Today's Energy Pulse
Scania pilots megawatt‑scale V2G for heavy‑duty electric trucks
Scania demonstrated one of the first vehicle‑to‑grid systems for heavy‑duty electric trucks using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS). The pilot showed bi‑directional power flow, allowing trucks parked at depots to feed electricity back to the grid, with real‑time communication between the truck, charger and energy‑management platform enabling dynamic charging and discharging. The test marks a step toward integrating large‑capacity EVs into grid balancing.
Also developing:
South Africa’s bPOWERd Expands Into Nigeria with Solar Battery Rental Hubs
South African clean‑energy startup bPOWERd has entered Nigeria, rolling out a solar‑battery‑rental service across seven sites in Lagos using Mobil service stations as swapping and charging hubs. Customers pay a refundable $10.96 deposit and rent 300‑Wh or 1,000‑Wh batteries for $1.10 or $2.19 per day, providing power for lights, fans, TVs and devices. The launch targets households and small‑to‑medium enterprises grappling with frequent grid outages and rising electricity costs. bPOWERd previously logged 125,000 rentals in its first year in South Africa, underscoring rapid adoption of pay‑per‑use solar solutions.
Why Hasn’t Oil Hit $150?
Oil prices have risen to just over $100 a barrel three months after the Strait of Hormuz was fully closed, far short of the $150 many expected. The restraint is due to unusually high global inventories, floating storage, and OPEC’s...
Four Died, Economic Losses Mount After Sumatra Blackout
A massive blackout swept across almost all of Sumatra on May 22, 2026, leaving the island in darkness for several days. At least four people died and three were hospitalized after carbon‑monoxide poisoning from a gasoline generator used during the...
Shifting From Fossil Fuels Will Fail without Funding for African Industry and Energy Infrastructure
African leaders warned that the shift to renewable energy will falter without substantial financing for clean‑energy infrastructure, industrialisation and local mineral processing. At the April 2026 Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Colombia, they highlighted a $2.5 trillion climate‑finance...
BloombergNEF Ups BESS Forecast as Renewables Add Resilience From Fossil Fuel Price Shocks
BloombergNEF’s New Energy Outlook 2026 raises its battery‑storage forecast dramatically, projecting 3.8 terawatts of BESS capacity by 2050 – a 17‑fold jump from 2025. The report highlights a surge in data‑centre electricity use, which could lift global power‑sector emissions by 6 %...
US‑Iran Peace Deal Hopes Push Oil to Two‑Week Lows, Spark Global Market Rally
President Trump announced that a US‑Iran peace agreement is largely negotiated, raising expectations that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen. The prospect has pulled oil down to two‑week lows, lifted gold and equities across Europe, Asia and the United States,...
U.S. Adds Record 9.7 GWh Energy‑Storage Capacity in Q1 2026
The U.S. energy‑storage sector installed 9.7 GWh of new capacity in the first quarter of 2026, a 32% year‑over‑year increase and the strongest quarter on record. Industry leaders attribute the surge to data‑center demand and renewable‑grid integration, while warning that permitting...
Alaska Oil Revival Triggers New Arctic Drilling Surge and Pipeline Capacity Fears
Alaska’s crude production is climbing from a low of 567,000 barrels per day, prompting a record $164 million federal lease auction and renewed interest from majors like ConocoPhillips, Shell and ExxonMobil. The surge revives hopes for the Trans‑Alaska Pipeline System but...
Markets Rally on Iran Deal Hopes as Oil Crashes to $95
Markets jumped on optimism that the United States and Iran are nearing a framework to end hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude dropped more than 4.5% to $95 a barrel, erasing the geopolitical supply premium and prompting a...
250MW/1,000MWh Ontario BESS Begins Commercial Operations, Potential Expansion Ahead
Ameresco and Atura Power’s joint venture has placed the 250 MW/1,000 MWh Napanee battery energy storage system into commercial operation in Ontario, coming in on budget and five weeks early. Valued at roughly US$435 million, the BESS stores excess nuclear generation and dispatches...
Oil Prices Fall Below $100 a Barrel on Hopes of Iran Peace Deal
Brent crude futures dropped 6% to $97.28 a barrel, slipping below the $100 mark for the first time in two weeks. The decline was driven by growing optimism that the United States and Iran are nearing a peace agreement to...
