French short-term power contracts traded at their highest in more than three years on the over-the-counter market on February 3, as a number of unplanned outages added to concerns over record consumption forecasts.

Siemens announced January 31 that North Carolina-based Semprius – its part-owned “strategic partner” in photovoltaics (PV) – has now achieved a world-record PV module efficiency of 33.9%.

U.S.-based diesel engine and vehicle maker Navistar announced January 31 that it signed a proposed global partnership deal with Brazilian commercial bus body manufacturer San Marino Onibus e Implementos Ltda (Neobus).

Volvo Trucks announced January 26 that its “downspeeding” technology is expanding into a 455-horsepower version of its “XE13” diesel engine, targeting long-haul truck fleets.

The 3-2-1 crack spread for the Gulf Coast soared 51% from US$18.56 per barrel (/bbl) to $28.22/bbl in the week ending January 27.

U.S. Gulf Coast aromatic spot prices were mixed and other prices were mostly higher in the week ending February 3.

NYMEX light, sweet crude for March delivery settled at US$97.84 per barrel (/bbl), up $1.48 on February 3, as investors bought aggressively across various commodities in response to rising economic confidence.

U.S. Democrats unveiled legislation on February 3 that would block export of any oil transported by the Keystone XL pipeline, as they challenged claims that the delayed project would boost U.S. energy security, Reuters reported.