The United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Tuesday announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) renewing their commitment to developing a lunar power system using fission by 2030. The collaboration aims to enable sustained NASA missions on the Moon – though radioisotope systems have already powered long-term U.S. space missions for decades according to DOE. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and his America First Space Policy, the department is proud to work with NASA and the commercial space industry on what will be one of the greatest technical achievements in the history of nuclear energy and space exploration”, Energy Secretary Chris Wright declared. The agencies eye deploying a surface power system able to operate for years without refueling. “The deployment of a lunar surface reactor will enable future sustained lunar missions by providing continuous and abundant power, regardless of sunlight or temperature”, DOE and NASA said. “Under President Trump’s national space policy, America is committed to returning to the Moon, building the infrastructure to stay and making the investments required for the next giant leap to Mars and beyond”, said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Achieving this future requires harnessing nuclear power.  “This agreement enables closer collaboration between NASA and the Department of Energy to deliver the capabilities necessary to usher in the golden age of space exploration and discovery”. Westinghouse Contract Before the MOU, DOE and NASA had already contracted Westinghouse Electric Co LLC to develop a space microreactor design under the agencies’ Fission Surface Power (FSP) project. On January 7, 2025, Pennsylvania-based Westinghouse announced a new contract that builds on “the successful design work Westinghouse completed during phase 1 to optimize its contributions to the design of FSP systems and their configuration, and begin testing of critical technology elements”. “The continued progress

Texas upstream employment and job postings declined in the fourth quarter of 2025. That’s what the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) said in a statement sent to Rigzone on Friday, which TIPRO outlined corresponded with the latest Current Employment Statistics (CES) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and provided “additional insight on markets trends”. TIPRO noted in the statement that, due to the federal government shutdown and suspension of related services last year, the CES report from the BLS was delayed until the government resumed operations. TIPRO highlighted that, on Friday, CES data was released simultaneously for the months of October and November 2025. “According to … TIPRO, employment in the Texas upstream sector declined between October and November 2025,” TIPRO said in the statement. The organization noted in the statement that oil and natural gas extraction jobs increased “modestly” by 100 to 69,600, which it pointed out was a 0.1 percent month on month increase, “buoyed by Permian Basin efficiencies”. Support activities employment fell by 3,600 to 131,600, a drop of 2.7 percent month on month, TIPRO outlined in the statement, “amid rig count erosion (down 7.6 percent year on year) and service sector streamlining”. “Combined upstream employment decreased by 3,500 jobs to 201,200 (-1.7 percent month on month),” TIPRO highlighted. In its statement, TIPRO noted that, from January to November 2025, employment in the Texas upstream sector “displayed early resilience followed by late-year softening”. “Oil and gas extraction added a net 1,400 jobs (+2.1 percent), peaking at 70,200 in June and July before a -400 dip from August to November, driven by robust Permian production but offset by layoffs and lower oil prices,” TIPRO stated. “Support activities employment saw a net loss of 3,700 jobs (-2.7 percent), with a February-May surge (+2,800) undone by mid-year declines (-3,400

The Norwegian Ministry of Energy announced, in a statement posted on its website on Tuesday, that it has offered 57 new production licenses to 19 companies on the Norwegian Continental Shelf in the APA (Awards in Predefined Areas) 2025 licensing round. Of the 57 production licenses offered in APA 2025, 31 are located in the North Sea, 21 in the Norwegian Sea, and five in the Barents Sea, the statement highlighted. Equinor Energy AS was offered the highest number of combined parts in licenses and operatorships, with 52, followed by Aker BP ASA, with 34, and DNO Norge AS, with 21, the statement revealed. A complete list of offers, showing parts/operatorships, as shown on the ministry’s site, can be seen below: Aker BP ASA (22/12) Concedo AS (2/1) ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS (1/1) DNO Norge AS (17/4) Equinor Energy AS (35/17) Harbour Energy Norge AS (9/4) INPEX Idemitsu Norge AS (5/1)Japex Norge AS (2/0) Lime Petroleum AS (1/0) OKEA ASA (3/1) OMV (Norge) AS (4/2) Orlen Upstream Norway AS (6/0) Pandion Energy Norge AS (1/0) Petrolia NOCO AS (1/1) Repsol (2/2) Source Energy AS (2/0) TotalEnergies EP Norge AS (1/0) Vår Energi ASA (14/6) Wellesley Petroleum AS (5/5) All petroleum licensing rounds are carried out within the framework established by the Norwegian Parliament for where new production licenses may be awarded, the ministry’s statement noted, adding that APA is an annual exploration round for the Norwegian continental shelf. “The APA rounds are carried out within a fixed area, the APA area, which is expanded on the basis of petroleum professional assessments and in accordance with a fixed annual cycle,” the statement highlighted. “The APA area comprises the majority of the opened, available acreage on the continental shelf, including areas in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the Barents Sea,” it

