gas

IA consumes so much energy that the United States is building data centers directly in natural gas wells

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What makes a startup dedicated to building data centers get 11.6 billion dollars in financing. In the case of Crusoe Energy Systems, it all started with an idea as disturbing as profitable: build data centers with natural gas wells. Crusoe Energy’s idea Journalist Emily Chang de Bloomberg visited a few weeks ago The city of Abilene, in Texas, where Crusoe is building the monstrous Stargate data centers, The 500.00 billion project OpenAi, SoftBank and Oracle to develop general artificial intelligence. Stargate arrived at Crusoe Energy thanks to the demonstrated efficiency of the startup in the construction of specialized data centers in AI. Chase Lochmiller, the CEO of Crusoe, explained to Chang how the company was born: “When an oil company opens an oil well, one of the associated by -products is natural gas. And when they do not have access to an pipeline, all this associated gas simply burns in situ. So we had an idea: instead of trying to take that gas to a market where you can sell, we could create a market for gas. We could build mobile and modular data centers, take them direct data”. Crusoe was born in the best possible place to materialize this idea: the country of fracking. But maybe not at the best time to do it. Initially, they chose to build GPUS farms to undermine Bitcoin. When the cryptocurrency market collapsed, they ended up pivoting artificial intelligence. Like crypto mining, AI data centers are not based on CPUS but depend on the parallel processing capacity of thousands of GPUS, mainly Nvidia specialized chips. These new data centers consume much more energy than traditional data centers, so Crusoe started from a key advantage: their direct access to fossil fuels that obtained at the price of bargain. A booming business Oil giants are not oblivious to this trend. Exxonmobil is developing Off-Grid gas plants specifically for data centers with carbon capture technology to reduce emissions. Chevron, meanwhile, It has been associated With Engine No. 1 and Ge Vernova to mount similar facilities. The first will open in 2026, also in Texas. The figures are eloquent: the demand for natural gas for data centers will be increased by 47 GW from here to 2030. Currently, natural gas already feeds about 40% of the loading of data centers in the United States and is expected to continue being the main source of supply up to at least 2030. It is not the preferred energy source, but There are not enough renewable to feed artificial intelligence and Not all data centers They can be connected to a nuclear power plant, another common occurrence in the United States. As for Crusoe, thanks to the initial push of natural gas that were going to burn oil companies they developed their own technologies, such as a closed cooling system that does not need to renew The water evaporating the serversor own gas turbines, such as 360 MWs that are installing in the Stargate project as a backup energy source. Stargate data centers will feed mainly solar panels and wind turbines, which abound in Abilene for the confluence of wind and sunny hours. It is one of the reasons why data centers are being built in this Texas area, in addition to the tax exemptions that local governments are willing to yield in exchange for employment generation. It remains to be seen how many employees have everything built. Image | W.Carter (CCO) In Xataka | Microsoft will reopen a nuclear power plant that has been closed since 2019. It needs it for its artificial intelligence

Humanity’s plan was to depend less on gas to generate energy. The AI ​​think something very different

