Zambia Launches 300MW Solar PV Tender Through CFIP Scheme
Zambia has opened a 300 MW solar photovoltaic tender under its Carbon Feed‑In Premium (CFIP) programme, targeting projects with on‑site battery storage. The Ministry of Green Economy and Environment and the Ministry of Energy invite local and international independent power producers, as well as the state utility ZESCO, to submit proposals by 31 May 2026. Each project must be 30‑100 MW and include at least 30 minutes of storage, with half of the output sold to ZESCO. Successful bids will receive standardized CFIP contracts from ZANACO, the fund manager.
U.S. Offshore Oil Hits Record 714M Barrels as Gulf Deepwater Leads Surge
U.S. offshore oil production hit a record 714 million barrels in 2025, the highest output ever from the Outer Continental Shelf. The surge is driven primarily by deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico, reflecting years of lease sales, geological studies...
Regulators Complete Assessment of Holtec SMR Reactor
The Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales have finished Step 2 of the Generic Design Assessment for Holtec’s SMR‑300, confirming no fundamental safety, security, safeguards or environmental shortfalls. This clearance removes a major regulatory hurdle for...
New Cut to Fuel Excise and Interest-Free Loans as ACCC Weighs In
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a further 10.9% cut to the fuel excise – a 5.7 cents per litre reduction for three months – adding $400 million of relief and bringing the total discount to 32 cents per litre when combined with the...
How The Basic Fuel Price Is Calculated: A Breakdown
South Africa calculates its Basic Fuel Price (BFP) using an import parity model that mirrors international crude prices, freight costs and the Rand‑US dollar exchange rate. The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) incorporates FOB values from Mediterranean, Arab...
New Funding Transforms Lives by Expanding Electricity Access Across Africa
New financing from the European Investment Bank ($1.15 billion) and the Rockefeller Foundation ($10 million) will accelerate the World Bank‑led Mission 300 initiative, which aims to connect 300 million people in sub‑Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030. The funds support a mix of grid...
Saudi Arabia Eyes African Critical Minerals
Saudi Arabia is pivoting from oil to critical minerals to meet Vision 2030 goals, targeting 30% electric‑vehicle sales and 50% renewable electricity by 2030. Africa, which holds about 30% of global critical‑mineral reserves, is becoming a key supply source. Riyadh has...
Governments Urged to Share Costs of Gas Network Death Spiral, as Rule Maker Lays Down the Law
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has finalized rules that require customers who permanently abolish their gas connections to pay a cost‑reflective fee, ending state caps that previously spread removal costs across remaining users. Distributors will also be mandated to...
ACCC Monitors Fuel Excise Cut, Fuel Surcharges and Fuel Price Movements
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has ordered fuel retailers to pass on the latest federal fuel excise reduction of about 5.7 Australian cents per litre (≈3.8 US cents) as quickly as possible. This follows an earlier 26.3‑cent cut...
Giant Copper Project Signs Deal for Australia’s Biggest Off-Grid Hybrid Renewables Facility
Harmony Gold’s $2.4 billion Eva copper mine in Queensland has secured a 15‑year power contract with UK‑based Aggreko to build Australia’s largest off‑grid hybrid renewable facility. The complex will combine a 118 MWp solar farm, a 250 MWh battery storage system and a...
Subsea7 Wins Equatorial Guinea Tieback Contract for Chevron Gas Project
Subsea7 secured a substantial subsea installation contract for Chevron’s Aseng Gas Monetization Project offshore Equatorial Guinea. The award covers roughly 19 km of rigid production flowline and 20 km of umbilicals, to be installed in about 800 m water depth, linking the Aseng...
Offshore, Onshore Panels Bring Encouraging Views to Energy Workforce Attendees
At the Energy Workforce & Technology Council’s Tucson meeting, offshore and onshore panels highlighted a renewed surge in deep‑water projects and the growing role of AI, automation, and performance‑based contracts in boosting efficiency. Offshore executives cited West Africa, Brazil, Guyana,...
