South Bow and Bridger will develop a new pipeline project to connect Wyoming with Cushing, Oklahoma

Related News

• Trump's Freedom Trucks celebrate the US 250th Anniversary with a 'gift of God' message

  In the six "Freedom Trucks," which will travel across the nation to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, an AI-generated George Washington welcomes visitors. He says: "Thy Rights are a Gift from God," under a ceiling that reads "In God We trust." The "Freedom 250", a fleet of mobile museums, have been parked from Washington State, on the west coast, to North Carolina, on the east coast, in anticipation of the Independence Day holiday. The trucks are part of what supporters call a 'year-long patriotic salute' to the American Revolution and nation it spawned. Freedom 250's spokesperson Rachel Reisner stated that the organization is "sparking a unifying motion across all 50 States which celebrates the American Spirit and showcases America at its best." The trucks have also sparked some criticism. Local media in Massachusetts reported in June that residents in one town had objected against a Freedom Truck visit and it was cancelled. The critics say that the Freedom Trucks and other celebrations present an overly-religious version of American History and gloss over issues such as slavery and racism. Democrats claim that private donations and taxpayer money for Freedom 250 and the trucks are not accountable. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (an independent federal agency) provided a grant of $14 million for six trucks, which was paired with $10 million by Freedom 250. On March 3, a group of U.S. Senate Democrats wrote to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to ask why government funds were being directed to "a privately owned entity that is not accountable to the American people," and whether these funds are mixed with private funds, "potentially from foreign sources." According to Senate staff, they haven't yet received a reply. House of Representatives Democrats are investigating whether funds appropriated by Congress to fund "America 250" celebrations have been diverted instead to the White House Freedom 250 celebration. At a House of Representatives hearing, Democratic Representative Jared Huffman, of California, said that the soaring achievements of our secular, enlightenment based founding are obscured by a gauzy Christian nationalism fiction. He was speaking about Freedom 250 sponsored events, such as the truck museum. Republicans challenged Democratic characterisations during congressional hearings. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas reminded Democrats of a preamble to the Declaration of Independence that states: "We believe these truths are self-evident. That all men are equal, and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights by their Creator." In May Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Interior Department refused to answer a Freedom of Information Act Request for documents about Freedom 250 funding and activity. The group is also investigating reports that federal workers are being used to promote private entities, funds are being used to push a political agenda and Trump's access is being sold. Aaron Lloyd, senior counsel at PEER, said that all the decisions about what events to attend, how much money to spend, and where money goes are in a "black box". "I want to see the documents from the government that show where money was spent." The White House didn't directly respond to questions regarding the role of religion within the truck exhibitions or 250th anniversary celebrations. In an email statement, Davis Ingle stated that "2026 will see a renewed patriotism" and "national pride." A "JUBILEE of PRAYER" On May 17, a Freedom Truck with its side painted in the iconic painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware" was parked only blocks from the U.S. Capitol. It served as the anchor for a "Rededicate 250 : A National Jubilee of Prayer Praise and Thanksgiving." The White House website features a Freedom 250 page entitled "America Prays." The site encourages visitors to spend an hour per week in prayer for the U.S. The site lists "pray.com", as a participant organization. The social network for religious organizations says that it collects data about its users, which it could share with other firms. Freedom Trucks was developed by Hillsdale College - a private Christian liberal arts school - and PragerU - a non-university that creates "edutainment", or content, promoting Judeo-Christian principles. PragerU created a video that?explores the ways in which elections can be robbed, showcasing mail-in ballots as a suspect, echoing Trump's widely debunked claims since he lost to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. "Pride Month: Why do we do this?" Another video. The June celebrations of LGBTQ communities were questioned. PragerU has not responded to requests for comment regarding financial arrangements that it obtained from Freedom 250. A RELIGION INFLUED BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION? Some historians question the relevance of religious presentations to the celebration of the 250th anniversary by the Trump White House. Kate Carte is a Southern Methodist University professor of history who specializes in early American history. She noted that, during the American Revolution both Protestant "British" loyalists in the American colonies and the opposing "patriots", believed they were following their religious values. Carte said in a phone interview last week that "the conflict between Britain's colonies and Britain really had nothing to do with the religion." She added that America's founding fathers were "very aware" that religion can be divisive and decided to avoid establishing a central religion. A study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2023-2024 found that 62% of U.S. adult citizens identify themselves as Christians. The evangelical Protestants make up 23% of this group. This is more than any single faction. Around 29% of American adult are "religiously non-affiliated". Atheists, agnostics, and 19% of Americans who say they are "nothing" in particular make up this group. The semiquincentennial of the United States is not just about religion. The Trump administration is embroiled in court cases for its attempts to remove interpretive material from national parks, including exhibits on slavery and climate changes. People who remember the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial remember it as a more peaceful celebration. Alan Spears is the senior director of Cultural Resources at the National Parks Conservation Association. He said that 50 years ago the U.S. did not engage in public discussions about the contributions made by its African American and indigenous people. Spears added that "the 1980s changed this," adding that the country has moved away from portraying its history as "guys riding horses with swords." (Reporting and editing by David Gregorio; Richard Cowan)

