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• MISO launches fifth Fast-Track Study Cycle for 7.3 GW Power Projects

  Midcontinent Independent System Operator said that on Tuesday it had started a fifth round of expedited study covering about 7.3 gigawatts worth of 'new power generation and storage projects,' as the electricity demand in its U.S. territory increases. The portfolio proposed by MISO includes solar and wind farms as well as battery storage facilities in the North, Central and South MISO regions. These projects will be in service by 2029. They include gas plants in Louisiana, Indiana and Kentucky, as well as battery storage developments. The U.S. electricity demand is increasing as power-hungry data centers, new manufacturing facilities and wider electrification are driving consumption higher. According to the Energy Information Administration, after reaching a second consecutive record for U.S. electricity use in 2025, it is expected that consumption will increase in 2026-2027. MISO reported that the ERAS program was launched to expedite studies of projects deemed important to grid reliability. The program has already studied 58 projects, with a total capacity of nearly 29 GW, or is'set to study' them. Five more projects, totaling 3 GW, are nearing completion. The program has a?cap of 68 projects, and will end in 2027.

• Americans invest money, bring technology and share lessons in Australia's shale field

  The Beetaloo Basin developers in Australia are bringing U.S. equipment and money to the project. They also hope that U.S. scale and efficiency will help reduce costs and make it economically viable. Beetaloo, which produced its first gas in this month, has been compared to the Marcellus Shale in the U.S. However, its remoteness in the Northern Territory will require billions of dollars in order to build pipelines. If the development is successful, it could provide a new supply of LNG to Asia. But first well costs need to be reduced by up 60% in a part of the world that lacks infrastructure and supplier networks like mature U.S. basins. Canberra's new gas policies also pose a challenge to the Territory, even though it is investing in a project, which developers hope will produce 1,000 terajoules per day, enough for two LNG trains. Todd Abbott, Tamboran Resources' CEO and a Texan who has worked in the U.S. shale-gas patch for many years, stated that "this is the most supportive government I have ever worked with, and this includes Texas" during the last week's ceremony where a first?40 terajoules gas was shipped to Darwin. After a decade in which Australia has increased its energy regulations, the industry is wary. 2 LNG exporter. The Australian-based company Tamboran is backed by the fracking service firm Liberty Energy founded by U.S. Energy Sec. Chris Wright and U.S. oilfield service giant Baker Hughes. Helmerich & Payne, a U.S. company, has imported high-powered rigs. LESSONS LEARNED Beetaloo's developers are hoping to avoid the mistakes made by some U.S. developers who put drilling before sales. Tamboran is focusing its initial gas sales on determining well decline rates and the performance of reservoirs before investing in larger-scale development. The company has spent approximately A$1 billion (722 million dollars) so far on exploration and appraisal drilling. Stephanie Reed, Chief Operating Officer?of Texas based Formentera Partners told an industry conference held in Darwin recently: "We have avoided much of what we did back in the U.S. by focusing only on the right things. We focus on cash flow and EBITDA. Formentera plans to drill its own acreage next year in the basin. It has a stake in Tamboran’s “Beetaloo” project. Controlling Costs The Beetaloo has a much higher cost of drilling and completion than mature U.S. Shale Basins. Rami Yassine of U.S. oilfield service giant Halliburton's Eastern Hemisphere said that U.S. rig usage had dropped 30% due to increased efficiency. For the basin to achieve its full potential, industry executives estimate that well costs need to fall by 40-60%. Part of this effort is to develop local sand supplies for hydraulic fracturing. Operators reported an improvement of?roughly 25 percent in the efficiency of completion between Beetaloo drilling campaigns. One service provider claimed continuous drilling could reduce rig costs up to 30%. Industry players say that expanding local workforce and supplier capacity will boost project economics because it reduces the need for transporting equipment and materials long distances. Halliburton’s Yassine stated, "Today we are in a phase of the Beetaloo Basin where we must collaborate as an industry."