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When The alarms jumped by him temperature increase globally, it was launched The decarbonization plan. Countries, large technology and automotive companies marked objectives for reduce your carbon emissions with goals set for 2030 and 2050. Have been applying measures for itbut with what the industry – and the planet – did not have the rise of the artificial intelligence and his Energy voracity. One so extreme that there are those who rub their hands: companies that create gas turbines. The threat of renewables. 2024 was a Good year for renewables. Although it is something that has caused an authentic War between Chinese companiesmarket saturation has allowed the panel price Lower considerably. This facilitates the Installation of self -consumption systemsbut it has also allowed huge parks to flourish even in such oil -dependent as Texas. We have witnessed Sorpasso of renewables in Europethere are countries that have worked for months only with renewables And that push of solar panels is making progress in the race for the Green hydrogen. Artificial intelligence. Companies have also adapted their systems to be more efficient, consume less water and even build more respectful and sustainable facilitiesbut in the same way that 2024 was the year of the explosion of renewables, it was also for AI. That is why the main technological have begun to Expand and build data centers all over the world (something that It doesn’t look good everywhere) to be able to meet the current demand for this technology. Change of plans. That high energy consumption has pushed some of the Big Tech to opt for something striking: Operate your own nuclear power plants. Giants such as Amazon, Google or Microsoft have shown their plans to Create or reactivate nuclear centralsbut it’s not the only thing. European oil companies have readjusted your renewable support strategy And there are already seen that, during the AI ​​consumption peaks, the coal burning as gas to meet energy demand. Gas interest. That renewed interest in gas is something that already has consequences, and Siemens is a perfect example. How can we read in Bloombergthe German company estimated a financial result close to balance for this fiscal year, but after the growing interest in gas, they now estimate that their income could grow up to 15%. Siemens Energy manufactures, among other things, gas turbines And in recent months they have seen how this avalanche of investments in data centers with high energy demand has promoted turbine orders. In fact, contrary to what we might think in mind that we wanted to stop depending on the gas, the company has seen that the orders received have doubled during the first three months of the year. And price increase. According to the International Energy Agency, The energy demand of data centers HE will duplicate By 2030 due to AI workloads and, although renewables are in clear expansion, as the supply is intermittent, there are times when they do not meet the constant demand of these data centers. Gas is here a safety net For companies, since it provides constant energy for artificial intelligence infrastructure and coal would be used for peaks of demand. And there are already those who predict that this increase in gas demand will result in an increase in its price for the next winters. And also of carbon emissions, as we are already experiencing with cases such as Microsoft and Google, with Increases of 30% and 50% respectively in recent years. Images | Pexels, Balticservers In Xataka | Putin’s not so secret plan to survive without Europe: a giant gas pipeline to China

Some mountaineers want to climb Everest from London in seven days. There is controversy because there is “trick”: Xenon gas

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Although it has become a monster touristifiedwith Hundreds of promotions every year and a large amount of garbageEverest remains a mountain within reach of a minority. Crown her It is not cheapit demands a good physical form and a considerable time investment to acclimatize at its altitude. Mountaineers usually pass several weeks in the base camp and move through the mountain and the neighboring peaks to prepare their bodies before entering The “Zone of Death”more than 8,000 m, named for its low levels of oxygen. Now a group of British has proposed to complete an entire expedition in just seven days thanks to the help of a gas that is usually used as anesthetic. And that is generating A considerable stir In the world of mountaineering. A “walk” from London to Everest. The itinerary is so surprising that it sounds like science fiction or the script of the new movie of the saga ‘Mission Impossible’. What have proposed to Carns and three other colleagues, all ex -military, is to go and return to Everest from London in a week. With summit included, of course. Its roadmap plays to a plane in London, fly around 7,5400 kilometers to Katmandu, in Nepal, then complete the journey to the Everest base camp aboard a helicopter and finally ascend to the top of the world in just a few days. In total around 168 hours. Nothing to do with the weeks of acclimatization that EVrest usually demands. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Three days of upload, two of descent. “Time begins to count when we leave Heathrow and stops when he returns,” I commented carns Recently a The Washington Post. “We probably thought of a travel day, then three days of upload, two of descent and the last day of travel.” The goal It is ambitious: to fulfill a journey to Everest of seven days “door to door” from London and, incidentally, “redefine what is possible in mountaineering at great altitude.” The mission is called “7 Days Mission Everest”he planned to start from London on Friday 16 (his updated advance can be followed Through its website) and its objective, beyond marking a milestone in the history of Everest, is to raise money for charity organizations dedicated to supporting war veterans and their families. “I always say that we have a 30% chance to get this in seven days, and about 70% of doing so in less than 21 days,” Comment Carns. Even if in the end that last goal, the team would be achieved considerably the duration of traditional expeditions and get a national record. The fastest expedition from London to date lasted 21 days. And how are they going to do it? That is the key. Carns and his companions are ex -military in good shape and throughout the last months have undergone a demanding training. Not just that. For several months the four sleep in hypoxic campaign stores Installed in their homes, spaces that reproduce oxygen levels that will be found at high altitudes and those that mountaineers usually resort to mitigate the symptoms of high high evil. However, neither training nor acclimatization are nothing new nor explain how the carns team intends to raise and lower the mountain in a matter of five days, a ridiculous time if compared to the weeks and weeks of acclimatization to which the mountaineers who travel to Everest usually submit. The key to your mission is another: The xenon. That is what explains that they aspire to finish the expedition in seven days instead of the Between six and seven weeks that usually last the normal missions. And what is the xenon for? Xenon is a noble gas discovered in the nineteenth century and was used for decades as a powerful anesthetic in medicine. The British team has noticed it, however, for another reason: its supposed usefulness to increase the production of red blood cells and accelerate high altitudes acclimatization. In other words, prepare them for the conditions that will be found in the most dangerous area of ​​Everest, after 8,000 meters high. With that purpose the four ex -military inhaled a “Subanesthetic concentration” of xenon gas mixed with oxygen, a single one -hour dose they received under medical supervision. According to Explain to The Washington Post The doctor responsible for the protocol, the treatment shows its most intense effects between 10 and 14 days. They received their dose on May 5, about a week and a half before they got on the plane that took them to Nepal. The advantages of xenon. Behind the idea is Lukas Furtenbach, a veteran mountaineer at the head of a company that organizes expeditions and that years ago already managed to reduce the duration of the climbs to Everest thanks precisely to the use of hypoxic stores. Together with an anesthesiology expert, he explored the use of gas for acclimatization, a use that Furtbanch has already tried in his own meats. The key would be in the usefulness of the xenon to increase the production of erythropoietin, or EPO, a hormone generated by the kidneys to stimulate the generation of red blood cells in the body. “One of the side effects is that it triggers the production of EPO and that produces an increase in red blood cells in the blood. It is the same effect that occurs to acclimatize to a real altitude,” Furtenbach points out. The idea, insists, is not to improve the performance of mountaineers who undergo treatment, but to protect their tissues. The debate, served. The idea has generated expectation, but also an interesting debate in the world of mountaineering. Furtenbach defends that less days at Everest also translate into less hazards, Less waste generation and lower environmental impact for the mountain. Expeditions like Carns’s are not cheap in addition (their cost is around $ 170,000), so they are not likely to end up replacing traditional campaigns. “When oxygen first appeared in mountaineering, it was considered a taboo. Now everyone … Read more