• Data centers aren't a real problem for US power. Douglas J. Arent: Outdated policy is.

  The data centers are blamed for the rising cost of electricity in America. The real problem is not that AI and consumers are increasing energy consumption. The real issue is structural and began before the recent infrastructure boom. The average residential electricity rates increased by 6% in the past year, which is more than double the inflation rate. About one-third of American homes now spend over 5% of their earnings on electricity. Investor-owned utilities will file the most rate increase requests in 2025. This is their highest level since mid-1980s. There is clearly a problem. The data centers that are driving the AI race and other industries moving towards electrification can be credited with these increases. Electricity bills for residents in some states, such as Nebraska, New Mexico, and North Dakota have decreased. According to two studies conducted by the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, power costs are rising faster than inflation in the Mid-Atlantic region, California, the Northeast, and the Southeast, areas where data centers have been less prevalent. Why does demand growth lower bills in some areas and raise them in others? Two words: poor incentives. BUILT TO SPLEND Since the 1950s, American utilities have been rewarded for building new infrastructure and not for managing their existing assets. According to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 'filings,' utilities receive reliable returns on their capital investments, typically between 9% and 10%. Upgrade an existing line or deploy software in place of new infrastructure instead? Answer is not so clear. Customers are liable for the cost of large capital investments, as the incentive is built in. In the past decade, this dynamic has been less viable due to the soaring inflation in the energy sector. Inflation, tight supply chains, and increased tariffs are driving up the cost of transformers that transfer electricity between circuits. The price of wire and cable has risen by 152%. These costs could be reflected in?customer's bills for many decades. Climate change is another issue. Some utility bills in Florida now include "storm cost recovery surcharges". California bills have increased in the last five year to reduce wildfires. These increases are not an anomaly. These are ongoing, compounding costs that the ratepayers have to absorb. This?backdrop' was the backdrop against which the data center boom occurred. It did not create a power affordability problem, but it exposed and accelerated an existing one. Not Keeping Pace This does not mean that data centers are benign. Data center power demands will range from 5 megawatts to 200 MW by 2024. This is equivalent to about 200,000 homes. Massive new data campuses, with power demands of 1,000 to 5, 000 MW, have been proposed and are currently under construction. Data centers are expected to use 5% to 15 % of the total U.S. electricty by 2030. This has caused concern across the nation. Grid upgrades are not free. In areas where the grid is overloaded, new large loads can increase local costs. This is especially true if utilities pass these expenses on to consumers. But the answer is not to limit demand. In fact, a broader view of the evidence suggests different solutions. New electricity demand can lower prices for all when wind and solar energy is available at low cost and where large users pay their fair shares. This outcome is not guaranteed. The grid's ability to connect with low-cost supplies and fairly allocate upgrade costs will determine the outcome. It could be that data centers are required to pay for transmission upgrades. Lower Costs, Better Rules The major problem for U.S. grid operator is that infrastructure required to supply higher volumes of energy has not kept up with demand growth. PJM is the biggest grid operator in America, and it serves 13 Mid-Atlantic states. CGEP's studies reveal that there are real solutions available. Innovative uses of existing technology could increase the capacity of transmission lines already in place. Dynamic line ratings, for instance, use real-time weather information to determine the actual capacity of electricity lines, instead of relying solely on static assumptions which often overestimate what is needed. This approach helped a Pennsylvania?utility reduce congestion on monitored?lines by as much as 65%. Upgrades to the lines themselves are another option. Replace steel-core wires by lighter, stronger carbon core alternatives to nearly double line capacity within months. CGEP analysis shows that deploying grid-enhancing technology nationwide could result in savings of $180 billion by 2050. Data centers can be part of the solution. Pilot projects in Arizona and North Carolina have demonstrated that data centers could be designed so as to not draw power from the grid when there is high demand. These tools are a temporary solution. But more fundamental reforms are needed. One possibility is to tie executive compensation for utilities to the efficiency of their systems, and not just on how much they build. Modernizing the permitting, interconnection and other processes that slow down new power plants and transmission systems could be a game changer. Data centers, and other large, energy-hungry infrastructure, could also shoulder a fair portion of the energy costs?they generate, rather than passing these costs on to residential ratepayers. States that have seen a decrease in electricity prices despite an increase in demand from data centres are not magic. They managed their supply, infrastructure and cost allocation in a sensible way. When these things are not managed properly, prices rise. These things do not need to.