• Americans invest money, bring technology and share lessons in Australia's shale field

  The 'developers' of Australia's Beetaloo Basin have brought in U.S. money, equipment, expertise, and, they hope, U.S. scale and efficiency to'reduce costs' and make Australia's first shale-gas project economically viable. It is often compared to the Marcellus Shale in the U.S. because of its abundance, but the fact that it is located in the Northern Territory, means that billions of dollars are needed to build the pipelines. If the development is successful, it could provide a new supply of LNG to Asia. But first, well costs need to be reduced by up 60% in a part of the world that lacks infrastructure and suppliers networks like mature U.S. basins. It also faces challenges due to Canberra's new gas policies, even though the Territory government is investing heavily in a project which developers hope will produce?1,000 Terajoules per day, enough for two LNG trains. Todd Abbott, Tamboran Resources' CEO and a Texan who has worked in the U.S. shale-gas patch for many years, stated that "this is the most supportive regime, government, I've worked 'under" and this includes Texas, during the ceremony held last week, where a first 40 terajoules?gas were sent to Darwin. After a decade in which Australia, the No. 2 LNG exporter in the world, has increased its energy regulations, industry caution is evident. 2 LNG exporter. The Australian-based Tamboran has the backing of?fracking service firm Liberty Energy founded by U.S. Energy Sec. Chris Wright and U.S. oilfield service giant Baker Hughes. Helmerich & Payne, a U.S. company, has imported high-powered rigs. LESSONS LEARNED Beetaloo's developers are hoping to avoid the mistakes made by some U.S. developers who put drilling before sales. Tamboran's first gas sales are aimed at understanding the well decline rate and reservoir performance, before investing in larger-scale development. The company has spent approximately A$1 billion (722 million dollars) so far on exploration and appraisal drills. Stephanie Reed, Chief Operating Officer of Texas-based Formentera Partners, said at a recent conference in Darwin, "We have already avoided a lot of the mistakes we made in the U.S. by focusing only on the right things. We focus on cash flow and EBITDA" (earnings prior to interest, taxes, amortisation, depreciation, and amortization). Formentera plans to drill on its own acreage next year. It has a stake in Tamboran’s Beetaloo Project. Controlling Costs It is true that drilling and completion costs in the Beetaloo are significantly higher than in mature U.S. Shale basins. Rami Yassine of U.S. oilfield service giant Halliburton's Eastern Hemisphere President?said that U.S. drilling rig usage had dropped 30% due to improved efficiency. According to industry executives, the cost of drilling wells must drop by 40-60% for the basin's full potential to be realized. Part of this effort is to develop local sand supplies for hydraulic fracturing. Operators reported an improvement of?approximately 25% in completion efficiency when comparing Beetaloo drilling campaigns. One service provider claimed that continuous drilling could cut rig costs by up to 30%. Industry players say that expanding local workforce and supplier capacity will boost project economics because it reduces the need for transporting equipment and materials long distances. Halliburton’s Yassine stated, "We are in a phase of the Beetaloo Basin where we must collaborate as an industry."

• Florida bans highway plate readers after backlash against surveillance

  Florida has banned its local police from installing cameras that read license plates on state highways. This is in response to the growing divisions between law enforcement agencies in various parts of the U.S. over their use of technology provided by Flock Safety. Florida's Department of?Transportation? said that it would cancel previous permits and not issue any new permits in its jurisdiction. In a memo released earlier this week, it stated: "The recent exponential growth in deployments along Florida's roadways, combined with concerns about misuse, privacy issues, and surveillance schemes, merits immediate action to protect Floridians’ sovereignty and quality-of-life." The memo was released in response to remarks made by Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis who said last week that the use of automatic license plate readers had "gotten out-of-control." Greg Abbott, a Republican governor from Texas, ordered last week that state agencies halt funding for Flock Cameras. In a press release, a spokesperson for Flock Safety said that the technology of Flock helps solve crimes throughout Florida and the United States. The statement stated that "rather than banning an important?public-safety tool, we support thoughtful legislation and strong privacy and transparency guardrails to ensure technology is used responsibly, while maintaining law enforcement's capability to use effective tools for keeping people safe." Florida's move comes amid a growing backlash against the cameras supplied by the Atlanta-based firm. Flock's 120,000 AI-powered cameras are installed on streets and highways in 49 states. They automatically record and read license plates. The devices have been marketed as security tools that allow law enforcement to quickly identify and catch criminals. However, they have come under fire due to misuse by police departments and have been criticized for violating citizens' privacy. Flock cameras, along with AI data centres, have become a focal point in the midterm elections this year, as candidates are increasingly attacking their opponents and tying them up to technology. A /Ipsos survey that ended on Monday found Americans divided over the question of whether Flock cameras were a good idea. A poll conducted by /Ipsos on Monday found that 38% of Americans'support the use of Flock camera?in their communities, while 47% are against it. Flock cameras are most popular among Republicans. 54% of them support the technology, while the same percentage of Democrats oppose it.

