US Lower 48 horizontal rig count will dip below 500 next year as macro pressures and sub-$60 per barrel oil curb oil-directed drilling, though efficiency gains have softened the production impact of fewer rigs, according to Wood Mackenzie. An expected slowdown in activity is expected to moderately lower drilling, completion and tariff costs, allowing most assets to meet capital needs even at $60 Brent. The consultancy also expects liquids production to fall year over year and natural gas-focused plays to expand amid growing demand from new LNG facilities and power markets.

Global energy sector employment grew 2.2% last year, almost twice as fast overall job growth, driven by heavy investment in power systems, clean technologies and electrification, according to a new International Energy Agency report. However, more than half of surveyed energy organizations report acute hiring bottlenecks, particularly for electricians, line workers, pipefitters, plant operators and nuclear specialists. "Governments, industry and training institutions must come together to close the labour and skills gap. Left unaddressed, these shortages could slow progress, raise costs and weaken energy security," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.

NextEra Energy and Alphabet's Google Cloud have announced an expanded partnership to build new large-scale US data center hubs paired with dedicated power generation. The utility expects to bring online at least 15 gigawatts of capacity for data centers by 2035, including gas-fired plants with carbon capture developed jointly with ExxonMobil. Separately, NextEra's infrastructure unit has reached a deal to acquire gas retail platform Symmetry Energy Solutions to expand its natural gas footprint.

Constellation Energy said it has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to proceed with its $16.4 billion acquisition of Calpine. As part of the agreement, Constellation has agreed to the divestiture of three natural gas-fired power plants to address competition concerns. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also approved the deal, with its own conditions.

Three years after the launch of ChatGPT, the AI industry is grappling with the reality of electricity demand, with some influential voices questioning the need for unlimited expansion of large language models. In this episode of the Open Circuit podcast, the team welcomes former FERC Commissioner Allison Clements, Dawn Owens of Fervo Energy and other guests to discuss the tension between the rapid iteration of AI and the long-term investment cycles of the power system.

Antero Resources will buy HG Energy's Marcellus Shale acreage in West Virginia for $2.8 billion and sell its Utica upstream and midstream assets in Ohio to Infinity Natural Resources and Northern Oil & Gas for $1.2 billion. The HG Energy package, which includes around 385,000 net acres producing about 850 MMcfe/d, will expand Antero's Marcellus position to over 850,000 net acres. "The acquired assets will also bolster our industry leading maintenance capital efficiency while providing us with further dry gas optionality for local demand from data centers and natural gas fired power plants," said Antero CEO Michael Kennedy.

Aurora Innovation and Detmar Logistics are partnering to launch a first-of-its-kind fleet of 30 autonomous trucks to move frac sand in the Permian Basin beginning in 2026. The Aurora Driver-equipped trucks will run more than 20 hours a day, initially under supervision before transitioning to fully driverless service in the second quarter. "As operators shift to 24/7 schedules, maintaining a safe, reliable flow of proppant is critical. Autonomous trucking will help us improve efficiency while supporting continuous operations," said Detmar CEO Matt Detmar.

During oral arguments in a case testing whether presidents can dismiss leaders of independent agencies at will, the Supreme Court's conservative bloc appeared open to weakening long-standing removal protections. Such a ruling would upend nearly a century of precedent and affect bodies such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Liberal justices warned that dismantling those safeguards would undermine agency independence and disrupt the constitutional balance of powers.