• Sources say that a power outage forced Venezuela's biggest refinery to close.

  A power outage on ?Sunday forced the shutdown ?of Venezuela's ?largest ?refinery, the 645,000-barrel-per-day Amuay, workers from that facility said, the second refinery without electricity following two deadly earthquakes in the country. After the earthquakes, in which at least 1,450 people died, South America has struggled to supply power to industrial plants, refineries and businesses as well as its citizens. Amuay was key to fuel production for domestic distribution and processed 137,000 bpd before the earthquakes. Some workers have said that the lack of water in some?power plant and?industries, including the refinery located in the western Falcon State is also affecting the operations. Separate?sources' said that the smaller El Palito refinery, which produces 146,000 bpd of oil per day, and the Moron Petrochemical Complex located in the?central part of the country have not been able to restart their operations due to the unstable electricity supply. Oil ministry has said that the quakes had no impact on the country's crude oil output or exports which are the main source of revenue. However, domestic production?of fuels and petrochemicals may not be sufficient to meet demand when people return to work after the quakes, if refineries and other facilities can't sustain operations. Reporting by Deisy?Buitrago and Mircely?Guanipa, editing by Marianna Parraga, Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

• Bloomberg reports that Williams is in negotiations with Momentum Midstream for a $5.5 billion deal.

  Bloomberg News reported?on Sunday that U.S. Pipeline Operator?Williams was in advanced discussions to acquire Momentum 'Midstream, the natural gas pipeline company of its rival, for $5.5 billion. This is according to people familiar with this matter. The Tulsa-based company, which is based in Oklahoma, is finalizing an agreement to purchase Momentum from the private equity firm EnCap Flatrock?Midstream. According to the report, a deal may be announced within a week. Could not immediately verify the report. Williams Companies, Momentum Midstream, and EnCap Flatrock Midstream didn't?immediately reply to a request for comment. Bloomberg reported that the deal would give Williams a greater capacity to transport gas from the Haynesville Shale to U.S. Gulf Coast terminals. According to the report, EnCap has not made a final decision and could still choose to keep the company. Williams is looking to acquire U.S. natural gas production assets to secure supplies for its hyperscalers, data center clients and other customers. According to the website of Momentum Midstream, it operates around 4,000 miles (6.437 km) of pipelines and serves more than 140 clients across its network. It also services?10 liquefied gas facilities and 26 electricity plants. (Reporting and editing by Edmund Klamann in Bengaluru, Bill Berkrot, and Bipasha dey)

