Low-cost gas stations, or those found in some supermarket chains, have helped to lower the impact of rising fuel costs on consumers' pockets, according to a study by the Catalan Competition Authority (ACCO) on fuel price increases, presented this Thursday. The authority also notes that between 25% and 30% of the Spanish government's aid for diesel has not served to lower prices, but rather to increase corporate margins, although the subsidy for gasoline has indeed reached practically 100% of the final consumer.

The cost of living for families continues to rise due to the increase in energy prices –particularly fuels–, and it is at its highest since February 2023 for the second consecutive month. Specifically, in September, the prices of all consumer goods and services in Catalonia soared by 4.5% compared to the same month a year ago, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data published this Wednesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

Because energy reaches homes every day, Naturgy is launching a new corporate purpose to make it more accessible, understandable, closer, and useful to society. The campaign accompanying this launch reaffirms its ability to fulfill its commitments and to be present in people's daily lives. "Cada dia. Everyday" is the slogan the company is launching, which intertwines with the company's legacy of over 180 years of history.

With a quick internet search, you can find round-trip plane tickets between Barcelona and Brussels for less than 70 euros. The same journey by train (which requires a transfer) costs more than 200 euros. And if it were done by car, between fuel and tolls, it would cost at least about 400. How is such a big difference possible? The answer lies, in part, in the tax exemptions that kerosene enjoys.

With inflation once again through the roof and without prospects of it falling imminently –the European Central Bank (ECB) has resumed raising interest rates–, the Spanish government has been forced to extend part of the measures put in place due to the war in Iran, which were set to expire this September 30th. It is, therefore, the third package of measures approved by Pedro Sánchez's executive to mitigate the effects of the conflict on the cost of living, and it will cost the public coffers 12 billion euros.

The global map of liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as that of raw materials, has been upside down for some time. First due to the war in Ukraine and the fact that Europe turned off the tap for this fuel from Russia. Now, the war in Iran has been added to this following the attack by the United States and Israel and the subsequent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz –through which between a quarter and a fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas circulated–, as well as an escalation of tension in the Red Sea. The context has forced many countries to look for gas under rocks –metaphorically and literally– and to chart unimaginable, or at least unusual, maritime routes, to the point that during the first eight months of 2026 (between January and August) the port of Barcelona has seen 7,439 tons of LNG loaded from the regasification plant tanks bound for Thailand. Specifically to the port of Bangkok, according to data on LNG shipments, to which ARA has had access.

The Spanish government plans to increase the capacity of the electricity grid in Catalonia by 50% by 2030. Thus, an additional 3,800 megawatts (MW) will be added to the electrical system, which will allow for meeting the growing demand from both private individuals and various investments in public infrastructure. This increase is the portion assigned to Catalonia of the Pedro Sánchez executive's plan to improve the electricity grid across the entire State, which includes investments worth 17 billion euros in all autonomous communities over the next four years.

Catalonia now has a roadmap to decarbonize its industry. It was presented this Friday by the Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque, at an event at the DFactory in the Zona Franca, Catalonia's major hub for Industry 4.0. Following the work carried out by the Catalan Energy Institute (Icaen), which analyzed all sectors and subsectors, the conclusion is that decarbonizing Catalan industry will require an additional investment—that is, beyond what companies already spend in their normal operations—of 9.5 billion euros. This investment should be made between now and 2050.

The Spanish government wants to tax the profits of oil and gas companies in the European Union. It considers that in the midst of an energy crisis, where prices have soared, these companies are obtaining extraordinary profits derived from the context. For this reason, together with four other countries, they brought their offensive to impose a levy on them to the Ecofin meeting this Friday. This tax was discussed at the informal meeting of Finance ministers, which took place in Dublin, according to sources from the Spanish government.

The escalation of prices, particularly of fuel, due to the war in Iran is forcing the Spanish government to continue deploying aid aimed at families, businesses, and the sectors most affected such as transport or the agri-food sector (with the start of the war, a package of measures was launched that expires this September 30). This is taken for granted at the Ministry of Economy and has been conveyed as such by the head of this portfolio, Carlos Cuerpo, to unions and employers' associations in a meeting this Thursday.

