Shares in European Renewable Companies Rise After Revised US Senate Bill
Shares in European renewable energy companies rose on Wednesday after the U.S. Senate passed a revised budget bill the previous day which was more positive for wind power compared to an earlier version.U.S. President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" makes it harder to develop wind and solar energy projects in the U.S. by effectively phasing out renewable energy tax credits after 2026 if projects have not started construction.In the Senate's final version, projects will be able to use the lucrative credits if they begin construction before 2026.
Shares of European renewable energy companies rise following revised US Senate bill
The shares of European renewable energy companies increased on Wednesday, after the U.S. Senate approved on Tuesday a revised version of its budget bill which was more favorable for wind power than an earlier version. The "Big Beautiful Bill", signed by Donald Trump, makes it more difficult to develop solar and wind energy projects in the U.S. The end date for wind and solar projects that start construction after this is 2027. The revised Senate bill excludes from the deadline all projects that begin construction in the next 12 month.
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.
Siemens: Britain Needs Record Offshore Wind to Meet Targets
Britain’s next renewable energy auction must secure a record amount of new offshore wind capacity if the country is to meet its 2030 clean power targets, Darren Davidson, vice president of turbine maker Siemens Energy UK&I, told Reuters.The country has put offshore wind at the heart of its plans to decarbonise its electricity sector by 2030. It aims to boost capacity to 43-50 gigawatts (GW) by the end of the decade, from around 15 GW at present, although a government report in November said it would be a challenge to reach that goal.Britain holds annual auctions for renewable subsidies…
Japan is poised to amend offshore wind regulations as players get coldfeet
Insiders in the industry say that Japan will likely sweeten its terms to developers who want to build an offshore wind farm. The country is looking to re-establish its energy ambitions against a global slump of projects that have been hit by rising costs and delays. By 2040, the government wants to reach 45 gigawatts in offshore wind power, which will reduce its dependence on coal and gas imports for electricity generation, as well as its carbon emissions, and strengthen national security. Its plans have stagnated after three rounds of major auctions for capacity development.
Japan is poised to amend offshore wind regulations as players get coldfeet
Insiders in the industry say that Japan will likely sweeten its terms to developers who want to build an offshore wind farm. The country is looking to re-establish its energy ambitions against a global slump of projects that have been hit by rising costs and delays. By 2040, the government wants to reach 45 gigawatts in offshore wind power, which will reduce its dependence on coal and gas imports for electricity generation, as well as its carbon emissions, and strengthen national security. Its plans have stagnated after three rounds of major auctions for capacity development.
National Grid Takes $402 Million Hit on Paused New York Wind Project
National Grid booked a multi-million impairment charge on a paused U.S. wind project, but said on Thursday it was on track to invest 60 billion pounds ($79.74 billion) in energy networks through March 2029 and its results beat estimates.Its shares rose 2% to 1,038 pence by 0725 GMT, outperforming the wider market, which traded 0.5% lower.The renewable energy sector has been shaken by U.S. President Donald Trump's hostility to wind power.On the first day of his second term in office in January…
RWE reports Q1 profit decrease on weak trading and poor winds
RWE, Germany's largest electric utility, announced Thursday that its core earnings for the first quarter (adjusted EBIDTA) dropped by almost a quarter. This was due to a poor commodity trading business and bad wind conditions which impacted RWE's offshore operations. RWE reported that the first-quarter adjusted EBITDA was 1.307 billion euro ($1.46 billion), which is also lower than the average forecast, 1.321 billion euro in a survey provided by the company. RWE, under pressure from activists to increase share buybacks has still confirmed its outlook for 2025.
Norway's Wealth fund to engage Rio Tinto and South32 on environmental concerns
Norges Bank Investment Management, Norway's sovereign fund manager, has announced that it will actively engage mining companies Rio Tinto South32 in relation to their environmental practices. The Executive Board of the World's Largest Sovereign Wealth Fund said that it made this decision after receiving a recommendation from an independent advisor appointed by the Norwegian government, the Council on Ethics. According to LSEG, the fund holds a stake of about 2.5% in Rio Tinto PLC and 0.13% in Rio Tinto Ltd, as well as a stake of 2.6% in South32.
Norway's Wealth fund to engage Rio Tinto and South32 on environmental concerns
Norges Bank Investment Management, Norway's sovereign fund manager, has announced that it will actively engage mining companies Rio Tinto South32 in relation to their environmental practices. The Executive Board of the World's Largest Sovereign Wealth Fund said that it made this decision after receiving a recommendation from an independent advisor appointed by the Norwegian government, the Council on Ethics. According to LSEG, the fund holds a stake of about 2.5% in Rio Tinto PLC and 0.13% in Rio Tinto Ltd, as well as a stake of 2.6% in South32.