• Norway oil service lockout comes into effect and disrupts offshore drilling

  Around 1,000 Norwegian oil workers were 'locked out' on Saturday morning, in an escalation of a labour dispute. This is expected to disrupt drilling on the Norwegian continental shelf and some production. Offshore Norway, a group of industry representatives, announced on Friday that the lockout was declared in response to a strike by hundreds of members of Safe. The lockout will affect SLB, Halliburton and Subsea 7, DOF Subsea and Weatherford. Offshore Norway, a group representing the oil and gas industry in Norway, said that due to the strike and lockout next week, oil and natural gas production could fall by 12,000 barrels equivalent per day (boepd). Offshore Norway reported that around 1,000 members of the Safe?union covered by well service agreements would be forced to stop work due to the lockout at 0700?CET (0500 GMT), Saturday morning, out of the 1,770 members covered under the wage agreement. The lockout excludes about 500 people in safety-critical positions. Safe said, however, that it would withdraw an additional 63 members of the 500 remaining members on July 1 in addition to the 378 members who are already on strike. Offshore Norway, a group that represents employers, said Friday that four mobile rigs and five fixed installations, as well as one intervention vessel, have completely stopped drilling operations and well operations because of the strike. If the strike continues after mid-July, the impact could be significant, with production losses exceeding 120,000 boepd. Norway is Europe's top pipeline gas supplier, and it produces about 2% global oil or 4 million boepd of total oil and gas. Safe began its strike on 15 June after failing to reach a wage deal, while Styrke accepted the offer. If it believes that a strike or lockout is detrimental to the vital economic interests of the country, then government intervention can be taken. "The threshold of intervention is high." Kjersti Stenseng, Labour Minister, said on Tuesday that compulsory wage arbitration should be a last option. (Reporting and editing by Louise Rasmussen, Jacqueline Wong, and Nerijus Adomiaitis)

• Norway's oil and gas production could drop by 12,000 boepd due to lockout, strike next week

  The ongoing strike of oil service workers, and the lockout announced on Friday could cause Norway's oil and?gas?production to fall by about 12,000 barrels (of oil equivalent) per day next week. The industry group that represents employers said that four mobile rigs, 5 fixed installations, and?one intervening vessel had already stopped drilling and well operations due to the strike. A lockout that occurred on Saturday morning would force around 1,000 Safe 'union members who are covered by the 'well service agreement' to stop work. Safe had announced earlier on Friday that it would withdraw 63 more workers from the 500 employees employers wanted to retain 'due to safety-critical roles. Offshore Norway said that if the strike continued, the impact could be significant, with production losses reaching?120,000 Boepd by mid-July. It added that the strike would also impact Norway's ability to deliver new wells in 2026 and maintain production plans. Reporting by Nerijus Adomiaitis and editing by Louise Rasmussen

