IRS Gives Guidance on Energy Tax Credits, Prohibited Foreign Entities
The IRS and Treasury issued Notice 2026‑15 to clarify how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s new foreign‑entity restrictions apply to clean‑energy tax credits. The notice defines “prohibited foreign entity,” outlines a material‑assistance cost‑ratio calculation, and provides interim safe‑harbor tables for Sections 45Y, 48E and 45X. Taxpayers can rely on the guidance for facilities beginning construction after Dec 31 2025 (or components sold after July 4 2025) for up to 60 days after the safe‑harbor tables are released. A 45‑day comment period invites industry feedback on definitions and anti‑circumvention rules.
‘The Cost Declines in Lithium-Ion Tech Provide Very Attractive Pricing’: ASL on NSW’s Recent 12GWh LDES Tender
New South Wales awarded a 12 GWh long‑duration energy storage (LDES) tender exclusively to lithium‑ion battery systems, highlighting the technology’s cost advantage over pumped hydro. ASL’s technology‑agnostic methodology normalises asset lifespans, allowing batteries with 20‑year horizons to compete on a 50‑year...
GENERAL Inc. Adds New AIRSTAGE Heat Pumps
GENERAL HVAC Solutions America introduced two new multi‑zone heat‑pump models, the AIRSTAGE Aquila and Aquila XLTH, expanding its H‑Series R‑32 lineup. The Aquila delivers up to 23 SEER2, 10.5 HSPF2 and heats to 5 °F, while the XLTH reaches 23.5 SEER2, 11.5 HSPF2 and operates...
Futures Settle: Natural Gas Pops, Then Drops After Storage Data
Natural‑gas futures surged early Thursday after the Energy Information Administration reported a 249 Bcf net withdrawal for the week ending Feb. 6, marking a second consecutive week of above‑average draws. The data lifted front‑month prices as traders priced in tighter supplies, but...
TotalEnergies Expects Mexico’s Energía Costa Azul LNG Terminal to Enter Service This Year
TotalEnergies announced that Mexico’s Energía Costa Azul LNG terminal is expected to enter service later this year, adding a new export hub on the Pacific coast. The company projects a total LNG output of 44 Mt per year from its combined...
Coal Giant’s First Gigawatt-Scale Battery Charges up, Guided by some In-House Algorithms
AGL Energy has begun charging and discharging its first gigawatt‑scale battery, the 500 MW/1,000 MWh Liddell project located beside the de‑commissioned Liddell coal plant. The battery will be commissioned in two 250 MW/500 MWh stages, with the first expected within two months and the...
MidDay Snapshot: Natural Gas Cash Prices Diverge by Region
Natural gas cash prices showed regional divergence on Thursday, with the Henry Hub benchmark rising to $3.425 per MMBtu, up 18 cents, while the NGI Spot Gas National Average slipped 2 cents to $2.955 per MMBtu. The overall market trend...
Vista Energy Increases Reserves by 57% and Production by 59% in 2025
Vista Energy reported a 57% jump in proved and probable reserves to 588 MMboe at the end of 2025, driven largely by the acquisition of Petronas assets. The reserve replacement ratio surged to 605% overall and 260% on a organic basis....
Natural Gas Forwards Soften Again, But Basis Strength Signals Risk of Regional Volatility
U.S. natural‑gas forward prices slipped again this week as the market eases from the January cold snap. Prompt‑month contracts fell 26.7 cents, while regional basis spreads showed mixed movement. SoCal Citygate basis peaked near $1.90/MMBtu for 2028 deliveries, whereas Malin remained...
As U.S. Companies Return to Venezuela's Oilfields — One Canadian Driller Has a Head Start
Canadian oilfield services firm Ensign Energy Services is currently the sole operator of drilling rigs in Venezuela, maintaining two rigs in the Orinoco heavy‑oil region after two decades of continuous presence. A recent Trump administration general licence has opened the...
Electricity Prices Rising by Double the Rate of Inflation. Data Center Demand Means No Relief Ahead, Analysts Say
Electricity rates surged 6.9% in 2025, more than double the 2.9% inflation rate, driven largely by AI‑powered data centers. Goldman Sachs warns that data centers will account for 40% of electricity‑demand growth, keeping prices elevated through the decade. Households face...