The Crown Estate of the UK gives its approval to increase capacity at offshore wind farms
The Crown Estate of King Charles III, which controls the seabed in Britain, has approved the expansion of high-density offshore wind farms. They are looking for a space-efficient and rapid way to increase capacity and support Britain's energy transformation. This Capacity Enhancement Programme will see seven projects, including RWE Rampion 2 and SSE, Equinor and Dogger Bank D increase their capacity by 4.7 gigawatts. Britain wants to decarbonise the electricity sector by 2030, and increase renewable energy, especially offshore wind, in order to protect itself from price fluctuations of fossil fuels.
RWE's largest shareholder group is against more share buybacks
RWE's largest shareholder group, RWE municipal shareholders, opposes calls for further share buybacks. This includes activist investor Elliott. They say that they will drain cash for renewable investments. The Association of Municipal RWE Shareholders (VkA), who together own around 14% of the utility, has made a few rare comments in support of RWE Management amid increasing investor criticism of capital allocation. RWE, like its peers, cut investments in renewable energy projects in March due to the falling returns. Some investors urged RWE to speed up a buyback program worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion).
RWE has ceased offshore wind activity in the United States
RWE's CEO stated in a speech draft published in advance of the annual general meeting that the company has temporarily halted its offshore wind activities in the United States due to the regulatory uncertainty caused by the Trump administration. Markus Krebber's comments highlight the challenges facing European energy companies on the U.S. Offshore Wind Market, which is a major target of Trump’s energy policy. Trump compared wind turbines earlier this year to "garbage". Following a U.S. stop-work order…
French up and German down on mixed weather signals
On Wednesday, European power prices took different directions. Germany's fell due to higher wind generation while France's rose along with increased demand caused by the colder weather. The German power price for the day ahead fell by 2.8% at 0900 GMT to 122.8 Euros ($134.10) per Megawatt Hour. The French baseload rate for the day ahead was up 6.2% to 116.3 euros/MWh. LSEG data indicated that Germany expected wind output to increase to 5.9 gigawatts on Thursday. This is an increase of 600 megawatts. The French nuclear capacity remained unchanged at 77%.
RWE and TotalEnergies sign long-term agreement for green hydrogen supply
RWE, Germany's largest utility, announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to supply French oil giant TotalEnergies, with approximately 30,000 tonnes green hydrogen per year, starting in 2030. This is one of the biggest deals ever made by this sector. RWE stated that the agreement would last until 2044. It also said it was the largest amount of carbon neutral hydrogen ever purchased from a German facility. RWE will supply TotalEnergies Leuna refinery in eastern Germany via its 300 megawatt electrolysis plant located in Lingen, west of Berlin, that is expected to begin operation in 2027.
UK electricity capacity auction for 2028/29 clears at 60 pound per kW/yr
The National Energy System Operator (NESO) announced on Tuesday the auction for Britain to secure enough electricity capacity in 2028/29 was cleared at 60 pounds each kilowatt per year. In 2014, Britain launched a market for power capacity in which it offered to pay suppliers to make capacity available so that the country had enough power. Auctions are held four years before the date of delivery. A smaller auction is held one year prior to delivery. The most recent capacity auction resulted to the procurement of 43.055.07MW across 669 Units of Capacity Market.
Mitsubishi charges $342 Million for Japan Offshore Wind Projects
Mitsubishi Corp., a Japanese company, announced on Thursday that it had taken an impairment charge of 52.2 billion yen (US$342.4 million) on its domestic offshore projects for the nine months ended in December. Mitsubishi led consortiums that won Japan's state-run auctions for wind farms in 2021. The projects include three offshore wind farms. The farms had a capacity of 1,76 gigawatts, and they were scheduled to begin operations between 2028-2030. The trading house announced on Monday that it will review how to proceed with offshore wind projects in light of a "significantly altered" business environment.
Germany builds LNG import terminals
Germany is increasing its natural gas imports to replace Russian supplies. This drive has been intensified due to the recent suspension of Russian gas flows via Ukraine, and U.S. president Donald Trump's targeting Europe with LNG exports. Here are some details about the terminals that will be developed to house floating storage regasification (FSRU) units for seaborne LNG. The plans also include facilities for importing and producing ammonia, green hydrogen and other gases under the decarbonisation strategy.
Germany builds up LNG import terminals
Germany is expanding its natural gas import options to replace Russian supply, a drive intensified by the latest suspension of Russian flows via Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump targeting Europe with liquefied natural gas exports.Plans also include shore-based regasification terminals and facilities to import and produce ammonia and green hydrogen under decarbonization strategies. A synopsis of changes and additions to Germany's energy plans and infrastructure is listed below:MUKRANMukran, on Ruegen island in the Baltic Sea, supplies onshore grids with LNG via pipeline firm Gascade's new OAL pipeline.
European firms exposed as Trump targets US offshore wind
U.S. President Donald Trump in his first day of office on Monday suspended new federal offshore wind leasing pending an environmental and economic review, saying wind mills are ugly, expensive and harm wildlife.Former President Joe Biden supported the offshore wind industry, setting a target for 30 gigawatts (GW) of projects by 2030, up from 42 megawatts at the end of 2023, prompting many European project developers to acquire leases and plan wind farms in the United States.Trump's executive order is not expected to stop existing U.S.
