Chevron and a consortium of companies sign contracts for gas exploration offshore Greece
On Monday, a consortium led by U.S. oil giant Chevron signed exclusive lease agreements to search for natural gas in southern Greece. This agreement expands the United States presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. The deal will double the amount of Greek marine acreage that is available for exploration. It's also the second time in recent months that a U.S. oil major has been involved. This is because the European Union wants to reduce its dependence on Russian gas and the U.S. wants to replace it.
Chevron and a consortium of companies sign contracts for gas exploration offshore Greece
The United States has expanded its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean with the signing of exclusive lease agreements by a?consortium headed by U.S. major oil company?Chevron? to search for natural gas offshore southern Greece. This deal, the second to be signed in recent months by a 'U.S. company, doubles the amount available of Greek marine acreage for exploration. The European Union is phasing out Russian supplies and the United States is looking to replace them. The European Union is looking to replace them.
Modi's rooftop Solar push is slowed down by unwilling lenders, states
Vendors and analysts claim that despite the heavy subsidies, I ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not able to achieve his targets due to loan delays and limited state support. These shortfalls are the latest "challenge" to India's efforts at nearly doubling clean energy capacity by 2030 to 500 gigawatts. The government is planning to suspend the clean energy tendering target amid an increasing backlog of projects that have been awarded but not yet built. India may continue to rely on coal because of challenges to its plans to increase the use of solar power.
Maguire: Maguire, China's renewables boom has boosted it to a rare clean-capacity club.
In 2025, the world's largest polluter will have crossed a crucial energy transition threshold by installing more clean power than fossil fuel production capacity for the first. Global Energy Monitor data shows that China will have 1,494 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy generation capacity operating in 2025. This compares to 1,420 GW?of fossil fuel-fueled capacity. China now draws 51% of its energy from clean sources, surpassing Brazil, France, and Germany, as the major economies that are primarily fueled by clean energy sources.
Maguire: Maguire, China's renewables boom has boosted it to a rare clean-capacity club.
In 2025, the world's largest polluter will have crossed an important energy transition threshold by installing more clean power generation capacity than fossil fuel generation capacity. Global Energy Monitor data shows that China will have 1,494 gigawatts (GW) of clean power generation in operation by 2025. This compares to the?1,420-GW capacity powered by coal, gas, and other fossil fuels. China has now a 51% share of its energy fleet that is derived from clean sources.
Maguire: Australia's renewable energy boom will deliver a coveted price for power
Australia's wholesale power prices dropped to their lowest level in four years by 2025. This bucking of rising prices elsewhere, and proving that renewables-intensive power systems can lower power costs for consumers. The increased battery storage capacity, and the solar farms could allow utilities to reduce operating costs. These savings may be passed on to businesses and households as early as this year. According to Ember, an energy think tank, Australia's electrical system has been undergoing 'one of the most aggressive' overhauls in the last decade.
Britain invests up to $1.4 Billion in Community Energy Projects
The UK announced on Tuesday that it would invest up to one billion pounds ($1.4billion) in community energy projects such as solar panels for libraries and public buildings. This will help the country meet climate targets and reduce local energy costs. Britain wants to decarbonise the power sector largely by 2030. This will require an increase in renewable energy capacity. Local Power Plan launched on Monday aims to help local communities and public buildings implement clean energy projects.
Enel, Italy's energy company, reports core profit for 2025 in line with guidance
Enel, the Italian utility company, reported a core profit of 22.9 billion euro ($27 billion) on Thursday. This is in line with?the?group's guidance for 2020. They also said that their net income will be slightly higher than 6.9 billion euro. The analyst consensus, calculated by LSEG, was 23 billion euros. However, the growth in international business was offset by a lower performance in Italy. The EBITDA for '2024 was 22.8 billion Euros, or 22.4 after removing the contribution from assets Enel had sold in that year.
Official: India will no longer set annual clean energy targets
A senior government official announced that India would no longer set annual targets for clean-energy tenders, after failing to meet the goal last year and building up an enormous backlog of projects?without buyers. Indian developers already own the rights to build 43 gigawatts worth of renewable energy, but they have yet to find buyers. State utilities delayed purchasing clean power because they expected prices to drop and were concerned about the delivery of power due to delays with transmission infrastructure.
Masdar and Engie, both from the UAE, reach financial closure on the 1.5 GW Khazna Solar Project
Masdar, a UAE-based company, and Engie, a French company have completed a 1.5-gigawatt project in Abu Dhabi. They secured financing from seven banks including the?Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank? and?Credit Agricole Corporate? and?Investment Bank?. According to the companies, this group includes KfW IPEX as well as BNP Paribas and HSBC. Abu Dhabi's Emirates Water and Electricity Company awarded Engie and Masdar this project in October. The companies signed a 30-year Power Purchase Agreement.