A giant gas pipeline to China

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The dependence of Europe with Russia, despite the sanctions, has long been extended. Now, the European Union has decided to take control and break Russian gas imports, According to Euronews. From the Kremlin they will have to redirect their flow to other markets and China is receiving you with open arms. A change of direction. Russia has put its focus more east, betting on the Power of Siberia 2. According to Reutersthis project would allow transporting 50,000 million additional cubic meters of gas per year to China, crossing Mongolia. However, negotiations between the two countries have not been easy. The Bloomberg medium has pointed out that the project was stagnant for years due to disagreements on the route, prices and its urgency. Moscow has constantly pressed to close the agreement, but Beijing has maintained a prudent position, even delaying the signing of a preliminary agreement, since it wants to avoid passing through Mongolia. And now? According to has had access the New York medium, the internal industrial and commercial difficulties of China make A cheaper gas supply Be a difficult opportunity to ignore. During Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, it has been speculated, how He has collected Economist, that Beijing could be willing to negotiate a higher price, adjusted to the cost of Russian domestic gas and paid in the original gas pipeline, Power of Siberia. However, according to sources close to negotiations, the signing of a formal agreement is not expected in the short term. It has not gone unnoticed. The European authorities have not yet pronounced in this regard, since they remain focused on their own efforts to diversify their energy sources towards renewables, According to Reuters. However, we must not forget that during the commercial war against the US, China offered Europe imported from the US, so we will have to look at the origin of gas That arrives in Europe. Moving the pieces in his favor. On this geopolitical board, China is playing with advantage. While Russia desperately tries to replace its lost markets in Europe, Beijing has the opportunity to ensure a long -term energy supply in favorable terms. In addition, with the increase in global tensions, the Asian giant could be using his negotiation power to strengthen his global hegemonic position. In this sense, Xi Jinping is promoting a transformation towards A more electric economywhich gives China a strategic mattress against potential Western sanctions and reinforces it in global resources and energy markets. Image | Pixabay and Kremlin.ru Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License Xataka | Europe is caught in gas contracts with Russia. Now look for a way to break them without paying the price

Modern oil did not invent anything. China already extracted natural gas 2,000 years ago and transported it by bamboo pipes