• Utilities NextEra and Santee Cooper switch legacy systems to Google AI

  Google's artificial intelligence will replace legacy systems at major U.S. electricity companies NextEra Energy and Santee Cooper. This includes weather forecasting, certain operational planning and other legacy systems. The development of AI is upending the U.S. Electric Utility industry. Data centers are driving up the power demand, while utilities try to implement AI in their businesses at the same time. Santee Cooper has announced that it will be switching from its current weather prediction to Google AI tools. The company claims these are targeted enough to "predict" changes in the'microclimates' caused by two large South Carolina lakes. * The development of long-term hedge strategies and near-term planning are heavily influenced by weather forecasts. Santee Cooper's CFO Tami wilson said that if the company is caught off guard by unpredicted weather changes, buying power on the spot market can cost $100,000 per hour. NextEra has also announced that it launched a system developed with Google's Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. The system will bring together information on power generation, fuel, and energy storage to help the company and its customers plan and work on-the-ground.

• Iran's website shows that more ships are blacklisted for trying to pass through the Hormuz Strait.

  According to a government website, Iran has added new ships that it considers non-compliant and subject to fines or confiscation if they try to sail through Strait of Hormuz. Tehran announced on August 24 that it had blacklisted 45 tankers for violating its rules to navigate the Strait of Hormuz and that any vessel transferring cargo would be subjected to action. This comes six months after the U.S.-Israeli war began. Updated on the website of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a body created by Iran to'manage the strait', eleven more ships have been added. The total number of blacklisted vessels is now '56. Sources in the shipping industry said that the update took place within the last 24 hours. Iranian officials have not responded to a comment request. This list is restricted to very large crude carriers, liquefied petroleum gas, liquefied natural?gas, and other clean product vessels. The PGSA website states that "any vessel cooperating (via STS oil transfer, transshipment), will be added to this list." To request removal from the area, vessels must submit an official application with reasons." ADNOC Logistics and Shipping of the United Arab Emirates, ADNOC subsidiary Navig8 tankers and Saudi Arabian national shipping carrier Bahri are among the owners of some of the previously named ships. Sources with direct knowledge told late August that after the announcement of the 'blacklisted' tankers, three Indian oil refiners, and one global energy'major, planned to stop using the vessels because of security concerns. The restrictions are likely to further restrict efforts to export oil through the strait. Traffic in this area, which handled 20% of all global oil and LNG shipments before World War II but has since been reduced to a trickle, is expected to continue to decline. The U.S. imposed sanctions?? on the PGSA? in May. This complicates any engagement with this body, which could result in the U.S. Treasury freezing assets if any fees or transactions are paid.

• Uber leaves Nigeria after 12 years in operation

  Uber Technologies, a ride-hailing service, will stop?operations on 'September 2' in Nigeria. This marks the end of its 12-year presence in Africa's largest country. Uber announced that it would be closing its Nigerian operations after reviewing the business. It did not provide any further details on the decision. The competition in Nigeria's ride hailing?market has increased in recent years. Operators are facing challenges such as rising fuel prices, currency volatility, and inflation. These have led to higher operating costs and pressure on drivers and platforms. In a message to users, the company stated that "after a thorough review of our business we have taken the difficult decision to wind up our operations in Nigeria with effect from 2 September 2026." In 2014, the San Francisco-based firm launched in Lagos before expanding into other cities to meet the growing demand for app based transportation. Uber announced that its help centre will remain open until September 23 for users to resolve outstanding account issues. Uber didn't say how many drivers or riders would be affected or if any assets would sold.

