RBN Energy Blogcast

Natural gas prices at the Waha hub in West Texas plunged below zero again recently after force majeure and maintenance events across multiple pipelines left Permian producers scrambling to move their gas out. Persistent congestion will remain a big headache this fall and likely again in the spring, before the new Blackcomb and Hugh Brinson pipelines come online in 2026. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll highlight the importance of gas-flow analysis and pipeline modeling to preview our upcoming Natural Gas Master Class, which features real-world examples from today’s market, including a look at recent negative pricing in the Permian and Appalachian outflows on Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). 

Ten years ago, U.S. exports of natural gas in the form of LNG were a footnote in the market. But that all changed in 2016. In February of that year, the first shipment of LNG from the Lower 48 states set sail when the vessel Asia Vision departed from Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass export terminal in Louisiana. This was the culmination of a remarkable turnaround, not only at Sabine Pass, but for the U.S. natural gas market as a whole. Eight years earlier, Sabine Pass had been completed as an import terminal, as it was projected that the U.S. would face significant shortages of natural gas supplies. Shale turned that business model on its head. 

Data center mania is sweeping across the U.S., grabbing headlines and spurring investor interest. It has now reached Louisiana, where Meta is building one of the largest developments in the Western Hemisphere. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look at two gigantic projects planned for Louisiana, the early challenges the Bayou State faced in luring developers, and why it may now be a strong contender to emerge as a major Southern data center hub after a relatively slow start. 

The numbers out of Eddy and Lea counties in southeastern New Mexico are nothing short of staggering. Crude oil production at 2.3 MMb/d, or one-sixth of total U.S. output. Natural gas production north of 9 Bcf/d and rising fast. More than 90 active rigs — again, one-sixth of the U.S. total. Many top E&Ps are stoked about the Northern Delaware Basin because of its stacked benches of high-quality, crude-saturated shale and carbonate formations. But much of the associated gas emerging from wells in Lea County is “off-spec” — tainted by levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2) that need to be dealt with — and producers and midstreamers have been scrambling to develop the sour-gas-related infrastructure required to support production growth. In today’s RBN blog, we begin a detailed look at the Northern Delaware’s existing and planned infrastructure for handling sour gas, including special gas gathering systems, amine treatment facilities, acid gas injection (AGI) wells, sweet gas pipelines and processing plants. 

The last three years have seen historic changes in the U.S. octane market. The wholesale value of octane, the primary yardstick of gasoline quality and price, spiked threefold in 2022, followed by another year of high values in 2023. The numbers for 2024 and (so far) 2025 have been more stable, but still historically high. In today’s RBN blog, we look at why retail octane values have risen so high and why refiners have been capturing only a small share of the corresponding increase. 

Although Labor Day has passed, most of the country is still enjoying balmy and relatively tranquil weather as we approach the onset of fall. However, a decline in crude oil prices since a mid-June peak has induced a profound chill in the boardrooms of oil and gas producers. Investors are becoming increasingly nervous as the crude spot price approaches $60/bbl, a widely accepted inflection point that, if breached, could threaten the post-pandemic financial stability the industry has enjoyed. In today’s RBN blog, we review the midyear adjustments to 2025 capital budgets and explore investment trends that could impact future production and results. 

This summer, like the spring, winter and fall that preceded it, has seen a lot of dealmaking among midstreamers. And not just M&A and divestitures by the folks who gather, transport and process hydrocarbons but a major acquisition — and a rare IPO! — in the produced water slice of the midstream pie. Apples and oranges, maybe, but there are two common themes, namely that bigger is better and that zeroing in on core areas is key. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss some of the most significant midstream deals of Q3 2025. 

The data center boom is sweeping across the country and Texas has garnered more proposals for new centers than almost any other state. If every planned project were to go forward, it would mean nearly 9 gigawatts (GW) of additional electricity demand, or just over 1 Bcf/d of natural gas. That’s enough to power the entire country of Switzerland. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll check out the biggest planned data centers across the Lone Star State and give a quick rundown on where things stand for each one. 

