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Articles by Amanda Jenkins
Smaller Data Centers Could Ease Grid Pressure
Data centers are growing in size as technology companies develop major projects to meet rising computing demand from the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Hyperscale facilities require vast amounts of electricity, prompting tech firms to invest in new energy projects and sign power purchase agreements with utilities. This raises questions about whether smaller, modular facilities could provide sufficient computing power while placing less pressure on electricity grids.
Senate Permitting Reform Bill Advances
ENMG Analysis The Senate voted 62-21 on November 10 to proceed to the legislative vehicle for the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, one day after voting 73-25 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed. The votes opened formal consideration of the Senate permitting reform bill but did not pass the legislation or change federal permitting law. The November 10 vote adopted a motion to proceed to H.R. 2347, the House-passed Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act.
U.S. Grid Modernization Faces Supply Constraints
The United States government has long identified the need to modernize the country’s aging electricity grid. However, progress has been complicated by the fragmented regulatory and operational structure of the U.S. electricity system. As more renewable energy projects have come online across the country, the need to upgrade and extend the system has become increasingly evident.
Texas Diesel Waiver Extended Through December 3
ENMG Analysis The Texas diesel waiver has been extended through December 3, but it does not give every driver or equipment operator permission to use higher-sulfur fuel. For a South Texas contractor running a mixed fleet, the practical question is whether each engine was originally designed and certified to operate on diesel containing as much as 500 parts per million of sulfur. Newer trucks and equipment with advanced emissions controls must continue using ultra-low-sulfur diesel.
Nevada Geothermal Energy Plans Gain Momentum
The United States geothermal energy sector gained renewed momentum under the Biden Administration, following the introduction of far-reaching climate policies, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, and the deployment of federal funding to support new projects. President Trump has demonstrated support for geothermal energy, as the sector continues to expand. The rollout of several large-scale geothermal projects across the country could help diversify the U.S. energy sector over the coming decades.
Energy Programs That Survive A Divided Congress
ENMG Analysis The most durable energy programs are those written into law or backed by signed agreements, not every initiative currently underway at the Department of Energy (DOE) or Department of the Interior (DOI). Statutes remain in force unless amended; executed contracts establish obligations under their terms. Executive orders, agency priorities and pending rules have more room to change. For all of them, annual appropriations remain a key point where Congress can influence implementation.
Texas Data Center Development Pause Clouds Musk Plans
ENMG Analysis Texas is entering a period of uncertainty for new data center development: Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa has pledged a moratorium on new data center permits until the Legislature adopts protections, Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration has already directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to stop issuing new data center permits pending state reviews, and a separate discussion of selling about 1,300 acres of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX has been postponed.
Kodiak Starts West Texas Data Center Power Work
ENMG Analysis Kodiak Gas Services says it has begun initial site work and started setting equipment for a West Texas data center power project. The disclosure moves the development beyond a contract announcement, but it does not mean the complete 76-megawatt system is operating or supplying electricity. The Woodlands-based company reported the construction milestone in its November 9 earnings release filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
How The World Adapted To The Iran War’s Energy Shock
Six months ago, in my Forbes article “The U.S. Feels Higher Prices While The World Is Facing Fuel Shortages,”, I warned that the Iran war was creating risks that extended far beyond higher gasoline and diesel prices in the United States.
Amarillo Expansion Project Would Fuel Texas Data Center
ENMG Analysis The Amarillo Expansion Project would provide natural gas transportation for a new power plant intended to serve a planned data center in the Texas Panhandle. The proposal has entered federal environmental review, but the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has not authorized construction. A Federal Register notice published November 5 opened the environmental scoping process for Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America’s proposal in Moore and Deaf Smith counties.
Helium Critical Material Designation Highlights Supply Risk
ENMG Analysis The helium critical material designation recognizes the element’s importance to semiconductor manufacturing, quantum computing, natural gas infrastructure, and medical and scientific applications. The U.S. Department of Energy added helium to its Critical Material List because of its essential uses and supply-chain risks. The designation does not itself create new helium production, establish a federal reserve, or guarantee financial support for producers. The dates matter.