• Fertilizer shipments start leaving through the Hormuz Strait

  Data showed that after an interim agreement to end the Iran War, the Fertiliser shipments through the Strait of Hormuz began to increase. Analysts say, however, it will be some time before they return to their pre-conflict level and bring relief to the market. Before the U.S. launched their war with Israel on February 28, a third or more of the global urea trade -- the most commonly used fertiliser in the world -- and almost half of the seaborne sulphur -- a critical input -- typically passed through the strait. But the near-closure of the crucial waterway during most of the war sharply reduced the shipments. According to Argus's latest analysis, since Washington and Tehran announced the agreement on June 15, 640,000 metric tonnes of sulphur, which is critical for the production of fertilisers such as diammonium phosphate (DAP), have left the strait. They are now headed for destinations like Indonesia, Morocco and Tanzania, and China. This compares with a total of 80,000 tons during the three-and-a half month war. The latest data from CRU consultants showed that 427,000 tons (instead of 275,000) of urea have transited the Strait since the interim agreement, as compared to 275,000 tons during World War II. After the deal, shipments of key fertilisers such as phosphates have increased. Ammonia is also a fertiliser input. FOOD CRISIS FEARS EASE BUT NOT AS USUAL Fertiliser costs spiked during the war, causing farmers to use less product on their crops. The prolonged closure of the Strait raised fears that it could reduce crop yields and cause a global food crisis. Over 500 ships are currently stranded on the Gulf. While traffic has increased this week, the number of ships is still a small fraction of the 125 per day average that used to transit the waterway prior to the war. "The trickling flows through the Strait are a great relief. The majority of the people will still be against the old sales. "They're not going provide new tonnages on the market," said Sarah Marlow. She is head of fertiliser prices at Argus. Marlow stated that while bulk carriers are slowly leaving the Strait, empty carriers are not returning to the area to pick up new cargoes. Traders are also striking few new fertiliser deals in the region. Analysts say that before carriers can return, they must remove many obstructions related to war. Analysts say that the waterway must be successfully demined. Shippers must feel confident about sailing in again, as well as the current vessel backlog. The interim U.S. Iran deal must also lead to a 'permanent truce. However, the U.N. International Maritime Organization had to pause their operation escorting vessels through the strait after a vessel reported a threat, raising new concerns about whether the agreement will hold. Best-Case Scenario Willis Thomas said that the volume of fertilisers through the Strait will not be back to pre-conflict level for some time. Even in the best-case scenario, August will be the earliest that we see an increase in traffic. According to CRU there are around 600,000 tonnes of urea still stuck in the strait. Argus estimates that 300,000-400,000 tons of sulphur await exit from the waterway. During the war,?facilities for fertiliser production in the Gulf also suffered damage and must be?repaired. Although experts claim the damage to be relatively small, it will slow down the rate that fertiliser prices can deflate. BIMCO, a shipping association, said that the Gulf Fertilizer Production could recover to a large extent. However, the exports of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates may remain below the pre-war level (in the short term) due to damage caused by the gas fields and refineries.

• Ukraine's DTEK plans to upgrade infrastructure to switch from coal

  Maxim Timchenko, the CEO of Ukraine's biggest private power and coal company DTEK, said that it plans to upgrade its infrastructure to switch from coal to natural gas and nuclear energy in order to?phase out? its coal use by 2035. The global progress in phasing-out carbon-intensive coal is uneven. While many countries hesitate to invest in the energy transition, Ukraine was forced by Russia's conflict to upgrade its infrastructure. Timchenko stated that about 80% equipment at the coal-fired stations in Ukraine was damaged or destroyed last winter by Russian attacks. DTEK has announced its plans for energy transition to reach net zero emissions by the year 2050. According to the "energy strategy" of Ukraine, coal production should be phased-out by 2035. We are planning to reach 2035," Timchenko stated. DTEK and GE Vernova signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which took place in the Polish Baltic Port of Gdansk last Friday. Both companies plan to collaborate to build a combined-cycle gas-turbine 650 megawatts at DTEK’s Burshtyn Power Plant site in Western Ukraine. The current design is to run on coal. The project budget is EUR 900 million ($1.02 Billion), and the commercial launch date is 2032. WIND AND SMALL MINIMAL NUCLEAR REACTORS DTEK also works on renewables in addition to the conversion of coal infrastructure. Timchenko stated that the company hoped construction would begin next year on a 650 MW project in central Poltava. Timchenko, speaking in Gdansk said that investing in small modular reactors would be a step beyond the gas technology and renewables. "I believe it will be our next step, bringing in more new technologies for nuclear power and nuclear generation. "It's likely to happen after 2030, and not now," he said. In the short term, the company is focused on the risks of Russian attacks destroying more infrastructure and the need to ensure energy supply during the harsh winter. DTEK has stated that it will repair any damage caused by Russia. Timchenko stated that the cost of repair will be EUR300 million. Half of this amount will come from DTEK funds and half from partners. D.Trading has been expanding its liquefied-gas trading business over the past few years. It is betting that LNG will be a key player after Europe stopped purchasing pipeline gas from Russia. Timchenko stated that the company will import its first cargo of U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in December 2024. It wants to become a "visible" player in Europe. He said that the company aims to import six to 12 cargoes per year (or up to one to 1.2 billion cubic metres) in the next year to two years. He said that DTEK is in discussions about importing via Poland, but did not elaborate.