Toda begins commercial operation of Japan’s first floating windfarm
Toda Construction announced on Monday that their consortium had started 'commercial operations' at the Goto offshore?wind?farm located in Nagasaki,?southern?Japan. This marks the country’s first commercial floating?wind project. The floating wind farm, which has a capacity of 16.8 megawatts (MW), is the first facility to be certified by a new law enacted by the land and industry ministries to promote the sector. Japan wants to increase its renewable energy capacity in order to meet the 2050 goal to become carbon neutral.
FEATURE-AI data explosion in Mexico fuels rise of dirty energy
The country's power infrastructure is overloaded and pollution has increased due to the shortfall in green power, despite promises by government and industry to increase capacity. The data centers are huge warehouses that are the size of Olympic stadiums. They sprawl over industrial parks and house hundreds of servers, which consume a lot of energy. These servers power the most powerful technology companies, like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. The report stated that while Microsoft waits for the connection to Mexico's struggling power grid…
AI data explosion in Mexico fuels growth in dirty energy
The lack of green power, despite promises by government and industry to increase capacity, has overloaded and increased local pollution. Masheika Allgood is the founder of AllAI Consulting. She provides information on data center environmental impacts. The data centers are huge warehouses that are the size of Olympic stadiums. They sprawl over industrial parks and house hundreds of servers, which consume a lot of energy. These servers power the most powerful technology companies, including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.
Prices fall despite short-term bullish factors
The European spot electricity prices fell on Tuesday despite lower renewables and nuclear supplies and an increase in consumption?in France - as demand decreased across the region. LSEG analysis identified increasing thermal power as a market factor, which?overall?worked to bring down levels in Germany & France. LSEG data shows that the French baseload day-ahead was priced at 95 euros ($99.88 per megawatt hour) at 0940 GMT. This is 4% lower than at the previous close. The German equivalent price dropped 1.6% to 106.8 Euro/MWh.
French spot up on lower renewables and Germany's down
On Tuesday, European power prices varied. The French prices rose despite lower wind and solar production. Germany's prices fell but still retained a premium compared to those of the neighbouring country. According to LSEG, the price for French day-ahead basisload at 0930 GMT was 146.6% higher, or 64.8 euros ($75.47), than it had been before. This is more than double what it had been previously, which was 26.3 euros. The equivalent German position dropped 8.2%, to 83.8 Euro/MWh.
India's low battery storage bids are raising concerns about project viability
Industry experts and analysts fear that the record-low bids to build battery energy storage system in India could make some projects economically unviable, or even dangerous. This would hinder efforts towards renewable power. Battery projects are critical to India's goal to double its renewable energy capacity by 2030 to 500 gigawatts, while the grid operator reduces excess power. India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), an industry group, says that India has contracted out 83 gigawatt hours (GWh) worth of battery storage since 2021.
Serentica, a KKR-backed company, may raise as much as $8 billion for India's green energy expansion
A top executive at the Indian company Serentica Renewables said that it plans to raise between $8 billion and $6 billion in the next five year to fund acquisitions and projects, as well as to double its clean energy production capacity. Pratik Agarwal said that Serentica is looking to spend $10 billion to 11 billion dollars to increase its clean energy portfolio by 17 gigawatts by 2029/30. The company wants to buy projects that are currently operating or under construction.
Are renewables prepared for the COP30 discussion on fossil fuels?
At the climate summit, it may be premature to declare the end to the fossil fuel age. But up to 80 nations are calling for a concrete plan that will move us away from polluting energy. The 195 countries at the COP30, including the oil producers, will have to agree on a plan to reduce oil and gas consumption. There are also practical challenges to overcome, as the demand for electricity is expected to rise due to the increase in artificial intelligence, and the population growth.
Blueleaf Energy India Plans to Receive $75 Million from UK Development Finance Body
British International Investment, the UK's Development Finance Institution, announced on Wednesday that it would invest 75 million dollars to help Blueleaf Energy expand in India, a renewable energy platform owned by Macquarie Asset Management. The funds are intended to speed up the deployment of clean energy in Asia. The investment is to be made into Blueleaf’s utility-scale projects for solar, wind and energy storage in India. It will generate more than 3.2 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year of clean energy.
Malaysia shifts from coal to a mix of solar, gas and electricity
Malaysia will shift away from coal and focus on solar power, said the CEO of the state utility Tenaga Nasional on Wednesday. He added that using renewable sources would keep costs low. Southeast Asia's 35 million-strong nation has increased its coal-fired fleet in order to lower electricity costs. However, it plans to increase the use of solar and natural gas - with the latter being cheaper but the former more flexible. Solar is cheaper per unit than coal and gas.