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“Now more than ever, it’s vital that we bolster our energy security,” U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday.

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The U.K. government on Monday provoked outrage from environmental groups after it confirmed plans to grant hundreds of new oil and gas licenses for the North Sea.

According to authorities, the move will protect over 200,000 jobs and boost the country’s energy independence at a time of geopolitical instability following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It’s expected that the first of the new licenses will be issued this fall.

Alongside new drilling for fossil fuels, the government also confirmed the locations of two new “clusters” for carbon capture usage and storage.

These will be located in northeast Scotland and the Humber, in England, and complement two previously-announced CCUS clusters. CCUS has its advocates, but the technology is divisive and has been questioned by environmental organizations.

“Now more than ever, it’s vital that we bolster our energy security and capitalise on that independence to deliver more affordable, clean energy to British homes and businesses,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.

“Even when we’ve reached net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will come from oil and gas,” he added. “But there are those who would rather that it come from hostile states than from the supplies we have here at home.”

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While the government was keen to stress what it viewed as the upsides to its announcements, environmental groups were highly critical of the plans.

“Rishi Sunak’s energy security drive should focus on energy efficiency and the UK’s vast home-grown renewable resources, rather than championing more costly and dirty fossil fuels,” said Mike Childs, Friends of the Earth’s head of policy.

“Climate change is already battering the planet with unprecedented wildfires and heatwaves across the globe,” Childs added. “Granting hundreds of new oil and gas licences will simply pour more fuel on the flames, while doing nothing for energy security as these fossil fuels will be sold on international markets and not reserved for UK use.”

Elsewhere, Greenpeace U.K.’s Philip Evans described relying on fossil fuels as being “terrible for our energy security, the cost of living, and the climate.”

Globally, the U.K.’s plans for new oil and gas licenses would also appear to run counter to comments from the U.N. Secretary General, who has previously slammed new funding for fossil fuel exploration, calling it “delusional.”

Green debate

The U.K.’s announcement about its plans for North Sea oil and gas comes at a time of renewed discussion about the implementation of green policies, such as London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone.

A key policy of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a high-profile Labour politician, the scheme covers a large chunk of the U.K. capital, charging drivers whose vehicles do not comply with a specific set of emissions standards.  

The planned expansion of the ULEZ was seen as being a major reason for Sunak’s Conservatives narrowly holding the seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in a recent byelection.

In a sign of how Sunak may be looking to tap into the often polarizing debate surrounding the environment and net-zero, on Sunday he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was “reviewing anti-car schemes across the country.”

Some Conservative MPs have also questioned the government’s plans to stop the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars and vans by 2030, part of a wider goal to require all new cars and vans to have zero tailpipe emissions by 2035.

A number of lawmakers within Sunak’s party have suggested pushing back the 2030 deadline, but the prime minister does not appear to be in favor of this.

During an interview with the Sunday Telegraph this weekend, Sunak is reported to have said, “The 2030 target has been our policy for a long time and continues to be. We are not considering a delay to that date.”

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U.S. could reach deal with Canada that avoids oil and gas tariffs, energy secretary says

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U.S. could reach deal with Canada that avoids oil and gas tariffs, energy secretary says

Energy Sec. Wright: We can get to no or very low tariffs, but it's got to be reciprocal

HOUSTON — The U.S. could reach an agreement with Canada that avoids tariffs on imports of oil, gas and other energy resources, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday.

Wright said such a scenario is “certainly is possible” but “it’s too early to say” in response to a question from CNBC during a press conference at the CERAWeek by S&P Global. The U.S. is in “active dialogue” with Canada and Mexico, the energy secretary said.

President Donald Trump has paused until April 2 tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports that are compliant with the agreement which governs trade in North America. Trump originally imposed broad 25% tariffs on goods from both countries as well as lesser 10% tariffs on energy imports from Canada.

It’s unclear, however, how much of the oil, gas and other energy that the U.S. imports from Canada is compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Wright declined to provide specifics when CNBC asked how much of those imports are USMCA compliant.

“I’m going to avoid the details for now,” Wright said. The energy secretary said, “We can get to no tariffs or very low tariffs but it’s got to be reciprocal” in an interview with CNBC’s Brian Sullivan.

Canada’s energy minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, warned last week that energy prices will rise in the U.S. if the tariffs on energy imports go into full effect.

“We will see higher gasoline prices as a function of energy, higher electricity prices from hydroelectricity from Canada, higher home heating prices associated with natural gas that comes from Canada and higher automobile prices,” Wilkinson told CNBC’s Megan Cassella in an interview.

The U.S. has been the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world for years. But many refiners in the U.S. are dependent on heavy crude imported from Canada. The U.S. imported 6.6 million barrels of crude oil per day on average in December, more than 60% of which came from Canada, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Wright acknowledged that the tariffs are creating uncertainty in energy markets as negotiations continue.