IEA Lowers 2026 Oil Demand Forecast on Economic Uncertainty, Higher Prices
The International Energy Agency (IEA) lowered its 2026 global oil demand growth forecast to 850,000 barrels per day, down from a previous estimate amid heightened economic uncertainty and rising crude prices. Demand gains will come entirely from non‑OECD economies, with...
Paléo Festival Scores Green Energy First for Switzerland
Switzerland’s Paléo Festival Nyon has become the first outdoor music event in the country to operate its own solar farm. The 470‑square‑metre installation, featuring 261 photovoltaic panels, will generate roughly 100,000 kWh per year—covering at least half of the festival’s electricity...
Nuclear Power Group Alva Energy Launches with $33 Million in Funding
Alva Energy, a Massachusetts‑based nuclear startup, closed a $33 million Series A round led by Playground Global to fund retrofits of existing U.S. reactors. The company will replace steam generators and add a second turbine, boosting each plant’s output by 200‑300 MWe and...
Commerce Releases Final AD/CVD Amounts in Battery Anode Case
The U.S. Department of Commerce issued final antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) rates for Chinese active anode material (AAM). AD margins remain at 93.5% for major exporters and 102.72% for others, while CVD rates settle around 66.86% for most...
US Natural Gas Storage
The Energy Information Administration reported that U.S. natural gas inventories rose by 2.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in the week ending November 1, bringing total working‑day stocks to 3.22 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). This level sits about 5 percent above the five‑year average for...
Ukraine Strikes 2nd Lukoil Refinery in Russia This Week
Ukrainian drones struck Lukoil’s Ukhta refinery in the Komi region, igniting a blaze in the primary unit and a visbreaker. The attack follows a high‑precision strike on Lukoil’s larger Volgograd refinery earlier this week. Ukhta processes about 60,000 barrels of...
IEC-Based Technical Specifications Needed for Second-Life PV Module Market
The IEA‑PVPS Task 13 report warns that the second‑life photovoltaic module market remains fragmented due to missing IEC‑based qualification standards, costly manual repairs, and absent policy support. It recommends fast‑tracking IEC specifications, investing in automated testing hubs, and creating financial instruments...
International Business Briefs | Ailing Thames Water Seeks Further £823m
Britain’s Thames Water announced that its creditors are reviewing an additional £823 million of funding, adding to the £1.43 billion already drawn from its super‑senior liquidity facility. In Nigeria, Dangote Petroleum’s refinery completed 72‑hour performance tests, confirming full‑capacity operation at 650,000 barrels...
USA Crude Oil Stocks Rise More Than 8MM Barrels WoW
U.S. commercial crude inventories rose by 8.5 million barrels in the week ending Feb 6, reaching 428.8 million barrels—about three percent below the five‑year seasonal average. Total petroleum stocks slipped 1.7 million barrels week‑on‑week but remain up 81.9 million barrels year‑on‑year. Refinery runs edged lower...
Monitoring Made Inverters More Essential to Solar Project Performance
Solar inverter manufacturers have turned inverters into intelligent power‑management platforms with granular monitoring across loads, storage, EV chargers, and the grid. Companies such as Enphase and SMA now deliver module‑level data, temperature and irradiance metrics, and AI‑driven predictive maintenance. This...
Plus Power Brings Online 350-MWh Cross Town BESS in Maine
Plus Power has commissioned the 175‑MW, 350‑MWh Cross Town Energy Storage facility in Gorham, Maine, marking the largest battery energy storage system on the ISO New England grid. The plant uses 156 Sungrow PowerTitan modules on a five‑acre site adjacent...
Spain Hits 50 GW Solar Milestone
Spain’s installed solar capacity hit the 50 GW milestone in early 2026, after adding roughly 8.7 GW in 2025. Solar now represents 33.9% of the country’s total installed power capacity and supplied 18.4% of electricity last year. The expansion was led by...
The New Rationale of the EU PV Market
Solar photovoltaic installations continued strong growth in 2025, with Europe reaching a record 70 GW and global cumulative installations surpassing 700 GW, led primarily by China’s over‑half share. The market is increasingly bifurcated: mature regions stagnate while emerging economies accelerate, and battery...
