Data center boom the new frontier for energy investment
The AI-driven surge in electricity demand is opening up new growth opportunities...
The AI-driven surge in electricity demand is opening up new growth opportunities for energy companies, particularly in Texas, where data center development is accelerating. Companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron and Diamondback Energy are moving into the power generation business, while gas-fired plant developer NRG Energy is scaling up its footprint with new projects and its first power plant acquisitions in a decade.
The American Society of Civil Engineers' 2025 Infrastructure Report Card gave the US its highest grade ever--a C--highlighting modest but meaningful improvements across sectors like ports, drinking water and broadband, while noting declines in energy and rail. Despite increased funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the US still faces a $3.7 trillion investment gap and must prioritize long-term resilience, data transparency and consistent funding to close it, ASCE says.
In mid-March, natural gas storage was 23% below the level a year prior...
In mid-March, natural gas storage was 23% below the level a year prior and 11.5% below the five-year average. This low level has raised concerns that refilling U.S. and European storage could be much more challenging than expected if high temperatures appear in early summer. Factoring in an additional LNG export demand pull of 7.5 Bcf/d by year-end from new buildouts on Plaquemines 1 and 2 along with Corpus Christi 3 and Golden Pass, then one could expect a strong demand pull to continue.
The immense projected energy needs of artificial intelligence (AI) will also continue to pull on natural gas demand as new power grids are built out over the next few years. Microsoft’s planned Stargate AI supercomputer alone may require as much as four to six gigawatts of power, almost equivalent to the power needs of a large city such as New York.
RFK Jr. said he’s cutting 10,000 health department jobs. Health...
RFK Jr. said he’s cutting 10,000 health department jobs. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced yesterday that he’s planning to scrap 10,000 full-time employees across departments as part of the Trump administration’s effort to upend the federal health workforce. Those cuts are in addition to the 10,000 health employees who took voluntary buyouts after President Trump took office. Per the Wall Street Journal, Kennedy wants to centralize several departments, including communications and policy planning, which would significantly change how the agency operates. Critics argue the massive reductions will hamstring critical work like preventing disease outbreaks and approving medicines.
Paramount and NBCUniversal are reportedly feuding over whose streaming service has the rights to upcoming Yellowstone spinoffs.
The Sundance Film Festival is leaving Park City, Utah, and headed to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027 following a yearlong search process to find a new home that can accommodate the buzzy event.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she is unlikely to open an investigation into the Signal national security leak.
Hooters plans to end “bikini night” and make its restaurants more family-friendly as part of the chain’s turnaround effort, Bloomberg reported
U.S. Natural Gas Futures Gain as April Contract Expires
U.S. natural gas futures shake off a bearish storage report and settle...
U.S. natural gas futures shake off a bearish storage report and settle higher as the market looks to demand for gas to refill inventories over the summer. Prices fell after the EIA reported a bigger-than-expected 37 Bcf injection into storage last week, and recovered later in the session. The storage injection reduced the deficit against the five-year average and the year-ago level. The Nymex April contract goes off the board at $3.95/mmBtu, up 2.3%, and gas for May delivery settles up 1.4% at $3.925.