Green Light for Japanese Floating Wind Foundation
Obayashi Corporation secured an Approval in Principle from ClassNK for the world’s first steel‑concrete hybrid TLP floating offshore wind support structure. The hybrid design, developed under a NEDO‑funded project, promises roughly a 25% reduction in construction costs compared with traditional...
TNB Remains Resilient, Focuses on Stable Supply & Value for the Rakyat
Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) posted RM1.1 billion (≈$240 million) earnings in 1Q FY2026, driven by strong electricity sales and a cost‑reflective RP4 tariff. The utility invested RM1.0 billion (≈$220 million) in grid modernisation, achieving zero system minutes and a SAIDI of 11.72 minutes. Corporate...
ONGC On-Boards BP Subsidiary as Technical Services Provider to Enhance Production From Western Offshore
India's state‑run oil giant ONGC has appointed BP Exploration Services India (BPXS) as the technical services provider for all western offshore fields except Mumbai High. The ten‑year contract targets a 10.8% rise in crude output—from 46.25 mt to 51.26 mt—and a 31.5%...
NTPC Begins Site Studies in Four States for Nuclear Power Projects
NTPC Limited has launched site‑selection studies in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh as the first step toward a 30 GW nuclear build‑out. The effort is part of India’s ambition to reach 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 and complements...
EU Awards €400 Million to 65 Industrial Heat Projects in Auction
The European Commission has awarded €400 million ($465.7 million) in grants to 65 industrial heat decarbonisation projects across ten EU countries, marking the first Innovation Fund heat auction. The projects, spanning heat pumps, solar thermal, resistance and dielectric heating, target energy‑intensive sectors...
Heating Is Ireland’s Biggest Energy Challenge and Biggest Climate Opportunity
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland released its National Comprehensive Heating and Cooling Assessment, revealing that heating consumes over one‑third of the nation’s energy and generates roughly a quarter of its greenhouse‑gas emissions. About 90% of heat today comes from...
ENOC Fuels the Future: A New Milestone for SAF Distribution in the Middle East
ENOC Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Abu Dhabi‑based Allied Biofuels Holding to explore the offtake and distribution of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and electro‑synthetic SAF (e‑SAF) sourced from a new production facility in Uzbekistan. The partners will...
Chevron's Leviathan Partners to Supply Gas to Dalia Power Plants in Israel
Chevron's Leviathan partners NewMed Energy and Ratio Energies have signed a 20‑year agreement to supply up to 1.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year to Dalia Energy's two planned 850 MW combined‑cycle power plants in Ashdod and Tzafit. The deal,...
Vietnam Strengthens Power System Management and Energy Saving Measures Amid Rising Electricity Demand
Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade warned that electricity demand is surging, with total generation hitting 18.97 billion kWh by 22 May 2026 – an 8% rise over the same period last year. Peak consumption set a new record of 1.152 billion kWh on 15 May,...
Cape Town Pioneers Pooled Wheeling of Renewable Electricity
Cape Town completed South Africa’s first pooled wheeling of renewable electricity, linking the 4.5 MW Boston hydroelectric plant to five Growthpoint properties via Eskom’s grid. The arrangement, orchestrated by Etana Energy, matches supply and demand across a portfolio, preserving municipal use‑of‑system...
Hormuz’s New Toll Booth ?: Iran’s “Environmental Tax” Risks Rewiring Global Trade
Iran’s foreign ministry announced plans to levy an “environmental tax” on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, framing it as a service charge tied to maritime safety and ecological stewardship. The proposal is being negotiated with Oman to present a...
U.S. Gas Prices Reach $4.51/gal on Memorial Day, Adding $2 Billion to Consumer Costs
The American Automobile Association reported the national average gasoline price hit $4.51 per gallon on Memorial Day, up $1.34 from last year. Analysts say drivers will spend an extra $2 billion over the four‑day weekend, tightening household budgets amid inflation concerns.
Consumers Energy Moves to Sell 13 Michigan Dams to Maryland PE Firm for $13 M
Consumers Energy has filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission to sell 13 historic hydroelectric dams to Hull Street Energy’s subsidiary Confluence Hydro for $13 million. The deal includes a 30‑year power purchase agreement at $160 per megawatt‑hour, roughly double current...
AI Compute Surge Triggers Global Nuclear Power Boom, 12 GW Added in 2025
Deven Choksey Research warned that AI data centers will need up to 1,600 TWh of electricity by 2034, prompting a surge in nuclear construction that saw more than 12 GW added in 2025. The report links the trend to energy‑security concerns, renewable...
