Tuesday, 14 July 2026

Construction has begun on a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery manufacturing site in Brindisi, southern Italy, according to ESS News. The developer is Eni Storage Systems, a joint venture that pairs Eni Industrial Evolution with FIB, part of Seri Industrial Group.

A later development phase at the Brindisi plant will add LFP cathode active material production and battery recycling, ESS News reported. Both lines are sized to feed the two gigafactories.

Eni has taken a stake in Faenix, the Seri Industrial Group company set to market battery energy storage systems made at the Teverola and Brindisi facilities, according to ESS News.

Four battery-electric container trucks have entered service at the Port of Vancouver, with the rest of the fleet due to arrive by year-end, the port authority confirmed to electrive.

Five freight operators are running the vehicles on active container routes into the port: Aheer Transportation Group, Lally Bros Holding, Simard Transport, Trans BC Freightways and West Coast Freight, according to electrive.

Delivery of the pilot brings together the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Transport Canada, the Province of British Columbia, BC Hydro and fleet technology partner 7Gen, according to electrive.

Transport Canada, the province and the port authority together account for an estimated CAD 3 million in support, the port authority said, with further funding drawn from BC Hydro's EV Fleet Program.

Each operator takes a subsidised five-year truck lease. The package also covers charging infrastructure, driver training, maintenance help and access to a shared platform tracking vehicle and energy performance, according to electrive.

Over the first 12 months of each truck's service, the program will gather operational data and pass it to industry and government partners studying wider use of battery-electric container trucks, the port authority said, according to electrive.

Argent LNG has hired GIS Engineering to handle marine, environmental and site engineering for its proposed Port Fourchon export terminal in Louisiana, according to World Oil. The plant is designed to produce 25 MMtpa.

The contracted studies feed Argent LNG's pre-filing application at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), forming the technical base for the project's environmental review, World Oil reported.

Argent LNG has already lodged 11 resource reports with FERC, according to World Oil. Those documents address water resources, wildlife, cultural resources, land use, air quality and project alternatives.

Jonathan Bass, chairman and CEO of Argent LNG, said each deliverable under the contract brings the company nearer to a complete FERC filing.

GIS Engineering is based in Galliano, Louisiana, per World Oil.

Proposed Section 232 actions on polysilicon show little sign of being withdrawn following the Trump-Xi meeting, according to industry checks reported by pv magazine.

Most market participants continue to expect the policy framework to move forward, though potentially at a lower tariff rate than initially anticipated, pv magazine reported.

Industry contacts generally do not believe solar-specific trade policy was meaningfully addressed during the summit, according to pv magazine. Broader anti-China trade positioning is still expected to continue.

Ofgem signed off on six of eight amendments NESO proposed for Dynamic Response market rules, phasing them in on two separate dates, ESS News reported.

Providers active in Great Britain's balancing market feel the first shift from July 31, 2026. Any balancing mechanism unit that fails to file a valid Final Physical Notification counts as unavailable for Dynamic Response under the new terms.

That first batch ties how a provider signals availability in the balancing market to whether it can operate in frequency service markets.

Dynamic Response participants that stay outside the Balancing Mechanism are the ones caught by the second batch, which lands Jan. 1, 2027.

NESO ran ten amendments through industry consultation between November 20 and December 19, 2025, then pulled two before sending its final package to Ofgem, ESS News reported. That left eight for the regulator to weigh.

Ofgem knocked back two of those eight. It refused NESO's four-step penalty ladder for providers that underperform and rejected a bid to widen the grid operator's authority to suspend participants from the market, both on grounds of insufficient industry consultation.

The penalty ladder would have introduced stricter penalties and suspension powers against providers that failed to deliver. Ofgem's refusal leaves the graduated sanctions and the broader suspension trigger out of the rulebook.

Ground has been broken on the Foxtail Flats Solar project in northwest New Mexico, pairing 170 MW of solar with 80 MW of battery storage on tribal lands, according to pv magazine.

D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) is building the project as the opening phase of a larger footprint that could eventually hold as much as 350 MW of solar and 350 MW of energy storage, pv magazine reported.

The project stretches beyond 5,000 acres, taking in the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation alongside state and private parcels, according to pv magazine.

Under a signed contract, Los Alamos County Utilities will take the full 170 MW of solar output and 80 MW of battery storage from the site, per pv magazine. That volume steps in for the 36 MW the county had drawn from the San Juan Generating Station until its 2022 closure.

Work on the site started in summer 2025, with commercial operations set for fall 2026, according to pv magazine.

Researchers at City University of Hong Kong reported achieving a power conversion efficiency of 20.5% in an organic solar cell, according to pv magazine.

The result came from a strategy that re-associates normally non-emissive triplet excitons into extractable free charge carriers, cutting energy losses that have traditionally limited organic photovoltaic performance, pv magazine reported.

The cell integrates a small-molecule non-fullerene acceptor known as FTh-4F, according to pv magazine.

The technology was described in a paper titled "Recycling of spin-triplet excitons in organic photovoltaics," published in nature, pv magazine reported.

Shell expects Integrated Gas production of 610-650 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day in Q2 2026, down from 909 kboe/d in Q1 2026, reflecting the impact of the Middle East conflict on Qatari volumes, according to a Shell second quarter update note published on GlobeNewswire.

LNG liquefaction volumes are expected to reach 7.4-7.8 million tonnes in the quarter, compared with 7.9 MT in the prior quarter, Shell said. Despite the lower output, Shell expects Trading and Optimisation within Integrated Gas to come in significantly higher than Q1 2026.

Downstream margins strengthened over the period. Shell's indicative refining margin is expected to be about USD 20/bbl, up from USD 17/bbl in Q1 2026. The indicative chemicals margin is expected to be around USD 240/tonne, up from USD 139/tonne in the prior quarter.

Shell cautioned that realised refining and chemicals margins are lower than the calculated indicative figures because of market dislocations, and have been adjusted accordingly.

The company also flagged a working capital movement of USD 1-6 billion for Q2 2026, reflecting the impact of what it described as unprecedented volatility in commodity prices. That compares with a working capital figure of negative USD 11.2 billion in Q1 2026.

Shell's second quarter 2026 results are scheduled to be published on July 30, 2026.

A loaded liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier took a projectile strike off the coast of Oman while leaving the Strait of Hormuz, according to Rigzone.

Security consultancy EOS Risk Group placed the strike roughly 8 nautical miles (15 kilometers) east of Limah, Oman, reported a fire afterward, and said the vessel was hit by either a drone or a missile, according to Rigzone.

The carrier, the Al Rekayyat, belongs to Qatar's state-owned shipping firm Nakilat and was moving with its transponders switched off, based on ship-tracking data cited by Rigzone.