Tesla Set to Launch Vehicle-to-Grid Programme in the US
Tesla will roll out its first vehicle‑to‑grid program in the United States, starting with Cybertruck owners in select Texas markets served by CenterPoint Energy and Oncor. The Powershare Grid Support Program lets participants earn energy‑bill credits by feeding power back...
USA Labor Market Report Underpins Energy Demand
Rystad Energy highlighted that January U.S. non‑farm payrolls increased by 130,000, pushing the unemployment rate down to 4.3% and surpassing consensus expectations. The stronger labor market is viewed as a modest tailwind for demand for transport fuels, petrochemicals and power...
Anthropic To Help Pay For Data Centre Grid Costs
Anthropic announced it will cover the grid costs associated with its AI data centres, partnering with utilities to estimate and offset residential electricity price hikes. The company will also finance infrastructure upgrades, invest in new power generation, and implement demand‑response...
IIAs 2026 | SK’s Expansion in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland
South Korean conglomerate SK Group’s battery separator plant in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland, was named the second‑most impactful operational mega project in Europe for 2026. The €4.4 bn investment has created more than 1,200 jobs and strengthens Europe’s battery supply chain amid rising...
IIAs 2026 | CATL’s Gigafactory in Debrecen, Hungary
Chinese battery giant CATL is investing €7.34 bn to build a gigafactory in Debrecen, Hungary, the country’s largest greenfield project. The company has already assembled over 120,000 battery modules in a rented facility and aims to start lithium‑ion cell production in...
IIAs 2026 | Smart Solar Technologies’ Solar Module Factory in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Smart Solar Technologies, a Turkish cleantech firm, announced a €122 million investment to build a solar cell and module factory in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. The plant will target 1,500 MW of wafer, cell and module output and is expected to generate more than...
Australia’s Clean Energy Transition Has Been Powered by People. Solar for Renters Is the Next Chapter
Australia’s clean‑energy push, highlighted by the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, has driven rapid rooftop solar adoption, yet renters—over one‑third of households—remain excluded. Solar Citizens and a coalition of 72 groups have campaigned for a solar‑for‑renters framework, testing public consensus through...
German E-Mobility on the Rise: Mercedes-Benz Trucks Expands with eActros to South America
Mercedes‑Benz Trucks handed over its first eActros 600 to Chilean carrier Empresas Cavalieri, marking the model’s debut outside Europe and the first series‑production electric long‑haul truck in South America. The vehicle will serve the Santiago‑Viña del Mar beverage route for Compañía...
A Firm Capturing Carbon at NYC High-Rises Tackles Canadian Gas Pipelines
CarbonQuest, a Spokane‑based startup, is expanding its carbon‑capture technology from New York high‑rise boilers to gas‑fired engines that power compressors on Canadian pipelines. The company secured a $4.1 million grant‑backed contract with Tourmaline to install a containerized vacuum pressure swing absorption...
Baltic BESS and TES: Estonia’s 1.1GWh District Heating Accumulator, Nidec PCS-Transformer Deal in Lithuania
Estonia’s utility Utilitas has commissioned an 80 MW/1,100 MWh thermal energy storage (TES) plant in Tallinn, while Lithuania’s state‑owned Ignitis Group has confirmed a €130 million, 291 MW/582 MWh battery storage portfolio that will use Rolls‑Royce BESS modules and Nidec Conversion power‑conversion equipment. Both projects...
Ascott Prioritises Operational Efficiency in Decarbonisation Drive
Ascott is shifting its sustainability focus from guest‑facing gestures to system‑level operational improvements, targeting cooling efficiency, refrigerant discipline, and maintenance quality. The 2024 CarbonClear Initiative standardises energy audits and sets property‑level targets, using utility data and sub‑metering for verification. These...
Trump Calls India-US Trade Deal ‘Historic’ as Tariff Cuts and Coal Exports Take Centre Stage
President Donald Trump called the newly concluded India‑US trade deal historic, highlighting its potential to expand American energy exports, especially coal. The interim agreement slashes U.S. duties on Indian goods to a uniform 18% across textiles, apparel, chemicals and more,...