OPEC+ is ramping up production, WTI is hanging below $65/bbl, and Permian crude oil production growth has slowed to a crawl, raising the question of whether oil output in the U.S.’s #1 shale play might, in fact, be peaking. That’s making some folks on the NGL side of things a little skittish. They’re wondering what a leveling off — or an outright decline — in Permian crude production would mean for associated gas and the volumes of Y-grade being piped to Mont Belvieu and other fractionation hubs. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss a new model that forecasts Permian NGL production under a variety of scenarios. 

Oil and gas producers’ interest in each of the U.S.’s shale and tight-rock production areas has waxed and waned over the past quarter century or so. First it was the Barnett Shale, the birthplace of the Shale Revolution in the late 1990s. Then came the Fayetteville, Haynesville, Marcellus/Utica, Eagle Ford, Bakken, Permian, Denver-Julesburg (DJ) and SCOOP/STACK. And, as always, E&Ps are looking for “the next big thing.” The Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah certainly isn’t a Permian, Bakken or Eagle Ford, and it may not even be a DJ, but production of its unusual waxy crude has been on a tear lately, and a lot of people are asking how much further Uinta production can grow and how long those higher levels could continue. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss highlights from our new Drill Down Report on the Uinta. 

Merger activity this year has been frequent in Canada’s oil and gas sector as companies strive for scale and efficiencies in an increasingly competitive landscape. The latest M&A salvo arrived in late August when MEG Energy agreed to a takeover offer from Cenovus Energy to create the largest bitumen producer in Alberta’s oil sands. With billions of barrels of reserves up for development, it is a chance for Cenovus to further consolidate and expand its existing lead in bitumen output from the oil sands. However, what might seem a straightforward corporate merger has been buffeted by a rival bid from Strathcona Resources in its attempt to create scale and ensure its own long-term competitiveness. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll examine the details of the two offers and what is at stake for all involved. 

The refining industry is complex and unpredictable. Recent plant closures in the U.S. and abroad, as well as mounting pressure to produce more renewable diesel (RD) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), have shifted the landscape. In addition, an eight-year battle over CITGO’s three U.S. refineries has taken a new direction. Despite these shifts, the refining industry has remained resilient. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss how refineries balance these changes and make choices to shape their future, the focus of our upcoming Refined Fuels Master Class. Warning: Today’s blog is a blatant advertorial. 

North America is an integrated energy market so deeply connected that it functions as one massive, interdependent system for the three “drillbit hydrocarbons”: crude oil, natural gas and NGLs. But the rapid changes happening in the market now — driven not only by supply/demand dynamics and evolving infrastructure but also regulatory policies and political pressures — mean it’s more important than ever to talk about how the ongoing relationship between the U.S. and Canada will evolve and strengthen in the coming years. That was the focus of our School of Energy Canada and the subject of today’s RBN blog. Warning: Today’s blog includes some blatant plugs for a newly available replay of our recent conference in Calgary. 

Which is true, A or B? (A) Data center demand to power AI applications is the most transformative force to hit energy markets in years, or (B) This is one of the most overhyped, inflated narratives ever. We hear a constant stream of announcements, promotions and proclamations from developers, tech giants, utilities and politicians, many predicting a revolutionary surge in electricity and gas demand that will change everything. At the same time, others warn of a speculative bubble destined to pop. As we discuss in today’s RBN blog, sorting out which side is closer to reality is one of the most important questions facing U.S. energy markets. 

For most of us, matching spending with income is the logical path to financial stability. However, after decades of aggressive investment in search of growth, the “dollars in equals dollars out” method of allocating free cash flow has been an adjustment for many U.S. oil and gas producers. Their post-pandemic concentration on keeping capital spending well below inflows, maintaining healthy leverage ratios and directing excess funds to reward shareholders with dividends and stock buybacks has revitalized the industry and restored investor confidence. But ebbing commodity prices have upped the difficulty of this quarterly zero-sum game. In today’s RBN blog, we will analyze the shifts detected in Q2 2025 cash allocation of the 38 major U.S. E&Ps we cover. 

