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March 2026 • Volume 19 • No 1 • Published monthly • ISSN 1757-7365

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES is published by Man in Black Media • www.mibmedia.com • Editor-in-Chief: Junior Isles • For all enquiries email: enquiries@teitimes.com

EVs: exing their muscles Powering Germany’s net zero

future

The development and adoption of electric

vehicle technologies can create an

infrastructure that offers both exibility and

resilience as electrication increases.

Page 13

Large industry actors are being attracted by

Germany’s energy transition, eyeing a vibrant

pipeline that spans renewables, green hydrogen

nancing and grid investments. Page 14

News In Brief

UK and California strike

clean energy deal, as Trump

revokes ‘endangerment

nding’

California’s Democratic governor

Gavin Newsom is rufing federal

government feathers after signing a

high-level agreement on clean en-

ergy cooperation with UK Energy

Secretary Ed Miliband.

Page 2

Brazil faces choices over

electricity system expansion

Among strategic options for rolling

out battery storage at large scale in

Brazil, co-locating it with PV plants

is the option with the best return on

investment and the simplest to im-

plement, says a new study.

Page 4

Power-hungry Asian data

centres attract huge

investment

The surge in data centres is driving

investment in the electricity sector

in India and Thailand.

Page 5

France passes bill setting

out energy plans to 2035

France has bet heavily on new nu-

clear power and renewables in its

pluriannual energy programme

(PPE) covering the period to 2035.

The third PPE was delayed by two

years but now gives some certainty

to the country’s power industry.

Page 7

Solar PV boom powers

Africa’s energy transition

Africa recorded its fastest year of

solar power growth in 2025, with

installations rising by 54 per cent

year-on-year, according to a new

report published by the Global So-

lar Council.

Page 8

Ørsted gets back on track

Danish renewables project devel-

oper rsted has reported a set of

solid annual results, indicating the

company is making progress in get-

ting its business back on track after

a challenging year. Page 9

Technology Focus

A process that can convert non-re-

cyclable waste into low carbon en-

ergy has reached a major milestone

with the signing of an agreement to

lease a site in Northern Ireland for

what could be the rst commercial

plant Page 15

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The International Energy Agency’s efforts to advise energy ministers on the best path to net

zero came under a sustained attack by the US Energy Secretary during the IEA’s recent

ministerial meeting. Junior Isles

Global electricity demand set to grow strongly, says IEA report

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY

TIMES

Final Word

Whatever the

destination, the roadmap

to get there remains the

same, says Junior Isles.

Page 16

World energy ministers failed to reach

agreement on tackling climate change

during a recent International Energy

Agency (IEA) meeting dogged by a

relentless attack by US energy Secre-

tary Chris Wright on net zero policies.

Despite an attempt by countries in-

cluding France, Spain and the UK to

keep renewables at the heart of the

discussion, ministers, encouraged by

the US, ended the meeting with no

joint position on tackling climate

change.

Ministers have failed to reach agree-

ments in past IEA ministerial meet-

ings, but the lack of a joint communi-

qué set this apart from previous

meetings, where there was consensus

on tackling climate change.

Instead, a meeting summary pre-

pared by chair Sophie Hermans, the

Dutch Energy Minister, focused large-

ly on energy security. It afrmed the

“continued importance of oil and gas”

and noted that a “large majority of

ministers had stressed the importance

of the energy transition to combat cli-

mate change”, citing the UN COP28

climate agreement in Dubai for a

global transition to net zero emissions.

Fatih Birol, the IEA’s Executive Di-

rector warned that “fracturing in the

global order” is leading to divisions

over global energy policy and said

that ministers “agreed in different

discussions that energy security is the

fundament of everything”.

In a gathering in New ork, just

ahead of the IEA ministerial, Climate

Rights International said United Na-

tions member states should reject

pressure from the US to oppose a

critical UN General Assembly reso-

lution on climate change and states’

legal obligations to protect the cli-

mate system and the rights of future

generations.