• Heat wave puts US electricity grids under stress

  On Wednesday, the?risk of a power outage? is expected to increase across a large swath in the United States as the intense heat will put the electricity supply serving millions of homes from the Midwest up through the Mid-Atlantic. The U.S. Department of Energy has warned of increased blackout risks on?the PJM Interconnection. This is the largest U.S. electrical grid that serves 67,000,000 people across a?territorium extending from Washington D.C. up to Chicago. Last night, DOE Secretary Chris Wright gave PJM the authority to 'direct backup generation resources as a last-resort before declaring a Level 3 Energy Emergency Alert, which could be one of the final steps before ordering rotating blackouts. The DOE said the move was part of a plan to "stabilize the Mid-Atlantic Grid and reduce the risk of blackouts." Wright stated in a press release that "maintaining reliable, affordable and secure power during hot weather for hard-working American families and business is non-negotiable." The temperatures in Chicago, St. Louis, and Washington D.C. are expected to reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degree Celsius) at the peak of electricity demand. PJM issued an alert on "maximum generator emergency" early Wednesday, asking generators to report on how quickly they could restore units to service. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, a regional grid operator for 15 U.S. States in the Midwest, South and Midwest, has predicted that peak demand will be near a record on Wednesday, at about 121 gigawatts. MISO's record high is 127.1 GW. MISO warned of tight conditions, and increased its reserve requirement to protect against unexpected power plant failures and transmission line congestion. Howell-Oregon?Cooperative in rural Missouri's Ozark region advised its customers to unplug chargers and other appliances that were not being used due to the extreme heat. Customers were also asked to raise their thermostats in order to reduce the use of air conditioning.

• How are the search and rescue operations in Nepal progressing a week following a deadly flash flood?

  Authorities in Nepal are working to find survivors of the flash flood that devastated the Himalayan nation, and the neighbouring Tibet. The disaster killed over 1,000 people, while thousands remain missing. Here's a look at what the situation is like on the ground a week after the tragedy. What happened? Experts suspect that a glacier's collapse was the cause of the?unprecedented avalanche of debris, ice and rock which swept down the mountains in the early morning hours of the 26th of August. In Nepal, 1,114 people are dead and 2,916 people missing. China has 16 deaths with 546 still missing. How was the infrastructure affected? According to the United Nations Development Programme, the disaster produced 2.2 million tonnes of debris including building parts, rocks, and sediment. The floods have damaged eight power plants that are already in operation and four others under construction. Officials have said that only "some" can be repaired. Authorities estimate that 20 suspension bridges can be repaired. The remaining suspension bridges will have to be rebuilt. The floods also washed out 31 motorable bridges. According to the Finance Minister, Nepal could need between $4 and $5 billion dollars to rebuild following the flood. WHAT IS THE PROGRESS OF THE SEARCH EFFORTS? Rescuers deployed heavy machinery such as helicopters and excavators in order to reach more than?11,000 victims. Over 9,200 troops are deployed to the area in order to assist with rescue operations, body management, and clearing blocked roads. At the moment, however, the focus is on the tunnels and powerhouses of destroyed hydroelectric plants. These have rooms and spaces for people to live. Authorities are battling collapsed debris and flooding water to reach the 639 people believed trapped in the ruins. This includes dozens of people believed to be inside the tunnels. Around 279 people have been rescued. OTHER COUNTRIES HELPING? Nepal's Foreign Minister said last week that the country needs foreign assistance in areas of specialised expertise and technology. Nepal has received aid and relief worth more than $42 billion from countries. India and China both have already sent tunnel experts, specialised forensic teams and South Korea is sending a 44-member team of emergency relief workers. Beijing says it will send additional DNA experts and supplies. Singapore also sent six members of a 'victim identifcation team'. Thirteen more are expected to arrive on Wednesday, along with DNA testing equipment. WHAT IS the situation in Tibet? After China rebuilt the only road leading to the border crossing, washed out by the flood, heavy machinery and other equipment arrived at the worst-affected Gyirong Border Crossing into Nepal on Wednesday. Earlier, equipment and supplies were airdropped on the frontline rescuers who had trekked up the mountain to reach the scene. CCTV, the state broadcaster, showed footage of rescue teams with excavators and life detection devices. It also said that search dogs and rescue crews were deployed.

