Latest News
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Google claims that the US transmission system is the biggest challenge to connecting data centers
Google's energy executive said that the most difficult part of powering Google data centers is connecting to the U.S. electric transmission system. In some areas, the wait time to connect can be more than 10 years. As the world's biggest technology companies race to expand energy-intensive data centres, which are increasingly used to train artificial intelligence and to?roll it out, they are up against the slow-moving power grid of China. Marsden?Hanna (Global Head of Sustainability and Climate Policy, Google) said that transmission barriers were the biggest challenge on the grid at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute. Hanna stated that "we had one utility tell us to study the timeline of interconnection for 12 years, which is kind?of crazy, but this is what we are seeing." Hanna stated that in order to reduce the "wait times", the country must address delays with new transmission and utilities should deploy technology to increase the power flow from the existing system. Google is examining co-location arrangements that could help it avoid some of the long wait times. The company would do this by placing some data centers next to power plants. Colocated arrangements allow for the transmission system to be bypassed and the lengthy wait times that come with it. Hanna stated that "that's the strategy we're pursuing when it comes to colocation, and our hope is for these resources to be eventually 'grid-connected'." Hanna stated that Google prefers to be connected to the grid. The topic of colocation is complex and controversial. It has sparked debate about who should pay for the costs and what happens when a power plant diverts its power to a single customer. Federal and regional regulators are addressing the issue of colocation. They want to establish guidelines for the cost and reliability issues that arise when building data centers near existing power plants.
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CANADA-CRUDE-Discount on Western Canada Select narrows
On Wednesday, the discount between West Texas Intermediate crude oil and North American benchmark West Texas Select futures was reduced. WCS for February deliveries in Hardisty, Alberta, settled at $14.30 per barrel less than the U.S. benchmark WTI according to brokerage CalRock. This compares with $14.40 on Tuesday. The discount on Canadian heavy crude remains $1 more than last month. The price of Canadian heavy crude has dropped?as a result of increased market volatility due to U.S. president Donald Trump's stated goal to increase Venezuelan production. The market is watching for the possibility of an increase in Venezuelan heavy oil barrels competing with Canadian heavy oils in the U.S. Gulf Coast in the long term. Some analysts have suggested that the market may have overreacted because it will be years before Venezuela is able to increase its oil production beyond current levels. The global oil price settled higher on Wednesday. However, it then lost most of its gains after U.S. president Donald Trump eased concerns about disruptions of?Iranian supply when he announced late in the afternoon the killings of Iranians who were fighting civil unrest had slowed. (Reporting and editing by Amanda Stephenson, Calgary)
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Boeing flagged a crack in a part of the UPS fatal crash in 2011.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced on Wednesday that a cracked part on a UPS MD-11 cargo jet, which crashed in Kentucky in November, was?flagged? in a Boeing Service Letter more than a ten-year-old. The National Transportation Safety Board said that 15 people, including 3 plane crew members, were killed in the fiery crash of the MD-11 cargo aircraft at Louisville Airport. The NTSB reported that its investigation found fatigue cracks on the left pylon support structure, also known as the bearing race. Boeing's letter from 2011 stated that there were four failures in the bearing race on three aircraft, which required visual inspections. However, it was not considered a safety of flight issue by the NTSB. Boeing's letter stated that the part would be inspected on average every five years. The FAA declined comment. Boeing stated that it continues to support NTSB's investigation but declined to comment on the letter. ? The Boeing service bulletin that was cited in this update, according to air safety expert Anthony Brickhouse, flagged "a fatigue situation". Brickhouse said that if fatigue is not handled properly it could become a safety of flight issue. In its update, the NTSB also stated that the first engine of the UPS plane had caught fire and there were anomalies in the thrust of the second. Normaly, a plane with three engines and two working engines can climb. Experts say that investigators will look at the possibility of ingestion of debris. Reporting by David Shepardson, Washington and Allison Lampert, Montreal
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Lufthansa changes Middle East operations, and Germany warns against flights over Iran