The draft resolution, sponsored by

Vanuatu and based on a landmark

2025 advisory opinion on climate

change by the International Court of

Justice (ICJ), calls for concrete ac-

tion to translate the IC’s legal deter-

minations into binding and concrete

climate action.

However, the US’ Trump adminis-

tration is now pressuring governments

worldwide to block the resolution,

claiming it poses “a major threat to US

industry,” and dismissing human in-

duced climate change as exaggerated.

On February 14, at the annual Mu-

nich Security Conference, US Secre-

tary of State, Marco Rubio, dismissed

those committed to climate action as a

“climate cult,” making clear the ad-

ministration’s contempt for scientic

consensus, legal obligations, and the

millions already suffering from cli-

mate devastation. Rubio’s comments

Continued on Page 2

Global power demand is set to grow

by more than 3.5 per cent per year on

average over the rest of this decade,

with electricity generation from re-

newables, natural gas and nuclear all

expanding to keep pace, according to

a new report by the International En-

ergy Agency (IEA).

According to ‘Electricity 2026’ –

which includes forecasts for electric-

ity demand, supply and carbon diox-

ide (CO

) emissions over the ve-year

period through 2030 – electricity de-

mand is on course to grow at least 2.5

times as fast as overall energy demand

through 2030. As the “Age of Elec-

tricity” takes hold, this is driven by

rising industrial use of electricity, the

continued uptake of electric vehicles,

higher air conditioning use and the

expansion of data centres and AI.

“At a moment of signicant uncer-

tainty across energy markets, one cer-

tainty is that global electricity demand

is growing much more strongly than it

did over the past decade. In this Age

of Electricity, the increase in global

power consumption through 2030 is

set to be equivalent to adding more

than two European Unions,” said IEA

Director of Energy Markets and Secu-

rity Keisuke Sadamori. “Meeting this

demand will require annual invest-

ment in grids to rise by 50 per cent by

2030. Expanding exibility will also

be crucial as power networks contin-

ue to evolve – so will a strong focus

on security and resilience.”

While emerging and developing

economies remain the main engines of

electricity demand growth, consump-

tion from advanced economies is also

rising after 15 years of stagnation –

contributing to a fth of the total in-

crease in power demand through 2030.

The report nds that global electric-

ity generation from renewables 

boosted by record deployment of so-

lar PV – is now in the process of

overtaking generation from coal, after

virtually drawing level with it in 2025

based on the latest available data.

Nuclear power output also rose to a

new record. The momentum behind

low-emissions sources of generation

continues to 2030, by which time re-

newables and nuclear are together

set to generate 50 per cent of global

electricity, up from 42 per cent today.

Natural gas red output is also set to

grow through 2030, supported by ris-

ing electricity demand in the US and

the continuing shift from oil to gas for

power in the Middle East. Coal red

generation loses ground globally as

renewables expand, returning to 2021

levels by the end of the decade. As a

result, global CO

emissions from

electricity generation are expected to

remain roughly at between now and

2030.

The report emphasises that these

trends – growing demand, an increas-

ingly weather-dependent mix of pow-

er generation sources, and evolving

electricity consumption patterns and

technologies – require a rapid and ef-

cient expansion of both electricity

grids and system exibility. Today,

more than 2500 GW worth of projects

– encompassing renewables, storage,

and projects with large loads, such as

data centres – are currently stalled in

connection queues worldwide.

Analysis in the report nds that as

the expansion of grids advances, de-

ploying grid-enhancing technologies

and implementing regulatory reforms

that enable more exible grid connec-

tions and usage could allow for the

integration of up to 1600 GW of

queued projects in the near term. To-

gether, these measures would allow

the grid to be used more efciently

and unlock substantial capacity.

The report nds that installations of

utility-scale battery storage have risen

sharply, providing an important

source of short-term exibility. Mar-

kets such as California, Germany,

Texas, South Australia and the UK

have all seen strong growth in utility-

scale battery capacity deployment in

recent years.

