South Africa's $5.8 billion Project Aims to Produce Low-Cast Green Ammonia
A $5.8 billion project on South Africa's east coast seeks to use the country's infrastructure and cheap renewable power to make some of the world's cheapest green ammonia for clients in Europe and Asia, an executive said.South Africa is vying with other African nations, including Egypt, Morocco and Namibia, to meet rising demand in the European Union and Asia for hydrogen and ammonia described as green because they are produced from renewable energy.Ammonia is used in making fertiliser and by the chemical industry and it is also the means to deliver hydrogen, which is sought after to reduce carbon emissions but is very difficult to ship or pi
Poland's PGE will spend $63.8 billion in new strategy
PGE, Poland's largest utility, plans to invest 235 billion Zlotys (63.80 billion dollars) by 2035. It will focus on renewables and gas-fired plants as well as energy storage. PGE's core profit is expected to increase from 11 billion Zlotys (in 2024) to 17 billion Zlotys (in 2030) and 30 billion Zlotys (2035), as a result. The company intends to resume dividend payments once it has achieved recurring net profits, positive free cash flow over two years and maintained an investment grade rating. PGE paid its last dividend in 2016 before ceasing to pay out for the purpose of financing its investment plans.
German utility RWE announces partnership with tech giant Amazon
The German utility RWE announced on Thursday a strategic framework deal with tech giant Amazon, in which the utility will deliver clean energy and receive cloud services in exchange. Cloud services include artificial intelligence and data analysis in exchange for electricity provided by RWE's solar and wind facilities. Some of these are already operational and others are in construction. RWE, a major utility company in Europe, has a portfolio of renewable energies in operation or in development that it can sell to Amazon and other hyperscalers in data centres to help them reach their green energy goals.
South Africa's Hive project, worth $5.8 billion, aims to be the leader in low-cost ammonia production
An executive revealed that a $5.8 billion South African project located on the east coast aims to use cheap renewable energy and the country's infrastructure to produce some of the cheapest green ammonia in the world for clients from Europe and Asia. South Africa competes with other African nations including Egypt, Morocco, and Namibia to meet the growing demand for green hydrogen and ammonia in Europe and Asia. These products are described as "green" because they're produced using renewable energy. Ammonia can be used to make fertiliser, by the chemical industry, and to deliver hydrogen.
White House aide: US Energy Loan Office should fund oil and gas
A White House aide stated on Tuesday that the U.S. Energy Department loan office should finance oil and gas infrastructure. Jarrod Agen said, "One of our biggest problems is that the loan program office was used in the past for many of these renewable energy projects" at a Politico Energy conference. Thanks to the legislation that was passed during Joe Biden's term, the Loan Programs Office has grown rapidly and now has hundreds of millions of dollars of loan and guarantee capacity. Agen stated that the administration has changed the priority of LPO.
NextEra CEO: Renewables are needed to bridge the gap between expanding gas power and increasing renewables
NextEra CEO John Ketchum said on Tuesday that renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power will be needed to meet the rapidly increasing energy demand in America, despite near-term challenges to increasing natural gas capacities. At the Politico Energy Summit, the head of Florida's power producer stated that the high cost to acquire gas turbines and a shortage in construction workers, along with the tariff costs, will make it take seven years or more to bring new gas-fired plants online. Ketchum stated that "we need a bridge in order to get to 2032, when the gas will be available...
India extends waiver on transmission charges for energy storage projects to June 2028
The power ministry announced on Tuesday that India will waive all inter-state transmission fees for projects involving electricity storage until June 2028. This is in response to the country's ambitious goals of boosting energy storage and achieving its clean energy targets. Power producers are paid by purchasers, who are typically distribution companies. This payment includes transmission charges. The government has announced that it will waive 100% of the inter-state transmission charges (ISTS) for projects using pumped storage to move water up from a lower reservoir.
Shanghai's solar conference focuses on losses and pricing reform
The mood will likely be subdued when the largest solar energy conference in the world kicks off on Tuesday in Shanghai, as Chinese solar panel manufacturers grapple with the oversupply of panels and price reforms. The majority of solar farms in the world are powered by modules and cells made in China. However, the top Chinese producers are suffering billions in losses due to the fierce competition that has driven prices well below their cost. In response, producers are reducing production. They also face uncertainty regarding the future of demand due to changes in policy on solar energy project investments.
FuelCell Energy cuts 22% of its staff as part of a restructuring plan
FuelCell Energy, a renewable energy company, announced on Friday that it had laid off 22 percent of its staff as part of an overall restructuring plan designed to reduce operating costs by 30 percent compared to a year ago. Following the announcement, shares of the Danbury-based company in Connecticut rose 5.6% during premarket trading. Many renewable energy companies have had to reconsider their expansion plans due to high interest rates and policy uncertainty surrounding capital-intensive clean power projects. FuelCell announced that the new plan would focus on its operations in North America, Canada, and Germany.
Metal industry group claims that new EU State Aid rules do not help
A metals industry group wrote a letter to the European Commission on Friday, saying that plans to overhaul state aid rules ignore heavy industry, which is critical for processing energy transition metals. They fail to mitigate energy costs, while green rules may penalise them. After a public hearing on its proposal from February, the Commission will announce new rules for state aid on 26 June. The group sent a letter to the Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, and the commissioners responsible for climate, energy, industry and competition this week.