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Possibly, many consider that oil industry And modern gas, with its platforms, deep wells, pumping systems and distribution networks, is a creation of the nineteenth century onwards, one associated with Western industrialization. And although they are not entirely wrong, the truth is that there was already a nation that had developed techniques for drilling, extraction and transporting energy resources with a simply amazing level of sophistication. That nation was China, and he did it a thousand years before Edwin Drake will pierce the first commercial oil well in 1859. Before the crude. As we said, although the collective imaginary places the beginning of the exploitation of hydrocarbons in the industrial revolution From the nineteenth century, history shows that ancient civilizations had already developed surprisingly advanced techniques of energy extraction. In fact, in the Chinese province of Sichuan, more than one millennium before the first commercial wells in the United States or Russia, entire communities already They pierced the earth To get brine And, later, natural gas. The salt searchvital for food conservation and human nutrition, led Chinese engineers to devise sophisticated Performant drilling systemsoperated with bamboo towers, pulleys, jump platforms and specialized metal tools that remember, in many ways, those used in the modern oil industry. Challenging your time. The wells, initiated during the PERIOD OF THE COMBATING KINGDOMS (480–221 AC), reached depths of up to 250 meters already in the Tang dynastyand exceeded the kilometer in the nineteenth century, long before the West even dreamed of such achievements. For each phase of the process they were used Different Broks (Fish tail, silver or horseshoe ingot) adapted to the type of rock. I also know They developed solutions for problems such as broken bits or collapsed wells, using ingenious technologies such as elongated bamboo tubes With fin valves, hydraulic cements based on Tung oil, and shutter with expanded straw. Then, around 1050, the introduction of flexible bamboo cables It allowed to achieve greater depths and simplify the operations a little more. By 1835, the Shenghai well reached officially The 1,000 meters deepa milestone in the world. From the byproduct to the energy treasure. Everything changed at a given time. During drilling in search of brine, workers began to run into Natural gas bagsinitially seen as dangerous or useless. But over time, that gas (mainly methane, often mixed with hydrogen sulphide) was recognized as energy resource and used for lighting, heating and, above all, to feed the boilers that evaporated the brine. This transition became crucial when deforestation prevented continuing to use firewood. The need promoted the invention of the call Drum Kang Penwhich allowed to extract and separate simultaneously gas and brine, and early carburetor that mixed gas with air to achieve more efficient combustion. In turn, the old perforators also included geology rudiments, placing gas wells in high areas and brine in valleys, according to the formation of underground bags. Industrial Network Without Pare. Over the centuries, the region was filled with bamboo towers, merchant ships and an infrastructure that included hundreds of kilometers of pipes Bamboo built completely. Far from being rudimentary, those pipes were precisely sealed by tung oil cement and braided rope, which made them surprisingly stagnant and durable. To get an idea, in the 1950s they were still operational More than 95 km of these conductions. A complex system that transformed Zigong and other cities into industrial, commercial and cultural centers. The operation was so extensive that it required uninterrupted shifts and written legal contracts (some of the first in the history of China) to distribute tasks and resources. Historical and legacy. The scale and sophistication of the Sichuan gas field eclipsed other premodern operations in Europe or Central Asia, such as those of Naples or Bakú. Beyond the volume produced, the most notable was the continuity and efficiency of the system itself. Even today, the region produces some 30,000 million cubic meters of gas annually, in many cases from perforated wells centuries ago. However, the work is still dangerous: in 2003, an explosion of gas near Chongqing He killed 233 people and left 9,000 intoxicatedbut the accumulated experience over almost 2,000 years avoided a major catastrophe. That technical and human legacy is, in fact, honest in the Shanxi Salt Museumwhere original tools and detailed models are preserved that document an industrial feat advanced to their time by millennia. If you want too, the Sichuan history Not only does it rewrite the origins of oil and gas in a certain way: redefine what we consider possible in ancient civilizations. Image | Thomas dependb, CSEG In Xataka | In its effort to extract oil, China is beating records: it has drilled a well -deep well In Xataka | 2025, a raw year: the sanctions to the Russian ships and the tension with China are raising the price of oil

Europe is caught in gas contracts with Russia. Now look for a way to break them without paying the price