European gas prices rose by up to 4.5% during early Asian trading after the report, and Brent oil futures edged up, according to Rigzone.

Most traffic through the strait has kept to the northern lane sanctioned by Iran, which has handled two-thirds of transits over the past several days, per data from intelligence firm Kpler Ltd., leaving the remainder on the US-managed Oman route.

Kpler data show that 25 ships crossed Hormuz on Monday, and just three of them used the Omani side with transponders active.

Axios, citing an unidentified US official, had earlier said Iranian missiles hit two merchant vessels, both left with significant damage and no casualties, according to Rigzone.

New York City building owners will be able to support a clean energy project through renewable energy credits once those credits reach the market as soon as next month, according to Canary Media. It would be the first time building owners can do so.

The story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York.

The UK government published its response to the Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) call for evidence on 7 July 2026, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The call for evidence was jointly run by the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

It ran from 9 January 2026 to 6 March 2026 and received 125 responses from stakeholders, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The exercise sought views on the role of CPPAs in Great Britain and how the market could be developed to support business competitiveness, energy security and investment in low-carbon electricity generation.

It applies to England, Scotland and Wales.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published final reports for Stream 2 Phase 2 projects under the Longer Duration Energy Storage Demonstration Programme on 7 July 2026. According to the department, over £69 million of capital funding was made available across the programme's two competition streams.

Stream 1 was set to award around £37 million in innovation funding as capital grants, with recipients required to secure matched private investment, according to the department. Stream 2 was set to award around £30 million in innovation support through Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) contracts, which required risk-sharing.

Five projects were funded through Stream 1 Phase 1, covering power-to-X energy storage and electrical energy storage, according to the department. No projects were awarded funding in the thermal energy storage category under that stream.

Stream 2 supported a wider set of awards. The department funded 19 projects through Stream 2 Phase 1 and 7 projects through Stream 2 Phase 2, each covering all three technology areas.

The programme set boundaries on eligible technologies. Solutions with widely deployed UK commercial demonstrations, such as lithium ion, pumped hydro or large water tanks, were out of scope, according to the department.

Spark Renewables' Dinawan solar and battery project in southwest New South Wales has been approved under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, according to ESS News, moving the AUD 1.35 billion (USD 940 million) development closer to construction.

The project combines an 800 MW solar installation with a battery energy storage system of up to 300 MW and provision for up to four hours of storage, ESS News reported. It also includes a separate 707 MW wind component, according to the outlet.

The facility is to be built across a 2,600-hectare site about 30 km north of Jerilderie, ESS News said.

Spark Renewables is targeting a final investment decision in 2027, with construction expected to start later that year, according to ESS News. The project is anticipated to support approximately 400 jobs during the construction phase.

Spark Renewables is owned by Malaysian electricity company Tenaga Nasional Bhd, ESS News reported.

Once operational, the facility will generate clean energy to power the equivalent of about 142,000 homes annually, according to the outlet.

The EPBC decision follows approval from the New South Wales Independent Planning Commission in April, ESS News said.

The U.S. average gasoline price fell 6.8 cents over the past week to $3.71 per gallon, according to GasBuddy. The national average was down 41.3 cents from a month ago but sat 62.7 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

GasBuddy is tracking 41 states with average gasoline prices below $4 per gallon. Indiana held the lowest average at $3.04, followed by Oklahoma and Texas, each at $3.26 per gallon.

At the top end, Hawaii averaged $5.42 per gallon, California $5.33, and Washington $4.98, according to GasBuddy.

Patrick De Haan attributed the limited pump price declines to continued Ukrainian attacks on Russian refinery infrastructure that have forced Russia to shift from fuel exporter to importer, tightening global supplies and putting upward pressure on crack spreads. That pressure explains why pump prices have not fallen as sharply as oil prices might suggest, according to De Haan.

Eni has awarded TechnipFMC a subsea contract for the Baleine Phase 3 development offshore Côte d'Ivoire, with the value placed between USD 75 million and USD 250 million under the contractor's own banding, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

The scope covers engineering and fabrication of flexible flowlines and risers, tying wells in water depths near 1,200 metres back to a new floating production unit, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Phase 3 runs on a fast-track schedule and targets higher output from what TechnipFMC has called the largest hydrocarbon discovery offshore Côte d'Ivoire, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Jonathan Landes, President, Subsea for TechnipFMC, said the award extends the company's work with Eni and that it will supply a flexible pipe package geared to the fast-track timeline, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Bangchak Corp Public Co Ltd has completed its purchase of Chevron Corp's fueling business in Hong Kong, with the acquired stations continuing to serve the Caltex brand for two years, according to Rigzone.

Bangchak bought 100 percent of Chevron Hong Kong's shares from Chevron Companies (Greater China) Ltd, and the entity has been renamed Bangchak Hong Kong, Rigzone reported.

The acquired business operates 31 service stations offering industrial and marine fuels, according to Bangchak's February 13 announcement of the agreement. The stations will keep the Caltex brand for two years.

Bangchak chief executive Chaiwat Kovavisarach said Bangchak Hong Kong will serve as the group's trading and commercial hub in North Asia, connecting its retail, trading, and marine fuels businesses with the wider group network.

Bangchak has earmarked THB 35 billion (USD 1.05 billion) in investment across the group's operations for 2026-28, Rigzone reported.

The deal extends Bangchak's downstream expansion. In 2023 the group took over ExxonMobil's refining and service station assets in Thailand by acquiring Esso (Thailand) Public Co Ltd from ExxonMobil Asia Holdings Pte Ltd.

For Chevron, the sale falls under a five-year divestment plan of USD 10-15 billion through 2028 to refocus investment on assets that offer long-term value, according to Rigzone. From 2024 through January 2026, Chevron generated approximately USD 9 billion of asset sales proceeds and expects USD 1-2 billion in annual asset sale proceeds through 2030.

A 15-year sales and purchase agreement between ADNOC and Japan's INPEX will deliver 1 million tonnes per annum of LNG, sourced mainly from the Ruwais LNG project in Abu Dhabi, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

With the INPEX contract added, long-term offtake for the 9.6 mtpa Ruwais LNG project has passed 90% of capacity, and nearly 23% is now tied to Japanese customers, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

Ruwais LNG sits in Al Ruwais Industrial City and is due to begin commercial operations in 2028, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital. Two liquefaction trains each hold a capacity of 4.8 mtpa.

ADNOC and XRG are aiming for 47 mtpa of combined marketable LNG by 2035, Nasser Al Muhairi said, describing Ruwais LNG as a supply source for customers in Asia and key markets.

