France's ambitious energy plan will require substantial investment efforts over the next few years. Against this backdrop, the French government has expressed a willingness to propose a new remuneration framework for the existing nuclear fleet - though the timing and details of such a regulatory change remain uncertain and remote. What's more, the French state has opened the option of increasing its stake in EDF (currently 83.7%) by as early as 2019. If, or indeed when, these developments are implemented it could be credit positive.

Most of the systems in the U.S. were constructed in the 50s and 60s and they had a life expectancy of 50 years. Today, almost all operate at maximum capacity and they are all stretched to the limit. With population growth, spiraling demand, changes in power generation and mandates for the use of clean and renewable energy sources, change must come quickly.

World capital expenditure for both LNG plant and upstream infrastructure will total more than $200bn between 2019 and 2025.

The Council argues its point by noting that nuclear energy provides 11% of the world's electricity in a reliable fashion, at a very low cost, and with zero emissions. According to the industry organization, these are the reasons behind the recent proliferation of nuclear power stations in China, the United Arab Emirates, Finland, and the United Kingdom.

"In California, one of the sunniest places in the world, it still takes 450 times more land to produce the same amount of electricity from solar as it does from nuclear," he said. "Why do solar panels require 17 times more material, 17 times more land chewed up for mining than what uranium requires? The answer is energy density, which is what makes nuclear power an environmentalist's story."

The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), a multilateral development financial institution, forecast in its MENA Annual Energy Investment Outlook 2019 that current and planned energy investments in the region add up to $1trn for the next five years.

France's ambitious energy plan will require substantial investment efforts over the next few years. Against this backdrop, the French government has expressed a willingness to propose a new remuneration framework for the existing nuclear fleet - though the timing and details of such a regulatory change remain uncertain and remote. What's more, the French state has opened the option of increasing its stake in EDF (currently 83.7%) by as early as 2019. If, or indeed when, these developments are implemented it could be credit positive.

The race for investor commitments of cash and eventual market share among developers of small modular reactors (SMRs) globally is on. Developers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., South Korea, Russia, and China, and in other nations are pursuing their technology visions for a variety of designs concepts including light water (LWR), molten salt, HTGR, and other GEN IV types.

BP and partners have sanctioned the Azeri Central East (ACE) project, the next stage of development of the giant Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) oilfield complex in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea.

ConocoPhillips's gas-focused North Sea assets pumped 72,000 b/d of oil equivalent last year, and the acquisition will help boost Chrysaor's total production this year to over 185,000 boe/d, Chrysaor said in a statement.

The investment incentives provided by Dubai government and the business opportunities up for grabs on the horizon were the crux of a meeting officials of the Dubai Land Department, DLD, had with a Russian delegation who participated in the recently concluded Annual Investment Meeting 2019.

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Saudi Aramco, and Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings today announced that they have reached an agreement for Saudi Aramco’s subsidiary, Aramco Overseas Company B.V (AOC), to purchase a 17 percent stake in South Korea's Hyundai Oilbank, a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings.

China’s three state-owned oil companies are boosting domestic and overseas investment with the aim of increasing crude oil and natural gas output.

The Qatari-Russian Business Council has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Qatar and Russia on co-operation, investment and information exchange during its regular meeting held in Moscow.

Austrian power grid operator APG plans to invest Eur2.5 billion over the next 10 years to future-proof its network against a massive expansion of wind and solar, it said.