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This winter has ended with an alarming fact for gas in Europe: German reserves are practically empty, 7% of their capacity. Energy expert Javier Blas He explained That the winter of 2024-25 has left the very low gas inventories, and the cost to fill the natural reservoir of Rehden amounts to almost 2,000 million euros. In addition, the continent has entered the discount timesince the European Union has demanded that the deposits be filled at 90% before November 1. However, the European Union has made a decision to close the door forever to the dependence of Russian gas. Close the tap to Russia. From Brussels different legal routes are being explored so that European companies can terminate long -term Russian gas contracts without paying large fines to Moscow. According to Financial Timesthe European Commission has been studying the possibility of declaring force majeure to terminate contractual obligations and not have to pay additional rates. The Russian supply. After three years of war that still persists, this situation has caused a great energy crisis in Europe, reducing its dependence on Russian gas. Currently, the Kremlin supply represents 11% of the block compared to almost two fifths at the beginning of the conflict, such as They have detailed in the British environment. From a more economical vision, the EU paid 21.9 billion euros Russia for oil and gas between February 2024 and February 2025, According to the Clean Energy and Air Research Center. And they continue to depend. Russian liquefied natural gas volumes (LNG) They have increased significantly In the last three years. In addition, Russia has continued to export gas disguised under azeri flag or through relations with two member countries, Hungary and Slovakiawhich has generated tensions within the EU. As He has pointed out The Financial Times, there are important ports such as those of France, Spain and Belgium that continue to receive loads of Russian LNG, showing the complexity of cutting energy ties immediately. Until two years. The European Commission has promised a final roadmap to completely cut energy ties with Russia before 2027. Although its publication has already been delayed twice, the document is expected for May 6, According to Reuters. This delay responds to the conversations reactivated by the United States about the future of the Nordstream gas pipeline, which connects Germany and Russia. The project has gained importance amid the efforts of the Trump administration, since they want look for an approach that implies them in gas transmission. Exploring alternatives … The commission, that He has denied To comment to the Financial Times, you are looking for new supplies. United States, which It takes time exporting LNG to Europehas been profiled as the largest supplier and is seen as a viable replacement. However, with the tariff war in dispute Everything will be to see. But there is an unexpected exit. Continuing with the tariffs, which have been intensified in A bilateral war Between China and the United States. The Asian giant He has found A strategic opportunity: take advantage of contracts signed with American gas to resell it to Europe. This phenomenon has exposed how the global mechanisms of energy trade do not respond to political strategies, but to market logics. An uncertain future. Although the date is marked in 2027, the road map has already suffered several delays and remains surrounded by political and commercial unknowns. In addition, the growing tension with the United States and The lack of a really solid energy plan they leave a European Union corrula, reacting too late before the agency with Russia. Image | Brian Cantoni Xataka | The price of gas has already reached 2022 levels. Now the European industry depends on one thing: that the cold does not return

25% tariffs on cars are already translated into dismissals and plants at medium gas in Mexico