Permian Gas Pipeline Access Shapes Well Economics
ENMG Analysis Permian gas pipeline access is becoming increasingly important to the economics of producing oil in West Texas. Permian Resources’ third-quarter results offer a useful example: Some wells curtailed when regional natural gas prices turned negative returned to production after additional firm transportation agreements took effect. The Midland-based company reported average third-quarter natural gas production of 787.1 million cubic feet per day, a 42% increase from the second quarter.
Why Energy Security Is Beating Energy Ideology
For much of the past decade, energy debates often pitted fossil fuels against clean energy. Governments announced dates for phasing out technologies, investors tried to anticipate which industries would lose favor, and energy policy increasingly became entangled with political identity. The war with Iran has exposed the limitations of approaching energy policy that way.
EPA Proposes Changes to Oil and Gas Methane Rules
ENMG Analysis The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed changes to federal oil and gas methane rules established under the 2024 Clean Air Act standards. The proposal, announced October 27 and published in the Federal Register on October 29, would change rules covering new and existing sources, including third-party detection of large methane releases, lower-producing wells and the handling of gas produced alongside oil. The proposal is not a final rule.
Two Texas Gas Pipeline Expansions Enter Service
ENMG Analysis Two Texas gas pipeline expansions have entered service, adding firm transportation capacity for Houston-area delivery points and a planned power-plant conversion in South Texas. Williams now lists the Transco Gillis West and Wharton West projects as operational, but their in-service status does not establish how much natural gas is moving through them each day. Together, the two projects represent 285,000 dekatherms per day of incremental firm transportation capacity.
DOE Opens $237 Million Grid SCALED Program
ENMG Analysis The U.S. Department of Energy has opened a funding opportunity of up to $237 million aimed at easing supply constraints for transformers and other critical grid equipment. The Grid Supply Chain Alternatives to Lead Energy Dominance program, or Grid SCALED, will support projects to refurbish and reuse existing equipment or integrate domestically sourced alternative materials and components into manufacturing.
IEA Warns Energy Markets Won’t Normalize in 2027
International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol warned in October that global energy markets are unlikely to return to pre-war conditions in 2027. The Iran War’s Impact on Global Energy Markets In January, the IEA predicted a surplus in global oil and gas production in 2026 in its Oil Market Report. Global oil demand growth was expected to rise to 930,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2026 from 850,000 bpd in 2025.
ST LNG Federal Approval Raises an $8.2 Billion Question
ENMG Analysis The ST LNG federal approval clears a major regulatory hurdle for a proposed $8.2 billion liquefied natural gas export facility off the Texas coast. It does not establish that the project has secured financing, reached a final investment decision, or received authorization to begin construction. On October 28, the U.S. Maritime Administration announced that it had approved ST LNG’s deepwater-port license application.
Venezuelan Crude Reaches Corpus Christi
ENMG Analysis Venezuelan crude reaches Corpus Christi under a new agreement between the U.S. government and North American Blue Energy Partners. The 1-million-barrel delivery on October 27 could provide useful feedstock for complex Gulf Coast refineries. It does not, however, establish that the oil ultimately costs the government nothing, that 65 billion barrels are available for near-term use, or that one shipment will materially lower fuel prices.
Interior Seeks Court Review of Revolution Wind Approval
ENMG Analysis On October 9, attorneys for the Department of the Interior asked a federal court to send the agency’s 2023 Revolution Wind approval back for reconsideration under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The request concerns a wind farm that has already installed all 65 turbines, begun supplying power to New England, and is expected to reach its full 704-megawatt capacity by the end of 2026.