“We’re in the middle of negotiations for where things are going to go with tariffs, so that feels frightening and gripping right now but this time will pass,” Wright said. “Deals will be made, we’ll get certainty and we’ll have a positive economic environment for Americans going forward.”

U.S. crude oil fell more than 1% Monday to close at $66.03 per barrel, while global benchmark Brent closed at $69.28 per barrel. Crude oil futures have pulled back substantially as Trump’s trade policy creates uncertainty and OPEC+ has confirmed that it plans to gradually bring back 2.2 million barrels per day of production beginning next month.

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Apple Maps EV Routing adds Tesla Supercharger (NACS) support for Ford drivers – 9to5Mac

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Apple Maps EV Routing adds Tesla Supercharger (NACS) support for Ford drivers - 9to5Mac

Apple is rolling out a notable update to Apple Maps EV Routing for Ford drivers. Starting today, Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers can use Apple Maps EV Routing via CarPlay to plan road trips that include Tesla Superchargers – or any station that uses the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector.

As I’ve explained before, Ford began shipping adapters CCS to NACS adapters that allow Mach-E and Lightning drivers to charge at Tesla Superchargers last year. Until today, however, Apple Maps was unaware of this change. This meant Apple Maps EV Routing would only route Mach-E and Lightning drivers to CCS charging stations, even though a route with Tesla Superchargers might’ve been more efficient.

With today’s change, Apple Maps via CarPlay will now include NACS fast charging stations, such as compatible Tesla Superchargers, in recommended route planning recommendations.

In a blog post, Ford explains:

Apple Maps EV Routing in CarPlay allows drivers to input their route and can view the estimated battery level they will have when they get to a destination, as well as suggested charging stations along the way if charging is needed. Previously, Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers would have to manually open another app, then enter a NACS fast charger as a destination to have it added to their route. Now, with the Apple Maps EV Routing and NACS fast charger integration, the experience will be more seamless.

How to Use Apple Maps EV Routing in CarPlay:

  • Connect your Apple iPhone to CarPlay.
  • Open Apple Maps, go to Settings, and confirm your preferred charging network(s) – make sure you select a NACS fast charging station, such as Tesla Supercharger. You only have to do this once.
  • Enter a destination.
  • Apple Maps will then calculate the estimated state of charge you will have when you get to a destination.
  • If a charge is required, depending on the fastest route, it will automatically route you to a NACS fast charging station.*

This is a significant update to the Apple Maps EV Routing experience for Ford drivers. Next up on my wishlist is support for battery preconditioning when using Apple Maps EV Routing. Android Auto added this feature last October.

The new feature is available now to iPhone users running iOS 17 or later. No software update is required for your car.

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Tesla (TSLA) insider trading: Elon’s friend James Murdoch just unloaded $13 million

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Tesla (TSLA) insider trading: Elon's friend James Murdoch just unloaded  million

James Murdoch, a Tesla board member and friend of CEO Elon Musk, has confirmed that he sold about $13 million in stock today as the stock (TSLA) crashed.

There has been a lot of insider trading at Tesla lately, and by trading, we mean selling – cause no insider is ever buying at Tesla.

We recently reported on Kimball Musk, Elon’s brother, and Tesla’s Chief Financial Officer Taneja Vaibhav recently selling ahead of a recent drop in the company’s stock price.

Tesla’s chairwoman, Robyn Denholm, also sold $33 million worth of Tesla shares last week and over $100 million in the last 3 months.

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Now, it’s James Murdoch’s turn. The Tesla board member just confirmed, through a required SEC filing, that he sold 54,776 Tesla shares for just over $13 million today:

He sold as Tesla’s stock crashed 15% today. It is now down more than 50% from its all-time high just a few months ago.

Murdoch was appointed to Tesla’s board in 2017.

He is better known as the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the former CEO of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to 2019.

Murdoch was one of the Tesla board directors who was forced to return almost $1 billion in cash and stock options to Tesla as part of a settlement for over-compensation.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla insiders are unloading, and those are just the ones we know about. Public companies only have to report insider trading for board directors and listed top executives.

For the latter, Tesla purposefully only lists 3 people: Elon, Vaibhav Taneja, Tesla’s CFO, and Tom Zhu, whose role at Tesla has bit quite fluid in recent years.

Therefore, we don’t know about the dozens of other top executives potentially selling their shares right now amid a giant correction.

It’s really suspicious because there are clear top leaders at Tesla who are often on Tesla’s earnings calls, and they are not even listed, like Lars Moravy, for example.

But it’s par for the course at Tesla, which has some of the worst corporate governance I have ever seen. It’s truly shameful.

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