Electricity 2026 also notes that the

affordability of electricity remains a

key and growing concern, with ele-

vated prices putting pressure on

households, industries and business-

es. As a result, policymakers are fo-

cusing on policies, market designs

and regulations that deliver additional

investment as well as greater exibil-

ity and efciency across all parts of

the power system, including demand,

supply and the use of infrastructure.

Ministers fail to agree

on climate goals, as

US attacks IEA net

zero policy outlooks

IEA Executive Director Fatih

Birol warned of “fracturing

in the global order”

Photo: courtesy Gleamlight/

Ph. Molitor

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - MARCH 2026

California’s Democratic governor

Gavin Newsom is rufing federal

government feathers after signing a

high-level agreement on clean energy

cooperation with UK Energy Secre-

tary Ed Miliband.

The agreement, aimed at boosting

technology sharing and mutual in-

vestment in the global race for clean

power, is seen as a move by both men

to cast themselves as clean energy

leaders as governments falter over the

drive to net zero.

US President Donald Trump told

Politico that it was “inappropriate” for

Britain to sign energy deals with New-

som. Referring to him as “Newscum”,

Trump said: “The worst thing that the

UK can do is get involved in Gavin.”

The UK government said that deep-

ening ties with the wealthiest state in

the US could further open up the

Californian market to its domestic

clean energy sector, drive export op-

portunities and support skilled jobs.

The agreement came less than a

week after the US Environmental Pro-

tection Agency (EPA) repealed a land-

mark ruling known as the “endanger-

ment nding”. The 2009 nding

provided a legal basis for regulating

carbon dioxide and other greenhouse

gases and underpinned the EPA’s au-

thority to clamp down on emissions

from fossil-fuel extraction, power

generation and transport.

Commenting on the decision, Trump

said: “This radical rule became the

legal foundation for the green new

scam – one of the greatest scams in

history.”

The move is the most signicant in

the President’s campaign to dismantle

environmental regulations that he ar-

gues have hurt American industry and

driven up prices for consumers.

The endangerment nding, adopted

during the Obama-era after years of

legal wrangling, determined that pol-

lution from six greenhouse gases –

including carbon dioxide and meth-

ane – constituted a danger to public

health and could therefore be regu-

lated by the EPA under the 1970 Clean

Air Act.

The environmental agency has since

used the authority to clamp down on

emissions from transport, power gen-

eration, manufacturing and fossil fuel

extraction.

Environmental protection groups

say the move is by far the most sig-

nicant rollback on climate change

yet attempted and are set to challenge

it in the courts.

Manish Bapna, Chief Executive of

the Natural Resources Defense Coun-

cil, said in the FT: “This cynical and

devastating action by the Trump EPA

will not go forward without a ght.

We will see them in court – and we

will win.”

Environmentalists will likely face

several battles with the EPA as it con-

tinues to roll back climate-related

rules while promoting fossil fuel use.

Last month the EPA also loosened

limits on the emission of hazardous

air pollutants such as mercury, cad-

mium, lead, chromium and arsenic

from coal power plant.

As a result of the repeal, coal-burn-

ing power plants will be allowed to

emit more than twice as much mer-

cury as they currently do.

Specically, they will no longer

need to adhere to the limit of 1.2

pounds of mercury per trillion British

thermal units of heat input (lb/TBtu)

and instead must comply with the pre-

vious mercury release limit of 4.0 lb/

TBtu.

followed the repeal of the “Endan-

germent Finding” that provided the

legal basis for the US government

to regulate emissions.

“Vanuatu and other Small Island

States are facing existential threats

from a climate crisis they did not

cause,” said Brad Adams, Execu-

tive Director at Climate Rights

International. “Countries around

the world – all of whom are also

facing the impacts of global warm-

ing – must stand with Vanuatu at

the United Nations and oppose

Trump’s bullying tactics.”

In an effort to advance climate ac-

tion, last month the UN moved to

entice corporate leaders back to

global COP climate talks, arguing

that the summit process is entering

a “new era” that is focused less on

pledges and will bring more oppor-

tunities for investment.

