By Valerie Volcovici and Nichola Groom WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. regulators on Thursday approved proposals to speed up the connection of new power projects to the electric grid, reforms that could ease a growing backlog of requests from wind and solar energy developers. Long waits for transmission interconnection have…

By Arathy Somasekhar HOUSTON (Reuters) – Oilfield service providers on Thursday signaled a recovery in rig count, an indicator of future production, later this year, citing an uptick in oil and gas prices. U.S. shale producers slashed drilling and well completions in the second quarter, cutting demand for equipment and…

Investing.com — Oil prices fell on Friday as traders locked in profits after strong gains this week, while a recovery in the dollar, on the back of strong U.S. economic data, also weighed on crude markets. Crude prices had surged to April peaks on Thursday after data showed that the…

By Mohi Narayan (Reuters) – China’s demand for petrol is likely to peak as early as next year as electric vehicle sales soar, several analysts say, bringing forward an energy transition milestone for the world’s biggest polluter and a headache for global refiners. The International Energy Agency (IEA) and consultancy…

By Shadia Nasralla LONDON (Reuters) – One of Europe’s main markets for gasoline has shrunk, threatening to squeeze European refiners, after Nigeria removed fuel subsidies, which destroyed much of the country’s domestic demand and a regional market for smuggled fuel. North America and West Africa (WAF), with Nigeria at the…

Investing.com — Gold prices rose on Friday, recovering a measure of recent losses as the Bank of Japan caught markets off-guard with some hawkish signals, although strength in the dollar limited the appeal of bullion. Copper prices also rose on Friday, marking a stronger recovery than gold as the diminished…

Investing.com — Crude oil prices weakened Friday, but still remained on course for a fifth straight week of gains on growing optimism for global economic growth and tightening supplies. By 09:40 ET (13.40 GMT), the futures traded 1.2% lower at $79.13 a barrel, while the contract dropped 0.9% to $83.00.…

By Laura Sanicola and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The largest U.S. solar power site and other clean energy projects could be built on lands owned by the Department of Energy, including where components for Cold War-era atomic bombs were developed, the agency said on Friday. The DOE said it…

Investing.com – Non-stop chanting about Saudi output cuts; forecast-beating U.S. economic growth and fewer Americans filing unemployment claims despite moderating jobs growth — oil has little reason not to rally. New York-traded West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, crude, along with London-based Brent oil both finished up for a fifth straight…

By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil prices rose on Friday and notched a fifth straight week of gains as investors were optimistic that healthy demand and supply cuts will keep prices buoyant. Risk appetite in wider financial markets has been fueled by growing expectations that central banks such as…