Transportation

A Senate report released late Monday stated that the next generation of 'high-speed'?Acela trains from U.S. passenger rail Amtrak were delayed for more than four year due to issues with planning, design, and track, as well as a desire to increase speeds, which has not been realized. Ted Cruz, Republican chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, stated that Amtrak lost $287m in revenue and unplanned maintenance due to the extended use of its older Acela fleet. According to the report, the Biden administration purchased Amtrak cars in order for them to run on tracks that were not yet constructed. This...

Top California regulators are investigating incidents where 'robotaxis' from Alphabet Unit Waymo stopped in certain parts of San Francisco on Saturday due to a power outage which caused gridlock and snarled the traffic. Waymo paused its service on Saturday night following a fire that broke out at a PG&E power substation, knocking out electricity to about one-third the city. This affected approximately 130,000 people and forced some businesses to temporarily close. Social media posts showed multiple videos of a?Waymo roboticaxis at intersections, with the hazard light on because traffic lights had stopped working. The?incident raised concerns about the unforeseen situations...

Waymo, an Alphabet division, announced on Monday that it had resumed its ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area after suspending them temporarily due to a power outage which caused gridlock and snarled up traffic. The company paused its service 'Saturday night following a fire that broke out at a PG&E substation, knocking out power for roughly one-third?of the city. This affected about?130,000 people and forced some businesses to temporarily close. Waymo reported that most trips were completed without incident before the vehicles returned to their depots or stopped. A spokesperson for Waymo said, "We're committed to earning and...

In 2025, the number of LGBTQ+ individuals in elected office will be at a record high. Lawmakers fighting federal and state attacks against community Mid-term elections bring hope to combat anti-LGBTQ+ legislation Lucy Middleton Parents or caregivers can refuse to accept a child’s gender identity in one law, and pull their children out of classes discussing LGBTQ+ issues under another. North Carolina's rules define only two genders, prohibit gender affirming care in prisons, and prevent?trans students using facilities that are aligned with their identities. "Instead they focus on divisive issues and hurricane relief," Alston said, a Democrat lesbian who spoke...

According to the emergency management department of the city and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the main utility company in the city, power was restored for about 95,000 customers. Pacific Gas and Electric Company reported that the blackout affected about 130,000 people in the California city with an estimated 800,000 residents. PG&E reported that crews had restored electric service to 95,000 customers as of?11 p.m. on Saturday. About 35,000 remained without it. Outage caused traffic congestion and some businesses were forced to close?temporarily. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management had posted earlier that day on social media: "A large...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a much-anticipated 'Environmental impact statement for the Dakota Access Pipeline on Friday. It recommended that the oil pipeline operations?continue... with some conditions. The EIS is a document that must be produced by the DAPL operator Energy Transfer to assess the environmental impact of federal actions. This represents a victory for Energy Transfer, and a significant step towards the end of a long-running court battle between Energy Transfer, the company, and the Native American tribes who are fighting to close the pipeline. The 'document' recommends that DAPL continue to operate, if safeguards such as...

The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Thursday to'streamline environmental reviews' and speed up permitting for data centers, factories and large energy infrastructure projects. This is in line with President Donald Trump’s plan to boost the energy sector, but conservationists are opposed, claiming that it could harm public water and air supplies. The SPEED Act sponsored by Republican Bruce Westerman faces opposition from Democrats in the Senate who want to see the legislation benefit clean energy projects and other related transmission projects. The bill was passed by 11 Democratic votes, despite concerns that the amendments that were added in last-minute...

The U.S. Energy regulator directed the largest U.S. Grid Operator, PJM Interconnection on Thursday to establish rules for the connection?of artificial-intelligence-driven data centres and other large electrical loads located?next? to power plants. AI supporters and others who consume large amounts power argue that placing them close to power plants can offer efficiency benefits. This includes reducing the need for transmission lines. Opponents claim it could damage grid reliability, and increase power bills in surrounding communities. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said that the decision will protect consumers throughout the mid-Atlantic'region, which includes 13 states plus the District of Columbia and...