The shift in approach comes as

many companies have backtracked

on green pledges amid a political

backlash led by US President Don-

ald Trump, who has attacked clean

energy policies and withdrawn

from the UN climate treaty.

Simon Stiell, Executive Secre-

tary of the UN climate arm, said

efforts to address climate change

would not be met “without bring-

ing the real economy closer into

the COP process”.

He told the Financial Times: “This

new era is about speeding up and

scaling up implementation [of UN

agreements], which will mean new

opportunities for corporate and -

nancial leaders.”

Global investment in clean energy

technology reached $2.2 trillion in

2025, double the $1.1 trillion spent

on fossil fuels, according to the IEA.

China accounted for more than a

quarter of global energy investment,

spending over $600 billion on clean

energy in 2024.

“Leaders of major economies like

China, the EU and almost all others

are calling it the trend of the future,

and a central driver of growth and

jobs,” Stiell said.

The UN’s latest move to acceler-

ate climate action came as the EU’s

Earth observation service Coperni-

cus warned that the world’s goal of

limiting global warming to 1.5°C is

on course to be breached more than

a decade earlier than previously

thought if recent rates of warming

continue. Scientists said that on this

basis the threshold would be

breached by 2030.

“To all intents and purposes, the

1.5°C limit is now dead in the wa-

ter,” said Bill McGuire, Professor

of geophysical and climate hazards

at University College London.

“Whichever way you look at it, dan-

gerous climate breakdown has ar-

rived, but with little sign that the

world is prepared, or even paying

serious attention.”

Copernicus said the global aver-

age temperature over the past three

years had surpassed 1.5°C above

pre-industrial levels, topping off the

warmest 11-year stretch on record.

The COP Paris 2015 agreement tar-

get is based on long-term warming

measured over decades, which now

stands at around 1.4°C.

Continued from Page 1

Eurelectric, the organisation represent-

ing Europe’s electricity companies has

published a new report assessing how

prepared the power sector really is, and

setting out concrete recommendations

for utilities and policymakers.

The report ‘Battle-tested power sys-

tems: Resilience and preparedness for

Europe’s electricity sector’ was

launched at the Munich Security Con-

ference last month against the back-

drop of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Russia’s military strategy in Ukraine

has made electricity infrastructure a

prime target, exposing the vital role

power companies play in sustaining

society under attack. Utilities have

become the de facto second line of

defence, keeping essential services

running during crises, said the report.

Even without being directly at war,

Europe is already facing hybrid

threats ranging from sabotage and

cyberattacks to disinformation. Ac-

cording to Eurelectric, in 2024, at least

11 attacks damaged critical infrastruc-

ture, while 23 cyberattacks affected

Europe’s energy sector since 2022.

Regardless of the perpetrator, these

incidents are increasing in scale and

frequency, placing growing pressure

on power utilities to maintain reliable

supply, it said.

“We live in a new reality of increas-

ing threats. This requires a fundamen-

tal shift in mindset,” said Eurelectric’s

President Markus Rauramo. “Prepar-

ing for, responding to and recovering

from both physical and hybrid attacks

must be a key element of power com-

panies’ strategies going forward.”

To this end, the report nds that

while awareness of risks is growing,

preparedness across the sector re-

mains uneven. With critical infra-

structure already under strain, the

report warns that the time for action

is now.

“This report turns hard lessons from

Ukraine into practical action for the

rest of Europe,” said Kristian Ruby,

Eurelectric’s Secretary General. “It

shows what utilities can do today –

from improving crisis coordination

and training, to hardening assets, se-

curing communications and stockpil-

ing critical equipment – to better pre-

pare for, respond to and recover from

attacks.”

To strengthen sector preparedness,

the report calls on utilities to:

1. Improve situational awareness

and crisis readiness, including coop-

eration with authorities and regular

exercises;

2. Protect critical asset by reinforc-

ing infrastructure, stockpiling equip-

ment, strengthening repair capabili-

ties, and embedding cyber resilience

by design.