BLM Lease Sales in Three States Generate $65 Million, Signal Stronger Onshore Drilling Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s latest lease sale across Colorado, Nevada and Utah generated $64.8 million from 136 parcels covering 131,121 acres. Utah accounted for the bulk of revenue, delivering $56.4 million from 57 parcels, while Colorado and Nevada contributed $8.1 million...
New Fortress Secures Long-Term Lease for Brazil FSRU LNG Terminal
New Fortress Energy has signed a long‑term lease and capacity agreement for its Terminal de Gás Sul (TGS) LNG import facility in Santa Catarina, Brazil, set to commence in August 2026. The deal is projected to generate roughly $50 million in annual...
Solar Insiders Podcast: How Storage and Knowledge Can Make Energy “Pretty Much Free”
In the April 2 2026 Solar Insiders podcast, Matthew van der Linden of Flow Power argues that combining battery storage with real‑time energy intelligence can drive household and commercial electricity costs toward zero. He outlines how declining storage prices and advanced analytics enable users...
New Vanadium Flow Battery Player Eora Energy Launches in Australia with Mining and Date Centre Focus
Sydney‑based Eora Energy launched today, positioning itself as a new player in Australia’s long‑duration energy storage market with vanadium redox flow batteries. The company is focusing on diesel‑dependent mining operations and rapidly expanding data‑centre clusters, where grid constraints demand firming...
“Scientific Dead End:” The New Push to Get Wind Turbine Syndrome Back on the Radar
The Australian Senate has reopened calls for research into the health impacts of wind turbines, reviving the controversial notion of wind turbine syndrome. Recent peer‑reviewed studies, including a randomized controlled trial by the Woolcock Institute and a sleep‑EEG investigation from...
Fight for the Bight 2.0: Australian Surfers Mobilize Against Planned Offshore Gas Exploration
The Australian Labor government has opened five new offshore gas exploration blocks in the Otway Basin, covering roughly 1.6 million hectares off Victoria and 800,000 hectares off Tasmania. The move revives drilling ambitions that were previously halted after the successful #FightForTheBite...
LNG Powerhouse Australia Leans on Export Strength to Weather Energy Shock
Australia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector is leveraging record export volumes to offset a sharp domestic energy price shock caused by global supply disruptions. In 2023 the country shipped roughly 70 million tonnes of LNG, generating about $30 billion in export revenue....
Jim Ratcliffe Backs Tory Pledge to Slash Net Zero Tax
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire behind Ineos, has joined other manufacturing chiefs in endorsing the Conservative Party’s pledge to scrap the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), a carbon‑tax mechanism that forces high‑carbon energy to cost more than renewables. The party...
Some French Gas Stations Run Dry
Hundreds of French gas stations ran out of fuel after the government imposed price caps to curb soaring costs caused by Middle East supply disruptions. TotalEnergies accounts for about 700 of the 900 stations that reported shortages, a logistical bottleneck...
Finstad Eyes Quick Action on Year-Round E15 After Recess
Republican Representative Brad Finstad, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, says the year‑round E15 ethanol blend legislation is nearing completion, with the latest draft now at the House legal counsel’s office. He reports growing support from small and medium‑sized...
The POWER Interview: Addressing Data Priorities as Severe Weather Season Looms
Severe‑weather season begins April 1, prompting utilities to seek better weather intelligence. Synoptic Data offers a platform that aggregates high‑resolution, real‑time and historical weather data from multiple networks into a single source. Melanie Scott, Synoptic’s meteorologist, stresses that utilities must access...
MacroValor, Favis Will Build Hydrogen-Powered AI Mega Campus
MacroValor Corporation and Favis Advanced Robotics announced Mount Hydrogen, a 3,000‑megawatt AI, robotics and semiconductor mega‑campus in Austin, Texas. The site will be powered entirely by MacroValor’s hydrogen energy network, delivering zero‑emission, continuous operation. It will host Subvertio AI, a...
ISO Publishes New Standard for Carbon Storage With Potential as Subpart RR Substitute
The International Organization for Standardization released ISO 27914:2026, a comprehensive standard for underground carbon‑dioxide storage that fills the reporting gaps of its 2017 version. The new standard could replace Subpart RR of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, enabling continued eligibility for the...
