Environment

China and India to face supply jolt as U.S. targets Russia’s oil giants

Published

2 days ago

October 23, 2025

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General view of Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery in the city of Orsk, Orenburg region, Russia Aug. 28, 2025.

Stringer | Reuters

U.S. decision to sanction Russia’s two largest oil companies threatens to disrupt the energy lifeline linking Moscow to its biggest customers in Asia, but without causing an immediate supply shock, industry experts told CNBC.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday levied sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, citing Moscow’s “lack of serious commitment” to ending the war in Ukraine. The sanctions aim to “degrade” Kremlin’s ability to finance its war, the department said, signaling more measures could follow.

The government has set Nov. 21 as the deadline for winding down operations, which means companies have nearly a month to wrap up or cancel existing deals with Rosneft and Lukoil. That seems to be designed to avoid causing immediate chaos in the oil markets while applying pressure on Russia, said Bob McNally, President of Rapidan Energy Group.

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Rosneft and Lukoil together account for roughly half of Russia’s more than 4 million barrels a day of crude exports, volumes that have found steady homes in Asian markets since the West imposed a $60 price cap in late 2022, data provided by Vanda Insights showed.

China imported about 2 million barrels per day of Russian oil in September, while India took around 1.6 million barrels per day.

“This is potentially a very significant escalation,” said Muyu Xu, senior crude oil analyst at commodities data analytics firm Kpler. “Trump’s sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil [will] have significant implications for Russian seaborne crude exports, potentially prompting major buyers to scale back purchases — if not halt them entirely — in the near term,” she added.

In India, the sanctions are expected to hit several refiners directly tied to Russian supply. India’s state-run refiners — Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum as well as private giants such as Reliance Industries, HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd., and Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), are among those most exposed, Kpler data showed.

Rosneft also owns nearly 50% of Nayara Energy Ltd., operator of the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, and it may struggle with selling refined products, rather than obtaining crude.

Indian state-run refiners are currently scrutinizing their Russian oil trade paperwork to confirm that none of their supplies originate directly from Rosneft or Lukoil, Reuters reported on Thursday, following the announcement of the sanctions, citing a source with direct knowledge of the situation.

“India will likely need to walk away from its seaborne term agreements, while China’s pipeline flows may continue,” said Vortexa’s oil market analyst Emma Li.

Refiners in China will also have to exercise caution, energy experts said. All the state-owned enterprises will be careful about cargoes linked to Rosneft and Lukoil, Xu said.

China National Petroleum Corporation has agreements with Rosneft for pipeline supply, but no long-term contracts for seaborne crude, according to Vortexa.

“I don’t expect a complete shutdown of Russian crude flows, but a short-term and immediate hiatus seems inevitable,” said Xu.

Sanctions mean buyers will need to find new ways to move and pay for those shipments, which brings about extra costs and complications, and that’s exactly what the U.S. wants: to cut Moscow’s profits without completely stopping its exports, said McNally.

Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, ONGC, Reliance Industries and China National Petroleum Corporation did not immediately respond to a CNBC’s requests for comment.

This is as high-profile as it gets and Washington cannot risk looking like a paper tiger.

Vandana Hari

Vanda Insights

China and India will have little choice but to turn mostly to U.S. and OPEC supplies, noted energy experts. “There is spare capacity within OPEC right now, especially Saudi Arabia. But the increased demand for the global non-sanctioned supply will raise prices,” John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital.

Oil prices jumped around 5% before paring gains slightly after Trump’s announcement. Global benchmark Brent was trading 3.71% higher at $64.91 per barrel at 2.00 a.m. ET, Thursday, while U.S. crude had climbed 3.93% to $60.8.

Founder of Vanda Insights, Vandana Hari, also said that the alternative for China and India was more Middle Eastern crude.

The new measures differ sharply from the G7’s earlier price-cap mechanism, which allowed Russian crude to flow as long as it was sold below $60 a barrel. “This appears to imply that you cannot buy Russian crude oil regardless of the price,” Kilduff said. “It’s a blanket ban.”

“This is as high-profile as it gets and Washington cannot risk looking like a paper tiger,” said Hari. “But a far bigger question is whether the sanctions will sustain … One Trump-Putin phone call could turn the situation by 180 degrees again.”

Environment

As Texas power demand surges, solar, wind and storage carry the load

Published

5 hours ago

October 24, 2025

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As Texas power demand surges, solar, wind and storage carry the load

Texas solar battery storage — Photo: Avangrid

Electricity demand is surging in Texas, and solar, wind, and battery storage are meeting it.