The report also said that on the

policy side, the EU can take steps to

accelerate implementation of key leg-

islation at national level, as well as

support critical infrastructure resil-

ience through investment frameworks

and dening a strong governance

structure with guidance on how to

identify threats in its revision of Eu-

rope’s energy security architecture.

Despite continued low-carbon tech-

nology investment and progress, short-

falls in project realisation ahead of

2030 threaten to impact interim goals

set by countries and companies in the

path to reaching net zero by 2050, ac-

cording to McKinsey & Company.

In its recently launched ‘Tracking

the energy transition: where are we

now?’, McKinsey offers insights on

nine key decarbonisation technolo-

gies. Building on previous research

conducted in 2023, which focused on

Europe and the US, the latest analysis

was expanded to include China as well

as battery energy storage systems

(BESS) and nuclear energy.

With intermediate 2030 decarboni-

sation mandates fast approaching, the

company says understanding prog-

ress is critical. The analysis shows that

the world continues to make strong

progress in clean energy deployment

─ with renewable capacity rising by

585 GW, or 15 per cent; a 25 per cent

increase in EV sales to around 17 mil-

lion units sold worldwide; and accel-

erated build out of solar photovoltaic

enabled by low costs.

However, despite this progress, no-

ticeable gaps in projects reaching nal

investment decision (FID) remain in

each region in relation to both many

established low-carbon technologies

like solar PV and wind, as well as

emerging technologies like green

hydrogen and sustainable fuels. While

investment in low-carbon technolo-

gies has been considerable, when

combining the operational, FID, and

under-construction capacity for each

technology in China, Europe, and the

US, the analysis suggests that 2030

milestones may not be met.

Even when planned capacity is fac-

tored in, the projects still fall short of

2030 goals, with the analysis high-

lighting notable discrepancies be-

tween announced projects and those

with committed funding. This comes

as less than only 15 per cent of low-

emissions technologies required to

meet Paris-aligned goals have been

deployed, while global emissions rose

9 per cent between 2015 and 2024.

“The progress landscape is nuanced

by region and technology and while

achieving energy transition commit-

ments remain paramount for countries

and companies alike, recent an-

nouncements indicate that shifting

priorities and slowing momentum

have led to project pauses and cancel-

lations across technologies,” said Di-

ego Hernandez Diaz, McKinsey Part-

ner and co-author of the report. “By

understanding which technologies are

reaching 2030 deployment bench-

marks and which aren’t, and why,

stakeholders can better understand

where rapid course correction is re-

quired to accelerate decarbonisation.”

Headline News

Renewables progress but gap remains between project

commitments and realisation

UK and California strike

clean energy deal, as Trump

reoe endangerent nding

The UK and California have agreed to collaborate on clean energy. The move has been

criticised by the US government, which is simultaneously looking to dismantle greenhouse

gas emission legislation and relax limits on ollutants from coal red lants. Junior Isles

Battle-tested electricity system needed for Europe,

says Eurelectric report

Photo by Photo by Grifn Wooldridge

McGuire: to all intents and

purposes, the 1.5°C limit is now

dead in the water

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Asia News

Syed Ali

The surge in data centres is driving

investment in the electricity sector in

India and Thailand.

Last month India’s Adani Group said

it will invest $100 billion by 2035 to

build renewable-energy-powered

data centres designed for Articial

Intelligence (AI) workloads, marking

one of the country’s largest private

commitments to digital infrastructure.

The investment aims to establish a

sovereign energy and computing

backbone to support India’s growing

AI ecosystem. The group said the ini-

tiative could catalyse an additional

$150 billion in investments across

servers, sovereign cloud platforms,

advanced electrical systems and re-

lated infrastructure, forming a pro-

jected $250 billion AI ecosystem.

The roadmap expands AdaniCon-

nex’s existing 2 GW national data

centre capacity to 5 GW. The platform

is designed to integrate renewable

generation, grid resilience and high-

density AI computing infrastructure

within a unied architecture.

