Across the United States this week, energy and mineral developments are converging around supply security, data demand, and shifting global markets.
In Washington, the U.S. Energy Information Administration is overhauling how it tracks the sector. Reuters reports that the agency plans to retire several legacy natural gas and power dashboards while launching more than ten new surveys focused on data centers and critical minerals such as graphite, aiming to better understand how digital infrastructure and mineral supply chains are reshaping energy demand and security. The administrator also signaled plans to modernize information technology systems and eventually open a Houston field office to be closer to industry activity.
Natural gas markets remain volatile. According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. natural gas futures fell for a second straight session as forecasts shifted to more normal winter temperatures, easing immediate concerns about heating demand. Analysts describe the move as potentially temporary, warning that any late season cold snap could trigger another sharp price spike. At the same time, RBN Energy reports that liquefied natural gas feedgas demand hit a record average of about nineteen point two billion cubic feet per day, more than five billion cubic feet per day higher than a year ago, driven by commissioning at the Plaquemines facility in Louisiana and expansion at Corpus Christi in Texas. Nearly every U.S. export terminal is operating at or near peak winter capacity.
On the policy front, E and E News notes that the pending National Defense Authorization Act would expand the tools of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, allowing more critical mineral deals in countries such as Chile and Canada. A senior official said this could significantly accelerate U.S. backed mining and processing projects abroad, reflecting Washington’s push to diversify supply of inputs like lithium, copper, and rare earth elements away from geopolitical rivals.
In global commodity markets, Bloomberg reports that West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices have slid for a second day to the high fifty dollar range per barrel on signs of oversupply, with record U.S. production reinforcing expectations of a looming glut. Rigzone cites analysts at BMI who see global oil demand still growing in twenty twenty six but at one of the slowest paces in decades, with emerging economies offsetting declines in richer nations and continued oversupply likely to cap prices.
Meanwhile, Kitco highlights that platinum has hit a fifty two week high and is increasingly treated as a critical mineral because of its role in clean energy, hydrogen technologies, and industrial applications, underscoring how traditional precious metals are being pulled into the broader energy transition story.
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