ADNOC Gas said in November 2024 that it planned to buy ADNOC's 60% stake in the Ruwais LNG project at cost, put at around USD 5 billion, in 2028, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Sicona Battery Technologies has secured up to AUD 45 million (USD 31.3 million) to build a commercial-scale facility for silicon-carbon anode materials, according to ESS News.

The funding was awarded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) under its Battery Breakthrough Initiative, ESS News reported.

According to ESS News, the money will support construction and operation of a commercial-scale demonstration facility at BlueScope Steel's Port Kembla precinct in New South Wales, Australia.

Sicona is backed by Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd, per ESS News.

A shipment of 18 Lotus Eletre EVs will be the first Chinese-built electric vehicles from a Chinese-owned brand to go on sale in Canada, under an import agreement that permits up to 49,000 Chinese EVs each year at reduced tariff rates, according to Electrek.

Electrek reports the arrangement was set up by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In exchange for lower tariffs on Chinese EVs, Canada is seeking a reduction in China's current 100% import duty on Canadian canola oil and its 25% duty on pork, according to Electrek.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi indicated that Canada could supply nearly 22 million metric tons of crude oil to China annually, up from nearly 15.5 million tons last year, according to Electrek.

Reuters reports that tariff relief on Canadian products including canola meal, peas, and lobster, currently set to expire at the end of this year, is also on the table, according to Electrek.

The 2026 Lotus Eletre delivers 905 electric horsepower and a WLTP range of 304 miles from a 112 kWh battery, according to Electrek.

Solar project returns are decided by quality and performance choices made early in development, according to a new Task 13 report covered by pv magazine. Titled "Photovoltaic Project Decisions: Quality, Performance, and Economic Value" (T13-36:2026), the study pulled together 19 authors spanning research institutions, independent testing bodies, O&M analytics firms, and project developers, with contributors drawn from Europe, the Americas, and Australia.

A mobile lab tested more than 4,000 modules across 20 projects and five module manufacturers, finding that factory in-line power measurements overstated actual output by up to 4%, according to pv magazine.

The report prices out the two testing routes. Mobile lab work that includes electroluminescence runs roughly EUR 2,000 to EUR 3,000 (USD 2,286 to USD 3,430) per day and covers 100 to 150 modules, pv magazine reported. Stationary laboratory testing costs around EUR 20,000 per day, before transport is added.

A Chilean rooftop case study puts the design-stage payoff in numbers: a 5% yield gain produces roughly 400 additional kilowatt-hours a year for a standard 7.7 kW residential system, worth about USD 88 annually at Chilean electricity prices, according to pv magazine.

Projects without adequate planning tend to hit early failures within the first two years of operation, the report states, and these require expensive specialist intervention that opex budgets never accounted for.

A standard 2% annual soiling loss assumption, applied with no seasonal variation, is common among performance engineers, according to pv magazine. The report says that figure may hold for temperate climates but can cause serious over- or underestimation in drier regions.

Kearsarge Energy has brought 88 MW of distributed solar and battery storage projects online across the northeastern United States, according to ESS News.

The developer plans to commission more than 160 MW of additional capacity by the end of 2026, ESS News reported. The 2025 deployment spans Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Maryland, and New Hampshire.

In Orleans, Vermont, Kearsarge deployed a 20 MWh standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) alongside a 7.5 MW solar array, according to ESS News. That array delivers over 8.7 million kWh annually to the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority.

In North Reading, Massachusetts, the company installed a 22.5 MWh standalone BESS designed to help the Reading Municipal Light Department shave local peak load, ESS News reported.

Kearsarge currently manages a USD 900 million, 400 MW national project pipeline, according to ESS News. The developer reports a track record of 300 MW and USD 600 million in solar and storage assets developed since 2011.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplied 131 billion cubic meters, or 45 percent, of the gas imported by European Union countries in 2025, according to a European Commission report published Monday.

LNG's share of annual EU gas imports rose by nine percentage points, a move the European Commission described in its gas market report as deepening the structural shift in the bloc's gas supply mix.

The United States was the largest single source of the EU's LNG, supplying 76 Bcm or 57.9 percent of those imports over the year, according to the report. Russia ranked second, accounting for 18 Bcm or 13.5 percent.

The EU held the world's top spot for LNG imports in the fourth quarter of 2025, with a 24 percent share of global imports, the Commission said.

Regasification capacity across the 27-member bloc rose eight percent to nearly 215 Bcm in 2025 compared with 2024, with additions in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Poland, according to the report.

Pipeline imports moved the other way. EU gas imports via pipeline fell eight percent year-on-year to 158 Bcm, the Commission said, with Norway remaining the top pipeline source at 86 Bcm or 54.4 percent.

In a separate electricity market report, the Commission said gas power generation rose 11 percent, or 37 terawatt hours, offsetting a five percent decline in coal generation. LNG's 131 Bcm equated to 4.63 trillion cubic feet of the year's imports.

GM has recalled 15,000 Cadillac Vistiq eSUVs across the US and stopped shipping new units after finding that a folding third-row seatback can pin a passenger in place, according to electrive.

The campaign reaches 13,629 units built in the 2026 model year plus 911 from the 2027 model year, electrive reported, and GM estimates the defect is present in every one of them.

The filing describes a power seatback that, once the fold feature is triggered, may not reverse if it meets a person, according to electrive citing the NHTSA filing. Electrive reported the risk is higher for a child.

GM's own testing showed the mechanism kept folding with a box weighing 33 to 40 pounds on the seat, coming to rest in a spot where the box could not be freed unless the seatback was reversed by hand, according to electrive.

Six further incidents or complaints have been logged as possibly linked to the fault, and none caused injury, electrive reported.

The problem surfaced on March 31, 2026, when a GM engineer filed a report through the company's Speak Up For Safety program after examining how the third-row power seatback folds, according to electrive.

Owners will hear from GM beginning August 3 and be told to bring their vehicles to dealers, who will switch off the third-row folding function until replacement parts and a new seat module can be fitted, electrive reported.

More than 800 MW of grid-scale battery energy storage have been installed around Ireland since 2018, according to ESS News.

The pipeline for further projects stands at 2.3 GW, covering developments that already hold planning permission and connection contracts, ESS News reported.

Storage gained full access to electricity markets in Ireland in November 2025, and since then storage assets have set peak output records of almost 500 MW, according to Minister Darragh O'Brien.

An AFRY report commissioned by ESI found that energy storage could deliver up to EUR 102 million in annual savings for consumers in Ireland and Northern Ireland with 2 GW of additional storage on the system compared with today.

AFRY also found that when gas prices are high, the benefit of 2 GW of additional storage could reach up to EUR 150 million.