Spain pays first arbitral award in long-running dispute over renewable subsidies
A spokesperson for the Energy Ministry said that on Thursday, the Spanish government had agreed to pay 37 million dollars to an American fund in order to settle a dispute over renewable energy subsidies which were reduced more than a decade earlier. After the conservative government of Spain cut renewable subsidies in 2013, to reduce an artificially low power tariff deficit that had been built up over years, foreign investors, mainly investment funds, filed a lawsuit against Spain. Blasket renewable investments, a U.S.-based fund, had acquired rights to the award.
In May, India's coal-fired electricity output fell at the fastest rate in five years.
A government analysis showed that India's coal-fired power generation fell in May at the fastest rate in five years. The overall demand for electricity declined in August, and renewable energy production reached a new record. A review of Grid India's data showed that the increase in power generation from cleaner sources such as hydro and nuclear led to the sharpest decline in the output of natural gas fired power in almost three years. India, the world's second-largest coal importer and fourth-largest buyer of LNG, is experiencing a decline in the demand for fossil fuels to generate electricity.
The IEA predicts that global energy investment will reach a record $3,3 trillion by 2025.
The International Energy Agency (IEA), said Thursday, that despite geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, a surge in clean energy expenditure is expected to lead to a record $2.89 trillion in global energy investments in 2025. The IEA's annual World Energy Investment Report stated that clean energy technologies such as renewables, nuclear and energy storage are expected to attract $2.2 trillion, which is twice what was predicted for fossil fuels. The IEA's Executive Director Fatih Birol stated that "the fast-changing economic and trade situation means that some investors adopt a wait-and see approach for new energy project approvals.
Germany examines energy system to lower costs
Katherina Reiche, Germany's Economy Minister, said that the government would analyze Germany's energy consumption and supply in order to reduce costs and integrate more gas production. The impact of energy prices on the economy, industrial competitiveness and the environment were some of the top issues at the federal election in February. Germany relied for many years on Russian gas that was cheap, but the Ukraine conflict forced it to switch to renewable energy. The new coalition government promised to take measures to reduce prices.
EU selects 13 new projects for critical materials, including Greenland
The European Union announced Wednesday 13 new raw materials projects outside of the bloc in order to increase its supply of metals, minerals and other essential elements for the EU to remain competitive in energy transition and defence and aerospace. This announcement comes after China decided in April to restrict exports of rare earth magnets unless new licenses were obtained. Diplomats, carmakers, and other companies, from Europe and beyond, are scrambling for meetings with Beijing officials to avoid factory closures. The export bans have increased our desire to diversify, said Stephane Sejourne, European Commissioner for Industry.
EU selects 13 new projects for critical materials, including Greenland
The European Commission announced on Wednesday 13 new raw materials projects outside of the EU to increase its supply of metals, minerals and other essential elements for the bloc's competitiveness in energy transition and defence and aerospace. After China announced in April that it would restrict exports of rare earth magnets unless new licenses were obtained, the EU made its announcement. Diplomats, carmakers, and other executives, from Europe and beyond, are now left with no choice but to accept this decision. To secure meetings with Beijing officials in order to avoid factory closures.
EU selects 13 new projects for critical materials, including Greenland
The European Commission announced on Wednesday 13 new raw materials projects outside of the EU to increase its supply of metals, minerals and other essential elements for the bloc's competitiveness in energy transition and defence and aerospace. After China announced in April that it would restrict exports of rare earth magnets unless new licenses were obtained, the EU made its announcement. Diplomats, carmakers, and other executives, from Europe and beyond, are now left with no choice but to accept this decision. To secure meetings with Beijing officials in order to avoid factory closures.
Taiwan's drive to renewable energy is causing some fisheries communities problems
Taiwan's ambitious plan to combat climate change includes developing green, renewable energy. The wind farms visible off the west coast of the island are an important part of that goal. For some Taiwanese fisherman who have fished in the Taiwan Strait waters for generations, wind energy and other renewables come with a sting - disruption of fishing, pollution, and complaints of a lack communication from the government. Lee Ping Shun, 52 years old, has fished off Yunlin County in Taiwan for the last 20 years. New wind farms have made it difficult to reach traditional trawling grounds and catch rates have decreased.
Nuclear companies and others ask Senate to maintain energy tax credits
Energy companies that represent technologies that provide stable and consistent baseload power urged U.S. Senate leaders on Tuesday to preserve the clean energy tax credit that was effectively eliminated by a Republican Bill passed last month by Congress. Republicans, including U.S. president Donald Trump, have criticised clean energy tax credit programs for encouraging intermittent renewable energy like wind and sun that fluctuates depending on the weather. They claim that the country needs more baseload electricity, including coal and natural gases, to meet the soaring demand for electricity tied to artificial intelligence and data centers.
Trump's budget cuts threaten U.S. jobs in renewable energy
By Carey L. Labor leaders claim that federal tax credits under the former president Joe Biden for green energy production and construction have created an influx of new jobs - inspiring young workers to participate in the U.S. transition towards energy in a rapidly aging sector. "We were slammed, pretty much full employment. Everyone was making plenty money," said Kilton webb, an electrician from Maine who saw his job opportunities skyrocket following a 2022 legislation that created the incentives. Webb has worked on over 15 solar farms, where the electricians are key players, but he fears that many developers will be scared. You can feel it.
