Britain approves the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, with gas due this month, as its energy secretary leans against the much bigger Rosebank oil field

The rest of the day

32 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Gas drove most of Britain's higher power bills

   Expensive gas caused nearly 90% of the rise in British household electricity bills since 2020, new figures from the think tank Nesta show. [11] Of a 180-pound rise in a typical yearly bill, after inflation, 161 pounds came from wholesale costs set by gas. [11] Contracts that pay wind and solar farms a fixed price now cut bills by about 17 pounds a year. [11] Wholesale gas stood at 220 pence a therm on 19 October, above its 2022 average. [11]

   Why it matters — It answers the claim that climate policies drove bills up: by these figures, the gas price did. [11] Bills may rise by as much as a quarter in January if gas stays this dear. [11]

2. 03

   Oil tanker costs rise fivefold

   Shipping crude oil from the Gulf to Asia on a large tanker cost more than 37 dollars a barrel by mid-October, the International Energy Agency says. [12] That is more than five times the cost before the war in the Middle East began in February. [12] Ships wait near the Strait of Hormuz, take longer routes and pass cargo between each other, so fewer are free to hire. [12] Drone attacks on a Saudi pipeline in September pushed rates higher. [12]

   Why it matters — Refiners in Asia lost money on Gulf crude in September because of these costs, the agency says. [12] Higher freight adds to energy costs in countries that rely on imports. [12]

3. 04

   India's biggest refiner trims its Gulf oil deals

   Indian Oil, India's largest refiner, plans to buy slightly less crude from Middle East producers under yearly contracts in 2027 and 2028, a source told Reuters. [13] Indian refiners have long bought more than half their crude from the region, because it is close. [13] The war, now in its eighth month, has made those supplies uncertain. [13] Refiners have turned to one-off purchases instead, and some first bought more Russian oil. [13]

   Why it matters — Gulf producers are now offering discounts on oil and on shipping to keep buyers like India. [13] Indian Oil also paused a plan to buy gas carrier ships after their price almost doubled. [13]

4. 05

   Texas drillers resist calls to drill more

   US oil prices have risen about 50% since the Strait of Hormuz crisis began in February. [14] Yet daily output in the Permian Basin, the biggest US oilfield, is only 1.5% higher, Semafor reports. [14] Diamondback Energy, which pumps about 4% of US oil, has raised its target for the year by only about 4%. [14] Its chief, Kaes Van't Hof, says drilling flat out would be economic suicide, and many drillers expect prices to crash. [14]

   Why it matters — President Trump keeps asking for more US drilling, and high fuel prices could hurt him in the midterm elections. [14] After past booms ended in price crashes, drillers now put steady cash for shareholders ahead of growth. [14]

5. 06

   Kinder Morgan spends 4.7 billion dollars on gas pipes

   Kinder Morgan, a big US pipeline company, approved 4.7 billion dollars on Wednesday as its share of two new gas pipelines. [15] One would carry gas about 470 miles to the US Southeast. [15] The other would carry gas about 434 miles from the Permian Basin in Texas to its network in the middle of the country. [15] The company says demand is rising from power plants, data centres and companies that ship gas abroad. [15]

   Why it matters — It is a bet that US demand for gas will keep rising, from power plants and data centres above all. [15] The two projects lifted the company's list of planned gas projects to a record. [15]

6. 07

   US moves to reopen a wind farm's permit

   The US Justice Department asked a federal court on Tuesday to send back the construction permit for New England Wind. [16] It is a 2-gigawatt wind farm planned off Massachusetts. [16] Two weeks earlier the Trump administration asked to reconsider the permit for Revolution Wind, which already makes power off Rhode Island and Connecticut. [16] In both cases it sides with groups suing to stop the projects. [16]

   Why it matters — Wind companies spend billions and nearly a decade on a project, and a permit that can be reopened later makes that harder to plan. [16] Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said the move could wreck a deal in the US Congress to speed up building permits. [16]

7. 08

   US solar deals get dearer on trade taxes

   The average cost of a US solar power deal, where a buyer agrees to pay a fixed price for years, rose 4.9% in three months. [17] It reached 64.23 dollars a megawatt-hour, according to LevelTen Energy, which runs a market for these deals. [17] It says new import taxes on equipment caused most of the rise. [17] More than half of solar panels have already been repriced, and the cost is being passed to buyers. [17]

   Why it matters — Big tech firms building data centres signed 99% of deals for new farms in the first quarter, and first-time buyers are the fewest since 2016. [17] Deals for new wind farms are scarce because federal permits are hard to get. [17]

8. 09

   Tesla installs more batteries for less money

   Tesla installed 13.7 gigawatt-hours of large batteries in the third quarter, 10% more than a year before. [18] But revenue from that business fell 16% to 2.88 billion dollars, partly because of refunds to customers over tariffs, Tesla said. [18] It did not say how much it refunded. [18] Tesla also says battery supply, not demand, held back its car deliveries, which fell 2% to 486,532. [19]