After a decade of regulatory and legal challenges, Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) finally came into service in the middle of last year. The 2-Bcf/d pipeline — soon to be expanded to 2.5 Bcf/d via additional compression — was designed to ease natural gas takeaway constraints out of the Marcellus/Utica and help production there break past its current plateau near 36 Bcf/d, but bottlenecks on the massive Transco Pipeline have complicated matters. In today’s RBN blog, we look at efforts to unleash more Appalachian gas in the domestic market, focusing on the Southside Reliability Enhancement Project (SREP), which has enabled more gas to reach North Carolina. 

Refineries in Europe, Latin America, Russia and China are facing a host of issues that could ultimately benefit U.S. refiners. Europe has high operating costs and political pressures. Attacks have damaged Russia’s refineries, and the country continues to get blasted with steeper sanctions. China’s aging plants are closing and there are no new large-scale projects on the horizon. Latin America lags in capacity growth. In today’s RBN blog, we look at how these global issues are boosting opportunities for U.S. refiners. 

U.S. interstates are populated with electronic displays that update drivers in real-time on traffic conditions, road closures, weather alerts and other important events. If there was a sign for executives steering our nation’s oil and gas producers, it would likely read “Poor Visibility, Slow Down Ahead.” After a short-lived price rally in Q1 2025, the industry faced lower commodity realizations and macroeconomic headwinds in Q2 2025, which spooked investors and hardened a cautious investment approach. In today’s RBN blog, we analyze the latest results of the 39 major U.S. E&P companies we cover and look at what’s ahead. 

The fact is, many major E&P acquisitions include at least some production assets that don’t align with the acquiring company’s long-term strategic plans. Also, it’s often true that big-dollar M&A increases the buyer’s debt level — and it’s typical in such cases that the company commits to quickly reducing its debt through the divestiture of non-core assets. As we discuss in today’s RBN blog, there’s a lot of that going on now, and in many cases smaller, private-equity-backed producers are scooping up the acreage and production being sold. 

Midstreamers developing natural gas takeaway capacity out of the Permian have understandably focused on pipelines to the Gulf Coast — and along the coast to LNG export terminals and other big gas consumers. But don’t forget the Desert Southwest, where demand for gas-fired power is soaring. Energy Transfer recently committed to building a 516-mile, 1.5-Bcf/d expansion to its Transwestern Pipeline system from West Texas to the Phoenix area, and hinted that it might double the project’s capacity due to the high level of interest. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss Energy Transfer’s aptly named Desert Southwest Project, what drove its quick progress to a final investment decision (FID), and what other westbound projects out of the Permian might still happen. 

In the U.S., crude oil trading hubs like Houston, Midland and Cushing get the lion’s share of the market’s attention. But travel a bit further north and you can find one of the more unusual and liquid crude markets in the country — Guernsey, WY — a focal point for producers in Western Canada, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. Over the last few months, Guernsey differentials have tightened significantly, finally flipping to a premium to Cushing. We have seen this phenomenon occur before, most notably seven years ago after the startup of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the recent movement in Guernsey differentials and what the future could hold for the often-overlooked sales point. 

As demand for data centers accelerates, developers continue to search for locations that offer the best combination of several factors, starting with the availability of uninterrupted (and affordable) power. Those variables have led to a data-center buildout in several parts of the U.S., such as Northern Virginia, Texas and California’s Silicon Valley, but Canada has its own set of positives to lure developers. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the state of data-center development in Canada, how the factors that affect site selection differ from the U.S., and how Canada is working to become a bigger player in the global market. 

The original Cactus Pipeline was a pioneer in moving large volumes of crude oil from the Permian and the Eagle Ford to the Corpus Christi area, which quickly became a leader in U.S. crude exports. Cactus II, an even longer and larger pipeline that came online in H2 2019, only added to Corpus Christi’s export prominence. But the competition with Permian-to-Houston pipelines is fiercer than ever and negotiated rates on pipelines to the Texas Gulf Coast are under pressure. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the Cactus I and Cactus II pipelines and their significance. 

A crude oil leak last Tuesday at the Enterprise Crude Houston (ECHO) terminal disrupted regional flows and caused crude differentials to move higher over the course of the week. While the spill was swiftly addressed by terminal owner Enterprise Products Partners, it still affected inbound and outbound operations for a few days. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the role of the ECHO terminal and show how even an isolated incident can quickly have an impact on the market. 

