Friday, 6 November 2026

Return has secured EUR 835 million in portfolio financing for large-scale battery storage in Germany, according to ESS News. Deutsche Bank and Rabobank are providing the financing.

The company plans to connect at least 1 GW of battery storage to Germany's grid annually starting in 2027, ESS News reported.

Three battery systems with a combined output of 117 MW and 468 MWh of energy capacity are currently under construction, according to ESS News.

Fluor Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding with Inelectra, a Venezuelan engineering, procurement and construction management company, according to World Oil. The agreement targets current and future clients in Venezuela's energy, petrochemical and industrial sectors.

The partnership pairs Fluor's global engineering, procurement, construction and project management capabilities with Inelectra's nearly 60 years of local market experience, World Oil reported.

STAK Energy Corp. and ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc. have signed a 15-year agreement to supply natural gas to a new power plant on Alaska's North Slope, according to World Oil.

The gas will provide enough fuel to generate nearly 3 GW of power at Project Aaka, STAK's planned campus located in an established North Slope industrial corridor, World Oil reported.

Project Aaka is targeting first power in 2030, with phased expansion through 2032.

Aker Solutions has received a letter of award for detail design work on offshore installations, a contract the company classifies as "sizeable" with a value between NOK 0.5 billion and NOK 1.5 billion, according to World Oil.

The scope covers detail design for several offshore installations under PTSC M&C's scope, including three major topsides, four jackets, and brownfield tie-ins.

The letter of award remains subject to a final contract.

Harbour Energy lifted its full-year 2026 production guidance to 500,000-505,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from a previous range of 490,000-500,000 boed, according to World Oil.

The upgrade followed record output of 501,000 boed averaged over the first nine months of the year, World Oil reported. Harbour Energy attributed the increase to strong operational performance and the integration of LLOG in the U.S. and Waldorf in the UK.

The Malampaya Phase 4 project has achieved first gas from the Malampaya East-1 and Camago-3 wells, feeding into the existing production system offshore Palawan and adding an estimated 222 Bcf of recoverable natural gas reserves, according to World Oil.

New subsea infrastructure connected the two wells to the existing Malampaya production platform, World Oil reported.

The project reached completion 27 months after its final investment decision, about five months ahead of the original schedule.

The added reserves are capable of generating approximately 31.46 billion kWh of electricity, according to World Oil.

APA Corp. plans to lift its 2027 capital spending to USD 2.5 billion from an expected USD 2.1 billion, with the bulk of the increase directed toward exploration and development of the GranMorgu project, in which APA holds a 40% stake, according to Oil & Gas Journal.

CEO John Christmann said the plan will return the company to its targeted spending range and will include work in Suriname, Alaska, and Uruguay, Oil & Gas Journal reported.

EDP Renewables North America broke ground on November 4 on Cypress Knee Solar, a 250 MW solar farm in Chicot County, Arkansas, with Meta signed on as the power buyer, according to Electrek.

The project is expected to be completed by 2028 and generate an estimated USD 25 million in county revenue over its lifetime, Electrek reported.

Cypress Knee is the third clean-energy agreement between Meta and EDP Renewables North America, bringing the total capacity covered by their deals to 545 MW, according to Electrek.

Jumbo Offshore has finished transporting and installing two CALM buoys and two pipeline end manifolds (PLEMs) for the VMOS export terminal offshore Argentina, according to Offshore Magazine.

The VMOS project is designed to support growing crude oil production from the Vaca Muerta formation and enable future exports via very large crude carriers (VLCCs). The terminal's initial handling capacity is designed for up to 550,000 barrels per day, with potential expansion to 700,000 barrels per day, Offshore Magazine reported.

Real estate investment manager Faropoint has broken ground on a 1.6 MW community solar installation in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, the first in a planned portfolio of 16 projects, according to Solar Builder.

The full portfolio will exceed 10 MW of total capacity once complete, Faropoint officials said. The remaining 15 projects have been accepted into New Jersey's Community Solar Energy Program, and nine of those have received notices to proceed with construction.

Faropoint says at least half of each project's capacity will be reserved for low- and moderate-income households across New Jersey.

Swiss companies are working to make the Cybertruck road-legal in Europe, replacing its stainless-steel front with a new carbon design after the production vehicle's rigid front failed pedestrian impact tests, according to electrive.

The developers designed a new carbon front and modified the underlying structure because the production Cybertruck's stainless-steel front proved too rigid for the relevant impact tests, electrive reported.

Swiss approval would not automatically grant EU-wide type approval, electrive noted. While many Swiss vehicle regulations align with European and international standards, other markets may still require national individual or special approvals.

Bihar Police, the law enforcement agency of the eastern Indian state of Bihar, plans to deploy 1,100 electric motorcycles for patrol operations, according to electrive. The department ordered the vehicles from Revolt Motors, one of India's electric motorcycle manufacturers.

Bihar Police selected Revolt Motors' BlazeX model for the fleet. Under the contract, Revolt Motors must deliver all 1,100 units by January 2027, electrive reported.

Democrats secured trifecta control of the state legislatures and governor's offices in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin following the midterm elections, according to Grist. All three states had spent years or decades under Republican or divided control.