David Rossiter of ESI said building 2 GW of storage by the early 2030s could deliver a 10% reduction in grid emissions and an 11% reduction in wasted wind and solar energy.

O'Brien, Ireland's Minister for Climate, Energy, and the Environment, said the government will commit to a long-term energy storage rollout strategy.

The European Commission has opened applications for cross-border energy projects covering hydrogen infrastructure, industrial electrolysers, and CO2 transport and storage, according to Hydrogen Fuel News. The call runs under the revised Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) Regulation.

The application window opened this summer and runs through late September, Hydrogen Fuel News reported. The initiative is set up under the revamped TEN-E Regulation.

According to Hydrogen Fuel News, the process is designed to speed up permitting, harmonize regulations across borders, and prioritize access to EU funding for projects that support industrial decarbonization.

The initiative sits within the EU's climate targets, which Hydrogen Fuel News described as cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and reaching climate neutrality by 2050.

Hydrogen road transport has moved from concept fuel-cell passenger cars to a growing fleet of hydrogen-powered trucks and buses, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

More than 90% of the world's hydrogen fuel trucks are in China, supported by a mix of national and local subsidies, Hydrogen Fuel News reported.

South Korea supports nearly one in five hydrogen buses globally, according to the same outlet.

Europe's hydrogen bus pilots face cancellations, according to Hydrogen Fuel News, which said the trend underscores the need for stable policies, infrastructure and low-emissions hydrogen supply to achieve zero-emission heavy transport.

The Australian federal government will reserve 500 MW in each upcoming Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) tender for projects that write First Nations equity or revenue sharing into their structure, according to RenewEconomy.

The reservation builds on the first First Nations co-ownership model, agreed last year by battery storage developer Ampyr Australia, backed by Singapore-based AGP, and the Wambal Bila indigenous community corporation, RenewEconomy reported.

Wambal Bila holds an equity right to acquire a 5 per cent stake in the 300 MW, 600 MWh Wellington battery, now named Bulbul, sited next to two solar farms held by other owners, according to RenewEconomy.

Ampyr CEO Alex Wonhas put the potential value of that stake at USD 20 million to USD 30 million for Wambal Bila across the project's two decade life, RenewEconomy reported.

Aalo Atomics' Aalo-X Critical Test Reactor, dubbed Project First Light, has reached criticality at Idaho National Laboratory, according to Power Magazine.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the criticality on July 6, Power Magazine reported.

The milestone marks the fourth DOE-authorized advanced reactor startup under the federal push to accelerate reactor testing and demonstration, according to Power Magazine.

VERDE HYDROGEN secured a supply contract with China Coal Energy Group to deliver core electrolysis equipment for Phase I of an off-grid renewable green hydrogen project, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

Under the award, VERDE HYDROGEN will deliver four sets of 1,200 Nm3/h alkaline electrolyzers matched with a 4,800 Nm3/h integrated gas-liquid separation and hydrogen purification unit, Hydrogen Fuel News reported.

The project is designed as an integrated closed-loop system combining on-site renewable power generation and localized green hydrogen manufacturing, serving heavy industrial low-carbon transformation demands, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

The public tender attracted bidding from all top domestic Chinese electrolyzer manufacturers, Hydrogen Fuel News reported.

The NEOM Green Hydrogen Complex will draw on around 4 gigawatts of renewable energy to make green hydrogen, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

The facility is expected to produce around 600 tonnes of green hydrogen each day, Hydrogen Fuel News reported.

To power electrolysis, the complex will use 257 onshore wind turbines alongside a large solar farm, according to the same report.

The hydrogen will be converted into green ammonia on-site and shipped to markets in Asia and Europe through a marine jetty designed for the purpose, Hydrogen Fuel News said.

The project is described as a central player in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

Researchers have shown that atomically dispersed cerium placed next to nickel nanoparticles can scavenge hydrogen and prevent catalyst poisoning, improving clean ammonia production, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

The cerium atoms positioned beside the nickel nanoparticles act like hydrogen sponges, according to Hydrogen Fuel News. The outlet reported that this arrangement helps unlock active sites and boost catalyst performance.

Hydrogen Fuel News said the approach advances hydrogen-based energy work by making clean ammonia production more efficient.

By 2026, 24 western power entities had used preemptive shut-offs, according to the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, the independent grid reliability authority for the West. Some of those outages have left communities without power for up to five days, The Conversation reported.

Utilities in the West cut power ahead of high-fire conditions to reduce the risk that equipment sparks a blaze. In California, electricity infrastructure has ignited eight of the state's 20 most destructive wildfires, according to The Conversation.

The financial stakes are set by past liability. In 2019, Pacific Gas & Electric was forced into bankruptcy over an estimated USD 30 billion in wildfire liabilities from equipment-caused blazes, including the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed much of the town of Paradise, The Conversation reported.

The practice has spread beyond California. Colorado's Xcel Energy implemented its first major preemptive blackout in 2025, according to The Conversation.

Hardening equipment offers one alternative to cutting power. By the end of 2025, Southern California Edison had installed over 700 circuit miles of insulated tree wire in high-fire districts over about a year, and committed to modify an additional 1,481 miles by 2028, The Conversation reported.

France's June 2026 heatwave caused more than 2,700 heat-related deaths, according to a new analysis published by Carbon Brief.

Daily high temperatures averaged across France reached 36.9C in June 2026, breaking the previous June record set in 2022 by 2.4C, the analysis found. The observed June maximum temperatures were more in line with what climate models had projected for the 2070s, according to Carbon Brief.

Day-to-day heat-related mortality rose from under 100 to almost 300 on the hottest days of 24 and 25 June, the authors found.

Public Health France attributed around 2,000 deaths in France to the extreme heat during the week of 22-28 June.

World Weather Attribution analysis found that human-caused climate change increased the frequency and intensity of the June heatwave across Europe.

ADNOC Distribution, the retail arm of the Abu Dhabi state oil company, has bought Shell's downstream business in South Africa for USD 1 billion, according to Semafor Net Zero.

The United Arab Emirates is already one of the top fuel suppliers to South Africa, Semafor Net Zero reported.

The South Africa purchase adds to a run of larger acquisitions. ADNOC completed a USD 16.9 billion takeover of German chemicals firm Covestro, according to Semafor Net Zero.

On Monday, ADNOC launched a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading platform, merging three existing divisions, Semafor Net Zero reported.

The company is targeting 47 million tonnes of annual LNG trading by 2035, equivalent to around 11% of the current global market, according to Semafor Net Zero.

Software-driven monitoring could safely unlock 300 GW of capacity on existing U.S. grid infrastructure within three to five years without new transmission lines or power plants, GridCARE founder and CEO Amit Narayan said on the Energy Empire podcast, according to pv magazine.