Energy Woes Shine a Light Back on Uranium
Geopolitical tensions from the Iran‑related oil and gas shortages are reigniting interest in nuclear power as governments seek energy security. About 70 reactors are under construction worldwide, driving a renewed focus on uranium, which remains in a long‑term supply deficit....
Alberta-Ottawa MOU Negotiations Miss First Deadline as Talks Continue
The four‑month‑old Alberta‑Ottawa memorandum of understanding missed its April 1 deadline for finalizing carbon‑pricing and a flagship oilsands emissions‑reduction agreement. Negotiators have secured a draft methane‑reduction pact and a “one project, one review” process to speed environmental assessments. Alberta’s carbon‑price target...
VIEWPOINT: A Replicable Retrofit Model for Electrifying Multifamily Buildings
LaBella Associates, in partnership with Chartered Properties and Sunamp, won NYSERDA’s Empire Building Challenge by creating a replicable retrofit that electrifies multifamily apartments using thermal‑battery storage and air‑source heat pumps. The design stores heat during off‑peak hours or via hydronic...
IOWN Energy Closes Sale of 127 MW Nevada Battery Project
IOWN Energy completed an all‑cash sale of the 127 MW/506 MWh Roccasecca battery storage project in Boulder City, Nevada, to independent power producer DESRI. The transaction transferred all shares of the project SPV and bundled a $290 million senior secured credit facility to...
Dimension Energy Announces $650 Million in New Financing for Community Solar
Dimension Energy secured a record $650 million financing package to develop a 132 MW portfolio of 25 community solar projects across Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The deal combines $415 million of debt from existing partners—First Citizens Bank, MUFG, ING Capital and National...
Texas Utilities Need to Manage Massive Data Center Demand
Texas is on track to become the United States’ largest data‑center market by 2030, overtaking Virginia within five years. The surge will add electricity demand comparable to a Houston‑sized city to ERCOT, prompting utilities to assess credit risk and avoid...
Russian Seaborne Diesel Exports Fall 3% Between February and March
Russia’s seaborne diesel and gasoil shipments slipped 3% in March, falling to roughly 3.06 million metric tons. The decline was driven by repeated Ukrainian drone strikes that disrupted loading at the key Baltic hub of Primorsk and the southern port of...
US Gulf Coast Tanker Availability Drops as Asia, Europe Seek to Replace Middle East Supply
U.S. Gulf Coast oil tanker availability has plunged, falling 41% in the past month as Asian and European refiners replace Middle Eastern supply disrupted by the Iran‑related war in the Strait of Hormuz. Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) numbers have...
U.S. Solar and Storage Market Report: 2026 State Rankings and Forecasts
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest report ranks states by solar generation share, cumulative capacity, three‑year installation pipelines, and operational battery storage. California dominates solar generation at 32% and leads battery storage with 18.5 GW, while Texas holds the second‑largest solar...
£12bn Plan to Rewire Scotland Grid Kicks Off
ScottishPower’s transmission arm SP Energy Networks has launched a five‑year, £12 bn (≈$15 bn) programme to rewire the central and southern Scotland electricity grid. The plan includes building 12 new major substations and upgrading or replacing more than 570 km of transmission lines...
Libya Abandons ‘Arctic Metagaz’ Salvage At Edge of Malta SAR Zone
Libyan authorities towed the damaged LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz 105 nautical miles north‑northeast of Misrata and then cut the towline, leaving the vessel adrift near the edge of Malta’s search‑and‑rescue zone. The Russian‑linked tanker, crippled by explosions and fire on March 3,...
EIB Lends €60m for Grid Operations in Andorra
On April 1, 2026, the European Investment Bank approved a €60 million (approximately $65 million) framework loan to support Andorra’s energy transition. The first tranche of €30 million has already been disbursed to finance renewable generation, grid upgrades, and district heating and cooling...
