Fluor, Shell & OVO: This Week's Top Five Energy Stories 1. Why Fluor is Building the US's First New Refinery Since 1977 Fluor Corporation has been awarded the contract to engineer and design a large-scale refining facility in Texas, the first in the US in half a century The energy crisis engendered by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has left governments globally considering their energy security. In many cases, this period of reflection has led to the conclusion that countries need to rely less on global trading partners when it comes to fuel, due to the current instability of the oil and gas market. While the US's military involvement in the Middle East may have negatively impacted its own energy economy in the short term, US President Donald Trump has made repeatedly clear his desire to move away from a globalised energy sector. Since Trump was inaugurated for a second time in January 2025, he has spoken time and again about increasing US oil drilling. While some progress has been made against this goal, refining remains something of a problem for Trump's ambition for the US to become self-sufficient. The US is one of the world's most prolific refiners of oil, yet it still relies somewhat on importing fuel due to bottlenecks at its 130 refineries. Part of this is down to the fact that the country has not built a new oil refinery in almost 50 years. This, however, is about to change 2. Why is Shell Selling All its Service Stations in France? Shell has made plans to sell its French petrol stations as the firm’s strategy shifts, raising questions over retail margins and its post-war priorities Shell is preparing to sell its entire network of petrol stations in France, according to a report from French