Narayan tied the opportunity to how the network is currently run. According to pv magazine, the American grid operates at only about a third of its capacity for most of the year because of conservative N-2 contingency planning, leaving infrastructure idle. Narayan argued that shifting from that legacy planning model to software-driven monitoring is what would free the additional 300 GW.

A Duke University analysis led by Tyler Norris found the grid can absorb nearly 100 GW of new demand if large loads accept curtailment for just 0.25% of the year, according to pv magazine. That share amounts to roughly two hours at a time during the most stressed peaks.

GridCARE identified more than 650 MW of previously invisible capacity at National Grid in New York, pv magazine reported. In Oregon, the software unlocked over 400 MW in Hillsboro for Portland General Electric, allowing the utility to connect six data centers years ahead of schedule.

Grid operators are also applying automation to interconnection queues. PJM Interconnection, the nation's largest grid operator, used an artificial intelligence system to review 811 generation applications representing 220 GW of capacity in under an hour, according to pv magazine, a process that normally takes weeks.

The Netherlands approved 86 solar power projects with a cumulative capacity of 773 MW under the 2025 SDE++ subsidy round, according to pv magazine. That compares with 166 solar projects representing over 1 GW of capacity that submitted applications.

The approved projects were awarded a combined €358 million, pv magazine reported. Of that, €262 million went to ground-mounted projects, €68 million to rooftop projects and €28 million to floating PV projects.

The capacity breakdown shows 33 ground-mounted projects totaling 575 MW, 50 rooftop projects totaling 140 MW, and three floating PV projects totaling 58 MW, according to pv magazine.

The latest allocation falls short of SDE++ 2024, which awarded €449 million to 1.8 GW of solar, pv magazine reported.

Minister van Veldhoven's letter notes that many solar projects holding an SDE++ grant are not reaching completion, with grid congestion cited as one of the main obstacles.

The next subsidy round, SDE++ 2026, is due to open from October 27 to November 26, one month later than last year, according to pv magazine.

The Dutch government announced plans to phase out the SDE++ scheme in 2027 and replace it with two-way contracts for difference in line with EU market reforms, pv magazine reported.

CATL unveiled the Tectrans II Superfast Charging Edition battery for light commercial vehicles, offering an 8C peak charging capability that takes a cell from 20 to 80 per cent charge in six minutes and 48 seconds, according to electrive. The manufacturer describes it as the first battery in its class to reach that charge rate.

A full charge is expected to take eight minutes and 56 seconds, electrive reported.

CATL covers the battery with a warranty of up to ten years or one million kilometres, according to electrive.

The manufacturer said it cut the internal resistance of the cells by 50 per cent compared with the industry average.

Cold performance holds up under the design, according to electrive. At minus 20 degrees Celsius, charging time rises by only two and a half minutes against normal conditions.

CATL also pointed to its third generation Shenxing battery for passenger cars, which the manufacturer said charges from 10 to 80 per cent in three minutes and 44 seconds.

At the beginning of July, CATL reported 2,000 Choco battery-swapping stations serving passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, according to electrive.

Apache North Sea has named Well-Safe Solutions lead contractor on decommissioning of the Beryl Field, a mandate that lifts the two firms' combined workload past 260 wells, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

The Beryl award is the second Apache has handed the contractor this year, coming after decommissioning work on the Forties Field, per Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Well-Safe Solutions has brought in Archer for platform-based drilling, wireline and coiled tubing, well services, and a Compact Workover Rig. NMC Energy takes a separate contract covering integration, commissioning and topside decommissioning.

Work on the Beryl Bravo platform wells is set to begin in the summer, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital, ahead of subsea well decommissioning scheduled to start in 2027.

Voltpost is partnering with EV charging services company InCharge Energy to deploy more of its lamppost and utility pole EV chargers across the US, beginning with New York, Connecticut, and California, according to Electrek.

The partnership is built to speed up installations of Voltpost's Level 2 chargers while adding ongoing maintenance and monitoring as the network grows, Electrek reported.

Voltpost's system retrofits existing lampposts and utility poles rather than requiring entirely new charging installations, according to Electrek.

Under the agreement, InCharge Energy becomes Voltpost's preferred installation and service partner, with certified field teams handling charger installation and ongoing maintenance and giving site hosts a single point of contact throughout the life of each charger, Electrek reported.

The partnership also covers Voltpost Care, the company's network monitoring platform, which is powered by InCharge's InControl charge management software, according to Electrek.

Rivian opened an underwritten public share sale of 75 million common shares that could bring in about USD 1.5 billion at recent trading levels, according to Electrek. The automaker put the offering forward on July 6, 2026, selling the full block itself, with underwriters holding a 30-day option on a further 11.25 million shares, Electrek reported.

Joint book-running managers on the deal are Goldman Sachs, Allen & Company, Barclays, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo Securities, according to Electrek.

Net proceeds are earmarked for general corporate purposes, including equity contributions tied to the company's amended loan agreement with the US Department of Energy.

Shares slid 11% in pre-market trading after the announcement, Electrek reported.

Second-quarter deliveries reached 12,194 vehicles, clearing the 9,000-to-11,000 guidance range, and the company raised its full-year target to 65,000-70,000 units from 62,000-67,000, according to Electrek.

Customer deliveries of the more affordable midsize R2 SUV started on June 9 from the existing Normal, Illinois plant, and scaling that program is a primary focus for the company, Electrek reported.

Rivian lifted planned output at its Georgia factory by 50% to 300,000 vehicles a year, a site set to eventually produce both the R2 and R3.

AVL and CEER have signed a letter of intent to work together on new electric vehicles and to build up an automotive supply base in Saudi Arabia, according to electrive.

The two firms will span the full engineering chain, from vehicle development and high-voltage system integration through to homologation, simulation, and validation testing, electrive reported.

CEER plans to reveal its first production models by the end of 2026, CEO James DeLuca said, according to electrive.

CEER was set up in 2022 by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and contract manufacturer Foxconn, electrive reported. Its cars will draw on Foxtron platforms and will be built in Saudi Arabia.

The carmaker has separately agreed to work with FEV on a local automotive and supplier base, and with Rimac on electric powertrain supply, according to electrive.

Under one in ten investors expect Australia to reach its 2030 clean energy target, the Clean Energy Investor Group (CEIG) found.

Attractiveness ratings slid over the year. CEIG reported that 58 per cent of investors now rate Australia a somewhat or very attractive place to put clean energy money, a drop from 69 per cent.

"Investors are losing patience with a system that isn't delivering at pace," said CEIG chief executive Richie Merzian, who pointed to fresh obstacles including a proposed capital gains tax on existing international clean energy investments.