   Why it matters — Tesla says demand for its grid batteries is at a record, driven by data centres. [18] It has shipped its first big batteries made with its own cells from Nevada, as it tries to keep import taxes out of its costs. [18]

9. 10

   PG&E prices San Francisco's grid at 22.5 billion dollars

   PG&E, a big California power company, said a city takeover of its San Francisco grid would cost 22.5 billion dollars. [20] That is more than six times the 3.4 billion dollars the city cited in April. [20] San Francisco wants to run its own power lines to cut costs and improve service. [20] State regulators are now weighing the value of the wires and the cost of splitting them off. [20]

   Why it matters — Regulators have already ruled that the city must pay the highest value a buyer might pay. [20] PG&E says its figures show a takeover makes no financial sense for customers. [20]

10. 11

    New Mexico runs ahead of its clean power law

    New Mexico's 2019 law asked its main power companies to get 50% of their electricity from renewables by 2030. [21] The state passed 50% in 2024. [21] PNM, its biggest utility, made 80% of its power without carbon last year. [21] PNM has now asked to build 800 megawatts of wind, 240 of solar and 610 of batteries, with one small gas plant as backup. [21]

    Why it matters — Some green groups oppose that gas plant, and the regulator may not decide until mid-2027. [21] The state found it harder to help laid-off coal workers than to build the new power plants. [21]

11. 12

    New York approves two clean heating networks

    New York's utility regulator approved two networks that heat buildings with warmth from the ground and from sewers, instead of gas. [22] One in Haverstraw, a Hudson River town, will cost 50 million dollars and link up to 30 buildings, including a primary school. [22] The other, in Buffalo, will cost 61 million dollars. [22] The regulator turned down nine other plans, which would have needed about 1 billion dollars from customers. [22]

    Why it matters — A network like this switches the heating of a whole neighbourhood at once, instead of one boiler at a time. [22] The state will put in 93 million dollars to offset the cost to customers. [22]

12. 13

    Massachusetts bill may slow free home insulation

    Mass Save, the energy-saving programme in the US state of Massachusetts, insulates homes for free. [23] In 21 poorer areas with many renters, families do not have to prove their income first. [23] A clause in a state energy bill would make middle-income families in those areas send pay slips and tax forms again. [23] Projects for middle-income homes rose from about 700 in 2023 to more than 8,200 in 2025. [23]

    Why it matters — Insulation can cut a home's energy bill by hundreds of dollars a year. [23] The jump followed the end of the paperwork, and supporters say renters and poorer homes have long missed out. [23]

13. 14

    A US bill for plug-in balcony solar

    Rob Menendez, a Democratic congressman from New Jersey, introduced the first US federal bill on Monday to make plug-in solar panels legal. [24] These are one to four panels that plug into a normal wall socket, often on a balcony. [24] The bill would make every state's power regulator consider rules for them. [24] It would also help poorer households buy them. [24]

    Why it matters — A plug-in set can pay for itself in about 2.5 years, against 10 or more for a rooftop system. [24] It lets renters, who cannot change a roof, make some of their own power. [24]

14. 15

    Nevada geothermal sale raises less money

    The US Bureau of Land Management sold leases to tap underground heat on 60 pieces of federal land in Nevada on Tuesday. [25] They covered about 187,000 acres and raised about 4.83 million dollars. [25] A similar sale in Nevada last year raised about 9.4 million dollars. [25] Two of the plots overlap a large solar farm that NextEra Energy, a big US power company, wants to build there. [25]

    Why it matters — The agency told NextEra it must work around whoever holds the heat lease. [25] It shows two kinds of clean power competing for the same desert land. [25]

15. 16

    US disaster survivors organise

    People who lived through floods, fires and storms in the US are forming a political group, the Guardian reports. [26] Extreme Weather Survivors now has about 2,500 members across the country. [26] At a meeting this month near Kerrville, Texas, where floods killed 136 people in 2025, only one of the candidates invited came. [26] Several survivors there said they were still waiting for help from FEMA, the US disaster agency. [26]

    Why it matters — President Trump has cut FEMA and is accused of holding back help from states that did not vote for him. [26] Some members avoid the words climate change, because they say the term divides people. [26]

16. 17

    Inquiry faults Ruidoso before a deadly flood

    Leaders in Ruidoso, a mountain town in New Mexico, played down flood warnings before a July 2025 flood killed two children, a ProPublica investigation published by Grist finds. [27] Wildfires in 2024 had left the hills above the town unable to soak up rain. [27] Less than two weeks before the flood, the town told residents to stop sharing fearful flood posts online. [27] The mayor and fire chief disputed the reporting or did not answer questions. [27]