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One has a thousand ways of Spanish to search synonyms to talk about threats and continuing notices. That of “the wolf”, the pitcher and the fountain, to pull the rope … It will not be for stories, word games or metaphors. Exactly that is the risk that is run with the tariff war that Donald Trump has opened. Since he arrived at the White House, the new president of the United States does not stop launch threats of new tariffsincendiary messages against their own allies (or those that were considered allies until not so long) and more and more statements in which The same is attacked to Europeans than Mexicans and Canadians. And, along the way … little or nothing applicable. Because although the United States applies since April 2 A 25% tariff on cars that pass through their borders and the pieces that help manufacture them, as well as steel and aluminum (also Keys in the automotive industry). The caraded tariffs to these two neighboring countries They are suspended. On April 2 tariffs have been announced to almost the entire world. They should Enter into force on April 9. Yes, we talk about 20% of tariff to any European product and even the 10% tariff applied to an uninhabited island. Or at least Only inhabited by penguins and seals. But along the way, China has already sent a notice: if the tariffs continue, if there is no possible conversation, They will impose back 34% of tariffs to American products. It is the most forceful response that the United States has received so far. But it is not the only one. Because so much threat has consequences. Canada and Mexico already prove how their automotive industry can go through many problems. Some, in fact, are already specifying. The first consequences Until now, Canada and Mexico had been commercial partners. To the point that the Inflation reduction law promoted by the government of Joe Biden that prioritized tax incentives to companies that produced in the United States also contemplated that part of the production would take these two countries. In either of them it occurs A very high volume vehicular. Except Tesla (produces all its cars there) and Ford (77% of what it produces is manufactured in the United States). The rest import vehicles in a much higher amount. General Motors, for example, produces 30% in Canada and Mexico. Nissan 31% and Toyota 27%. With the aim of counteracting the coup, Canada has announced that it will also impose 25% of tariffs on US cars that do not comply with the T-MEC free trade agreement. Both countries, together with Mexico, had been subject to a reciprocal agreement for 60 years so as not to pay tariffs on the import and export of vehicles and promote a connected automotive industry. To understand to what extent the new relationship is complicated, in BBC They explain with a map the complex process since a piston of an engine is born until it is introduced into the cylinder. On the way, the piece crosses the United States to Canada, from Canada passes to Mexico and from Mexico returns to the United States where, it is finally mounted. Impose round trip tariffs It will make a product that has its consequences on employment and the volume of cars sold. Stellantis is one of the companies that has announced drastic measures. The first, the temporary retirement of 900 employees in the United States. They are people distributed by five floors that will cease their work assembling motor trains and trains for a decrease in production as a cause of tariffs. In addition, another 4,500 employees will be sent home in Ontario (Canada), where their factory will remain closed for two weeks. Mexico does not get rid because its Toluca plant (2,400 employees) will also be closed throughout the month of April. Despite being the least affected (taking into account exclusively the production of cars and not so much where the pieces they use), Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, already warned in February that “a 25% tariff at the borders with Mexico and Canada would open a hole in the US industry as we have never seen,” they collect in The New York Times. These pieces are, without a doubt, the part that most directly affects Spain. Our country had an important commercial partner in the United States when selling parts to produce cars. There 4% of them are exported but, above all, they take air to the paths that the trade war will take in Mexico where a good part of The largest Spanish companies are settled. The other way is to make the products more expensive, move there part of their production or, directly get them out. The latter is what they value in Mercedes that can Stop selling your Mercedes Gla. Small cars are more complicated to make profitable and would not be competitive if they face a 25%tariff. Volkswagen is in an extremely complicated position. 43% of their sales for the United States arrive from Canada and Mexico. Another 36% produce it in Europe, mainly. Only 21% of their sales there are produced within their borders. An option raised is to bring the most profitable vehicles to the plants they already have in the country. For the moment, Automotive News He assures that the German company has already ordered to stop its shipments from Mexico and Europe. And Toyota, who was already reducing its production, has also ordered to reduce the working hours at its Guanajuato (Mexico) plant, they point out in Bloomberg. The same path leads in Honda, where they also have conversations to reduce their production and, therefore, send workers home even if it is temporarily. Photo | Honda and Luis Ramirez In Xataka | The Spanish car will not suffer with 25% of the United States tariffs but with its consequences: a poorest Europe

extract your own natural gas

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In the last two decades, China It has become in the largest importer of the world of natural gas (LNG). However, in a drastic turn of the event, the Asian giant will stop depending on the gas of others. This change will have consequences in the world market. Short. Large Chinese oil companies, such as Sinopec, CNOOC and Petrochina have put the focus on expanding their internal gas production, focusing on deeper perforations and the development of shale gas resources, such as have explained in Bloomberg. This new path responds to the deceleration of oil demand, the rise of electric vehicles and the growth of internal gas production, which would affect the projections of large international energy companies. New exploration in China. The three great Chinese oil companies are making significant investments in deep drilling, both on land and on the high seas. As has had access OilpriceThey are intensifying the exploitation of shale gas deposits, with notable advances in the Sichuan basin, and are also exploring deeper seas in search of new reserves. In the same medium it has been detailed that Petrochina He is drilling wells 10,000 meters deep to access gas and oil resources in complex rock formations. It will not be easy. This movement towards energy self -sufficiency raises several challenges, since the extraction of shale gas in China is between complex geological formations, which increases production costs. Nevertheless, as explained in Bloombergthe plans to obtain gas are already underway and they will not stop them. In check the global production. International companies such as Shell, Exxonmobil and Totalenergies had planned an increase in their LNG exports to China, waiting for the country to be the largest consumer. However, this change of plans by the Asian giant to produce more gas internally and depend less on imports will affect global supplies, altering the projections of large oil companies, According to Oilprice. And what will happen in Europe? The month of April has not begun very well in gas for Europe, since reserves have been left to zero, According to Bloomberg. However, the new change in gas consumption policies in China could be beneficial for the old continent, who needs to start fill their gas reserves. However, the situation remains uncertain. As Oilprice has pointed outalthough there would be more available gas, the competition for the LNG is still high, and logistics infrastructure to distribute it may not be completely adapted to these changes. This could affect Europe’s capacity to access that excess gas in time and lower prices. Forecasts. The projections indicate that, with the increase in internal production and the rise of electric vehicles, the need for LNG imports of China could decrease in the coming years. For this reason, there may be a drop in imports, which would affect the decisions of global gas producers. However, the current energy panorama is marking by Many geopolitical tensions They will affect oil. Recently, there has been an important change in the sector, with OPEC+, the United States and China involved in a complex situation. As has detailed the New York Timestariff policies and energy strategies are intertwining, which alters the flow of resources and causes greater uncertainty in crude oil markets, affecting the price of fuel worldwide. Image | Asian Development Bank (Flickr, CC BY-DC -nd 2.0) Xataka | In its effort to extract oil, China is beating records: it has drilled a well -deep well

