At least six ships - a fraction of the usual traffic - have crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, shipping data showed on Wednesday, while the U.S. and Iran remain deadlocked over coming to terms that would re-open the crucial waterway. The vessel traffic was mainly through Iranian waters and included the Vast Plus chemical tanker, which is subject to US sanctions, according to Kpler ship-tracking data and satellite analysis from SynMax. Most of the ships were dry bulk [Read more]

The largest U.S. power grid operator - PJM Interconnection - said on Wednesday that it will begin processing new power plant applications this week after working through a years-long backlog of projects. PJM, which controls the flow of electricity on transmission lines across 13 Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, is facing electricity shortfalls due to a recent surge in power demand from data centers that has outpaced the addition of new supply. The grid operator, serving about one in five [Read more]

U.S. crude stocks, gasoline and distillate inventories fell last week, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Crude inventories fell by 6.2 million barrels to 459.5 million barrels in the week ended April 24, the EIA said, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 231,000-barrel draw. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub dropped by 796,000 barrels in the week, the EIA said. Oil futures briefly extended gains following the [Read more]

Ares Management said it has acquired a stake in the Rover natural gas pipeline from a unit of fellow investment firm Blackstone for an undisclosed sum, as interest in U.S. energy infrastructure assets grows. In a statement sent to Reuters, Ares said funds led by its Infrastructure Opportunities strategy would buy 32.4% of Rover, a pipeline system spanning around 700 miles (1,130 km) in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Michigan which moves natural gas from the Appalachian shale basin to [Read more]

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Iran to 'get smart soon' and sign a deal, following days of deadlock in efforts to end the conflict and a media report that the U.S. would extend its blockade of Iran's ports. In a post on Truth Social, Trump, who has said Iran can call if it wants to talk and has stressed repeatedly Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon, said the country 'couldn't get its act together.' The Wall Street Journal cited U.S. officials as saying the president had [Read more]

The United Arab Emirates' planned exit from OPEC and the wider OPEC+ alliance from May 2026 is expected to have limited immediate impact on oil markets but could weaken the group's supply discipline and price-management ability over time, HSBC said in a research note on Tuesday. The UAE, one of OPEC's largest producers, said on Tuesday it would leave both OPEC and OPEC+, dealing a blow to the producers' group as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran disrupts energy flows. In the near term, HSBC [Read more]