• Ukraine strikes Russian energy sites - What was hit?

  In recent months, Ukraine intensified its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. The war is now in its fifth year. Fuel shortages are worsened by drone attacks in Russia. People have reported rising prices and long lines at filling stations in most regions. Here is a list of recent attacks, starting with the newest. NORSI NORSI - Russia's fourth largest oil refinery owned by Lukoil, halted operations on Wednesday after a Ukrainian drone strike, which is likely to worsen fuel shortages across the country, according to two industry sources. NORSI is the second largest producer of gasoline in Russia. It can process up to 16 million metric tonnes of oil each year or about 320,000 barrels a day. ORENBURG The Ukrainian military announced on Wednesday that it had hit the Orenburg gas plant. This facility has a processing capacity of 45 billion cubic meters of natural gas each year. MOSCOW The Moscow oil refinery has halted its operations following a drone attack by Ukraine on 16 June, according to two industry sources. On June 18, another drone attack caused damage to processing units, and multiple fires were started across the site. The Kapotnya district in the south-east of the capital has a capacity of 11?million tonnes of oil per year. TANECO Tatneft Russian's TANECO refinery halted its operations on June 12 after a drone strike. TANECO, one of Russia's technologically most advanced refineries, is equipped with hydrocracking units, catalytic?cracking units, and delayed coking. According to data from the industry, TANECO will process 17.0 millions tons of crude oil by 2024. It will produce 2.7 million tonnes of motor gasoline, 8.5million tons of diesel fuel, and 1.3million?tons petroleum coke. KUIBYSHEV Rosneft’s Kuibyshev refinery stopped processing after a drone strike on June 10. According to industry sources, the Kuibyshev Refinery will process 4.7 million metric tons of crude oil in 2024. That's 94,400 barrels per day. It will produce 0.8 million metric tons of gasoline and 1.3 millions metric tons of fuel. YAROSLAVL According to Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukrainian forces attacked a Russian refinery at Yaroslavl on 25 May, located about 700 km (435 mi) from the Ukrainian frontier. The refinery can process 15 million metric tonnes per year or about 300,000 barrels a day. SYZRAN The Ukrainian military and President Zelenskiy announced on May 21, that Ukrainian drones had struck Rosneft's Syzran oil refinery, which is owned by Russia. Two industry sources confirmed that the refinery stopped operations after an attack damaged "a primary processing unit". The oil refinery had been suspended following drone attacks on April 18, The refinery can process 8.5 million tonnes per year or 170,000 barrels a day. According to industry sources, in 2024 it will process 4.3 million?tons crude oil into 800,000 tonnes of gasoline, 1,5 million tons diesel, and 700,000 tonnes of fuel oil. TUAPSE Ukraine attacked a Russian oil refinery at the Black Sea port Tuapse, the Ukrainian general staff announced on May 27. Officials said that a drone attack on April 28 caused a major oil refinery fire. The facility, which exports the majority of its products, had to stop operations. The plant has a capacity of 12 million tons per annum, or about 240,000 barrels a day. It produces naphtha as well as diesel, fuel oil, and vacuum gasoil. PORTS/TANKERS Local authorities reported that a drone had attacked a loading complex in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on June 8th. Authorities in Krasnodar said that a fire started at the southern Russian Port of?Temryuk following a drone attack by Ukraine. Mikhail Yevrayev, the governor of Russia's Yaroslavl Region, said that fuel storage facilities also caught fire on May 29 following an attack by a drone from Ukraine in the region. On May 3, Ukraine attacked Russia’s ports in the Baltic and Black seas. This included the Primorsk Port, oil tanks and military vessels. (Reporting and Editing by Joe Bavier, Andrew Heavens, and Andrew Heavens).