A few months ago, Enbridge unveiled its plans to expand its massive Mainline and smaller Express/Platte crude oil pipeline systems into the U.S. Midwest/Great Plains. We blogged about those plans, and followed up with a look at how the incremental volumes of Western Canadian crude on the Mainline and Express/Platte might move south from PADD 2 to where they’re wanted most: the Gulf Coast. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss efforts to piece together a more direct pipeline route from Alberta to Cushing and on to the Texas/Louisiana coast. 

The build-out of the Permian’s midstream infrastructure over the past 10 years has created extraordinary opportunities for startup companies, most of them backed by private equity. Each of us could cite several examples of midstreamers that, with a combination of guile and grit, developed gathering systems, gas processing plants, pipelines and other infrastructure to serve the fast-growing needs of producers and shippers. In many cases, the assets they constructed were later sold — often at a hefty profit — to much larger firms. As we discuss in today’s RBN blog, even in the midst of sector consolidation, the entrepreneurial spirit of smaller Permian midstreamers continues. 

Odds are there’s never been a busier, more frantic time for natural-gas-related infrastructure development in Texas and Louisiana than right now. Construction is underway or imminent at no fewer than seven Gulf Coast LNG export terminals with a combined capacity of 16 Bcf/d.

The U.S. refining industry has undergone a number of changes in recent years and more turbulence looks likely as global economic and trade patterns shift and energy transition moves forward. For some refineries, this has led to closures due to weak profits, rising regulatory costs and declining demand for products, particularly gasoline. But other refineries have prospered — and even invested in expansions — while the U.S. industry as a whole has evolved into the most competitive system in the world. Overall, the prospects have been very regionally (and even facility) specific. As detailed in the most recent Future of Fuels report from our Refined Fuels Analytics (RFA) practice, this regional differentiation will continue and shift over the coming years. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss what we expect for the U.S. refining industry — where closures will likely take place, where the industry might actually add capacity, and the reasons for those actions. 

Data centers are a buzzy topic in the energy industry, and while there is still a lot of fuzziness about what will actually get built and how much natural-gas-fired power will be needed to support these projects, there’s no doubt that major technology companies are well along in planning a number of massive data centers across the country. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll offer a snapshot of the plans announced by tech giants Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet (Google) and Meta (Facebook). 

The oil and gas industry is always working to develop the most efficient methods for unlocking more hydrocarbons. To cut costs and maximize output from their acreage, some companies are rolling out more creative well designs, such as U-turn (aka “horseshoe”) and J-hook wells, which use dramatic, 180-degree underground turns to access more oil and gas from each location. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the benefits of these approaches and the technical hurdles associated with drilling these deep bends underground. 

Any number of things can impact the price of specific types of crude oil at various locations — supply interruptions, takeaway constraints and refinery outages, to name just a few. Every so often, the stars align and just about all those factors narrow the differential between, say, Western Canadian Select (WCS) and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) at the U.S. Gulf Coast to near-record levels. Well, that’s happening now, for the first time in five years. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the shockingly small WCS/WTI differential and what’s driving it. 

The European Union (EU) appears poised to substantially increase its imports of U.S. LNG after reaching a trade deal with the Trump administration that includes a pledge to purchase $750 billion worth of U.S. energy over three years. The trade agreement and the EU’s plans to phase out deliveries of Russian LNG and piped-in natural gas by 2027 may end up being a big positive for U.S. producers. But that doesn’t mean it’s all clear sailing, thanks to competition with Qatar and uncertainty around EU regulations. In today’s RBN blog, we look at how U.S. exporters could still get squeezed on price and volume between today and 2030. 

Not long ago, several large-scale carbon-capture projects had plenty of momentum, fueled by a push toward decarbonization and expanded federal tax credits. But while progress on many projects has slowed as they faced a host of problems, Tallgrass’s plan to convert its Trailblazer pipeline from natural gas service to carbon dioxide (CO2) has had a comparatively smooth ride, thanks in large part to an engagement strategy that has allowed it to navigate the trickiest potential complication — local opposition. In today’s RBN blog, we review Trailblazer’s conversion, examine why Tallgrass’s strategy has succeeded where similar projects have failed, and look at what happens next. 

