Global production breakdown
Global coal production remains dominated by 10 countries, which account for about 90 percent of global extraction. China, India, and the United States lead worldwide volume. Despite net-zero goals, global extraction continues to grow to meet low-cost energy demands and materials like steel and cement. The Worldometer Coal Production by Country report ranks the world’s leading coal producers by total yearly tons: China: ~3.7 billion tons (World’s largest producer and consumer), India: ~761 million tons, United States: ~728 million tons, Australia: ~554 million tons and Indonesia: ~502 million tons
OPEC+ Countries say they will expand oil production
OPEC+ members have announced plans to boost oil production as energy markets show tentative signs of recovery amid the fallout of the US-Israel war on Iran. OPEC+ said on Sunday that seven member countries – Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman – would raise output by 188,000 barrels per day from August after officials held a virtual meeting to “review global market conditions and outlook”.
The production boost is the fifth consecutive increase announced by the OPEC+ members in as many months, continuing a gradual unwinding of production cuts announced in 2023.
OPEC+, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied oil producers – including Russia, Bahrain and Oman – cut output in April 2023, and again in November 2023, amid a string of bank collapses that triggered a major sell-off in oil and other commodities.
Pakistan to begin horizontal drilling for shale gas
Pakistan’s state-owned Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) plans to begin horizontal drilling at its first shale gas pilot well in September, a senior company official said on Wednesday, marking the country’s most significant step yet toward commercial production of the unconventional fuel as it seeks to curb costly energy imports.
The horizontal drilling campaign at the Kunnar Unconventional-1 (KUC-1) well in the southern Sindh province will test whether shale gas trapped deep underground can be commercially extracted using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a technique that has transformed energy production in countries such as the United States.
Nigeria ramps up dairy reforms
The Federal Government has intensified efforts to transform Nigeria’s dairy industry by promoting commercial models that improve livestock genetics, expand milk collection infrastructure and introduce modern farming technologies to reduce the country’s dependence on imported dairy products.
The renewed push was highlighted during the final day of a three-day working visit to Kano State by the Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha. The tour focused on assessing public and private investments aimed at increasing local milk production and strengthening the dairy value chain.
As part of the visit, the minister commissioned an upgraded Milk Collection Centre operated by L&Z Integrated Farms in Kadawa, Kura Local Government Area.
The facility has doubled its milk handling capacity from 10,000 litres to 20,000 litres, strengthening the cold-chain network that enables pastoralists to supply fresh milk directly to processors.
Domestic uranium production is up
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released its Domestic Uranium Production Report for the first quarter of 2026. According to the report, U.S. production of uranium concentrate (U3O8) during the first quarter of this year totaled 1,039,075 pounds, representing a 0.4 percent decrease from the fourth quarter of 2025, when U3O8 production totaled 1,043,474 pounds. However, the 2026 first-quarter production was the highest first-quarter production amount recorded since 2015, when 1,154,408 pounds were produced.
All of this year’s first-quarter uranium production occurred at six facilities. Four of these facilities are in Wyoming: the Ross Central Processing Plant, the Lost Creek Project, the Smith Ranch-Highland Operation, and the Willow Creek Project. One facility—the Alta Mesa Project—is in Texas, and one—White Mesa Mill—is in Utah. White Mesa Mill had the largest production, totaling 788,404 pounds.
Iran forecasts 13.5 mln tons of wheat production
Iran expects to produce about 13.5 mln tons of wheat in 2026. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, around 10 mln tons of the crop could be delivered to government procurement centers, helping secure domestic food supplies and strengthen food security.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Majid Anjafi said the crop production sector accounts for about 75 percent of the country’s total agricultural output. Despite climate challenges and economic pressures, the sector has managed to minimize losses through domestic resources and government support.
One of the government’s key priorities is a five-year program to expand rainfed farming. By the end of the program, Iran aims to produce 6 mln tons of rainfed wheat, increasing its share of total national wheat production from the current 10 percent to 40 percent. The plan also targets 600 thsd tons of oilseed production and an additional 1 mln tons of forage output.
Concentrated solar heat and hydrogen
Steel production accounts for roughly 7 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and nearly 70 percent of that comes from coal-fired blast furnaces; the dominant way the world has made iron for centuries.
The Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) could decarbonize steelmaking because it can be powered by renewable electricity. It requires very pure sponge iron.
Porous sponge iron is very pure metallic iron with voids where oxygen and impurities have been extracted, so it melts easily and makes stronger steel.
Now, for the first time, a French research team has demonstrated producing this pure sponge iron with no carbon emissions.