• Texas's decision to stop powering data centres reflects US reckoning with 'ghost demand'

  The demand for electricity by data centers in the middle of the United States is roughly equivalent to the amount needed to power all homes across the country. However, much of this demand could be an illusion. Texas, in an effort to determine what is true, became the first major hub for data?centers to freeze new grid connection and investigate their plans. In an effort to solve the problem, other states in the U.S. are also taking similar measures. The review of utility data and grid data revealed that the electricity demands of very large power consumers, mainly data centers, exceeded 700 gigawatts, or more than ten times the industry's estimates of current U.S. Data Center Power Use, across parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Consumer advocates and regulators warned that many requests were likely to be duplicates or made by companies that lacked the funding or expertise to complete the projects. This could stymie grid-planning, which is vital to keep the lights on. Some of these warnings have now been validated. Major utilities are now reducing their data center demand numbers once financial safeguards like requiring upfront payment are in place. Data center hotspots like Texas, Pennsylvania, and Ohio are enacting rules to filter projects that may drive up costs and cause political backlash before they even get built. Thomas Gleeson, Chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission in March, said that if you don't have a clear understanding of what's real you can't build an infrastructure to support it. GHOST DEMAND Companies and landowners with access to electricity or grid connections rushed to take advantage of the Big Tech AI data center boom. They secured electricity needed to run these facilities. According to grid operator ERCOT documents and Governor Greg Abbott's statements, since 2023 the requests for data centers and large energy users to be connected to the Texas grid has soared to over 474 gigawatts. This makes it the fastest growing region in the world for AI and cloud servers warehouses. According to the most recent quarterly earnings calls of utilities, outside of Texas, the data center electricity demands in 10 of the largest U.S. utility companies in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, as well as the U.S. South have reached?270 gigawatts. Utility companies do not have a standard way of reporting requests for electricity from Data Centers. Some only report projects with signed contracts, while others tally all inquiries. However, when states and utilities take a closer look at data centre electricity projects and implement requirements such as large upfront deposits, a chunk of this demand can disappear. "Entities that rushed in because it was a pot of gold are now perhaps learning the hard-way just how difficult this is to construct and bring online," Daniel Farris said, an attorney with Foley & Lardner who advises hyperscalers and data center developers. These companies include Amazon, Alphabet’s Google, and Microsoft. Exelon, based in Chicago, has reduced its high-probability demand for data centers by 40% to 11 gigawatts. The company announced this on July 30th during an investor presentation after it began imposing more stringent collateral requirements. The Ohio electric utility AEP Ohio saw its data center power demand drop by over half after state regulations adopted last year included grid connection fees up to $100,000 for data centers. According to Tyson Slocum, Director of the Energy Program of consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, the uncertainty surrounding data center electricity usage raises the possibility that utilities will either underbuild and endanger the grid's stability, or overbuild in order to accommodate projects that may never be realized, leaving the average American with the bill. Slocum stated, "I believe part of what Texas is trying to achieve is creating some order and imposing some transparency on an industry in many parts of the country that is still like Wild West." PJM Interconnection - the nation's largest grid, which covers 13 states including Data Center Alley, Virginia - has already seen costs increase due to electricity requests from data centers. According to Monitoring Analytics, the increase in data center costs was due to the growth in demand for existing and future centers. Even though utilities have drastically reduced demand forecasts, there are still enough data center requests that can overwhelm grids with limited supplies. Jeff Shields, PJM's spokesman, said: "The load is showing and the generation is not moving at a pace that we require." Auditing the Unknown Abbott's Texas order includes a comprehensive audit that requires that all proposals for powering up data centers disclose who owns them, as opposed to the previous rules which only allowed an affiliate to be disclosed. Gleeson will chair the state Public Utility Commission and ERCOT, the grid operator, are responsible for implementing this directive. The directive also requests details on whether or not data center projects depend on taxpayer-funded incentive programs, water usage and on-site energy generation plans. Abbott, in an update to his order, said that "the PUCT and the ERCOT can't make decisions to guarantee grid reliability and stability based on information that is substantially incomplete." Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has made a similar decision. His state's abundant natural gas and electricity have attracted a lot of interest in data centers. Shapiro signed an executive order for data centers on 18 August that included stricter requirements regarding permits and disclosures of plans and users of projects exceeding 25 megawatts. A member of the Governor's Office said that only 20 data centers in the state have applied for the permits required to advance the projects. The official stated that most proposals did not have power sources or customers who would be crucial to the funding of server warehouses.