Flightradar24 reported on Wednesday that Germany had issued a directive warning its airlines against entering Iranian airspace. This came shortly after Lufthansa revised?its flight operation across the Middle East due to escalating tensions in the area. Lufthansa announced on Wednesday it will bypass Iranian and Iraqi Airspace until further notice. It will only operate daytime flights from Tel Aviv and Amman between Wednesday and Monday next week. In a statement, it said that some flights may also be cancelled as a consequence of these actions. Protests against the government in Iran are taking place across the country started The unrest has escalated over the last month. Several protesters have been reported as 'killed' while authorities blacked out the internet to curb the growing unrest. Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has threatened to intervene on behalf of Iranian protesters. Iran's protests come after a series of geopolitical tensions that have heightened tensions throughout the Middle East. Investors have been impacted by the situation. Investors have become more volatile. piled into Gold and the Dollar are safe havens. In a statement, the German airline group stated that passengers affected would be notified and automatically rebooked. It also added that crews who were flying into Israel or Amman will fly directly back without staying overnight on site. Separately Italian carrier ITA Airways, of which Lufthansa Group has now become a major shareholder, announced that it too would suspend night flights from Tel Aviv 'until next Tuesday. Flydubai and Turkish Airlines are two of the many airline operators that have a presence in the Middle East. You can cancel your order if you wish. Multiple flights to Iran have been made in the last week. Reporting by Kanjyik and Keith Weird; Editing by Chris Reese, David Gregorio and Nathan Gomes
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CPC Blend Oil Differs Weaken amid Rising Risks
CPC Blend oil differentials declined on Wednesday following recent drone attacks on Greek-managed oil tankers as they travelled to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's (CPC) terminal to reload oil. Market participants showed caution and traders confirmed this. On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned drone attacks on oil tankers near terminals on its 'Black Sea coast' and accused Ukraine for attacking commercial ships. Kazakhstan on Wednesday called on the U.S., Europe and other countries to help secure oil transport after drone attacks on tankers heading for a Black Sea terminal on the Russian coast that handles 1% of the global supply. The traders and shippers who are involved in the CPC Blend oil market have evaluated the risks. However, security concerns in the Black Sea began to 'pressure the grade's value, they said. PLATTS WINDOW * ExxonMobil made an offer of 120,000 tonne CPC Blend on February 10-14 for minus $0.40 per barrel. However, the offer failed to attract a buyer despite being 'weaker' than recent market estimates. The traders reported that there were no bids or offers made for Urals and Azeri BTC on Wednesday. OPEC data released on Wednesday showed that Russian oil production fell by 0.7% to 9,129 million barrels a day in 2013. Reporting by
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Rome follows other European capitals in imposing a 30 kph speed limit for the city centre
Rome will be the next European capital to drastically reduce speed limits. This will force Italians, who are known for their breakneck driving, to slow down and reduce accidents and pollution. From Thursday, the?Eternal City?s?new limit is 30 kph (or 19 mph) in the historic center. This almost halves the previous limit of 50 kph on streets crowded with residents, tourists, and cars. "These roads are a reflection of a city that was built for cars, but no longer exists," Rome’s transport chief Eugenio Patiane told the?daily Corriere di Sera. He added that "lower speeds save lives", citing data that suggests speeding?plays a part in 7.5% the city's traffic accidents. Rome's lower-limit follows the example of European capitals like London, Brussels and Paris, which have already adopted a?slower street, safer streets?, sometimes overriding strong objections from motorists. Bologna, a city in northern Italy, saw a 13% drop in road accidents and fewer fatalities in the first year following its implementation of a 30-kph speed restriction in January 2024. Since his election as mayor of Rome in 2021, Roberto Gualtieri increased the number of speed cameras. He also urged residents to reduce reliance on their private cars. This was due to growing concerns about safety and emissions. The Supreme Court of Italy ruled in November that residents living along the city's ring road, which is a?congested route?, are entitled to compensation in the amount of 10,000 euros ($11 655) for exposure?to excessive sound and fine-particle pollutants. Local authorities have said that the lower speed limit will reduce noise pollution in Rome by about 2 decibels. ($1 = 0.8580 euro) (Written by Francesca Piscioneri, edited by Gavin Jones and Alison Williams).
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As global tourism spending rises, fewer foreigners will visit the US in 2025.