India's Economy Stressed by $110‑115 Crude Oil, Former BPCL Exec Warns of Rising Import Bill
Former Bharat Petroleum marketing director Sukhmal Kumar Jain warned that global crude has jumped to $110‑115 a barrel, inflating India's oil import bill and deepening rupee depreciation. The surge, coupled with consecutive fuel price hikes, is eroding the trade balance...
Service Stream to Acquire RIE Group for $4.3 M, Boosting Australian Energy Transition
Service Stream (SSM.AX) announced a deal to purchase Queensland‑based RIE Group for an initial A$6.5 million (about $4.3 million) with up to A$1.5 million ($1.0 million) in earn‑out payments. The acquisition adds a high‑voltage electrical and instrumentation business that serves oil‑gas, power generation and...
Oil Prices Slip Below $100 as US‑Iran Talks Boost Hormuz Hope
Brent crude slid to $98.83 a barrel, breaking the $100 mark after President Donald Trump announced that U.S.‑Iran talks were progressing toward ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The price drop reflects shifting market sentiment from geopolitical...
China Solar Exports Hit All-Time Record in March as Africa, Asia Demand Jumps
China exported a record 68 GW of solar components in March 2026, a 49% increase over the previous export high set in August 2025. The surge was driven by soaring demand in Africa and Asia, with Nigeria’s imports jumping 519% and India purchasing...
China Seeks Cheap Energy, Not Russian Gas
.@Aligarciaherrer and @elinaribakova: “China does not desperately need Russian gas. It needs cheap energy. Those are different propositions. Beijing has spent years diversifying its energy portfolio—LNG from Qatar and Australia, renewables…nuclear capacity.” https://t.co/0eMaZ4U75W
Network Says New Community Battery Will Deliver Cheaper Bills to Locals From Storage as a Service Scheme
Ausgrid, New South Wales' largest electricity distributor, has commissioned a 5 MW community battery in Long Jetty as part of its Energy Storage as a Service (ESaaS) programme. The shared asset will absorb daytime solar generation and discharge during evening peaks,...
Musk’s AI Ambitions Run on Fossil Fuels Despite Tesla’s Clean Energy Legacy
Elon Musk’s AI venture xAI is financing its data centers with natural‑gas turbines, spending $2.8 billion despite Tesla’s clean‑energy brand. The company bought $697 million worth of Tesla Megapacks for storage but has not purchased solar panels. Musk proposes space‑based solar power...
RWE Lands Power Deal for 1.1GW Oz Giant
RWE Renewable Europe & Australia secured a Capacity Investment Scheme contract for its 1,100 MW Theodore on‑shore wind project in Central Queensland. The deal underwrites a AU$3 billion (~US$2 billion) investment, sets a revenue floor and ceiling, and enables up to 170 turbines...
AI Weather Forecasting Boosts Energy Trading at Spire
Spire Global is extending its AI weather forecasting suite for energy traders, adding intraday to 45‑day outlooks via the Cirrus platform. The new AI‑S2S model, a 200‑member generative ensemble, outperforms ECMWF sub‑seasonal forecasts by 14.2% in the three‑to‑six‑week window. High‑resolution...
Pollution From Coal Plants Can Reduce Solar Generation by over 5%
A UK‑led research team used satellite data on 140,000 solar sites to measure how aerosols from coal‑fired power plants cut solar output. In 2023, aerosols reduced global photovoltaic generation by 5.8%, equivalent to about 111 TWh of electricity. China accounted for...
Transition Finance Needs ‘Realism’, Not Reliance on Private Capital Alone, Says Prudential Chair
Prudential chair Shriti Vadera warned that relying solely on private capital will not close the climate‑financing gap for emerging economies. She highlighted that emerging markets need roughly $1.3 trillion a year in transition finance, yet only about $200 billion currently flows into...
Strait of Hormuz Disruption Boost Bunkering Business at Cochin Port
The West Asian crisis and reduced traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have redirected bunkering demand to India’s Cochin Port. Bunker fuel deliveries rose to 4.63 lakh tonnes in FY 26, a 31% jump from FY 25, with February and March volumes exceeding 50,000 tonnes...
Gazprom Starts Production at Chona Fields in Eastern Siberia
Gazprom has placed onstream a new oil cluster in the Chona River basin of Eastern Siberia, targeting up to 2 million tons of oil per year for the Eastern Siberia‑Pacific Ocean pipeline. The development, spanning three blocks, holds more than 1.3 billion...
