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Energy Policy News 19 December 2025 - 24 January 2026

Big Tech’s data-center power bill fight: Warren presses Google as PJM auction plans grow

Big Tech’s data-center power bill fight: Warren presses Google as PJM auction plans grow

Senators led by Elizabeth Warren said Big Tech firms pledged to pay more for data-center electricity but withheld key details on rates and contracts. Trump called on companies to “pay their own way” as PJM weighs an emergency auction for new power supply. FERC signaled it is ready to act quickly on related filings. Google and Microsoft said they cover their own infrastructure costs but cited confidentiality concerns.
24 January 2026
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J.D. Irving seeks an NB Power grid exit as minister backs self-generated wind power plan

J.D. Irving seeks an NB Power grid exit as minister backs self-generated wind power plan

New Brunswick’s natural resources minister backs J.D. Irving Ltd. and other major industries seeking to self-supply renewable energy outside NB Power’s grid. NB Power warns losing large customers could raise bills for other ratepayers. The utility recently signed a 200-megawatt wind power deal with a J.D. Irving subsidiary. Industry leaders say they need relief from rising power costs.
15 January 2026
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Empire Wind decision day: Judge weighs Trump offshore wind pause as Equinor warns of termination

Empire Wind decision day: Judge weighs Trump offshore wind pause as Equinor warns of termination

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols will rule Thursday on whether Equinor can resume construction of its $5.5 billion Empire Wind project off Long Island, halted under a Trump administration order citing national security. Equinor says the project could be terminated if work does not restart by Jan. 16. The Interior Department paused five East Coast wind projects last month over radar concerns. A separate judge cleared Orsted’s Revolution Wind project to proceed Monday.
15 January 2026
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Venezuela oil barrels return: Vitol, Trafigura court India and China as Trump export plan takes shape

Venezuela oil barrels return: Vitol, Trafigura court India and China as Trump export plan takes shape

Vitol and Trafigura are offering Venezuelan crude for March delivery to refiners in India and China, traders said Monday. Brent crude slipped to $63.03 a barrel as markets weighed unrest in Iran against expected Venezuelan exports. Vitol shipped naphtha to Venezuela, set to arrive Jan. 28, to help dilute heavy crude. U.S. efforts to shield Venezuela’s oil revenues face legal and political hurdles.
12 January 2026
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Meta stock braces for Monday after nuclear power push and fresh WhatsApp rules risk

Meta stock braces for Monday after nuclear power push and fresh WhatsApp rules risk

Meta Platforms shares rose 1.1% Friday after announcing long-term nuclear energy deals to power U.S. sites, including a major Ohio data center expansion. Vistra will supply 2,609 MW from its PJM nuclear plants starting in late 2026, while TerraPower and Oklo signed separate agreements for advanced nuclear projects. Vistra shares jumped 10.5% on the news. Meta also faces new regulatory scrutiny in Europe over WhatsApp.
11 January 2026
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NuScale Power stock slips as Capitol Hill nuclear hearing puts SMR trade back in play

NuScale Power stock slips as Capitol Hill nuclear hearing puts SMR trade back in play

New York, January 7, 2026, 10:12 EST — Regular session NuScale Power Corp shares fell 1.6% to $19.25 on Wednesday morning, after trading between $18.51 and $19.48 in early dealings. Volume topped 7 million shares as the stock stayed jumpy. The selling came as investors turned to a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing scheduled for 10:15 a.m. ET that will look at nuclear licensing and deployment. Small modular reactors, or SMRs, are smaller plants meant to be built in factory-made modules and assembled on site. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Policy headlines have kept nuclear names on traders’
7 January 2026
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Exxon Mobil stock faces Monday test as Trump pitches Venezuela oil rebuild for U.S. giants

Exxon Mobil stock faces Monday test as Trump pitches Venezuela oil rebuild for U.S. giants

NEW YORK, Jan 5, 2026, 03:46 ET — Market closed Exxon Mobil (XOM) shares are in focus ahead of Monday’s session after President Donald Trump said U.S. oil companies would spend “billions of dollars” to restore Venezuela’s “badly broken” oil infrastructure, hours after Nicolás Maduro was captured and removed by U.S. forces. Analysts cautioned that the effort would run into years of repairs and a U.S. embargo that Trump said remains in place. “It will take tens of billions of dollars to turn that industry around,” said Peter McNally, global head of sector analysts at Third Bridge. Reuters The news
5 January 2026
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Venezuela Oil Update: PDVSA Cuts Output as U.S. Embargo Chokes Exports; Brent Near $60

Venezuela Oil Update: PDVSA Cuts Output as U.S. Embargo Chokes Exports; Brent Near $60