• SpaceX will build the 'Starpipe’ natural gas pipeline for Starship rockets

  SpaceX is planning to start building a 13-km (8-mile) natural gas pipeline, called "Starpipe", to its Texas launch sites next month, according to county filings. Elon Musk's firm wants to increase launches of its next-generation Starship rocket. Starpipe is expected to be in service by the 26th of January, according to documents filed with the Texas Railroad Commission last month by SpaceX affiliate Lone Star Mineral Development. Rio Grande Valley Business Journal reported the pipeline plan earlier this year. It signals Musk's intention to accelerate Starship development and lay down the foundation for a higher flight rate. The 40-story rocket will be a key part of SpaceX's efforts to expand the Starlink broadband network and deploy AI data center satellites in orbit. It could also eventually transport astronauts to Mars and the Moon. Starship, which is designed to be fully recyclable, uses approximately 630,000 gallons (2,4?million liters), of liquid methane, per launch. This amount of liquid gas must currently be delivered by hundreds tanker trucks, a process that takes hours and is incompatible with Musk’s plans for expansion. Starship has successfully completed 12 tests since?2023, and Musk hopes to increase the number of launches to hundreds, if not thousands per year. SpaceX has not responded to a comment request. SPACEX's BIG GAS PLANS According to Cameron County land records, it's unusual for a space company to build their own natural gas pipeline to fuel launchpads. However, Starpipe could be just the first step in a much longer-term strategy for SpaceX. The company has been exploring its drilling operations for years near Starbase as well as?all over Texas. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said to CNBC, on June 12, the day the company went public:?that SpaceX planned to build pipelines, process its own propellant and look into drilling natural gas. Stan Lindsey is an oil and natural gas consultant from Texas. He said that extracting natural gas could be challenging for a new company without any oil and gas expertise. Lindsey added, "I don't say it's impossible... they could have a very nice prospect." He added that if the drilling plans fail, they have a "fallback position" in Starpipe. Land records indicate that SpaceX has signed more than 100 oil and gas leases in Texas with property owners who have paid up since 2023. Starpipe will begin on an 83 acre (34 hectare) parcel of land in the Port of Brownsville, which SpaceX has been in negotiations to lease for 50 years. A port official confirmed this, but only on the condition of anonymity, as the negotiations were private. SpaceX's engineering plans, which were included in an?public notification issued last August by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), show that the company wants to build a Starbase liquefaction plant to convert the natural gas piped into liquid?methane. William Farrar is a geoscientist and oil and gas lawyer who has been practicing in Texas for many years. Lindsey stated that the company could take advantage of Enbridge's Valley Crossing Pipeline Expansion Project, which would run near Starpipe's starting point. Enbridge didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment. SPACEX WANT TO OWN SUPPLY CHAINS SpaceX's entry into the gas infrastructure market, which is usually the domain of energy and pipeline companies, highlights its long-standing strategy to control as much of the supply chain as it can. This capital-intensive strategy has allowed the company to outpace its rivals in rockets and spacecraft design. Musk's ambitious goal of using lunar material to produce AI-focused satellites is a big challenge. The 16-inch (406 mm) diameter of the pipeline suggests that fuel demand is greater than what Starship will require to launch 25 times per year, which is the current Federal Aviation Administration approved cadence. According to the prospectus for its initial public offer, SpaceX aims to eventually deploy thousands of AI-focused, solar-powered satellites, whose combined output could be as much as one-fifth the U.S. electricity grid. (Reporting and editing by Joey Roulette, Rod Nickel and Joe Brock)

