week to finalize a deal on critical minerals, a person with knowledge of the talks said.   Two days after President Donald Trump hectored President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a “dictator” who needed to move quickly on a peace deal, Ukrainian officials are discussing the minerals issue with US special envoy Keith Kellogg during a visit to Kyiv, the person said on condition of anonymity as talks take place behind closed doors.  Zelenskiy, who rejected an initial US offer that involved securing half the income from Ukraine’s minerals, said that his meeting with Kellogg on Thursday had “restored hope.”  The US proposal envisaged securing 50% of license sales and other proceeds from the minerals, which would violate Ukrainian laws, a person familiar with the discussions said. It also covered revenue from oil, gas and ports, ABC News reported, citing a draft document.  After Kyiv suggested changes, the US has now sent a revised and improved version, which includes language on future assistance, a person familiar with the matter said. Trump has said he wanted the equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earths, which are mainly used in high-strength magnets. But despite reports of $10 trillion worth of mineral deposits, Ukraine has no major rare-earth reserves that are internationally recognized as economically viable. Most deposits are likely by-products of producing materials like phosphates. Some are in areas of Russian control.  A completed deal on US access to Ukrainian minerals in exchange for security guarantees would be a key element of the Trump administration’s effort to end the three-year war. Trump has said he may meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon.  “We need strong agreements with the United States – agreements that will truly work,” Zelenskiy said in his daily address to

Grangemouth workers targeted the opening day of the Scottish Labour conference on Friday, laying 400 hard hats on the ground to represent every job set to be lost. Workers and members of the Unite union gathered outside the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow to urge the UK Government to do more to save the oil refinery. Protesters braved wet and windy weather as they chanted “You said our refinery was your top priority” and “Keep Grangemouth working”. Petroineos announced last year that more than 400 jobs would be lost as Scotland’s last oil refinery shuts this year. The Scottish and UK governments have committed £100 million to the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal to support jobs and skills in the area along with a report – called Project Willow – to look at the future of the site. Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney also announced a further £25 million to ensure a “just transition” in the area. Grangemouth future But trade unions have accused both governments of not doing enough to save the plant, while Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has described the response as “not good enough”. Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, told the PA news agency that Grangemouth could still be saved. She said: “We are taking every opportunity we can to say to the UK Government, the Scottish Government and all politicians that they have not got long now to save Grangemouth. © Andrew Milligan/PA WireUnite General Secretary Sharon Graham speaks at a demonstration to protest at Petroineos plans to close Grangemouth oil refinery, during the Scottish Labour Party conference at the Scottish Exhibition Centre (SEC) in Glasgow. Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire “Let’s be really clear, Grangemouth can be saved, but I’m saying to all politicians today, if they do not do that, then

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), increased by 4.6 million barrels from the week ending February 7 to the week ending February 14, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) highlighted in its latest weekly petroleum status report. The EIA’s report, which was released on February 20 and included data for the week ending February 14, showed that crude oil stocks, not including the SPR, stood at 432.5 million barrels on February 14, 427.9 million barrels on February 7, and 443.0 million barrels on February 16, 2024. Crude oil in the SPR stood at 395.3 million barrels on February 14 and February 7, and 359.5 million barrels on February 16, 2024, the report outlined. Total petroleum stocks – including crude oil, total motor gasoline, fuel ethanol, kerosene type jet fuel, distillate fuel oil, residual fuel oil, propane/propylene, and other oils – stood at 1.607 billion barrels on February 14, the report showed. Total petroleum stocks were up 0.2 million barrels week on week and up 16.4 million barrels year on year, the report outlined. “At 432.5 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about three percent below the five year average for this time of year,” the EIA said in its report. “Total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 0.2 million barrels from last week and are one percent below the five year average for this time of year. Finished gasoline inventories increased, while blending components inventories decreased last week,” it added. “Distillate fuel inventories decreased by 2.1 million barrels last week and are about 12 percent below the five year average for this time of year. Propane/propylene inventories decreased by 3.6 million barrels from last week and are slightly below the five year average for this time of year,” the EIA continued. U.S. crude

