Oil exports from Iraqi Kurdistan remain on hold pending a final agreement with Turkey. The Iraqi federal government had announced a resumption of exports on May 13, but Kurdistan is still waiting for an agreement to resume oil exports.

The construction of the Southern Hydrogen Corridor in Europe is politically supported by the Ministries of Energy of Italy, Austria and Germany. Gas infrastructure operators Snam, TAG, GCA and bayernets have formed a partnership to develop the SoutH2 corridor.

Iraq is still waiting for Turkey's response to resume its oil exports from Kurdistan. Exports had been suspended since the end of March after an arbitration tribunal ruled in favor of the Iraqi central government. Despite the announcement of an agreement between Baghdad and Erbil, the resumption now depends on Turkey's decision.

Turkey recently postponed payment of a $600 million natural gas bill to Russia, reflecting the growing relationship between Ankara and Moscow. The deal highlights Turkey's heavy dependence on Russian energy imports, while raising concerns about its distance from NATO ties.

More than 1,500 leaders gathered in Abu Dhabi for the UAE Climate Tech conference, where the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology called for collective climate action to reduce emissions by at least 43% by 2030.

Venezuelan President Maduro is accusing the United States of "looting" Citgo, a refining company owned by Venezuelan oil giant PDVSA, as a U.S. court authorizes the sale of Citgo's shares to pay off its creditors.

Franco-Japanese cooperation on nuclear energy has been strengthened with the signing of a joint declaration by the French Energy Transition and Japanese Economy Ministers. This declaration emphasizes research and development, decommissioning and the promotion of decarbonized energy.

Japanese Prime Minister pledges to help Mozambique against jihadist insurgency and promises financial assistance to fight terrorism. Japan, the world's largest importer of liquefied natural gas, is looking to deepen its relationship with Maputo, particularly in the energy sector.

The United Nations is short of $24 million to fund the rescue of an abandoned oil tanker off the coast of Yemen that risks causing an oil spill in the Red Sea. Despite this, the operation is expected to start before the end of May thanks to existing donations and internal UN funding mechanisms.

Turkey reaches an agreement with Gazprom to defer payment for some of its natural gas imports after a price spike last year to improve its current account balance.

Iran seizes a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the second incident in a week, and the United States calls on Iran to immediately release the seized vessel in this strategic maritime zone.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting East Africa to build partnerships in clean energy, particularly with Kenya, a pioneer in renewable energy, while he will seek to strengthen economic and political relations with the region.

The financial prosecutor's office opens a preliminary investigation into the French company Cifal for corruption of foreign public officials. François Fillon is called to testify about his links with Moscow as part of an investigation into foreign interference.

Spain is opening an investigation into the possible arrival of Russian oil on its territory via third countries and is calling for a joint European response to strengthen the traceability of fuel imports. Experts suspect that Russia continues to export oil to the EU via third countries.

Russia has taken steps to protect its assets by signing a decree that temporarily places the Russian assets of two foreign energy companies under its control. This decision is seen as a response to unspecified actions contrary to international law.

The European Union and Norway announce a plan to develop carbon capture infrastructure and renewable hydrogen production at a summit in Ostend.

The United Kingdom and the Netherlands will launch a new submarine power cable project, LionLink, connected with offshore wind farms to power 1.8 million homes across the UK. The project will be operational in the early 2030s.

Increased Russian cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Europe are causing concern among politicians and cybersecurity experts. A look at the latest warnings issued by several European countries, as well as the measures taken to protect endangered energy infrastructures.

Russian spy ships have been spotted mapping energy and telecommunications infrastructure in northern waters. Nordic broadcasters have tracked messages from these ships to Russian naval bases, suggesting an information-gathering operation potentially for acts of sabotage.

The UN is holding a virtual donor conference on May 4 to raise the missing $29 million for the crucial operation to rescue an abandoned oil tanker off the coast of war-torn Yemen. The operation to prevent an oil spill in the Red Sea has a total cost of $148 million.

The EU is preparing for a possible interruption of natural gas supplies from Russia in 2023, but is ready with contingency plans. The Commission stresses the need for the EU to prepare for the energy transition and not to become too dependent on a single supplier.

Andrew Light emphasizes at the G7 Ministers' meeting the importance of new gas investments and critical mineral security to reduce dependence on China. G7 leaders adopted an agreement recognizing a role for gas.

Emmanuel Macron will participate in the 2nd North Sea Summit to accelerate the deployment of offshore renewable energy. France will join seven other European countries in making the North Sea the "green powerhouse of Europe".

The EU is seeking a deal with the U.S. on critical materials for the energy transition, following a similar deal with Japan, while concerns about Biden's IRA subsidies continue to grow among the U.S.'s economically close partner countries.

Sinopec becomes the first Asian shareholder in Qatar's North Field East project, the world's largest gas field, by acquiring a 5% stake. The project aims to increase Qatar's annual liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and strengthens relations between China and the Gulf country.

Russia is beginning to export fuel to Iran by rail to circumvent Western sanctions. Although bottlenecks are encountered along the road, rail transport represents a promising new avenue for expanding economic cooperation between the two countries.