    Why it matters — After hot fires, slopes across the American West can send floods and mud down fast, and towns have no easy tool to measure that risk. [27] Ruidoso has received over half a billion dollars in disaster money since 2024. [27]

17. 18

    MPs say Britain is not ready for wildfires

    A committee of British MPs that covers the environment and farming says the country is not ready for worsening wildfires. [28] Fire services have gone to more than 1,300 wildfires in England and Wales this year, more than in all of 2025. [28] Britain has no planes to fight fires from the air and no national wildfire plan. [28] The MPs want one, and want farms allowed to build ponds for firefighting water. [28]

    Why it matters — Alistair Carmichael, the committee's chair, said Britain's government should start preparing for 2027 now. [28] Most wildfires are started by people, so the MPs also want public warnings and limits on throwaway barbecues. [28]

18. 19

    Britain's grid strained by both heat and cold

    A report by experts from the Royal Meteorological Society says weather pushed Britain's power grid to its limits in the year to March 2026. [29] Wind and solar made more than 38% of the country's electricity and gas 25%, and renewables' share was the highest on record. [29] On 6 January, a freezing still evening, the wind dropped and gas plants supplied more than 25 gigawatts. [29] The grid operator paid up to 700 pounds a megawatt-hour for that power, against just over 100 for the rest of January. [29]

    Why it matters — In heatwaves the grid also has to send less power down its lines, because hot wires sag. [29] The report says the planned grid upgrade must be built for both kinds of extreme. [29]

19. 20

    Two named storms head for Britain and Ireland

    Britain's Met Office has named a second storm, Boelo, which will follow Storm Austen within two days. [30] Austen brings an amber warning for winds of 60 to 70 mph in Cornwall and parts of Devon on Friday morning. [30] Ireland has an orange rain warning for six counties, including Dublin and Cork. [31] Boelo brings amber warnings for gusts of 70 to 80 mph in western Scotland on Saturday. [30]

    Why it matters — Forecasters warn of fallen trees, travel disruption and some power cuts. [30] The ground is already wet, so there is a risk of local flooding. [30]

20. 21

    Northern Ireland may miss its 2030 energy goals

    A committee of Northern Ireland's assembly says time is running out to meet the 2030 targets in its energy plan. [32] The 2021 plan aims for at least 80% of electricity to come from renewables, and for the economy to stop adding carbon by 2050. [32] Businesses told the committee that unclear rules and delays could push investment to Britain, Ireland and other parts of Europe. [32] About 124 million pounds of public money has gone into energy schemes since 2020. [32]

    Why it matters — The committee's chair, Daniel McCrossan, said Northern Ireland's government must create the conditions for investment, or it will go elsewhere. [32] The committee said there can be no further delay. [32]

21. 22

    Britain plans to change nature rules for nuclear

    Britain's government wants new nuclear plants to pay into a shared nature fund instead of protecting wildlife at each site, Inside Climate News reports. [33] At Hinkley Point C, a nuclear plant being built in Somerset, protections for fish are set to cost more than 926 million dollars. [33] Underwater speakers to scare fish from its cooling pipes are expected to save fewer than one salmon a year. [33] One environmental law specialist called the plan ecologically illiterate. [33]

    Why it matters — Britain is betting more than 22 billion dollars on new nuclear plants by 2030, and wants them built faster. [33] The shared fund would be run by Natural England, England's nature regulator. [33]

22. 23

    Heatwaves could force power cuts in Spain

    A study in the journal Nature Energy modelled hundreds of possible heatwaves in western Europe between 2026 and 2030. [34] In heat, people use more power for cooling, power plants make less, and hot power lines can carry less. [34] Spain's grid ran into limits and had to cut power to some users in the model. [34] Germany's grid coped far better. [34]

    Why it matters — The authors say grid planners should test for heatwaves, which are getting hotter and longer. [34] Batteries that start full helped, but only partly. [34]

23. 24

    Typhoon Champi becomes the year's strongest storm

    Super Typhoon Champi reached winds of about 185 mph on Tuesday in the Philippine Sea, the strongest of any storm this year. [35] By Wednesday it had slowed to 175 mph and was about 430 nautical miles south of a US air base in Okinawa, Japan. [35] It was expected to weaken over the next day. [35] Champi is the 25th storm of the year in the north-west Pacific. [35]

    Why it matters — The Atlantic's strongest storm this year, Hurricane Isaias, peaked at about 120 mph. [35] In El Nino years Atlantic hurricanes tend to slow while parts of the Pacific get busier. [35]

24. 25

    El Nino lowers the sea, and mangroves may die

    El Nino has pushed sea levels up to 40 cm higher in the eastern Pacific, and lower around northern Australia, New Scientist reports. [36] Mangroves, salt-water trees on the shore, need regular flooding by the tide. [36] In 2015 to 2016, a long drop in sea level killed about 76 square kilometres of mangroves in Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria. [36] Scientists now expect wide dieback along the coast west of the gulf. [36]