Lukoil abandons Ghasha Project, gives ADNOC 10% stake Demand from Asian lenders including Chinese banks The first gas production is expected by the end of this decade Yousef SABA DUBAI, December 18 - Abu Dhabi National Oil Company announced on Thursday that it had secured an $11 billion?structured financing in order to monetise the future gas production of its Hail?and?Ghasha project, following the withdrawal by Russia's Lukoil. The deal was signed with Eni and PTTEP, and involves 20 global and local banks. The deal uses a pre-export financing model, backed by future throughput of gas, to provide upfront cash, years...

Payments to power plant in the largest U.S. market for electricity, PJM Interconnection hit a price 'cap' and set a record on Wednesday, as?demand?from data centers in 13-state area grows faster compared to?construction of new electricity supply. The expansion of Big Tech data centers in PJM has driven so-called capacity price in PJM up by around 1,000% in the last year-and-a-half, increasing concerns about energy affordability. This grid serves one in five Americans living in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic - and Midwest. Prices in the latest PJM?auction for capacity reached $333.44 per megawatt-day, compared with $329.17 at an auction held in...

A U.S. Judge on Wednesday prevented Michigan from enforcing an 2020?order that would have shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline running underneath a channel? linking two of the?Great Lakes. The judge ruled that pipeline safety was a federal responsibility. This decision was made five years after Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer revoked a easement allowing Canadian firm Enbridge to operate?a 6.4 km (4 mile) stretch of aging pipe beneath the Straits of Mackinac that connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Whitmer cited risks to the?environment if there were a spill. Enbridge has fought the Michigan decision in court. The 72-year...

The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged all parties in Yemen on Wednesday to exercise maximum restraint following an advance by southern separatists, which risks rekindling the 10-year-old Civil War?after a long lull. He said that the operating conditions in areas controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthi movements - Yemen's capital Sanaa, and the densely populated north - had also become unsustainable. The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed by the United Arab Emirates in the past, claims to have taken control of the eastern provinces Hadhramaut?Mahra, and now has a firm grip on all provinces within the former state...

Russian strikes near Ukraine’s Black Sea Port of Odesa?on Thursday?killed a woman?in her vehicle?and damaged infrastructure?and asked residents who have been suffering from long power outages to stop blocking the roads in protest? Oleh Kiper of Odesa, in a Telegram post, claimed that a Russian drone had killed a woman who was driving her car across a bridge southwest of Odesa. The incident injured her three children. Kiper asked residents who have experienced extended power outages in their homes to show patience and remove roadblocks. Kiper stated that the energy infrastructure of Odessa has suffered extensive damage as a result...

According to sources and the state-run PDVSA, Venezuelan oil company resumed oil cargo deliveries on Wednesday at its terminals after a cyberattack affected their centralized administrative system. Sources close to the operations of PDVSA said that the company, which was dealing with the U.S. blockade on Tuesday against all sanctioned oil tankers attempting to enter or leave Venezuelan waters and approaching, had been able to isolate refineries, oilfields, ports, and other facilities to resume working. According to a source at the state-run oil company, the ransomware was detected days earlier and the antivirus software used to try and fix it...

Zhang 'Hanhui', Beijing's embassy to Moscow, told Russia's RIA News Agency that construction is proceeding on a planned Far Eastern pipeline to'supply Russian gas to China'. The Far Eastern route is designed to send gas from Russia's Pacific coast to ?China via a new branch link connected to Russia's ?Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok pipeline system. Exports will begin?in 2027. China is expected to import 2 billion cubic metres (bcm), initially, and then a total of 12 bcm per year. Zhang, RIA cited as saying that "Construction is progressing steadily on the Far Eastern route of natural gas supply from Russia to China." Russia...

State news agencies reported on Monday that Russia was considering extending the diesel and gasoline export restrictions until February. Anonymous sources were cited. On Monday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak presided over a meeting about the fuel market. The participants included officials from the Energy Ministry, the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAMS) and representatives of oil companies. After the meeting, the government stated that the fuel producers kept the supply balanced. There is a downward trend in the fuel price for small wholesalers. The government has confirmed that the required fuel volumes are being provided to agricultural producers. The Russian...