Queensland held onto the number two spot for preferred investor locations in the recent confidence survey, even after scrapping its renewables target and calling in several projects.

CEIG's results align with a June report from the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC), which described institutional investors as largely downbeat on Australia's renewable energy prospects.

Shell PLC guided on Tuesday to stronger trading results in its Integrated Gas segment for the second quarter than in the first, according to Rigzone.

The segment's April to June output is pegged at 610,000 to 650,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, well below the 909,000 boed booked in Q1, Rigzone reported. Liquefaction is set to land between 7.4 million and 7.8 million metric tons, against 7.9 million metric tons a quarter earlier.

The lower volumes trace to war-damaged assets in Qatar, the same drag that weighed on Q1. Production halted at Shell's Pearl gas-to-liquids plant in Ras Laffan, Qatar after one of its two trains was hit in an attack that started a fire, the company said on March 19.

A force majeure declared over the outage carries a hit of 2.4 million metric tons a year for Shell, tied to its 30 percent holding in QatarEnergy LNG N(4), per Rigzone.

In its chemicals arm, Shell sees the indicative margin climbing to about USD 240 per metric ton from USD 139 per metric ton in Q1.

North America's total rig count stayed flat at 770 week on week, according to Baker Hughes' latest count published on July 2. A gain of seven US rigs was offset by a drop of seven in Canada.

The result ended an eight-week run of additions, according to Rigzone, which reported that the Baker Hughes North America count had risen for eight consecutive weeks before this reading.

The United States holds 580 rigs and Canada holds 190 of the 770 total. The US figure comprises 445 oil rigs, 126 gas rigs, and nine miscellaneous rigs. Canada's 190 breaks down into 130 oil rigs, 58 gas rigs, and two miscellaneous rigs.

Across US states, Texas added three rigs and Oklahoma added two week on week, while Louisiana and New Mexico each added one and North Dakota dropped two. By basin, the Permian added three rigs and the Cana Woodford added one, while the Williston lost one over the same period.

Measured against year-ago levels, the North America count is up 80 rigs, according to Baker Hughes. The US has added 41 rigs and Canada has added 39 rigs year on year.

McMurtry Automotive has unveiled the final production version of its electric single-seater race car, the Spéirling PURE, according to electrive.

Electrive reported that around 95% of the components in the production version were redeveloped compared to the company's previous prototype record-breaking vehicles.

The lithium-ion battery has been upgraded from 60kWh to 100kWh in the production version, according to electrive. On the racetrack, a single charge should last for 40 to 50km at the pace of an LMP2 racing car.

The new Helix electric motors are expected to deliver around 745kW in parallel, equivalent to 1,014 hp, electrive reported. The car accelerates from 0 to 60mph in 1.55 seconds and reaches a top speed of 305km/h.

According to electrive, the patented fan system generates downforce of up to 2,000kg regardless of speed.

First customer deliveries are expected to begin in 2026, with a base price of EUR 1.15 million plus taxes, according to electrive.

ES Foundry has completed a 2-GW expansion of its crystalline solar cell factory in Greenwood, South Carolina, according to Power Magazine.

The company said on July 7 that the first solar cell has come off the new production line at the site. Total annual solar cell manufacturing capacity at the plant is now 3 GW, according to Power Magazine.

The electric vehicle charging joint venture between Iberdrola and BP Pulse is migrating to the Driivz software platform to run its roughly 2,500 fast and ultra-fast charging stations in Spain and Portugal, according to electrive.

The two companies said they chose the Driivz platform's architecture and energy management solution to set a technical base for later work on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and smart charging, according to electrive.

Federico Artes, Technology and Operations Director of the Iberdrola-BP joint venture for the Iberian Peninsula, described the migration as a strategic decision to build the operation on foundations that allow the venture to grow, innovate and deliver the reliability the Iberian market deserves, electrive reported.

Shiri Levi-Laor, CEO of Driivz, said the selection reflects where the EV charging industry is heading, and that networks of this complexity, spanning multiple markets, vendors and customer segments, require a platform built around data and operational intelligence, according to electrive.

Driivz will give the joint venture an integrated analytics layer covering its entire network, along with real-time transparency and insights into availability, uptime, hardware performance and charging behaviour, according to electrive.

Proxima Fusion completed a EUR 411 million (USD 468 million) funding round, according to Power Magazine.

The Munich, Germany-based group is considered among the leading European companies working on fusion energy, according to Power Magazine.

Proxima said on July 7 that investors in the round included Google and RWE, according to Power Magazine.

Proxima Fusion raised EUR 411 million (USD 469 million) in a new funding round backed by investors including RWE AG and Alphabet's Google, according to Neutron Bytes. The German startup plans to develop a nuclear fusion plant it aims to bring online in the 2030s.

XTX Ventures, the investment arm of Alex Gerko's algorithmic trading firm XTX Markets Ltd, led the round alongside London-based East X Ventures, Neutron Bytes reported.

Proxima now carries a valuation of EUR 2.4 billion following the round, according to a statement by the company cited by Neutron Bytes.

The firm has secured more than EUR 650 million to date, including EUR 95 million in public grants, Neutron Bytes reported. Proxima last raised funds in a EUR 130 million round in 2025.

Proxima spun out of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in 2023 to build a first generation of fusion power plants using QI-HTS stellarators, according to Neutron Bytes.

The company's Alpha net-energy-gain demonstration stellarator is scheduled to begin operational testing in 2031 near Garching, Germany, Neutron Bytes reported.

Ahead of that, Proxima plans to complete its Stellarator Model Coil in 2027, according to Neutron Bytes. The standalone component prototype is designed to validate and de-risk high-temperature superconductor (HTS) magnet technology and heat management systems under laboratory conditions before they are integrated into a full-scale reactor.

Tesla is letting outside startups test technologies on its live battery cell line at Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg through a new Cell Giga Challenge, according to Electrek on July 7, 2026.

The program runs with JUNI, a Berlin-Brandenburg startup platform that UNITE gGmbH operates with backing from Germany's federal economics ministry and the EXIST program, Electrek reported. Startups can apply through July 24, 2026, ahead of an August 2026 launch.

Behind the challenge sits a scale-up push. Tesla is raising 4680 cell output at Grünheide toward a planned 18 GWh of yearly capacity, Electrek reported. A further USD 250 million commitment more than doubles the site's cell target from 8 GWh to 18 GWh, bringing cumulative investment in the cell unit to EUR 1 billion.

At full run rate, the plant would turn out enough cells for roughly 250,000 to 350,000 vehicles a year, with Tesla planning to make both cells and finished cars on site, Electrek reported.