In the emptied Galicia there are municipalities taking care of gas stations and shops. THE OBJECTIVE: Don’t run out of services

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The Emptied Spain It is depopulated Spain, but also the one that is emptied from companies and services. Both, the Lack of neighbors And the absence of businesses that cover their most basic needs, are part of the same vicious circle that in the long run the peoples to abandonment. In Galicia They have decided Breaking that loop with a curious movement. To avoid running out of supermarkets or gas stations there are municipalities that are taking care of their management. The objective: that the neighbors should not move kilometers for something as simple as buying the bread. Even at the cost of the City Council itself assume private services. The ghost of depopulation. The depopulation He is one of the great ghosts of the rural of Spain. And Galicia is no exception. A few months ago his Consello de Contas He issued A report in which he warned that in the community (especially in the provinces of Lugo and Ourense) there are almost a hundred towns in ‘danger of extinction’, a status that is explained by a combination of factors: a register below the 5,000 inhabitants, a low population density (less than 20%) and more deaths than births. INE himself calculates that in 2021 there were almost 25,700 Gallegos residing in municipalities that do not pass from the thousand registered. According to his nomenclator, in the community there are also around 1,900 depopulated villagesmany of them in Lugo. Only in 2023 it is estimated that the province lost about 40. Other populations are still alive but with a handful of hundreds of neighbors and having lost much in a short time. To name a case, Murasin the Terra Cha, I had 1,151 neighbors In 2000. In 2024 were 600. A vicious circle. We commented before. The localities of emptied Spain do not remain alone without neighbors. They often do it also without businesses that cover their needs. And one and the other, that of inhabitants and services, feed a vicious circle that ends up accelerating the emptying of the peoples. Although there is experts That they conclude that at general “accessibility to services” in Spain is good, especially if we talk about health and education, they also recognize that differences arise when the provincial scale is lowered. A quick search arrives on Google to find Complaints of populations about the public transport or lack of something as simple as bars and shops. And how to solve it? A question similar to that was asked a while ago in Pol and Ribeira de Piquíntwo localities of the rural of the province of Lugo that together barely go from the 2,000 residents. The first, Pol, has 1,542 registered, 27% less than in 2000. The second, Ribeira de Piquín, had about 500 residents, 80% less than at the beginning of this century. Both municipalities share Another featurein addition to the province and a diminishing census: given the loss of basic businesses their respective municipalities have decided to step forward and guarantee the continuity of private services. A kind of municipalization which aims to prevent your neighbors from having to look for life for issues as basic as buying bread. Their cases have attracted the interest of media such as The voice of Galicia either Eldiario. A “municipal” supermarket. In the case of Pol the Consistory he found the risk that The only supermarket From the town, located in the population of Mosterio, closed. Its owner retired and in the absence of relief or other shopkeepers that would like to transfer it, the panorama was complicated for the neighbors who reside there. “No one was interested in carrying it. It was deserted,” explained in December Its mayor, Lino Rodríguez, Progress. The City Council solution: Buy the super To keep it open. It is not yet known How will it manage, through a foundation, attracting a franchise or with an autonomous, but the goal is clear: to guarantee the continuity of the service. “We acquired the entire block, which has an area of ​​about 800 m2, for a total of 150,000 euros,” Rodríguez added In December. The project went ahead with the support of the Diputación and aspires to go beyond trade: Pol wants to recover an old sausage mark and create social housing at the top. At the end of last year the town had already paid 75,000 euros for the premises, it hoped to pay a similar sum of 2025 and already thought about furniture and facilities to serve customers. “We need to acquire the material goods of the interior, such as refrigerators, freezers and cold cameras. But throughout 2025 we will try to prepare the charcería,” He reported. OBJECTIVE: Refers in the town. In Ribeira de Piquín, the City Council has also moved to preserve a key service, although in this case the focus is on a gas station. At the end of 2024 the Consistory was in process for rent an already built service area but it carries more than a decade closed The idea is reopen it in 2025 and that the neighbors do not have to move to another town to replace or look for fuel. The project is carried out through the Terreo Foundationparticipated by the City Council, and with support of the Diputación de Lugo, which provides funds through an agreement. The rent will be done through a direct award procedure, Precise Progressand once completed the idea of ​​the City Council is to adapt the station to the regulations to register it. In the budget they also reserve funds to hire full -time personnel who can take care of the suppliers and serve users. Is it an isolated case? No. The gas station will not be the only (or first) project that is promoted with the terreo lever. Before it was launched A fish farma livestock exploitation and even a kiwi plantation. “The municipalities as small as we have many difficulties for the private initiative to come and invest. Hence we have no other option … Read more

