World:
¶ “As Trump Pitches Venezuelan Oil Dream For US Companies, Experts Warn It Won’t Be Cheap Or Easy” • President Trump has his sights on Venezuela’s oil. If consolidated with US oil business, about one third of global oil reserves could end up under the US’ control. But experts are skeptical about Trump’s plans, saying they won’t be cheap or easy. [Euronews]
Oil wells on Lake Maracaibo (LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Trump Demands Venezuela Kick Out China And Russia, Then Partner Only With US On Oil” • The Trump administration told Venezuela’s interim president that the regime must meet its demands before being allowed to pump any more oil: First, kick out China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba; then partner with the US on oil production and favor the US on sales. [ABC News]
¶ “Why Venezuela’s Oil Won’t Matter And Why Heavy Crude Is First Off the Market” • The idea of the importance of Venezuelan oil is usually framed as a latent supply story: A large reserve base exists somewhere and could be tapped if only politics aligned. The story is partly based on the mistaken idea that oil is a single interchangeable commodity. [CleanTechnica]
Oil tanker (Ian Simmonds, Unsplash)
¶ “NIO Passes A Million Vehicles” • “NIO’s millionth vehicle rolled off the production line at NIO Factory Two in Hefei, Anhui Province, marking another significant milestone for the company,” NIO wrote. NIO decided to donate this millionth vehicle. The NIO ES8 was donated to the Micius Quantum Foundation in Anhui, China. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ecopower Bags €200 Million For Irish Wind Build” • Irish developer Ecopower has secured over €200 million of project financing that will enable construction at a 100-MW wind farm with 22 turbines in the Republic of Ireland. The project has not been named but is understood to be for the Upperchurch project in County Tipperary. [reNews]
Rahora windfarm, Kilkenny (Ecopower image)
¶ “Boralex Powers Up Its First North American Storage Site” • Boralex commissioned the 80-MW, 320-MWh Sanjgon battery energy storage facility in Ontario, its first operational storage site in North America. The company said the project, developed with Walpole Island First Nation, marks a major milestone in its 2030 strategy and expansion into large-scale storage. [reNews]
¶ “Nordex Lands 414-MW European Turbine Haul” • Nordex has secured orders for fifteen wind projects in France, Belgium and Portugal totaling more than 414 MW. The company said the contracts cover 78 turbines and include multi-year service and maintenance arrangements. Nordex added that all turbine deliveries are scheduled for 2027. [reNews]
Wind turbine (Nordex image)
¶ “Bowen Says Renewables Transition Is On Track After 7 GW Is Added To The Grid In 2025” • Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen insists Australia is on track to meet the government’s flagship target of 82% renewable energy by 2030. Solar, wind, and other renewables supplied about 50% of all power in the grid in the last quarter of 2025. [pv magazine Australia]
¶ “UTS solar And Wind PPA To Power Sydney Campus” • In a move to accelerate its Climate Positive Plan, the University of Technology Sydney has secured a 10-year Power Purchase Agreement with Australian renewable energy retailer, Flow Power. The PPA is unique, as it provides a virtual link to specific, traceable renewable projects. [Ecogeneration]
University of Technology Sydney campus (UTS image)
¶ “Japan Stops Chubu Electric’s Nuclear Review Due To Flawed Seismic Data” • Japan’s nuclear regulatorsaid it was halting the review to restart Chubu Electric Power’s only nuclear plant, two days after the company reported bad seismic data handling for the review. The Hamaoka nuclear plant has been idled since the 2011 Fukushima Disaster. [The Japan Times]
US:
¶ “Ford EV Sales Drop In The US, But Not As Badly As We Had Expected” • Somewhat happily, Ford did better than we expected in the fourth quarter. It didn’t do really well, like Cadillac, but it had a loss of EV sales like Kia and Volkswagen. We say somewhat happily because, let’s be frank, the results aren’t good. They just aren’t truly terrible. [CleanTechnica]
Ford Mustang Mach-E (Adrian Newell, Unsplash)
¶ “Enormous Chevrolet EV Sales Drop In The Fourth Quarter” • GM is doing well with Cadillac, whose sales in the fourth quarter were about the same in 2026 as they were in 2025, despite the change in incentives. Sales of most Chevrolet brands are taking a hit, however. The Silverado EV’s drop was not as big, but it was of low volume to begin with. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Connecticut, Rhode Island Sue Over Revolution Wind” • The states of Connecticut and Rhode Island have asked a federal District Court for an injunction against President Trump’s suspension of work on Ørsted’s 704-MW Revolution Wind. Both states are set to acquire power from the project, which Orsted said is 87% complete. [reNews]
Offshore wind marshaling site (Ørsted image)
¶ “A Tesla Finally Completes Coast-To-Coast Journey Driving Itself The Whole Way!” • In October 2016, Elon Musk said that by the end of 2017, a Tesla would drive completely by itself from Los Angeles to New York City. That didn’t happen. And it didn’t happen year after year, for a long time. But nearly a decade later, it did finally happen. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ørsted Challenges Sunrise Wind Lease Suspension” • Ørsted will file a complaint in the US District Court for the District of Columbia challenging a lease suspension order that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued in December for the 924-MW Sunrise Wind project. Ørsted believes the lease suspension order violates applicable law. [reNews]
Have a wisely intentional day.
geoharvey 
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