• Sevastopol, in the Russian-held Crimea, is now without power after a Ukrainian strike

  Local officials reported that Ukrainian drones targeted energy infrastructure in central and southern Russia and the largest city in Russian-held Crimea. This highlights the'reach' of Kyiv’s attacks. Ukraine intensified its strikes against Russian oil refineries and depots this year, driving up the price of gasoline in Russia where authorities have restricted sales in certain regions. The fuel shortages in the Crimean peninsula have been especially acute since Russia's annexation of the peninsula in 2014. Sevastopol's newly-installed Russian governor has ordered the early closure of cafes, public transport, and street lights to protect Sevastopol from overnight attacks. He said that the power supply had been knocked out by Wednesday's storm and that there would be no trolley buses and that parents should keep their children at home. The governor of Telegram, Mikhail Razvozhayev said that work was underway to restore supplies, even though Kyiv "tried to deprive [us] of our normal living condition and sow panic." DRONES DOWNED OFF THE SOUTHERN SIDE Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's drone force, said that drones hit the main substation in the Sevastopol?plant. Crimea is not recognized as Russian territory by many countries. Kyiv says it will never cede the peninsula. Gleb Nikitin, the Governor of Nizhny Novgorod in central Russia, said that falling Ukrainian drone debris destroyed an industrial facility there and killed two people. He said that the unspecified facility had not been damaged in a critical way. NORSI is the fourth largest oil refinery in Russia. It's one of several large oil plants located in central Russia which temporarily stopped or reduced production in May after drone attacks. The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that its air defences shot down 323 drones in various regions of the country overnight. Orenburg, a region in Russia located more than 1,000 km (621 mi) south of Moscow, has reported that drones were shot down over an industrial site. The extent of damage in this remote area, which borders Kazakhstan, is not clear. It is home to several industrial facilities including an oil refinery and a gas processing facility. The Kazakh energy ministry stated that gas is being supplied via alternative routes. Ukraine's strategy of using long-range drones to target Russian energy installations is meant to sapper a major source of war funding for Russia and show Russians that the four-year old conflict started by Moscow is not far away. The Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv on Tuesday of trying to destabilise the Russian society, and said that the Russian government will implement additional measures to counter the effects of the strikes. Both sides claim they don't target civilians, but Russian attacks in Ukraine have killed thousands of civilians and also caused fatalities in Russia. Local authorities reported that a Russian shelling on Wednesday killed a person in Balakliia, an eastern Ukrainian city, in Russia's border region of Belgorod. Could not independently verify details of the recent strikes. Reporting by Alessandra Prentice, Jekaterina Gólubkova, and editing by Jamie Freed; Andrew Osborn; Philippa Fletcher

• TotalEnergies CEO: We must invest in Gulf pipelines so as to avoid Hormuz.

  By America Hernandez PARIS, June 23. CEO Patrick Pouyanne told an energy conference held in Paris that TotalEnergies must 'prioritise' the construction of pipelines to?export gas and oil?from the Middle East without having to send ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Pouyanne was asked to share his lessons learned over the past three-months of the Iran crisis, as Total is the major oil company most exposed to the Middle East. The Iran war has crippled the waterway that carries a fifth of the world’s oil to global markets. "The Strait of Hormuz is a real threat. We must act." "There is only one way to ensure that it does not remain a danger: we must invest into pipelines in order to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, this is our absolute priority," said he. Pouyanne also mentioned other export routes through Syria, Abu Dhabi and Iraq. Pouyanne explained that if you were in Iraq, and needed to reach the sea you could either go through Kuwait or Saudi Arabia or head towards Syria or Turkey. He said that Total found oil in Iraq in 1929 and built a?Iraq to Syria pipeline in just six years. The?world's biggest tanker of the time transported the oil across the Mediterranean, to a refinery in southern France. He added, "If our predecessors were able to do it 100 years ago, I think we should be able to do it again today."