Energy & Environment

Albuquerque, N.M. – – September 18, 2026 -- TXNM Energy and Blackstone Infrastructure have filed a motion with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC) seeking to submit a revised merger application that raises total customer and community benefits to $300 million, more than doubling direct rate credits from the original proposal.

Direct customer rate credits jump to $220 million

The draft revised application increases direct customer rate credits to $220 million, over double the commitment in the initial filing. It also allocates $40 million for workforce and economic development, including job training, scholarships and apprenticeships coordinated with state and local stakeholders.

Tulsa, Okla. – September 18, 2026 -- Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP) has named the winners of its 2026 Alliance Coal Scholars Program, bringing cumulative awards under the initiative to $627,000 distributed to 283 college-bound students and teachers since 1997.

Top three seniors secure $2,000 renewable scholarships

Emalee Barton of Frankfort Community High School, daughter of Hamilton County Coal, LLC employee Tony Barton, will attend John A. Logan College. Paige Mullis of F.J. Reitz High School, daughter of Matrix Design Group, LLC employee Brett Mullis, will enroll at the University of Southern Indiana. Addy Sutton, a Sutton Homeschool graduate and daughter of CR Services, LLC employee George Sutton, will attend Southeastern Illinois College.

Crystal Springs, Mississippi – September 18, 2026 -- Hitachi Energy will build a $528 million transformer manufacturing facility in Gallman, Mississippi, marking the company's largest single U.S. investment to date and pushing its total American manufacturing commitment to roughly $1.5 billion.

New Gallman plant will more than double transformer output

The facility, located about 6.5 miles from Hitachi Energy's existing Crystal Springs plant, will be more than twice the size of the current site and create over 700 jobs, more than double the area's existing workforce. Construction is set to begin in late 2026, with transformer production scheduled to start in 2029. Once operational, production will shift from Crystal Springs to Gallman, with the older facility repurposed for warehousing and training.

Delray Beach, Fla. – September 18, 2026 -- The global transformer oil market is projected to grow from $2.18 billion in 2026 to $2.87 billion by 2031, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 5.6%, according to MarketsandMarkets. The market stood at $2.07 billion in 2025.

Grid modernization and renewable integration drive new demand

Utilities and grid operators are accelerating investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure, replacing aging transformers and expanding high-voltage networks to evacuate renewable power. This buildout is fueling demand for insulating fluids used for electrical insulation and heat dissipation in both new and refurbished transformers.

Atlanta – September 18, 2026 -- USG Water Solutions has appointed Christina Coen as Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2026, succeeding John Flaugher, who moves into a strategic advisory role.

Coen brings chemicals and agtech leadership to water infrastructure

Coen joins from UPL Corp, where she served as Chief Transformation Officer, R&D and Sustainability Lead, and previously as Chief Marketing Officer overseeing global P&L for a multi-billion-dollar portfolio. Her prior roles span senior leadership positions at Nalco Water (an Ecolab Company), FMC Corporation, and Dow Chemical, covering R&D, transformation, marketing, and commercial leadership in agricultural and specialty chemicals.

Casper, Wyoming – September 18, 2026 -- DISA Uranium Corporation has agreed to acquire a portfolio of uranium and vanadium projects in Colorado's Uravan Mineral Belt from Premier American Uranium Inc. (TSXV: PUR) (OTCQB: PAUIF) and will simultaneously invest US$5 million in the company, marking its second major U.S. uranium consolidation move this year.

Athens – September 18, 2026 -- Europe could save €10 billion in electricity grid investment by 2030 through smarter management of EV charging, according to a new study commissioned by EIT Urban Mobility, ChargeUp Europe and ACEA, and conducted by Siemens.

Grid upgrade costs could fall from €24.7 billion to €14 billion

The study, titled Electricity Grids in Europe, models 64 representative cities across the EU27 and three EEA countries to assess how rising electric vehicle adoption will strain distribution networks. Without intervention, grid reinforcement to accommodate EV growth would require an estimated €24.7 billion in investment by 2030. Deploying intelligent EV Load Management -- which coordinates charging timing and speed to avoid peak-demand overloads -- could reduce this figure to roughly €14 billion, avoiding €10.6 billion in capital spending.

Xi'an, China – September 17, 2026 -- JDEnergy has signed a framework agreement with Spanish partner WDenergia targeting 200 MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) business in Spain, focused on commercial and industrial (C&I) projects.

JDEnergy and WDenergia agree to pursue 200 MWh of C&I storage capacity in Spain

The cooperation pairs JDEnergy's string PCS technology and international project track record with WDenergia's local development and EPC capabilities. The partnership was detailed during a joint webinar titled "Future-Ready Energy Storage: String PCS Architecture for Spain's Energy Transition," which brought together JDEnergy's technical and sales teams with WDenergia representatives.

Hamilton, Bermuda – September 17, 2026 -- Borr Drilling Limited (NYSE: BORR) (OSE: BORR) has signed definitive agreements to sell its 51% equity interest in Mexican joint ventures Perforaciones Estratégicas e Integrales Mexicana S.A. de C.V. and Perforaciones Estratégicas e Integrales Mexicana II, S.A. de C.V. (together, "Perfomex") to its long-standing local partner.

Local partner takes full ownership of Perfomex and rig operations

Once the deal closes, Borr's partner becomes sole owner of Perfomex and takes over management of the jack-up rigs Galar, Gersemi and Njord, which currently work under contract with PEMEX. Borr Drilling will retain title to all three rigs and continue earning from the underlying PEMEX contracts through bareboat charter agreements, with economics expected to remain largely unchanged from the current setup.

Parsippany-Troy Hills, N.J. – September 17, 2026 -- PBF Energy Inc.'s subsidiary PBF Holding Company LLC has priced $500 million in 0% exchangeable notes due 2032, with net proceeds earmarked largely to retire its existing 7.875% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2030.

PBF Holding sets zero-coupon terms with 37.5% exchange premium

The notes, co-issued with PBF Finance Corporation, carry no regular interest and will not accrete in principal. The initial exchange price is approximately $96.80 per share, a 37.5% premium over PBF Energy's $70.40 closing share price on the New York Stock Exchange on September 14, 2026. Initial purchasers hold an option to buy up to $50 million in additional notes within 13 days of issuance.