The 'International Energy Agency' said that Russia's revenue from crude oil and refined product exports fell again in November due to lower export volume and weaker prices, reaching their lowest level since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Russian energy industry, which is vital to the country's economy, is being put under pressure by an increase in drone attacks on oil refineries. Washington increased its pressure against the Kremlin by introducing sanctions in October, targeting Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft & Lukoil. The IEA, based in Paris, said that Russia's revenue from crude oil and fuel sales dropped to...

Shipping data shows that Washington could punish more than 30 U.S. sanctioned oil vessels doing business in Venezuela after the Coast Guard confiscated a supertanker transporting Venezuelan crude to be exported. The President Donald Trump announced the seizure on Wednesday. It was the first time that an oil "cargo" from Venezuela had been seized. Venezuela has been subject to U.S. sanctions against it since 2019. This is also the first action taken by the Trump administration since he ordered the massive military buildup of the region. Shipping sources say that the U.S. actions, in which Trump intensifies pressure on Venezuelan...

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Saturday that Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant temporarily lost all of its off-site electricity overnight. It cited Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Since March 2022 when Russian forces seized much of the southeast Ukraine, this nuclear plant - Europe's biggest - has been under Russian authority. The plant is currently not producing electricity, but it relies on external power in order to keep the material cool and prevent a meltdown. IAEA reported that the plant had been reconnected after a 30-minute outage to a power line of 330 kilovolts (kV). The Russian-installed plant...

Five sources confirmed on Tuesday that the Caspian Pipeline Consortium is aiming to finish repairs on its third SPM-3 single point mooring at its Black Sea Terminal ahead of schedule. The consortium wants to restore its full CPC Blend export capacity following a drone strike which damaged one of their other moorings. Sources familiar with the situation have confirmed that SPM-3 will be back in operation in the next 7 days. The repairs were originally planned to take two months. CPC has halted operations after a drone attack by the Ukrainian navy caused significant damage to its SPM-2 mooring. Sources...

Sources familiar with the matter say that Novatek, a Russian producer of liquefied natural gases, has reduced the price of its cargoes between 30% and 40% since August in order to encourage Chinese buyers to buy sanctioned gas produced by its Arctic LNG 2 Project. The purchase has ended the commercial limbo of the $21 billion project that is subject to the most severe sanctions the U.S., Europe and Russia have imposed against Russia. Washington wants to stop the flow of oil revenue into Kremlin bank accounts as U.S. president Donald Trump increases pressure on Moscow to end their war...

Four of the eight main opposition coalitions won seats in Georgia's Parliament just over a month ago. All but one of the eight leaders are either in prison, exiled or facing criminal charges. The ruling party wants to outright ban the main opposition groups. Many in the tiny South Caucasus nation of 3.7 millions have been shocked by the slide towards one-party rule. Georgia was a democratic country that appeared to be on the rise in the years after the fall of the Soviet Union. It seemed poised to join the EU, and escape Russia's influence. Brussels' assessment, however, says...

Two industry sources and LSEG data show that the Russian port of Novorossiysk resumed oil loadings Sunday, after a suspension lasting two days due to a Ukrainian drone and missile attack. Novorossiysk temporarily halted oil exports on Friday, equating to 2.2 millions barrels of oil per day or 2% global supply. According to two anonymous industry sources, loadings have resumed. According to LSEG, two tankers - the Suezmax and Aframax classes Rodos - are loading oil on the port's berths. Two oil berths were damaged by a Ukrainian drone at the Russian Black Sea port Novorossiysk on Friday, which forced...

Following talks between their respective Presidents at the Kremlin, Russia and Kazakhstan agreed to increase their partnership in oil following the talks on Wednesday. Kazakhstan, a landlocked country, is heavily dependent on Russia for its energy exports. More than 80% its oil is exported via a pipeline run by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium that runs to a terminal in Russia's Black Sea. The Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the Kazakh President Kassym Jomart Tokayev on Wednesday, where they discussed gas projects and U.S. sanctions against Russian oil companies. Tokayev, in a televised statement following the meeting with Putin, said:...