Gas in record prices with reservations trembling

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We started the month of March and, in the southwest area of ​​Europe, The rains are going to be persistent This month. In a nutshell, the cold is not going to go so fast and we will have to face it with something fundamental in many homes: gas. However, lighting the stove will involve a challenge because gas reserves in Europe are on the verge of freezing. Crisis in Europe. The year began with Russia Cutting the gas supply To Europe, which was circulating through Ukraine. This has caused Europe to have to depend of the American LNGQatarí and Australian, as well as Turkstream Gas Pipeline. However, what really worries is the state of gas reserves, which are 35-40% of their capacity against The price increase and demand for increasingly cold climatic conditions. Reservations. The European Union has several times brought breast certifying that They did not have to depend more on Russia or what The reservations were enough. However, the data has something else to say: gas deposits in Europe They are 35-40% of their maximum capacitya much lower level than previous years that reached between 55-60% at the same time of the year. This situation has resulted from the sum of many factors, such as the loss of Russian supply, a especially cold winter and the lack of renewable generation by he Dunkelflaute. In addition, EU storage policies They have distorted the marketsince the imposed objectives force countries to buy gas at the same time, which raises prices and discouraging from Traders to accumulate reservations during the summer. The problems. After encounter between Zelensky and Trump On February 28, where I don’t know has reached any agreementinternational political tension remains latent. This episode leaves a key uncertainty in the air: if the relationship between the United States and Europe is affected, the American LNG dependence becomes an even greater risk. Europe has been increasingly trusting LNG imports, especially from the United States, as a key source to replace its gas reserves. If the US GNL supply is interrupted or conditioned by political or economic issues, the EU could face a serious gas scarcity. Start opening windows. As the saying says: “When a door closes …”, something like that should be considered in Europe because for next winter the reserves do not know if they will be able to complete, but it has much to offer in clean energy. First, repair the electrical infrastructure because with more than 40 years is time to change it. Then research and implementations in some countries of other alternative energies are paying off, such as The case of Spain and Portugal. Thirdly, start bet on geothermia In countries with colder or even Biomethane. Forecasts. Last night, in England, European leaders They congregated with Zelensky to demonstrate his support to the Ukrainian President and consolidate the unity around the crisis in Ukraine. However, this meeting underlines the fragility of the energy situation in Europe, since any alteration in international relations can translate into a supply problem. Given an increasingly uncertain scenario, the question is whether Europe will get ahead of problems or continue to depend on external factors to guarantee its energy safety. Next winter will be the definitive test: either the energy sources are diversified and the infrastructure is reinforced or the continent will be on the edge of the collapse again. Image | Pxhere Xataka | The US believes to have a “treasure” with the rare earths of Ukraine. Everything is born from a outdated Soviet report 50 years ago

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