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The week in Global Energy & Infrastructure
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Traffic through the Strait fell sharply as attacks, competing demands, and stalled diplomacy prolonged the standoff. By week’s end, producers, buyers, and governments were planning alternate routes and insurance for a disruption that could last a year, even as demand weakness limited the price surge.
Data-center expansion moved from a generation-equipment bottleneck into a broader grid-planning and financing problem. Texas faced unmatched interconnection demand, Virginia shifted transmission costs toward data centers, and developers increasingly turned to gas turbines and onsite power.
Extreme heat, drought, and marine conditions cut nuclear output across Europe and shut Romania’s Cernavoda plant after low Danube levels limited cooling. The disruptions broadened into a wider infrastructure-resilience problem involving power, transport, buildings, and water systems.
The grounded tanker’s leak progressed from an offshore incident to coastline contamination and a slick of roughly 1,300 square kilometres. Cleanup, habitat, liability, and maritime-safety risks now overlap with the effort to keep Gulf oil moving.
Ukrainian strikes spread from Russian refineries to the Baltic export gateway, while refinery damage and export restrictions pushed Russian diesel shipments to multiyear lows. The attacks are raising the risk of regional shortages, higher shipping costs, and disrupted energy flows.
The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell below 300 million barrels and approached levels that could complicate future withdrawals and threaten cavern integrity. The drawdown leaves Washington with less protection against another major supply disruption and could take years to reverse.
Drone strikes damaged Libya’s largest operating refinery and nearby power infrastructure, deepening risks to both fuel availability and electricity reliability. Further attacks could halt refinery operations and increase dependence on imports in an already fragmented system.
Falling Chinese refinery inventories could revive purchases of Iranian crude, giving Tehran more export revenue. The United States is considering sanctions on those buyers, creating a new confrontation that could restrict Iranian flows while tightening global supply.
Day’s Recap