A group of banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. are in talks to lend natural gas producers in Argentina roughly $1 billion to build a cross-country pipeline, according to two people familiar with the matter.  The banks, which also include Banco Santander SA, are negotiating the syndicated loan with a consortium led by Pan American Energy Group after a similar deal was struck last year for a pipeline and port dedicated to shale oil exports. That project, known as VMOS, is currently under construction. More banks may join the financing for the gas pipeline, the people added.  Pan American, which is half-owned by British oil major BP Plc, holds a 30 percent stake in the consortium, called Southern Energy SA. Argentina’s state-run energy giant YPF SA owns 25 percent. Three other companies, Pampa Energia SA, UK-based Harbour Energy Plc and Golar LNG Ltd. also have smaller stakes in the project.  Negotiations are ongoing and terms could still change before an agreement finalizes. JPMorgan and Citi declined to comment. Santander and Pan American didn’t respond to requests for comment.  Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale patch is growing fast as President Javier Milei’s free-market reforms have opened up the energy industry to global credit, unleashing investments. The $2 billion loan for the oil pipeline was the biggest project financing in Argentina’s history, according to JPMorgan. Southern Energy is now aiming to unlock the Vaca Muerta’s gas potential with Argentina’s first floating liquefaction terminal for natural gas. The pipeline would transport natural gas from Vaca Muerta to the terminal on the Atlantic coast. Argentina holds the world’s second-biggest resources of shale gas, and its daily production averaged the equivalent of about 550,000 barrels last year. The consortium’s first leased liquefaction vessel, Hilli Episeyo, is set to start production at the end of 2027.

Uniper SE said Tuesday it had sanctioned four new solar projects in Poland with a combined capacity of 219 megawatts peak (MWp). The Domanowo, Kłodawa, Krotoszyce and Pakosc projects are among five solar projects on which it made a positive final investment decision (FID) last month, the German power and gas utility said in a press release Tuesday. Uniper already announced a FID to proceed constructing its first solar project in Scotland on December 11, 2025. It said it expects the 45-MW Berryhill Solar Farm just north of Dundee to start construction “early 2026” and start operation later in the year. Berryhill’s output, from about 150,000 solar panels, would be enough “to power the equivalent of over 12,500 UK households each year, 1/5th the population of Angus – contributing to the UK’s net zero targets”, Uniper said. “The project has been developed jointly with partner Solar2 and Uniper plans to start the construction process as its sole owner”, the Düsseldorf-based company said last month. Uniper had announced two other UK solar projects in 2025: the Tamworth Solar Farm with a capacity of around 44.2 MWp and the 21.33-MWp Totmonslow Solar Farm. The two projects’ combined capacity can power about 23,300 homes a year, according to Uniper. Uniper aims to connect the projects to the grid in 2026, it said in a press release February 25, 2025. According to Tuesday’s statement, Uniper’s generation portfolio now has 568 MWp “in execution”. “Uniper’s investments in these solar projects are part of its strategic commitment to invest around EUR 8 billion [$9.31 billion] in growth and transformation projects by the early 2030s”, Uniper said Tuesday. “In addition to the five new projects, six further projects with a total capacity of up to 280 MWp are already in the construction phase”. Uniper targets a power generation capacity of

Monumental Energy Corp said Tuesday it had signed a definitive deal to help fund New Zealand Energy Corp’s (NZEC) planned increase of oil and gas production in the Taranaki basin onshore New Zealand. The agreement extends a partnership that already saw the restart of production in the nearby Copper Moki field in 2025. “The agreement will enable the company [Monumental] to participate in certain mutually agreed upon appraisal and development workover projects with NZEC to increase oil and gas production” in the Waihapa-Ngaere area, Vancouver, Canada-based Monumental said in an online statement. NZEC, a 50 percent owner in the relevant licenses, and Monumental must agree on the budget for each project, the statement said. “In consideration for Monumental funding NZEC’s share of any additional project, NZEC grants to Monumental a royalty applicable to such additional project effective upon satisfaction of all conditions precedent and commencement of production”, said Monumental, already a shareholder in NZEC. “In summary, the initial royalty will be payable in an amount equal to 75 percent of net receipts, on a quarterly basis, until such time as a sum equal to the costs that have been paid by Monumental has been paid back, and thereafter the final royalty will commence and will be payable by NZEC to Monumental in an amount equal to 25 percent of net receipts”, it said. The companies expect the first project under the funding agreement to start in the first quarter of 2026 subject to conditions including the receipt of regulatory approvals. On November 18, 2025, Monumental said it had completed a capital raise with gross proceeds of CAD 810,000 ($583,000) “to fund cost overruns on Copper Moki 1 oil and gas well, to fund the costs and expenses to formally enter into and fund additional workover projects with New Zealand Energy