Adani Power to Ramp up Nuclear Energy Production Under New Atomic Unit
Adani Power has created a wholly‑owned subsidiary, Adani Atomic Energy Limited, with an initial ₹5 lakh investment to generate, transmit and distribute nuclear power. The move follows the passage of the SHANTI Act, which opens India’s nuclear sector to private players...
After Batteries, CATL Targets Next Growth Phase in Swap Stations with Partners
Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) is expanding beyond battery manufacturing into a nationwide battery‑swap network called Choco‑Swap, targeting 30,000 stations across China. Its subsidiary Era Electric has already built 1,000 stations by end‑2025 and plans to add 2,000 more in 2026,...
India at the Digital Turning Point: How Virtual Twins, AI and Data Are Rewiring Industry
The final India Leadership Talks episode highlighted how virtual‑twin technology and model‑based engineering are moving from promise to practice across manufacturing, infrastructure and life sciences. Leaders from Godrej, KPMG and IndianOil Adani Ventures described a shift from basic digitalisation to...
NTPC Climbs 12% in Three Months on Thermal Additions, Renewable Growth Bets
NTPC’s shares have surged about 12 % in the last three months, outpacing the ET Power index, as the utility accelerates both thermal capacity additions and renewable growth through its NGEL subsidiary. The company now operates roughly 86 GW of installed capacity...
CAG Flags NLC India for Operating Neyveli Mine-II without Valid Environmental Clearance
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) flagged that NLC India's Mine‑II in Neyveli operated without a valid environmental clearance, stemming from delayed revalidation. The audit also revealed severe land constraints, leaving only 46.19 hectares for active mining and an estimated...
The POWER Interview: Helping Power Infrastructure ‘Keep Pace With Modern Ambition’
VEIR, a superconducting power‑solutions firm founded in 2019, is targeting the growing power‑density gap between data‑center demand and legacy grid capacity. CEO Tim Heidel explains that existing transmission corridors are congested, creating long interconnection queues and curtailment risks. VEIR’s high‑temperature...
OGJ Crack Spread
The Oil & Gas Journal (OGJ) offers a daily OGJ Crack Spread metric that quantifies the margin between crude oil input costs and refined product sales. This spread serves as a real‑time gauge of refinery profitability and market tightness. OGJ’s...
Crude Imports by Country of Origin
The Oil & Gas Journal released a data set detailing U.S. crude oil imports broken down by country of origin. The report highlights the top supplying nations, shifts in import volumes over the past year, and emerging trends such as...
Why AI Pilots Stall Without Operating Discipline
AI adoption is now common in North American electric utilities, with over 80% reporting some use of the technology. Yet many pilots stall because they are treated as side projects rather than core operations. The article stresses that embedding AI...
Aggreko Finishes Solar Projects on Two US Service Centers
Aggreko has installed rooftop solar systems at two U.S. service centers—a 100‑kW array in St. Louis that meets about 40 % of the site’s electricity and an 87.3‑kW array in Bridgeport covering roughly 64 % of its power needs. The installations cut...
SolarEdge Partners with WeaveGrid to Expand Utility Support for VPPs
SolarEdge Technologies announced a partnership with grid‑software firm WeaveGrid to bring its residential battery systems into the utility‑focused Distribution‑Integrated System Capacity Orchestration (DISCO) platform. DISCO, originally built for large‑scale EV charging management, will now coordinate both electric vehicles and home...
National Laboratory of the Rockies (Formerly NREL) Lays Off 134 People
The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), formerly NREL, announced a second major workforce reduction this year, cutting 134 employees. The layoffs follow a prior round of 114 cuts nine months earlier and are attributed to adjusted funding levels and...
Intellirent Opens Regional Service Center in Phoenix
Intellirent has launched a new regional service center in Phoenix, Arizona, slated to begin operations on February 23, 2026. The facility is positioned to serve power, utility, industrial and infrastructure customers with faster access to electrical testing equipment and local...
European Investment Bank Launching Financing Platform for Energy Efficiency
The European Investment Bank is injecting €60 million into Solas Capital’s Sustainable Energy Fund II to launch a new financing platform that will support energy‑efficiency projects for SMEs across the EU. The platform is designed to mobilize nearly €400 million of total capital,...