According to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), electricity demand across the Texas grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) hit record highs in the first nine months of 2025. ERCOT, which supplies power to about 90% of the state, saw demand jump 5% year-over-year to 372 terawatt hours (TWh) – a 23% increase since 2021. No other major US grid has grown faster over the past year.

Solar and wind keep ERCOT’s grid steady

The biggest growth story in Texas power generation is solar. Utility-scale solar plants produced 45 TWh from January through September, up 50% from 2024 and nearly four times what they generated in 2021 (11 TWh). Wind power also continued to climb, producing 87 TWh through September – a 4% increase from last year and 36% more than in 2021.

Together, wind and solar supplied 36% of ERCOT’s total electricity over those nine months. Solar, in particular, has transformed Texas’s daytime energy mix. From June to September, ERCOT solar farms generated an average of 24 gigawatts (GW) between noon and 1 pm – double the midday output from 2023. That growth has pushed down natural gas use at midday from 50% of the mix in 2023 to 37% this year.

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Battery storage is filling in the gaps

Batteries charge during the day when wind and solar generation are the highest, and they produce electricity when generation from wind and solar slows down. ERCOT began reporting battery output separately in October 2024 in its hourly grid data, and it’s clear that batteries are now helping to smooth out evening peaks. This past summer, batteries supplied an average of 4 GW of power around 8 pm, right as solar production dropped off.

Natural gas is flatlining

Natural gas is still Texas’s dominant power source, but it isn’t growing like it used to. Between January and September, gas-fired plants generated 158 TWh of electricity, compared to 161 TWh in 2023. Gas comprised 43% of ERCOT’s generation mix during the first nine months of 2025, down from 47% in the first nine months of 2023 and 2024.

More demand growth ahead

The EIA expects Texas electricity demand to keep rising faster than any other grid in the US. In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, the EIA projects ERCOT’s demand will climb another 14% in the first nine months of 2026, reaching 425 TWh. That means Texas will need even more solar, wind, and battery storage to keep up with its breakneck growth.

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Environment

Chevy Equinox EV and another Cadillac electric SUV recalled due to tire defect

Published

7 hours ago

October 24, 2025

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Chevy Equinox EV and another Cadillac electric SUV recalled due to tire defect

GM is recalling nearly 23,000 Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models due to a defect where the tire tread could fall off.

GM is recalling more Chevy Equinox EV models

In a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), GM said it has decided to issue a safety recall for certain Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models from model years 2025 to 2026.

This time, it isn’t necessarily GM’s fault. The vehicles may be equipped with 21″ all-season tires that Continental Tire is recalling.

According to Continental, the tires were produced during the week of October 6, 2024, and may have a defect where the tire tread could partially or fully detach. The records show the defect is due to a nonconforming tread base rubber compound.

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Owners of affected vehicles may notice unusual tread wear or bulging, vibration while driving, or tire noises. GM is unaware of any incidents related to the defect, but is issuing the recall out of an abundance of caution.

Cadillac-Optiq-EV-recall — Cadillac Optiq EV (Source: Cadillac)

On September 18, 2025, GM inspected the assembly plant and confirmed there were no suspect tires in stock. The 21″ tires come standard on RS trims and are optional on LT1 and LT2 grades.

Although GM is recalling 22,914 Chevy Equinox EVs and Cadillac Optiqs, it estimates that only about 1% of them have the defect.

The recall includes:

2026 Cadillac Optiq: 214
2026 Chevy Equinox EV: 1,832
2025 Cadillac Optiq: 3,468
2025 Chevy Equinox EV: 17,400

GM dealers will check all four tires and replace them if needed, free of charge. Dealers were notified on October 16. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed out on December 1, 2025.

You can contact Chevrolet’s customer service number at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac’s at 1-800-333-4223. GM’s recall number is N252525030. Owners can also call the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit the nhtsa.gov website for more information.

The Chevy Equinox EV is now the third best-selling EV in the US, trailing only the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. Meanwhile, Cadillac’s entry-level Optiq SUV is the fifth-most-popular luxury EV. The recall is minor and only affects a small percentage of models, so it’s not expected to have a major impact.

If you want to test one of them for yourself, we can help you get started. Check out our links below to find available Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models near you.

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Environment

Podcast: TSLA earnings madness, Rivian layoffs, Ford pauses F-150 Lightning, more

Published

8 hours ago

October 24, 2025

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Podcast: TSLA earnings madness, Rivian layoffs, Ford pauses F-150 Lightning, more

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s earnings madness, Rivian layoffs, Ford pausing F-150 Lightning, and more.

The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:

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