Michigan Approves 1.3 GW BESS Portfolio, Including Contested Oracle Data Center Assets
The Michigan Public Services Commission approved six battery energy storage system (BESS) projects delivering a combined 1.3 GW of capacity. DTE Electric’s three facilities provide roughly 1 GW to meet the utility’s state‑mandated storage obligations, while 332 MW will support a 1.3 GW Oracle‑owned...
Esri Powers Increased Public Safety for Northern Ireland Electricity Networks
Esri Ireland’s ArcGIS platform has automated NIE Networks’ map‑request workflow, allowing citizens and contractors to obtain proximity maps for electricity infrastructure within an hour instead of up to ten days. The new online portal handles roughly 6,000 annual requests, cutting...
Gridlocked: How Power Constraints Are Shaping the Future of Data Centers
Power availability, not land or capital, is now the primary constraint on U.S. data‑center expansion. The Department of Energy estimates that half of the 100 GW of new peak capacity needed by 2030 will be driven by data centers, while developers...
Feds Invest over $16 Million in Trio of Prairies-Based Cleantech Research Projects
Canada’s Natural Resources department has earmarked roughly $21 million USD for 12 clean‑energy projects, including more than $11.7 million USD directed to three Prairie‑based initiatives. Carbon Alpha in Calgary will receive about $7.3 million USD to develop seismic‑survey technology for carbon‑capture measurement in...
A Different Supply-Side Shock
President Trump’s potential decision to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed would trigger the largest energy‑supply shock on record, cutting roughly 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows. The disruption also threatens 30% of the world’s seaborne fertilizer,...
Coal India Misses FY26 Annual Production Target by Wide Margin
Coal India’s FY26 coal output fell 1.7% to 768.1 million tonnes, missing its 875 mt target by a wide margin. Four of its seven subsidiaries—BCCL, CCL, WCL and MCL—recorded production declines, largely blamed on heavy rains in Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Offtake also...
Key Takeaways From Chile’s Re+ Cono Sur
Chile’s Energy Minister Ximena Rincón used the RE+ Southern Cone Summit to urge a shift from a passive to a proactive stance on renewables, storage, and electrification. She highlighted recent policy steps such as net‑billing legislation and stressed the need...
Another Energy Crisis Is Here. This Time, the Way Out Is Different.
Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have created the largest oil supply shock in IEA history, affecting roughly one‑fifth of global oil, LNG and fertilizer flows. The shock quickly translates into higher fuel and food prices, weaker currencies and tighter...
IndiGo Revises Fuel Charges as ATF Costs Soar
IndiGo announced a revision of fuel surcharges on both domestic and international routes effective April 2, after air turbine fuel (ATF) prices surged more than 130% month‑on‑month. The Indian government limited the domestic surcharge increase to 25%, prompting the airline...
National Grid Invites Bids for New £80M High Voltage Cable Installation Framework
National Grid has launched a tender for a one‑year framework to install high‑voltage cable circuits across its UK network, valued at about £80 million (approximately $100 million) excluding VAT. The contracts cover 66 kV and 132 kV cables, with possible lower‑voltage work, jointing, testing,...
A 27-Year-Old Just Raised $450 Million to Bet that AI’s Future Runs on Nuclear Power
Valar Atomics, a California startup founded by 27‑year‑old Isaiah Taylor, announced a $450 million financing round that values the company at $2 billion. The capital mix includes $340 million in equity and $110 million in debt, following a $130 million Series A five months earlier. Valar’s...
3 Coal Stocks to Avoid as the Industry Battles Multiple Challenges
The Zacks research notes that U.S. coal consumption is expected to drop 7.4% in 2026 and 2.9% in 2027 as utilities shift to renewables and natural gas. The industry’s Zacks rank falls to #236, placing it in the bottom 3%...
US Modules Opens Solar Panel Assembly Plant in East-Central Texas
US Modules has launched its first solar panel assembly line in College Station, Texas, capable of producing 400 MW of utility‑scale panels per year. Backed by Carey International Group, the 150,000‑sq‑ft facility can expand to 1.4 GW annual output, with a second...