The president of the United States Federal Reserve (Fed), Kevin Warsh, faces the challenge this Wednesday of raising interest rates to combat inflation, which stood at 3.4% in August, far from the 2% target. Markets and investors take for granted a quarter-point increase, with a probability of more than 90%, according to the digital tool Fedwatch CME. But there is a problem: this is precisely the opposite of what the country's president, Donald Trump, who pushed for Warsh's appointment, wants. The head of the White House, in addition, threatened to cut off trade with all countries with which it has a trade deficit if the Fed does not lower the price of money, currently situated between 3.50% and 3.75%, after keeping it in July.

The Catalan technology sector often boasts about the talent pool offered by the country's university ecosystem. Any technology company that remains in Catalonia explains much of its success due to the foundation provided by research and educational centers, which allow access to high-level ideas and professionals without leaving home. Atom H2, one of the rising stars of the country's emerging fabric, is an example: the start-up has developed an alternative to diesel generators that generates and stores energy to support strategic infrastructure. And they did it, as recalled by Anna Martín (Barcelona, 2001), co-founder and CEO of the company, on Fridays after class.

The Iran war triggers the profitability of the energy sector in the State to historical highs. According to a report published this Tuesday by the economic cabinet of Comissions Obreres (CCOO), the margin on sales —obtained by dividing the gross operating profit by total revenue— was 24.5% at the close of the second quarter of 2026, a figure never before recorded that is three points higher than last year's and more than double compared to the fiscal years prior to the outbreak of the pandemic.

The Spanish stock exchange operator BME allows Holaluz to list on the stock exchange again from tomorrow, Tuesday. The Catalan company will rejoin the BME Growth market – the stock market for SMEs – once the ministry's procedure for Ecological Transition, which could have resulted in its disqualification as an energy marketer, has been archived.

After a summer with rising fuel prices, this Tuesday the subsidy for diesel will increase to 20 cents per liter. From September 1, the reduction in the hydrocarbon tax on diesel will return to its initial level. This is an initiative that is applied automatically, because the Spanish government foresaw its application if prices were to skyrocket by more than 15% compared to a year ago.

The Spanish government has shelved the investigation it opened in mid-July against the Catalan company Holaluz, which could have led to the company being disqualified as an electricity marketer. "The company is sound," sources close to the matter told ARA.

In a world dominated by uncertainty and with a completely unpredictable President of the United States, public debt, which countries issue to finance themselves, has soared to yields like those of 20 years ago, in a crisis phase.

They knew thoroughly how the electricity market in Spain works and took advantage of its own "security mechanisms" to defraud it. The fraud exceeds 61 million euros, according to Red Eléctrica's calculations, and there are 93 affected companies that are now trying to obtain compensation to recover the money they lost with this deception. The National Court will try this network between October and November, which operated from Barcelona and Madrid and was supervised from the Sarrià office where the businessman Esteban Roig worked, whom the Prosecutor's Office identifies as the director of the entire structure and requests that he be sentenced to sixteen years in prison. Sixteen more people are also accused, who could face sentences of between nine and six years depending on their degree of involvement.

The return of hostilities in the Middle East has put an end to the calm in the region. And also that of the markets, especially energy. Since the war in Iran began, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has jeopardized European supplies, and this has sent fuel prices soaring. And now the value of oil and natural gas is rising again after a few calmer weeks.

The co-founder and executive president of Holaluz, Carlota Pi, receives ARA a few hours after the company has presented the allegations against the file from the Ministry of Ecological Transition that opens the door to the disqualification of the company as a marketer. First thing the next day, at the company's offices, Pi defends that Holaluz's business model is "one hundred percent viable" and that, what it needs, is "scale". She cannot confirm or deny that an alleged non-payment to large electricity companies is the reason for the possible disqualification. She defends, however, that the company's debt "is not excessive, not by a long shot".