In the last few months of 2023, the US ramped up enforcement of the price cap and imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on entities and ships that carried Russian crude oil above the price cap.

Europe is benefiting from record renewables power installations last year, together with massive gas stockpiling and a relatively mild winter — some cold snaps aside.

The survey found that, across the 20 countries surveyed, 28% of respondents oppose the use of nuclear energy while 46% support it. Of the 20 countries surveyed, 17 have net support for nuclear energy's use. Support was found to be more than three times higher than opposition in the world's two most populated countries, China and India.

Currently, about 15% of Britain's energy needs are met by nuclear power, a drop from 27% in the 1990s as older plants have been decommissioned and new ones are taking time to build.

Brent fell 9 cents, or 0.1%, to $78.47 a barrel, WTI inched up 11 cents to $73.52 a barrel.

The global oil demand growth forecast for 2024 remains unchanged at 2.2 mb/d, with the OECD growing by around 0.3 mb/d and the non-OECD by about 2.0 mb/d. The global oil demand growth in 2025 is expected to see a robust growth of 1.8 mb/d, y-o-y. The OECD is expected to grow by 0.1 mb/d, y-o-y, while demand in the non-OECD is forecast to increase by 1.7 mb/d.

Beijing’s agenda in the South China Sea may also be spurred by energy interests

Betavolt, which was established in April 2021, says its battery "combines nickel-63 nuclear isotope decay technology and China's first diamond semiconductor (4th generation semiconductor) module to successfully realise the miniaturisation of atomic energy batteries".

Globally uranium demand is expected to rise by 28% by 2030 and to double by 2040.

At the meeting of the Standing Committee of the State Council, chaired by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, approval was granted for units 3 and 4 at China General Nuclear's (CGN's) existing Taipingling nuclear power plant in Guangdong province, as well as units 1 and 2 at China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC's) new Jinqimen nuclear power plant in Zhejiang province.