Cell production alone will require more than 1,500 workers, and output is set to scale through the first half of 2027.

Arizona Public Service (APS) plans to convert two closed coal-fired units at its Cholla Power Plant to burn natural gas, according to Power Magazine.

The utility said this month that construction on the conversion would begin in 2028, Power Magazine reported.

The new units are designed to generate 380 MW of electricity and would come online the following year, according to Power Magazine.

Four farmers from Uganda have taken the operator of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) to London's High Court, asking judges to apply Ugandan law against the project's UK-registered company and halt the line before it begins operating, according to Climate Home News.

Law firm Leigh Day brought the claim on the farmers' behalf, contending that EACOP Ltd's development and operation of the pipeline violates Ugandan protections for the right to a clean and healthy environment, Climate Home News reported.

TotalEnergies holds the majority stake in the 1,443-kilometre line, which developers say is about 80% complete, according to Climate Home News. The developers expect first crude exports as soon as October.

BankTrack puts peak throughput at 216,000 barrels of crude per day, with annual emissions topping 33 million tonnes. Across a 25-year operating life, value-chain emissions are estimated at roughly 379 million tonnes, Climate Home News reported.

The route passes through the Lake Victoria basin, which Climate Home News describes as a critical water source for around 40 million people.

The High Court action is not the first legal test of the project. Campaign groups took Uganda and Tanzania to the East African Court of Justice, but that case was thrown out on procedural grounds last November, Climate Home News reported.

WeaveGrid is collaborating with GM Energy to support access to utility programs across the country, according to Power Magazine. WeaveGrid is a grid-edge orchestration software provider for electric utilities.

The collaboration is designed to help eligible Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac EV drivers participate in utility programs, Power Magazine reported.

The effort is aligned with General Motors' vehicle-to-grid (V2G) efforts, according to Power Magazine.

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources awarded 10 grants to nonprofit organizations in the state to expand rooftop solar deployment, according to CleanTechnica.

CleanTechnica reported that this marks the third round of grants under the department's Low-Income Services Solar Program (LISSP). This round totals USD 2.4 million, according to CleanTechnica.

The 2026 Fiat Topolino is on sale in the US in limited quantities through select Fiat dealers, starting at $13,995 before a $990 destination fee, according to Electrek.

The mini EV runs on a 5.4 kWh lithium-ion battery paired with an 8 hp electric motor, Electrek reported. The Topolino covers up to 46 miles on a single charge. A full recharge using a 240V outlet takes around four hours.

The car currently reaches up to 19 mph, according to Electrek. Owners can raise the top speed to 25 mph with a low-speed vehicle conversion kit that makes it street legal. Electrek reported the conversion kit will be available by the end of summer or fall 2026 at no extra charge.

"Topolino represents a new chapter for the brand in the US," Fiat brand CEO Olivier Francois said.

Fiat sold just 1,321 vehicles in the US last year, according to Electrek. That is down from nearly 44,000 in 2012, the brand's first full year of sales.

Renaissance Energy said on Tuesday it made an oil discovery offshore Nigeria after drilling an exploration well in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 74, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Preliminary results showed about 1,000 feet (305 metres) of crude oil-bearing reservoirs across seven zones, according to the same report.

The find is Renaissance's first major success since it took over the asset last year, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

OML 74 is a large shallow-water block in the eastern Niger Delta that holds at least eight previously undeveloped discoveries.

Renaissance operates Nigeria's largest upstream joint venture, with 18 oil leases, two export terminals and a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in the delta, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Quaise Energy has raised USD 134 million to advance its first superhot geothermal power plant in central Oregon, according to Canary Media.

The Houston-based company announced the first tranche of its Series B financing round on Tuesday, bringing total funding to USD 230 million, Canary Media reported.

Quaise is developing a 50-megawatt plant, according to Canary Media.

A contract for subsea construction and pre-commissioning support work in the APAC region has gone to DOF Group ASA, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

Work under the deal will run on the Skandi Inventor, with offshore operations set to start in Q4 2026 off North Australian waters, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

DOF will handle project management, engineering, procurement and logistics support in-house, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

The offshore campaign is estimated at 160 to 250 days, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Teck Resources Limited will expand critical minerals processing at its Trail Operations in British Columbia under an agreement backed by up to $850 million in total investment from the company, according to Natural Resources Canada. The expansion could double Trail's germanium and antimony production and add new gallium output.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson signed the Strategic Investment Agreement alongside the Canada Growth Fund (CGF) and Teck, and used the occasion to launch the Canada Critical Minerals Accelerator (CCMA), Natural Resources Canada said.

The agreement sets out a commercial framework for an equity-like investment of up to $400 million by CGF, directed into the Trail facility.

Trail Operations produces nineteen products and employs more than 1,400 people, according to Natural Resources Canada.

The deal also lets the Government of Canada open talks on an offtake structure through the CCMA, covering rights to a share of future germanium, antimony and gallium from Trail.

The CCMA was introduced in Budget 2025 and is delivered by Export Development Canada.

Marubeni Corporation has closed its purchase of EagleRidge Energy, a natural gas producer that expands the buyer's North American holdings, World Oil reported.

EagleRidge, based in Dallas, runs more than 3,500 wells spread over roughly 450,000 gross acres in North Texas, according to World Oil.

The producer keeps its operations intact as a wholly owned Marubeni subsidiary, World Oil reported.

The new ownership brought leadership changes. Tom Ashton and Sam Miller take the co-president roles, Hiroki Shima becomes chairman, and Michael Ronca steps in as vice chairman, according to World Oil.

Renaissance Africa Energy Company announced an offshore oil discovery at the JK-004 exploration well in OML 74, according to World Oil.

The JK-004 well encountered approximately 1,000 ft of hydrocarbon-bearing intervals across seven reservoirs containing light oil, World Oil reported.

Nigeria's Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, announced the discovery at the NOG Energy Week Conference & Exhibition 2026 and described it as an important milestone for the country's upstream sector.

Renaissance said the discovery confirmed high-quality reservoirs and supports its strategy to expand Nigeria's hydrocarbon resource base.

Iraq has raised production at three southern projects to full capacity as tankers began arriving to load export cargoes, according to World Oil, citing a person familiar with the operations.

The increase followed an order from state-run Basra Oil Co. to lift output at West Qurna 1, North Rumaila and Artawi, according to the person, who cited a July 3 notice to the fields' operators seen by Bloomberg.

Iraq had ordered some fields to cut production last month as the erratic reopening of the Strait of Hormuz hindered tanker loadings and storage tanks ran full, according to World Oil.