According to an industry group, the United States will see a drop of 6% in foreign visitors by 2025. However, global tourism is expected to surpass concerns about saturation in certain locations and generate a 6.7% increase in spending in comparison to last year. According to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council, more than 1.5 billion tourists spent over $11.7 trillion last year on hotels, cruises and flight. WTTC stated that the tourism industry contributed 10.3% to global GDP, and that spending on tourism grew twice as fast as global economic growth. WTTC interim president and CEO Gloria Guevara said that the increased travel of many people, particularly younger generations, has prompted them to visit countries in Europe, such as Spain, France and Japan. She said that in an interview with a Spanish newspaper, Latin Americans, including Colombians, and Mexicans, travel less to the U.S. WTTC estimates that as foreign tourism in the U.S. declined, foreign tourists spent 7% less money, and arrivals from Canada Mexico and Europe dropped. Spending by domestic tourists has offset this. The U.S. has the largest travel and tourism industry in the world. Guevara stated that the tourism industry is continuing to grow despite some locals' opposition in tourist hotspots. She said: "We haven't seen the impact of overtourism. And the best example, is exactly where it has been generated. Particularly in Europe and Japan, where we see another record." According to the WTTC, global tourism is expected to grow by 4.5% in 2026. This will again surpass global economic growth. WTTC estimates that France will receive 105 million tourists in 2025. This is well over the 68 millions who visited the U.S. in 2017. (Reporting and editing by Charlie Devereux, Aidan Lewis and Corina Pons)
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Environmental law group wants to investigate Meta's $27 Billion Louisiana data center financing
Earthjustice, a U.S. environmental group, asked Louisiana utility regulators on Wednesday to look into the financing of the $27 billion Meta data centre project. Earthjustice claims that the project threatens to put everyday homes and businesses at risk for the build-out costs. Environmental and consumer groups are pushing back on the expansion of energy-intensive data centers, arguing it will increase global warming emissions as well as power bills. Earthjustice's request to the Louisiana Public Service Commission is the first formal petition it has filed asking a utility regulator for an investigation into?datacenter financing. The group believes this is the first nationwide. The motion focuses on the financing of Meta’s largest data center project to date - a planned facility with a capacity exceeding 2?gigawatts in Richland Parish (Louisiana). Last year, the Louisiana Public Service Commission granted a request for the local utility to build three new gas fired electric generating plants and transmission lines in order to power this data center. Earthjustice reported that the original financing structure included a financial guarantee from the parent company, Meta, who was at the time the developer of the site. According to a later financial agreement announced by Meta and its joint-venture partner Blue Owl Capital a newly formed firm called Beignet Investors was named the "new owner" of the datacenter and parent company of project's developer. This analysis, reported by the Wall Street Journal, is cited by Earthjustice. Meta became a lessor. The new agreement allows Meta to terminate its lease early after only four years instead of the 15-year term initially agreed upon. This could allow it to avoid paying for energy costs or infrastructure construction costs. Earthjustice lawyer Susan Stevens Miller said that if Meta terminates the lease at the end of four years, Meta will not have paid for the costs associated with the generating station and the transmission. Stevens Miller stated that these costs would instead be passed on to the customers of local utilities. Meta and Blue Owl did not respond to requests for immediate comment.
Boeing reaches tentative agreements in related 737 MAX accident lawsuits
Boeing has tentatively settled with a Canadian who lost six family members in the crash of an Ethiopian Air 737 MAX shortly after takeoff on January 29, 2019.
The cases had already been consolidated?into?a single trial at the U.S. District Court of Chicago. Terms of settlements reached late on Tuesday were not disclosed.
Three of Manant Vaidya’s six family members died in the accident – his parents, Pannagesh Vaidya and Hansini Vaidya; and his sister, Kosha Vaidya.
The crash also claimed the lives of Preritkumar, Kosha Dixit's husband and their children Ashka and Anushka. Boeing settled the lawsuits relating to their deaths in 2025. Clifford Law Firm which represented Manant Vaidya said that all six victims lived in Canada. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was destroyed five months after another 737 MAX crashed into Java Sea, Lion?Air Flight 610. Both crashes were caused by an automated flight control system. A total of 346 people died in both crashes. Boeing has previously stated that the U.S. aircraft manufacturer settled more than 90 percent of the civil lawsuits relating to the two crashes, and paid out billions in compensation via lawsuits, deferred prosecution agreements, and other payments. Boeing's most popular jet was grounded for 20 months as a result of two accidents. The cost to the company?s $20 billion.
In a statement released on Wednesday, a 'Boeing spokesperson expressed their deepest regrets to those who lost loved ones in Lion Air Flight 610 or Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
"We have made a commitment upfront to compensate fully and fairly the families of those who lost their lives and accepted legal responsibility for the accidents.
We respect the right of families to sue in court for damages, even though we have settled most claims. We will continue our efforts to resolve the claims made by the families of those affected by these accidents. (Reporting from Seattle by Dan Catchpole; Editing by Stephen Coates).
(source: Reuters)