Virginia Data Center Development Plan Targets Grid Costs
Virginia, the global data center hub, has unveiled a new energy plan aimed at balancing rapid data center growth with the state’s affordability, reliability, and clean-energy goals. Virginia’s Data Center Market According to the Data Center Map, there are 674 data centers across 25 markets in Virginia. Most are located in Northern Virginia, a region that is widely considered the data center capital of the world.
What a Leaner Oilfield Workforce Means for the Next Boom
US crude oil production averaged 13.66 million barrels a day in 2025 on Energy Information Administration data, 56% more than in 2014. Employment went the other way. Jobs in oil and gas extraction and in support activities for oil and gas operations averaged about 522,000 in 2014 and about 330,000 in 2025 by Bureau of Labor Statistics counts, roughly 37% fewer. Drilling contractors, a separate industry in the BLS tables, lost about half their jobs over the same years.
SpaceX Power Demand Creates New Infrastructure Challenges
The rapid expansion of technology companies—including the buildout of AI data centers and increasingly ambitious space operations—is driving up U.S. energy demand. One company in particular, SpaceX, is expected to significantly increase its power demand in the coming years, which could drive new energy infrastructure challenges.
U.S. LNG Exports Enter a More Competitive Phase
A decade ago, the United States was only beginning to emerge from an energy outlook that had once assumed steadily rising dependence on imported natural gas. For years, the prevailing concern was that domestic production would struggle to keep pace with demand, leaving the country increasingly reliant on liquefied natural gas brought in from overseas. That expectation proved badly wrong.
James E. Campos FIU Fellowship Announcement
Energy Network Media Group Congratulates Advisory Board Member James E. Campos on FIU Senior Leadership Fellowship PRESS RELEASE – Energy Network Media Group proudly congratulates James E. Campos, a member of its Advisory Board, who is serving this fall as a 2026 Senior Leadership Fellow at Florida International University’s Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom. The fellowship connects students with experienced leaders for discussions about leadership, economic development and global affairs.
DOE Awards Up To $49.8 Million For Alaska Methane Hydrate Research
ENMG Analysis The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a five-year contract valued at up to $49.8 million to advance methane-hydrate research and potentially conduct another production test on Alaska’s North Slope. The award supports continued field work at a Prudhoe Bay Unit research site, but the project’s second phase is an option, not a guaranteed production campaign, and commercial viability remains unproven.
DOE $60 Million Funding Opportunity For Domestic Fuels
ENMG Analysis The U.S. Department of Energy says the proposed DOE $60 million funding opportunity would support projects developing chemicals, fertilizers, fuels and feedstocks from domestic resources and infrastructure. DOE posted the Notice of Intent (NOI) on October 13 and publicly announced the planned funding opportunity on October 14. It is not yet an open funding competition.
The New Energy Bottleneck Reshaping Global Energy
The new energy bottleneck is no longer simply crude supply. It is the global system’s ability to refine, insure, transport, store and deliver energy during war. How war is shifting the global energy crisis When I wrote The Great Energy Realignment several months ago, the central question was how the global energy system would cope with a sustained disruption of the Strait of Hormuz. For most of my career, a closure of Hormuz had been one of those dire scenarios that analysts modeled.
TVA Grid Expansion: DOE Backs $581M, 2.5 GW Plan
ENMG Analysis How Could DOE’s $581 Million TVA Grid Expansion Add 2.5 GW? The U.S. Department of Energy announced plans on October 13 to support 84 Tennessee Valley Authority transmission and distribution projects across eight states. The proposed $581 million package includes $250 million in federal funding and about $331 million in applicant cost share.
Iranian Crude Oil and Condensate Revenue Could Dry Up
Could Iranian Crude Oil and Condensate Revenue Dry Up by Mid-December? The trade analytics platform Kpler estimates that only about 8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil and condensate remained on the water beyond the U.S. blockade line in early October, down from nearly 90 million barrels in mid-July, which Kpler expects to be discharged by around October 18. The shipments outside the blockade are expected to be delivered to Chinese buyers, with payments potentially arriving by mid-December.