The group is partnering with Alpha-

bet’s Google to develop a gigawatt-

scale AI data centre campus in Vi-

sakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh and is

developing additional campuses in

Noida in the Delhi-National Capital

Region (NCR). It is also collaborating

with Microsoft on projects in Hyder-

abad and Pune in the southern and

western Indian states of Telangana and

Maharashtra, respectively. Discus-

sions with other global technology

rms are underway to establish further

AI campuses.

Adani Group’s Chairman, Gautam

Adani, said: “Nations that integrate

energy and computing capacity would

dene the next phase of technological

growth.”

The renewable energy backbone

will be anchored by Adani Green En-

ergy’s 30 GW Khavda project in Gu-

jarat, of which more than 10 GW is

operational. The group has separately

committed an additional $55 billion

to expand its renewable energy port-

folio, including large-scale battery

energy storage systems.

The annoucement came as new data

was published for ongoing solar ca-

pacity additions to the country’s gen-

erating mix.

In its Q4 and Annual 2025 India So-

lar Market Update, released last

month, Mercom said India added 36.6

GW of solar capacity in calendar year

2025, up nearly 43 per cent compared

to 25.6 GW in 2024. The year marked

record installations, surpassing an-

nual capacity additions of all previous

years. It noted that annual installations

crossed the 30 GW mark for the rst

time.

Meanwhile, the Electricity Generat-

ing Authority of Thailand (Egat) an-

nounced that it is spending Baht31

billion ($997 million) to upgrade the

power transmission system in the

Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), in

a bid to ease a bottleneck for electric-

ity supply to data centre development

projects.

Thailand has sufcient electricity to

ensure 24-hour operations for data

centres, but still needs to increase

transmission capacity.

“We are now a global data centre

base. These data centres require a vast

amount of electricity,” said Prasert

Sinsukprasert, the Energy Permanent

Secretary.

Egat allocated Baht1.5 billion from

its budget to upgrade the transmission

capacity at Phan Thong, which sup-

plies electricity to Amata City Chon

Buri and Amata City Rayong, an in-

dustrial complex in Rayong province.

“The goal is to increase total transfer

capability to 1150 MW, from 600 MW

at present,” said Sinsukprasert.

Four data centres in Amata City

Chon Buri are under construction and

should benet from the improved

transmission system, which receives

electricity from gas red power

plants. They are expected to drive up

power demand in the industrial estate.

According to the Board of Invest-

ment, 16 new data centres will be

developed in the EEC between 2026

and 2030, demanding 3600 MW of

electricity.

Data centre operators who want

clean energy can participate in the

government’s pilot direct power pur-

chase agreement scheme, which al-

lows them to directly buy electricity

from power companies. The scheme

has an electricity generation capacity

of 2000 MW, which is likely to in-

crease in the second phase, he said.

Peer-to-peer power trade in the re-

newables category remains prohibited

in Thailand.

Last year, electricity consumption in

Thailand was more than 33 000 MW

during the peak period, while supply

was 55 000 MW. “We don’t have prob-

lems with generating electricity,” said

Sinsukprasert, noting that reserve was

greater than 30 per cent.

Syed Ali

Australia has announced multiple bat-

tery energy storage system (BESS)

projects that will support its ongoing

expansion of renewable energy.

In February AEMO Services Lim-

ited (ASL), a subsidiary of the Aus-

tralian Energy Market Operator

(AEMO), awarded long-term energy

service agreements to six BESS proj-

ects in New South Wales through

Tender Round 6. All six projects are

based on lithium-ion battery technol-

ogy, with nominal storage durations

ranging from 8.7 hours to 11.5 hours.