The San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado has seen more than its share of booms and busts in the last 100-plus years. During the Shale Era, natural gas production in the 7,500-square-mile basin has been slowly declining, undercut by competition from more prolific, better-situated wells in the Permian and Eagle Ford. But a small band of “San Juan believers” think the region is poised for yet another rebound, this time due to what they view as massive, untapped potential in the basin’s Mancos Shale. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss recent developments in the San Juan — and the basin’s extensive pipeline infrastructure. 

Western Canadian crude oil production is rising fast. To keep pace, Enbridge is planning expansions to its pipelines into the Midwest and Great Plains. But PADD 2 refineries are maxed out on heavy crude, so virtually all those incremental barrels will need to keep flowing south to refineries and export terminals along the Gulf Coast. Can the pipelines from PADD 2 to PADD 3 handle the higher volumes? In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the knock-on effects of rising Western Canadian production and Enbridge’s pipeline expansions. 

MPLX’s July 31 announcement that it has reached an agreement to acquire Northwind Midstream for $2.375 billion puts a spotlight on two undeniable trends. First, the acquisition is the latest in what by now is a long series of multibillion-dollar deals by midstream giants to expand their Permian-to-Gulf, “wellhead-to-water” networks that gather, process, transport and export crude oil, natural gas and/or NGLs. Second, Northwind has been a pioneer in gathering and processing unusually sour associated gas in the prolific Northern Delaware Basin, an area of particular interest to a growing number of E&Ps. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the deal and what it brings to MPLX. 

U.S. E&Ps’ strategic shift from growth at any cost to a laser focus on cash flows to fund shareholder returns revitalized their investor base. But that strategy has been challenged as crude oil prices have eroded since their mid-2022 peak, with producers struggling to balance the need to maintain output and the pressure to sustain dividends. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll see how things are going with the oil and gas companies that bear no responsibility for the costs and complications associated with the finding, development and production of hydrocarbons — the entities that own mineral and royalty interests. 

Crude oil producers in the prolific Permian Basin have plenty of options to move their barrels, especially since pipeline capacity currently exceeds production, but not every route out of the basin is equal. One of the hottest destinations for Permian crude is Houston, which boasts an attractive mix of refining and export demand. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the pipelines that transport Permian crude to Houston, discuss why it’s such a vital spot, and preview our latest Drill Down Report. 

Through the early years of the Shale Era, produced water gathering systems in the Permian were mostly small, simple and focused solely on transporting the salty, petroleum- and mineral-tainted water emerging from wells to nearby saltwater disposal wells. In the 2020s, though, these systems — now mostly owned and operated by third-party produced water specialists — have been becoming larger, more interconnected, and more likely to include at least some water recycling and reuse. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll continue our look at big, far-reaching produced water systems in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. 

It's an integrated energy market that stretches across the North American continent, from Texas and Florida to the mountains of British Columbia and Canada’s industrial heartland in Ontario/Quebec — a cross-border network so deeply connected, it functions as one massive, interdependent system for oil, natural gas and NGLs. That system is undergoing major shifts and challenges, driven not only by changing supply/demand dynamics and evolving infrastructure within the market itself, but also by powerful external forces, including regulatory policies and political pressures. That’s why we couldn’t think of a better time — or a better place — to host RBN’s 19th School of Energy than in Calgary next month. In today’s RBN blog — a blatant advertorial — we’ll highlight how our upcoming conference will dig into how the interconnected energy landscape is changing and why understanding those shifts is more critical than ever. You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet! 

Expectations for electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the U.S. took a sharp detour into uncharted territory earlier this month when President Trump signed the landmark budget reconciliation bill into law. Known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the law dramatically scales back EV subsidies, eliminates penalties for automakers that don’t meet fuel-efficiency standards, and significantly restricts state-level zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) programs. In today’s RBN blog, we look at why the law is likely to slow the pace of EV adoption and impact forecasts for vehicle sales and gasoline demand — a key topic in the just-published Future of Fuels report from our Refined Fuels Analytics (RFA) practice.