Output from the south had fallen to around 1.1 MMbpd at the end of June, less than half of Basra Oil's capacity, according to World Oil. Southern output stood at about 1.5 MMbpd in the middle of last month, according to Basra Oil director general Basim Abdul Kareem.

The swings in production have left Iraq behind some of its Gulf neighbors in returning supply to the market, according to World Oil. The United Arab Emirates has already restored its exports to prewar levels and Saudi Arabia is getting close, while Iraq lags behind.

newcleo filed a Form F-4 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on July 6, 2026, tied to its proposed business combination with NewHold Investment Corp. III, according to a GlobeNewswire release. The two companies signed the business combination agreement on May 27, 2026.

The merged entity will operate as newcleo plc and is expected to list on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the ticker NWCL.

The deal is expected to provide up to USD 429 million in gross proceeds to newcleo, made up of USD 220 million in PIPE proceeds and up to USD 209 million of cash held in the NewHold trust account, before redemptions and transaction expenses, per the release.

newcleo reported over USD 80 million in revenue, other income and financial income in 2024, more than USD 780 million in private funding, and over 900 employees across Europe and the United States.

The company is developing advanced modular lead-cooled fast reactors that run on mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel made from reprocessed nuclear waste and nuclear materials.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to NewHold shareholder approval, the SEC declaring the registration statement effective, and other customary closing conditions.

Cheaper energy should pull broad inflation lower in the months ahead, New York Fed President John Williams said, according to Rigzone.

Williams put current monetary policy on track to meet the Fed's mandate, according to Rigzone.

That read sits against firmer price data. The Fed's preferred inflation gauge climbed to 4.1% in May from a year earlier, and core prices, stripping out food and energy, rose 3.4%, according to Rigzone.

Nine Fed officials marked at least a quarter-point rate hike in 2026 in their most recent economic projections, according to Rigzone.

Donald Trump pardoned nine mechanics who had been convicted for tampering with vehicle pollution controls on heavy-duty vehicles, according to CleanTechnica. The pardons came just before the July 4th weekend.

According to CleanTechnica, each pardoned mechanic is responsible for pollution control violations on between a dozen and hundreds of thousands of vehicles.

The Electrify 2515 project on the NSW south coast has around 500 households progressively swapping gas appliances for efficient electric alternatives while installing solar, batteries and smart energy devices, according to RenewEconomy.

The trial has generated more than one billion data points over 18 months, according to RenewEconomy, giving Endeavour Energy a detailed picture of how households electrify and use electricity.

Endeavour Energy is the local network operator for the area covered by the project, according to RenewEconomy.

Europe shed 40,000 solar jobs in 2025, its first workforce contraction in nearly a decade, according to SolarPower Europe.

The job losses came in the same year the region added 65.1 GW of solar capacity, according to pv magazine.

The workforce decline marks the first such contraction reported in almost ten years, per SolarPower Europe.

Daily private jet flights around the Super Bowl climbed from a baseline of 110 to 247 at the peak, more than doubling, according to RenewEconomy citing a study of three sporting events.

The research covered Super Bowl LVII at Glendale, Arizona, the Masters Tournament at Augusta, Georgia, and the Monaco Grand Prix on the French Riviera, all held in 2023, RenewEconomy reported.

For each venue, the study counted private jet movements at airports inside a 100 km radius and measured them against the airports' usual traffic across the rest of the year, according to RenewEconomy.

Across 2023, private jet flights put 19.5 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent into the atmosphere, the study found. A single jet matches the yearly emissions of 177 passenger cars, according to RenewEconomy.

The UK government will scrap mandatory pre-application consultation requirements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) from July 24, according to pv magazine.

The change targets the planning process for large solar developments. Under the NSIP process, projects with capacity greater than 100 MW in England and 350 MW in Wales require consent through the regime, pv magazine reported. Removing the mandatory consultation step is intended to speed approvals.

The UK government estimates that cutting 12 months from the planning process could save industry GBP 1 billion (USD 1.3 billion) over the current parliamentary term, according to pv magazine.

UK energy minister Michael Shanks said Britain "cannot afford to wait years" for clean energy infrastructure approvals.

Legal challenges have become a growing obstacle. A National Infrastructure Commission report found 58% of projects with development consent orders now face judicial review, against a long-term average of 10%, pv magazine reported.

Some challenges have failed. An appeal against the 100 MW Stonestreet Green Solar project was quickly dismissed as a meritless claim, according to pv magazine.

Approvals have continued to move through the system. The 150 MW Dean Moor Solar Farm and the 320 MW Peartree Hill both secured development consent orders in July 2026, pv magazine reported.

AGL Energy has switched on a microgrid that runs Koompartu Farms almond orchard in South Australia on solar power backed by battery storage, according to pv magazine.

At its core sit a 9.2 MW single-axis tracking solar array with more than 15,600 panels and a battery system rated at 10.2 MWh, split across four 2.55 MWh units, pv magazine reported. Rounding out the setup are 16 diesel backup generators, plus 19 kilometres of underground high voltage cabling that carries power around the 9,340-hectare site.

pv magazine reported that AGL expects the microgrid to supply about 85% of the farm's 6.7 MW demand while trimming diesel generation by an estimated 88%.

Koompartu, owned by U.S.-based fund manager RRG Capital Management, stands as the state's largest almond orchard, with plantings covering more than 2,500 hectares, pv magazine reported.

AGL built a comparable system two years earlier. In 2024 it completed a 4.8 MW solar and 4.2 MWh battery microgrid at Cadell Orchards in the NSW Riverina, which cut diesel dependence by 85%, according to pv magazine.

Southern California's rule to cut emissions from industrial heating sources won a major victory in court, according to Canary Media.

The rule targets emissions from industrial heating equipment. Canary Media reports that the region has some of the worst air quality in the United States, and that gas-fueled boilers and water heaters serving factories and large buildings are a key culprit.

Equinor ASA and its partners awarded contracts worth about NOK 6 billion, or USD 613.39 million, covering four tieback projects at varying development stages off the coast of Norway, Rigzone reported.

TWIN accounts for the largest share at NOK 4 billion and forms the third phase in the staged buildout of the Troll West gas cap, according to Rigzone.

TechnipFMC PLC takes the subsea production systems across all four projects and will lay rigid pipelines on the Troll field, Rigzone reported. OneSubsea, jointly held by SLB Ltd, Aker Solutions ASA and Subsea7 SA, supplies the TWIN production system and umbilicals for the full set of four.

Gunnar Nakken, Equinor senior vice president for projects and subsea on the Norwegian continental shelf, said the company sees roughly 75 subsea developments coming toward 2035.

Nakken said Equinor wants to "halve both costs and execution time" by simplifying processes and standardizing solutions with its partners and suppliers.