Kyodo News Digest: May 25, 2026
A Japanese oil tanker operated by Idemitsu Kosan delivered 2 million barrels of crude—about 80% of Japan's daily demand—after successfully navigating the Strait of Hormuz, the first such shipment since the Iran‑Israel conflict began. Toyota announced an 83,000‑vehicle cut to overseas...
Tailoring Surface Chemistry for Robust and Ambient‐Stable Sodium Layered Oxide Cathodes
Researchers introduced a synergistic niobium‑titanium (Nb‑Ti) surface modification for Na2/3Mn2/3Cu1/3O2 layered cathodes, creating a robust defense barrier that curtails irreversible oxygen redox and transition‑metal dissolution. Multimodal characterizations and theoretical calculations confirm that the Nb‑Ti layer stabilizes the lattice, raises degradation...
Australia’s Amplitude to Buy 50pc of Artisan Gas Field
Amplitude Energy announced a A$58.3 million ($41.8 million) purchase of Beach Energy's operatorship and a 50% stake in the offshore Artisan gas field in Victoria. Israeli OG Energy will acquire the remaining 10% of Beach's holding, creating a 50‑50 joint venture with...
Mechanistic Insights Into In‐Phase SrTiO3(110)/ZnIn2S4(102) S‐Scheme Heterojunctions for Multifunctional Hydrogen Evolution
Researchers engineered an in‑phase SrTiO3(110)/ZnIn2S4(102) facet‑rich heterojunction that aligns oxide and sulfide interfaces for superior charge separation via an S‑scheme pathway. The optimized 7.5 wt.% ZnIn2S4‑SrTiO3 (7.5ZIS) composite delivers a ten‑fold increase in photochemical hydrogen evolution, achieving a 35.7% apparent quantum...
Copper‐Activated Dynamic Lattice Adaptation and Bond Reinforcement for Enhanced Sodium Storage of Prussian Blue Analogs Cathode
Researchers introduced Cu2+ ions into a Prussian blue analog (PBA) cathode, creating a dynamically adaptable lattice that cuts the Na+ migration energy barrier. The Cu‑N coordination bonds reinforce the metal‑ligand framework, delivering markedly better rate capability and cycling stability. The...
Eskom Turned the Lights Back on – Now Finish the Reforms
Eskom has delivered a full year without load‑shedding, marking a dramatic reversal from the 300‑day crisis three years ago. The utility’s generation recovery plan boosted plant performance, cutting unplanned maintenance and saving roughly R9 billion ($474 million) in diesel costs. Private‑sector generation...
Energy Infrastructure Damaged in Missile Attack on Russia's Belgorod Region, Local Authorities Say
On May 25, a missile and drone barrage struck Russia’s Belgorod region, killing one person and injuring another while crippling power and water services. The attack also hit the city of Belgorod and coincided with separate drone strikes in the...
State Says Households Should Get Paid up to 33c/kWh for Rooftop Solar Exported Into Evening Peak
New South Wales’ regulator IPART announced time‑of‑use (ToU) export tariffs that can pay solar households with batteries up to 33 c/kWh during the evening peak, while the all‑day flat feed‑in tariff falls to 3.4‑6.5 c/kWh. The higher evening rates aim to capture...
Queensland Launches Tender for 400MW of Gas-Fired Generation in Central Queensland
The Queensland Government has opened a tender for private firms to deliver 400 MW of gas‑fired generation in Central Queensland by 2032. Managed by Queensland Investment Corporation, the project seeks to add dispatchable capacity that can fill gaps when renewable output...
UAE LNG Vessel Activates Signal En Route to India
🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳Suddenly, this LNG carrier turned on its signal. It’s carrying UAE LNG to India. Map form @Kpler https://t.co/PyNdmz84JK
Contact Energy Switches on 200MWh Battery Storage System in New Zealand
Contact Energy has switched on a 100 MW/200 MWh grid‑scale battery at the Glenbrook steel site, using 56 Tesla Megapack 2XL units that can respond in 0.2 seconds. The system stores excess hydro, geothermal and wind power and can discharge for up to two...
Kenya's $860 M Microsoft‑G42 Data Centre Faces Power Shortfall
Kenya's $860 million Microsoft‑G42 data centre project is under scrutiny after President William Ruto warned the national grid cannot support its 1,000 MW power demand, raising doubts about timelines and feasibility. The shortfall highlights challenges for large AI‑driven infrastructure in emerging markets.