Perhaps the most hyped-up topic in energy these days is how much electricity new data centers will need to keep up with the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI). And that’s prompting some big questions, such as where all the power will come from and how much natural gas demand will rise. But another crucial question may be whether these data centers will pull that power from the grid or generate it themselves on-site. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the benefits and challenges of each approach.

The Bakken Shale needs more natural gas takeaway capacity, North Dakota wants to encourage more in-state consumption of Bakken-sourced gas, and two entities — WBI Energy and a combo of Intensity Infrastructure Partners and Rainbow Energy Center — have each proposed similar (but not identical) cross-state pipelines that would help achieve those aims. But, assuming that two new pipelines would be overkill, which of the two proposals is the more likely to advance to a final investment decision (FID), construction and operation? In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the two competitors and the state of North Dakota’s impending decision on which pipeline project to support.

There’s a lot going on in the Permian produced water space lately. Crude-oil-focused production in the prolific shale play is generating vast and increasing volumes of produced water that needs to be recycled or injected into disposal wells. State regulators, concerned about injection-related seismic activity, are tightening their rules, ramping up oversight and cracking down. Produced water gathering systems are being expanded and long-distance pipelines are being planned and built. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the latest developments and where things are heading.

Associated gas production in the Bakken Shale continues to increase and, with more NGL pipeline capacity coming online and a new option on the horizon, there’s a gunfight brewing between two of the U.S.’s largest midstreamers. At one end of a dusty Wild West street stands the sheriff in town, ONEOK, which recently completed an expansion of its Elk Creek NGL Pipeline. At the other is a renowned midstreamer from Texas, Kinder Morgan, which is staking a claim in the Rockies by converting its Double H crude oil pipeline to NGL service — renaming it Hiland Express when it does — and planning an NGL header pipeline. As we discuss in today’s RBN blog, Kinder is the first to challenge ONEOK in this space. 

The Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) has been transformative. Originally built as a west-to-east pipeline, its main job was to give Rockies natural gas a way to reach premium markets in the Midwest and the Northeast. But by the time it was constructed, surging production in the Marcellus and Utica shales had overwhelmed the need for Rockies gas in the East, and REX evolved to become a major outlet for Appalachian gas to the Midcontinent. Now, REX has moved beyond its first two incarnations, and its owner, Tallgrass Energy, has announced plans to build a greenfield pipeline that would connect REX and the markets it serves with the prolific Permian Basin, 900 miles south of the existing mainline. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss REX’s history, where it stands today, and how a new pipeline connection with the Permian might fit into its evolving strategy. 

The budget reconciliation bill signed into law July 4 by President Trump — known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) — dramatically scales back a number of clean-energy tax credits and adds a new layer of complexity for some projects, leading to a lot of doom and gloom around clean-energy initiatives, but the new legislation is a big positive for the carbon-capture industry. In today’s RBN blog, we look at how changes to the 45Q tax credit could help advance carbon-capture efforts while also providing a boost to producers of crude oil and blue hydrogen. 

The bitter, eight-year battle to control CITGO Petroleum’s three U.S. refineries could soon be coming to an end. A Delaware court has recommended a $7.38 billion bid from Dalinar Energy Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of Canadian miner Gold Reserve Ltd. There’s opposition, but a final decision could be just weeks away. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss what a resolution would mean for the three refineries, which have a combined capacity of more than 800 Mb/d. 

The European Union (EU) has taken a number of steps in recent years to end its reliance on Russian natural gas, which accounted for nearly half of the bloc’s supplies before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. But while the changes happening in Europe might provide a boost for global LNG exporters, including projects in operation or under development in the U.S., the EU’s policy shifts have also introduced greater uncertainty around demand. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the increasing difficulty in predicting EU gas demand and what it means for U.S. exporters and the rest of the global LNG market. 

The uncertainty and angst spurred by the ongoing trade war doesn’t seem to have dampened foreign companies’ interest in acquiring upstream and midstream energy assets in the U.S. The recent rumor — still unconfirmed — that Mitsubishi Corp. is in talks to acquire Aethon Energy Management’s massive holdings in the Haynesville for a reported $8 billion is only the latest indication that overseas interest may be stronger than ever. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the latest round of foreign investments in U.S. energy and what’s driving those deals. We’ll also look at the Aethon assets on the block.