Tuesday, 14 July 2026

Proposed Section 232 actions on polysilicon show little sign of being withdrawn following the Trump-Xi meeting, according to industry checks reported by pv magazine.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

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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.