Texas Gas Storage Expansion Targets Gulf Coast Deliverability
ENMG Analysis NeuVentus announced on October 13 that it is expanding the first phase of its Texas Reliability Underground Hub, or TRU Hub, in Liberty County from about 20 billion cubic feet of working-gas capacity to 28 billion. The 8 Bcf addition is a 40% increase. The project is still under development, and its value will depend on customer contracts, financing, construction and operating performance.
PJM Emergency Grid Order Issued During October Heat
ENMG Analysis The new PJM emergency grid order authorizes PJM Interconnection to dispatch specified power plants and, as a last resort, direct certain large customers to use backup generation during a period of elevated electricity demand and constrained supply. The order, issued October 12 and effective October 13 through October 16, is intended to help PJM maintain reliability across its Mid-Atlantic-centered grid region.
Canada LNG Export Capacity Set to Double at Kitimat
Canada LNG Export Capacity Is Set to Double Canada plans to expand its liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity and develop a major new oil pipeline to strengthen its energy security and diversify its energy partners beyond the United States. This comes amid stalled negotiations for a revised United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and under far-reaching tariffs imposed by President Trump last year.
California Lease Sale Advances After First Gulf Benchmark
ENMG Analysis Federal oil and gas leasing is moving through different timelines. Onshore, the Bureau of Land Management is preparing a December 1, 2026, California lease sale offering 43 parcels in four counties after issuing the sale notice and opening a public protest period on October 1st. Offshore, BOEM’s December 10, 2025, Big Beautiful Gulf 1 sale remains relevant as the first Gulf sale required under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Tyler Refinery Expansion Tests Defense Production Act
Tyler Refinery Expansion Tests Defense Production Act ENMG Analysis Vice President JD Vance announced on October 13 that the Trump administration plans to use the Defense Production Act to support an expansion of Delek US Holdings’ refinery in Tyler, Texas. The announcement puts a federal industrial-policy tool behind a stated goal of increasing domestic fuel production, but leaves the project’s scale, cost, mechanism and schedule undisclosed.
MARVEL Microreactor Clears Final Safety Review
MARVEL Microreactor Clears Final Safety Review ENMG Analysis The U.S. Department of Energy has approved the final documented safety analysis for the MARVEL microreactor at Idaho National Laboratory, authorizing the project’s dry, near-zero-power criticality configuration. INL now anticipates conducting the experiment in December 2026, earlier than schedules previously published on DOE and INL project pages.
Supreme Court Climate Liability Case Tests State Claims
Almost a decade ago, Boulder County and the city of Boulder sued Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy over alleged climate-related damages. The U.S. Supreme Court is now considering whether those state-law claims can proceed toward trial. A ruling allowing the case to continue could strengthen dozens of similar lawsuits seeking billions of dollars from fossil fuel companies.
DOE Offers $4.2 Billion for Vistra Nuclear Uprates
ENMG Analysis The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing announced a conditional loan commitment of up to $4.2 billion for Vistra Corp.’s nuclear uprate and modernization program at Beaver Valley in Pennsylvania and Davis-Besse and Perry in Ohio.
Google Nuclear Uprates Will Add 890 MW to PJM
ENMG Analysis Google and Constellation Energy have announced a 20-year power purchase agreement supporting Google nuclear uprates at 11 existing reactors in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Constellation expects to invest more than $4.3 billion in the equipment and technology required to add 890 megawatts of generating capacity. The improvements are expected to add 890 megawatts of incremental capacity to the PJM Interconnection grid, with the first uprate targeted for delivery in 2028.
DOE Funds Silicon Carbide Nuclear Fuel Cladding
ENMG Analysis The U.S. Department of Energy is making up to $50 million available over three years for research and development of silicon carbide nuclear fuel cladding, with the immediate objective of producing full-length test rods for irradiation in research reactors.
