Saturday, 17 October 2026

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved financing of up to USD 10 million for Nigerian energy technology startup Beacon Power Services, backing a USD 20.9 million project to improve electricity distribution and grid management in Nigeria, according to Tech In Africa.

The investment will fund the deployment of smart meters and digital electricity management solutions at six of Nigeria's 11 electricity distribution companies, Tech In Africa reported.

The EBRD loan is expected to be complemented by a USD 7.5 million parallel financing facility, with equity investment covering the remaining project costs, according to the financing arrangement cited by Tech In Africa.

A newly commissioned standalone battery energy storage system in Larissa is the largest in Greece so far, with 330 MW of capability and 790 MWh of capacity, according to Balkan Green Energy News.

METLEN and Karatzis Group invested EUR 170 million in the system, according to Balkan Green Energy News.

Karatzis Group holds a 51% interest in the project, while METLEN retains a 49% stake, according to Power Technology.

ACCIONA, GenusPlus and UGL Engineering have won a major award to build the Clean Energy Link - East (CEL - East), according to Trenchless Australasia. All three are Western Australia-based businesses.

The Western Australian government announced the contracts on October 14, according to pv magazine. The completed project is expected to unlock around 2.3GW of renewable energy capacity, the state government said.

The government expects the project to create 300 jobs at first, rising to 600 at the peak of construction, according to pv magazine.

Redwood Materials and Rivian are widening a partnership they already run together, electrive reported. The deal routes Rivian's end-of-life EV battery packs to Redwood through Rivian's nationwide service-centre network, where each pack is sorted for a second life in energy storage or sent to recycling.

Redwood will decide, pack by pack, whether to redeploy a unit for storage at Rivian's manufacturing sites or elsewhere, or break it down for recycling. Scrap generated on Rivian's production lines also falls to Redwood to recycle.

The two firms have already built 10 MWh of storage from unused Rivian packs at the carmaker's plant in Normal, according to electrive.

Austrian renewable energy and storage groups say the country's grid tariff rules taking effect in 2027 are too weak on batteries and want storage treated more like pumped hydro.

Reports on October 14 cited PV&B Austria, Windkraft Österreich and the Austrian Energy Storage Association as holding that position.

Separately, a techno-economic study found that Tunisia could operate its entire electricity grid on renewable energy by 2050 using solar photovoltaics, hydropower and pumped hydro energy storage, modelling a path to 100% renewable electricity.

A business owner is campaigning for alternative energy solutions in response to the frequent power outages hitting St. Thomas and St. John, according to the St. Thomas Source and St. John Tradewinds.

Residents and businesses across the Virgin Islands faced frequent planned and unplanned outages, with disruptions occurring regularly from March through October 2026, the outlets reported.

Dan Boyd, owner of Solergy, Inc., said he has promoted creating a spinning reserve for the territory's utility system since 2014. Boyd proposed installing about 140 battery systems on St. John as part of a microgrid approach, according to the reporting.

Electricity prices in New South Wales peaked at $23,107 per MWh around 3:30 PM AEDT during a heat wave, exceeding $5,000 per MWh across 11 separate five-minute intervals, according to SSBCrack News.

Home battery owners sold power back to the grid as prices surged. Dan Adams, co-CEO of Amber Electric, said battery owners generated approximately $2 million within two hours, in what might have set a record. Each of the 30,000 participating customers averaged about $69, while top earners received over $500, according to Adams.

Several factors drove the spike, SSBCrack News reported. Four of the state's 12 coal units were offline, and high-voltage transmission lines could not operate at full capacity because of maintenance work.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced a $50 million federal grant to upgrade Virginia's power grid, according to WSET. He made the announcement alongside Congressman John McGuire and Appalachian Power President and CEO Brian Abraham.

Appalachian Power said it plans to match the federal funding, bringing the total investment to $100 million, according to WSET.

The upgrades are expected to add an estimated 290 MW of transmission capacity across Appalachian Power's Virginia system, WSET reported, as electricity demand continues to grow.

Appalachian Power expects the work to begin within the next two years, according to WSET.

Britain's electricity system operator issued rare formal requests for emergency assistance from continental Europe this week, according to the Express. NESO, the body responsible for keeping Britain's lights on, made the formal calls for "emergency assistance" from the continent.

The most recent request, issued on Monday evening, was the grid's largest on record, with France supplying the power, the Express reported.

Balancing costs reached a record GBP 505 million in September, according to figures from energy consultancy LCP Delta.

NESO said there was no increased risk of electricity blackouts this winter and that frequency remained within statutory limits during the week. The operator said it continuously balances electricity supply and demand using established operational tools as system conditions change, and that Great Britain's electricity supplies remain secure.