NEW YORK, Jan 5, 2026, 02:45 ET — Market closed Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA has started shutting oilfields and ordering some joint ventures — including projects with Chevron and China National Petroleum Corporation — to curb output as it runs out of storage after a U.S. tanker blockade halted crude exports, sources said. After filling more than 45% of its 48-million-barrel onshore storage capacity, PDVSA began using tankers as floating storage — keeping crude at sea — with more than 17 million barrels waiting offshore, according to TankerTrackers.com. Shipping data showed cargoes from Chevron’s ventures have not left Venezuelan
5 January 2026
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Chevron caught in Venezuela oil clamp as PDVSA cuts output under U.S. embargo

Chevron caught in Venezuela oil clamp as PDVSA cuts output under U.S. embargo

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 15:11 ET Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA has begun cutting crude output as storage fills after a U.S. export embargo — enforced through a blockade of sanctioned tankers — halted oil exports, the country’s main source of revenue, sources said. Chevron-chartered tankers that had kept moving under a U.S. authorization have not left Venezuelan waters since Thursday, while PDVSA has struggled to import diluents — lighter oil and naphtha used to thin extra-heavy crude for transport. Reuters The export freeze puts a key OPEC supplier’s cash flow and operations at risk just as Washington’s pressure
4 January 2026
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Exxon Mobil stock: what to watch after U.S. strike on Venezuela and Trump oil-company push

Exxon Mobil stock: what to watch after U.S. strike on Venezuela and Trump oil-company push

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 08:36 ET — Market closed Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) will be in focus when U.S. markets reopen on Monday after President Donald Trump said U.S. forces struck Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro. Trump later said U.S. oil companies would help rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry, thrusting the sector into the center of the weekend’s geopolitical shock. ( Reuters) The development hit with U.S. equity markets closed, leaving investors to price it through oil when trading resumes. For Exxon, which is not currently operating in Venezuela, the near-term transmission is crude prices and policy headlines, while any
4 January 2026
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Dominion Energy’s Silent Solar Generator Debuts as Virginia Regulators Pause Chesterfield Gas Plant Approval

Dominion Energy’s Silent Solar Generator Debuts as Virginia Regulators Pause Chesterfield Gas Plant Approval

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s energy debate sharpened on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, as two Dominion Energy storylines collided: the utility’s push for new, fast-response power to meet booming demand—and a parallel push for cleaner, quieter alternatives to the diesel equipment that keeps communities running during outages and events. On one track, Dominion-backed partners are promoting a towable, solar-charged mobile battery—marketed as a “silent generator”—aimed at replacing diesel generators at festivals, worksites, and emergency deployments. On the other, state regulators have paused Dominion’s approval to build the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center, a 944-megawatt natural gas plant, after environmental and civil rights
19 December 2025
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Ithaca Pushes Back on NYSEG Rate Hikes as Hochul Pauses New York’s All-Electric Buildings Rules

Ithaca Pushes Back on NYSEG Rate Hikes as Hochul Pauses New York’s All-Electric Buildings Rules

On December 19, 2025, New York’s energy transition is colliding with a familiar reality: household bills. In the Finger Lakes, Ithaca officials are weighing how to protect residents from proposed utility rate increases while also keeping local climate policies on track. In the Hudson Valley, NYSEG is pointing to newly completed grid upgrades as proof that infrastructure spending is essential. And statewide, Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision to pause implementation of New York’s all-electric new-building requirements—pending court action—has forced cities, builders, and regulators into a holding pattern. Together, the developments reveal the pressure points of New York’s climate and affordability agenda:
19 December 2025
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Stock Market Today

Broadcom Stock Gets a Google AI Spend Lift as Jefferies Sees 60% Upside

Broadcom Stock Gets a Google AI Spend Lift as Jefferies Sees 60% Upside

7 February 2026
Google raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to $175 billion–$185 billion, with most spending expected on data-center chips. Broadcom shares rose about 2% after the announcement, while Nvidia and AMD slipped. Jefferies reiterated a buy rating on Broadcom, maintaining a $500 price target, implying a 62% upside from Wednesday’s close.
No $2,000 IRS stimulus check is coming in February 2026 — but Trump’s tariff-check talk keeps the rumors alive

No $2,000 IRS stimulus check is coming in February 2026 — but Trump’s tariff-check talk keeps the rumors alive

7 February 2026
The IRS has not announced new federal stimulus payments for February 2026, and Congress has not approved fresh checks. Trump told NBC he is considering $2,000 tariff rebate checks but has not committed, saying any payout would likely come later in 2026. The IRS warns taxpayers to ignore texts and emails about “stimulus payments” and verify notices through official channels.
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