    Why it matters — A 2025 satellite study found sea-level changes caused about a third of the damage to mangrove canopies worldwide in 2015 to 2016. [36] Shallow corals and seagrass can also dry out when the sea falls. [36]

25. 26

    New Guinea fires break a carbon record

    Fires in Papua New Guinea had released nearly 32 million tonnes of carbon by 19 October, more than in any year on record by that date. [37] Drought linked to El Nino has dried out New Guinea, the world's second-largest island. [37] Parts of its south went more than 90 days without rain. [37] Smoke has delayed flights and closed schools, NASA reports. [37]

    Why it matters — People light most of these fires, to clear land or farm, and in a drought they spread. [37] Rains usually arrive in early November. [37]

26. 27

    Rio Tinto plans a hot-brick heat battery

    Rio Tinto, one of the world's biggest mining companies, has started design work on a heat battery at its Yarwun alumina refinery in Queensland, Australia. [38][39] The battery heats bricks with cheap daytime electricity and uses that heat to make steam later. [39] It would store 360 megawatt-hours and replace some of the coal and gas the refinery burns for steam. [38][39] Australia's renewable energy agency could put in up to 38 million Australian dollars. [38]

    Why it matters — It would supply only about 5% of the refinery's steam, but cut about 67,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. [39] Factory heat is one of the hardest uses of fossil fuel to replace. [38]

27. 28

    Italy's solar power jumps 27%

    Italy's solar panels made 5.32 terawatt-hours in September, 27.1% more than a year before, the grid operator Terna says. [40] Most of the rise came from new panels, and some from sunnier weather. [40] Italy added 4,834 megawatts of solar in the first nine months of 2026. [40] But renewables covered 39.4% of demand, less than a year before, because demand rose 6.5%. [40]

    Why it matters — Power from non-renewable sources rose 11.8%, so most of the extra demand was not met by clean power. [40] Italy also added fewer batteries this year than last. [40]

28. 29

    Morocco seeks builders for 350 MW of solar

    Masen, Morocco's state agency for clean energy, has asked companies to apply to build at least 350 megawatts of solar farms. [41] The six plants would be spread across five regions, from Casablanca to Guelmim. [41] Applications close on 30 November. [41] Morocco had about 1,285 megawatts of large solar farms by the end of 2025. [41]

    Why it matters — Morocco wants 52% of its power-making capacity to be renewable by 2030, up from 45.5% in mid-2025. [41] A Chinese company runs what is described as Africa's first battery factory in Morocco. [41]

29. 30

    Engie builds its first French solar and battery park

    Engie, a big French energy company, has started building a 29.8-megawatt solar farm with a battery on a former quarry in central France. [42] The battery stores midday power and sends it out later, when the grid needs it more. [42] Both share one grid connection, which Engie says cuts costs. [42] The site should start working in December 2027. [42]

    Why it matters — Fewer requests to connect to the grid means lower costs, Engie says. [42] It has 10.7 gigawatts of batteries working or being built around the world. [42]

30. 31

    A Spanish region plans a tax on solar farms

    Castilla y Leon, a region of Spain, plans to tax large ground-mounted solar farms from 2027 by the land they cover. [43] It already taxes wind farms, reservoirs and big power lines this way. [43] The region says its people bear the harm of power that is used elsewhere. [43] UNEF, Spain's solar industry group, called the tax unjustified. [43]

    Why it matters — It would be the third Spanish region to tax solar farms, after Aragon and La Rioja. [43] The money would go into the regional budget, not to the towns that host the farms. [43]

31. 32

    Nigeria's Dangote buys into Kenya's fuel pipelines

    Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian billionaire, said on Wednesday that his company has bought a 25% stake in the Kenya Pipeline Company. [45] The company carries petrol and other fuels across Kenya. [45] Last month Dangote laid the first stone of a planned 16-billion-dollar oil refinery at Lamu port in Kenya. [45] He already runs a refinery of similar size near Lagos. [45]

    Why it matters — Dangote says Africa should stop exporting raw materials and sell finished products instead. [45] Kenya's president, William Ruto, had mentioned the investment a day earlier without naming the buyer. [45]

32. 33

    Electric diggers arrive in Brazil

    SDLG, a Chinese maker of building machines, has made its first sale in Brazil: six large electric wheel loaders. [44] The buyer is Grupo Base, a Brazilian mining and building company with about 450 heavy machines. [44] The biggest loaders weigh 27 tonnes and run on 423-kilowatt-hour batteries. [44] They are meant to work a full day and charge between shifts. [44]

    Why it matters — Grupo Base runs more than 30 concrete plants and 20 stone and sand sites, with over 2,000 staff. [44] Electric loaders move earth without engine noise or exhaust on site. [44]