The shift could accelerate clean energy policy in each state. Erik Kanter, policy director at Clean Wisconsin, expects the Wisconsin legislature to pass a requirement for data centers to source power from clean sources once Democrats take control, Grist reported. The legislature failed to pass such a measure before the political change.

David Weiskopf, policy director at Climate Cabinet, expects Wisconsin's incoming legislators to pursue a 100% clean electricity standard, according to Grist.

In Pennsylvania, Democrats in the legislature intend to pass a rescue package for the state's public transit systems, Grist reported.

Finland will put four offshore wind areas in its exclusive economic zone out to tender, with the first auction possible in early 2027, the government said, according to Offshore Engineer.

The four areas are located in the Bothnian Sea and the Bothnian Bay.

The projects could take 10 to 15 years from tendering to the start of electricity production, the government said, according to Offshore Engineer.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) directed three of the state's utilities to propose a coordinated framework for statewide integration and management of distributed energy resources (DER), according to Solar Builder.

Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric will participate in the collaborative effort, CPUC officials said, drawing on distributed resources from across California to support the grid.

The directive responded in part to persistent grid strain in California, particularly during peak hours and peak months, Solar Builder reported.

The proposed framework must address interoperable communications, data sharing, and cybersecurity.

The global fleet of tender-assist and semi tender-assist rigs is heading toward 100% effective utilization before the end of the fourth quarter, according to Offshore Engineer, citing Westwood's RigLogix data.

The worldwide fleet stands at just 29 rigs: 16 active, six warm-stacked, six cold-stacked, and one under construction, per RigLogix. Excluding the cold-stacked T-9 and the newbuild Raiqa, every available unit is expected to be working before the quarter closes.

Tightening utilization across Southeast Asia has pushed pricing higher. Four tender-assist rigs are now securing dayrates above USD 120,000 per day, Offshore Engineer reported, reflecting strong demand against scarce supply.

Argentina's national oil company YPF is selling mature oilfields in the Patagonian province of Chubut to concentrate investment in the Vaca Muerta shale reserves farther north, according to Climate Home News. The pullout is leaving workers and communities with little say in decisions shaping their future.

Chubut has lost around 10,000 direct jobs, and unemployment climbed from 2% to 10% in a single year, according to José Glinski, as reported by Climate Home News.

More than 6,000 wells sit across the province's aging fields, and no party has yet determined who will fund the cleanup, support remaining workers, or finance whatever economic activity follows, Climate Home News reported.

Matador is eyeing production growth of at least 5% next year, according to Oil & Gas Journal, with recently acquired assets in New Mexico driving the outlook.

Recent acquisitions helped the company's third-quarter production exceed expectations. Assets acquired from EnCap in New Mexico's Eddy and Lea counties are a key factor behind the production forecast.

Chairman and CEO Joe Foran and his team plan to drill up to 25 wells on those acquired properties by the end of next year, according to Oil & Gas Journal.

The Republic of the Congo has begun examining how to power its special economic zones and industrial facilities, pv magazine reported.

Michel Djombo, the country's Minister of Industrial Development, SEZs and Private Sector Promotion, initiated the effort to identify electricity supply options suited to rising industrial consumption.

Researchers will weigh four pathways: grid connections where infrastructure exists, solar paired with battery storage, biomass and cogeneration fed by agricultural, forestry, and agro-industrial residues, and hybrid energy configurations.

The study is expected to set a pricing benchmark for industrial energy supply across the Congolese market, according to pv magazine.

The Belgian state, Engie SA and its subsidiary Electrabel have agreed to postpone the deadline for concluding their nuclear operations Heads of Terms agreement to December 12, 2026, according to MarketScreener.

The delayed milestone forms part of a potential acquisition of nuclear operations by the Belgian state, a process originally outlined in an April 29, 2026, letter of intent.

The parties pushed the deadline because significant differences remain, particularly over the transaction's valuation, MarketScreener reported. Both sides want additional time to narrow the gap between their positions.

United Nations and African Union officials called for urgent action to advance energy security across Africa, according to APA News.

Claver Gatete, UN under-secretary-general and executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, urged African governments to integrate climate risk and sustainable water management into hydropower planning and operations, APA News reported.

Separately, the African Union said it is ready to work with China on clean energy technology and equipment deployment in Africa, stating that green energy cooperation should serve industrialization, energy security and self-reliant development, according to a statement published on the AU's Peace and Security website.

The AU also said African energy cooperation should support universal access, industrialization and long-term energy security rather than only expanding installed capacity, according to the same statement.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) signed a business agreement with the U.S. Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to cooperate on clean hydrogen, energy storage, and other low-carbon energy technologies, according to Fuel Cells Works.

The agreement, signed on November 4 at KINTEX, establishes a framework for joint research and technical cooperation between the two organizations. The partnership covers sharing technical information, engineering expertise, and industry best practices, Fuel Cells Works reported.

KHNP and EPRI also plan to explore collaboration on demonstrating and commercializing advanced energy technologies.

Emergency power cuts were introduced in Kyiv and the Kyiv region following one of Russia's largest attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure on November 3, according to energy holding DTEK as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

Scheduled and emergency outage plans changed repeatedly over the 24 hours after the strike, Interfax-Ukraine reported, with Kyiv returning to emergency cuts for a second time in a single day.