Last Energy’s Texas Pilot Reactor Clears DOE Safety Analysis
Last Energy PWR-5 Clears DOE Safety Analysis ENMG Analysis Last Energy announced on October 7 that the U.S. Department of Energy approved the final Documented Safety Analysis for the company’s PWR-5 pilot reactor at Texas A&M–RELLIS. The Last Energy PWR-5 approval moves the project into DOE’s readiness review, the last step before the department could authorize startup activities involving criticality and reactor operations.
Why The Diesel-Gasoline Price Gap Has Grown So Large
Diesel Price Gap: Why Diesel Costs More Than Gasoline There was a time when diesel fuel was usually cheaper than gasoline in the United States. That relationship began to change about 20 years ago, and since then diesel has generally traded at a premium. Today, that premium is not just persistent but unusually large, which raises an obvious question: how did we get from gasoline typically costing more than diesel to diesel costing substantially more than gasoline? The answer has two parts.
FERC Transmission Siting Bill Targets Data Center Costs
FERC Transmission Siting Bill Would Make Data Centers Pay ENMG Analysis The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 would make two significant changes to U.S. electricity policy if enacted. It would expand the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s authority to site certain interstate transmission projects and require data centers and other computational loads of at least 20 megawatts to pay their full associated transmission and incremental costs.
West Virginia Nuclear Campus Bid Ends Over Spent Fuel
ENMG Analysis The West Virginia nuclear campus bid ended September 30 when the state withdrew from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus program following public and political controversy over spent fuel and radioactive-waste requirements. The state submitted a one-page, one-paragraph letter signed by state energy office chief Nick Preservati.
Small Utility Cybersecurity Gets $100M DOE Opportunity
DOE Opens $100 Million for the Utilities That Struggle Most With Cyber Defense ENMG Analysis On October 1, the U.S. Department of Energy announced its intent to fund $100 million in advanced cybersecurity technical assistance for electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and small investor-owned utilities.
Mine of the Future Projects Receive $29.5M From DOE
DOE Puts 29.5 Million Into Rethinking How Ore Gets Broken ENMG Analysis The U.S. Department of Energy has selected 17 national laboratory projects for $29.5 million in funding, subject to award negotiations, to improve domestic mining and critical-mineral processing. The selections include a $1.5 million Ames National Laboratory effort focused on changing how rare-earth ore is broken before separation.
Critical Minerals at Cleanup Sites: DOE Seeks Industry
The Government May Be Sitting on Critical Minerals at Its Own Cleanup Sites ENMG Analysis The U.S. Department of Energy is asking private industry whether materials remaining at five federal environmental cleanup sites could be transferred, processed, or reused in domestic supply chains. The initiative could create a pathway for recovering value from legacy nuclear and industrial infrastructure, but it is not a mining program, a subsidy, or a guaranteed commercial opportunity.
Deployable Energy Nuclear Battery Test Set for 2027
ENMG Analysis Deployable Energy has been selected to conduct the second reactor trial at the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments, or DOME, facility at Idaho National Laboratory in 2027. The Houston-based company plans to test its 1-megawatt-electric Nuclear Unity Battery, a transportable microreactor that uses light-water moderation and helium cooling. The National Reactor Innovation Center announced the selection after evaluating applications submitted during the latest competitive process.
South Korea Nuclear Investment: $120B for U.S. Reactors
ENMG Analysis South Korea has committed up to $120 billion to a U.S. nuclear power program involving eight large reactors, creating a potential pipeline of nearly 9.5 gigawatts of nameplate capacity while deepening commercial ties between Westinghouse and South Korea’s nuclear industry. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the agreement on September 30 as part of a broader $200 billion South Korean investment package covering three energy projects.
Battery Technology: U.S. Plays Catch-Up to China
The United States aims to increase domestic manufacturing and improve its battery technology in the coming years to compete with China. However, the North American giant is playing catch-up following years of development in China. Critical Minerals Dominance President Trump has stated aims to develop the United States’ capabilities in areas such as critical minerals and battery technology, in a bid to reduce reliance on China.
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