• Over the weekend, vessels crossing Strait of Hormuz will drop to five per day.

  Shipping data showed that the number of visible cargo vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to five per day over the weekend as companies remained cautious amid ongoing attacks against ships. Some ships have turned off their automatic identification systems to avoid attacks. Kpler's data shows that weekend traffic was limited to small vessels. The data revealed that two liquefied gas carriers were among the vessels. One of the ships left the Strait via the Iranian route, while the second sailed in the dark and was heading to India. On Friday, fourteen vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz including a large crude carrier loaded with 2,000,000 barrels Qatari oil. The vessel's?transponder was switched off. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations announced on Sunday that a tanker 'was struck by an unidentified projectile on Saturday while transiting 'inbound through 'the Hormuz strait. This was the third incident in the Strait reported by the agency within the last week. The Gulf tensions rose on Sunday after U.S. forces hit two Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. This was the first American strike on the Gulf nation known since late July.

• Trans Mountain CEO: US trade dispute adds urgency to Canada’s oil pipeline plans

  According to the CEO of Trans Mountain, the government-owned pipeline company, Friday's?collapse in trade talks? with the United States created an urgency? to?plan a?new oil pipeline? for Canada's West Coast. Although the project is still in its conceptual stage, both the oil producing province of Alberta and the Canadian government believe it to be in the national interest. Trans Mountain CEO Mark Maki said that the need for this project became apparent in recent weeks. Canada is the fourth largest oil producer in the world. It exports 90% of its oil to the U.S. but tensions are rising between the two countries. Last week, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of?50% on $20 billion in Canadian goods. He also angered Canadians with an executive order declaring Lake Ontario, the body of water that spans the Canada-U.S. boundary, to be known as Lake America. Maki stated that the situation highlighted the need for Canada to diversify their exports. The west coast pipeline project would achieve this by increasing Canadian oil ships' access to Asia. "Events in the world around us have made it (the pipeline on the west coast) more urgent and I actually think that is good. He said, "It's very helpful." The 890,000-barrel-per-day Trans Mountain pipeline is the only east-west oil export pipeline in Canada. The Canadian government tripled the capacity of this pipeline in 2024. However, Canadian oil production is still growing and it's already nearly full. Trans Mountain Corp. would build and develop the proposed west-coast pipeline on a route similar to its existing pipeline with financial assistance from Alberta's Petroleum Marketing Commission and the Pembina Pipeline. The project proponents are asking Ottawa to declare the pipeline a national interest project, which will allow regulatory approvals to be expedited. Maki said Trans Mountain had to move quickly to consult Indigenous Communities and plan the route to be able to apply for regulatory approval in early 2019. Trans Mountain also works to optimize the existing pipeline by using drag-reducing agents in order to add?90,000. bpd to the capacity of the pipeline by the end of this year. The company will make a final decision on investment by the end 2026 to build more pumping station to increase 210,000 bpd capacity by the 2028. (Reporting and editing by Rod Nickel in Calgary)