Claire Mack has joined the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) as its new industry co-chair. Mack was appointed by minister for climate action Dr Alasdair Allan to represent Scotland’s offshore wind industry for a two-year term. She will provide strategic leadership to SOWEC and work alongside the partnership’s subgroups and developer forum to deliver sector growth. In addition to her new role, Mack has been chief executive of Scottish Renewables since 2017. She is responsible for leading the organisation’s work to grow Scotland’s renewable energy industry and maintaining its position as a global leader in clean power. She replaces Brian McFarlane, SSE Renewables head of offshore development, who announced his intention to step down as SOWEC industry co-chair late last year. Since SOWEC’s inception in 2019, he has acted on behalf of Scotland’s offshore wind industry to drive forward SOWEC’s mission to coordinate and grow the sector. Acting minister for climate action Allan said: “Offshore wind is at the heart of the Scottish Government’s economic development agenda and the SOWEC is vital to driving forward action in support of the sector.” Mack added: “Offshore wind is one of Scotland’s key assets and our ability to turn our 40GW pipeline into successfully delivered projects is pivotal to our environmental and economic aspirations. “As I step into the role of co-chair at SOWEC during this critical point for Scotland’s £4 billion offshore wind sector, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my predecessor, Brian McFarlane, for his untiring dedication and contribution to the sector.” © Supplied by Offshore Energies UKOEUK operator and developer chair Doris Reiter. Doris Reiter, BP senior vice-president for the North, has taken over as operator and developer chair on the board of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK). Having previously served as vice chair to the board,

Cheniere Energy Inc. has produced the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from a project expanding the Corpus Christi LNG (CCL) terminal in the namesake Texan city. CCL Stage 3 has seven midscale trains with an expected production capacity of over 10 million metric tons per annum (MMtpa), raising CCL’s output capacity to over 25 MMtpa from 10 trains. “First LNG production from the first train of the CCL Stage 3 Project was achieved in December 2024, and the first cargo of LNG was produced in February 2025”, Houston, Texas-based Cheniere said in its quarterly report. It plans to build two more mid-scale trains adjacent to the Stage 3 project for a further capacity addition of about 3 MMtpa. “In June 2024, we received a positive Environmental Assessment from the FERC and anticipate receiving all remaining necessary regulatory approvals for the project in 2025”, the report said. Citing new capacity unlocked from the expansion, Cheniere expects to surpass last year’s earnings. Consolidated adjusted EBITDA guidance for 2025 is $6.5 billion-$7 billion, compared to the actual 2024 figure of $6.2 billion. Distributable cash flow this year is expected to be $4.1 billion-$4.6 billion, compared to the actual 2024 figure of $3.7 billion. “We expect 2025 to be another record year for LNG production as Stage 3 trains are completed, and we look forward to delivering financial results within these ranges and further enhancing the long-term value proposition of Cheniere”, commented president and chief executive Jack Fusco. Last year Cheniere exported a record 646 LNG cargoes, or 2.33 trillion British thermal units. Cheniere posted $977 million in net profit for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024 and $3.25 billion for the full year. The figures were down 29 percent and 67 percent by year-ago comparisons, respectively. On a diluted basis, Q4 earnings

Cassady Craighill is the technical education director at GridLab. The challenges facing the grid can often feel intimidating and beyond grasp. How much of the load growth is hype and how much is real? How do we ensure the financial burden of updating our grid and leading the world in energy innovation does not disproportionally fall on residential customers? How do operators and utilities prepare for the next cataclysmic flood, fire, or storm? How do we ensure that our 21st energy grid serves everyone across the country amidst a patchwork of different state policies and resources?  Those are all big questions that will take years to get exactly right. Luckily, there is an out-of-the-box solution laying on the table today that will get hundreds of energy projects online in no time and will save consumers money. Surplus interconnection, which allows new energy projects to plug into existing interconnection infrastructure at plants with low capacity factors, could nearly double the generation in the United States by 2030 and at a fraction of the cost and time of a traditional interconnection process.  Affordable, clean, and abundant power is key to keeping businesses operating in the U.S. This sentiment dominates the rhetoric in Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s first Secretarial order issued this month and his message of “energy addition.” At its core, surplus interconnection is adding energy resources to the grid as quickly and cheaply as possible. In his order, Secretary Wright insists “we must expand energy production and reduce energy costs for American families and businesses.” Leveraging existing interconnection capacity at thermal plants is the fastest way to expand energy production by shaving years off the interconnection timeline, saving about $200 billion by avoiding costly new infrastructure and lengthy new buildouts, and adding reliable resources to the grid. We need this solution