Energy Affordability Clash (US/UK): Maryland electricity bills jumped 50.9% over five years, with Gov. Wes Moore blaming utility profiteering and data-center demand while critics argue state decarbonization rules are forcing 43% of power imports and raising blackout risk by summer 2027. In the UK, the National Audit Office warns grid delays could add about £100 a year to bills by the end of the decade as wind projects are forced to shut and gas plants ramp up. Geopolitics & Power Prices (Europe/Middle East): Renewed Middle East supply fears kept Brent above $100 and pushed the ECB to signal more rate hikes as energy-driven inflation stays sticky. Ukraine Winter Resilience (Canada/Ukraine): Canada pledged nearly CAD 435m in EBRD credit guarantees plus CAD 200m in concessional loans and extra support for Ukraine’s energy equipment and storage. Renewables Build-Out (India/Namibia/Ghana): Google launched five clean-energy initiatives in India, Uzbekistan is accelerating $933m waste-to-energy with Chinese partners, and Ghana’s energy commission says efficiency leads its transition while gas bridges to renewables and nuclear. Grid & Storage Projects (India/Australia/US): Juniper Green commissioned 35 MW wind in Gujarat, an AI-enabled solar-plus-storage system supports an Australian hotel, and Michigan is funding $7.5m to explore geologic hydrogen. Energy Security as Investment Theme: From small businesses delaying growth over bills to policy debates on data-center power, the week’s thread is clear: energy reliability and cost are now central to economic planning.