Global Roundup: AI Power Demand, Angola's Debt, Panama Canal Revenue

The global energy landscape is being reshaped by surging power demand from artificial intelligence, with new markets emerging for natural gas-fueled technologies, according to a roundup of international reports. For Bakken operators, these trends underscore the interconnected nature of global energy demand, finance, and logistics.

A burgeoning power crisis at AI data centers is creating a massive new market for on-site fuel cells, according to research from Rystad Energy reported by OilPrice.com. Data center developers are increasingly bypassing congested electricity grids, with Rystad projecting fuel cell revenues to grow tenfold from roughly $2.8 billion in 2025 to around $30 billion by 2030. The firm projects 10.4 gigawatts of cumulative fuel cell demand from data centers between 2026 and 2030.

Crucially for natural gas producers, these fuel cells can be deployed quickly and run on natural gas today, with the potential to transition to biogas, renewable natural gas, or hydrogen later. North America is expected to account for 91% of installed global on-site power generation capacity for data centers, driven by grid delays and federal tax incentives. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) are the dominant technology for this always-on power.

Meanwhile, major financing deals are exposing underlying weaknesses at Angola's state oil company, Sociedade Nacional de Combustíveis de Angola (Sonangol). According to OilPrice.com, Sonangol recently secured a $2.65-billion financing deal with a consortium of international banks. This follows a $1.75 billion facility from the African Export-Import Bank in January and a $750 million bond issuance.

However, the company's core oil and gas operations are barely profitable. For its 2025 financial results, Sonangol's upstream exploration and production operations generated only $105 million in profit despite $4.36 billion in revenue. Its downstream segment posted an $895 million loss. A full 53% of the company's 2025 net profit of $940 million came from external dividends, not its core business.

In global trade news, the Panama Canal expects its revenue to exceed a $5.2 billion forecast for fiscal 2026, according to Rigzone. The increase is attributed to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has likely rerouted global shipping traffic and increased toll revenue for the key waterway. This highlights how geopolitical events can swiftly alter global energy logistics and trade flows.