The selected projects together ac-

count for 1170 MW of capacity and

11.98 GWh of storage.

The six BESS projects represent

about 9 per cent of New South Wales’

peak electricity demand. They in-

clude the 100 MW/870 MWh Ebor

BESS by Bridge Energy, the 250

MW/2 414 MWh Bowmans Creek

BESS by Ark Energy, the 158

MW/1440 MWh Armidale East

BESS by FRV Services Australia, the

233 MW/2676 MWh Bannaby BESS

by BW ESS Australia, the 100

MW/1080 MWh Kingswood BESS

by Iberdrola Australia, and the 330

MW/3500 MWh Great Western bat-

tery by Neoen Australia.

In October last year, Australia an-

nounced the results of Tender 4 under

the Capacity Investment Scheme,

which aims to support the national

renewable energy target of 82 per

cent. A total of 20 projects were se-

lected with a cumulative capacity of

6.6 GW, exceeding the initial plan of

6 GW. Of these, 12 hybrid projects

integrating wind or solar generation

with BESS will contribute over 3500

MW/11 400 MWh to the grid.

The news came as the Victorian

state government announced plans to

hold an auction for offshore wind

farms in August, ending a year-long

delay and continued uncertainty for

the industry in Australia.

The auction, marking Australia’s

rst open tender for offshore wind

projects, is seeking to meet the state’s

target for 2 GW of offshore wind gen-

eration by 2032 and 9 GW by 2040.

The Victorian government will open

tender for the rst 2 GW of capacity

after the original auction, slated for

September 2025, was delayed.

Lily D’Ambrosio, Victoria’s Min-

ister for Energy and Resources, said:

“We want to give industry the cer-

tainty it needs to invest and help us

keep building the renewable energy

Victoria needs to push down energy

bills.”

A previous auction, slated for Sep-

tember 2025, was delayed because of

global investment hurdles and the risk

of attracting too few bidders. The

Victorian government said that the

offshore wind industry is expected to

support over 6000 jobs and generate

investment in the billions.

Leanne Olden, an expert in renew-

able energy projects at law rm Pin-

sent Masons, said: “This announce-

ment is welcome news for the

industry because it adds greater cer-

tainty to the viability of offshore wind

projects. Offshore wind is an impor-

tant part of Australia’s long-term

transition to renewable energy.”

In December, all state and federal

energy ministers except Queens-

land’s, endorsed the Nelson review’s

recommendations, including the de-

velopment of an ‘Electricity Services

Entry Mechanism’ (ESEM), which

aims to ensure long-term investment

in Australia’s National Energy Mar-

ket (NEM) by providing revenue sup-

port for new generation capacity.

The ESEM is to replace the Capac-

ity Investment Scheme (CIS), the

federal government’s current under-

writing mechanism for renewable

projects, from 2027. The auction de-

sign will be released after consulta-

tion with the offshore wind industry.

Battery storage will support

Australian renewable projects

Power-hungry Asian data centres

attract huge investment

n Adani Group plans to invest $100 billion by 2035

n Thailand earmarks nearly $1 billion to ease data centre electricity supply bottleneck

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Fresh doubts are emerging over wheth-

er Indonesia and the Philippines, both

major coal users, will full their en-

ergy transition ambitions.

Last month the Indonesian govern-

ment said it would reverse its plan for

the early retirement of the Cirebon 1

power plant in West Java, raising con-

cern about a commitment made in

2024 to phasing out fossil fuel power

plants over the next 15 years.

In December, however, the govern-

ment said it would keep Cirebon-1

open, citing its long potential lifespan

and supercritical technology, which

burns coal more efciently than older

plants. It said it would seek older and

less efcient plants to close instead.

The move sent a “mixed signal” on

the government’s commitment, said

Dinita Setyawati, Asia energy analyst

at energy think-tank Ember.

It also highlights the need for fund-

ing to build “cleaner, alternative

power plants to satisfy the energy

needs”, she said. That might be better

achieved with a “market-led energy

transition”, including deregulation of

electricity distribution and perhaps

subsidies, Dinita added.

The news follows ndings that the

Philippines, another large Asian coal

user, could miss its most ambitious

green energy target.

In late anuary global research rm

S&P Global said the country may fail

to meet its ambitious renewable energy

targets under its clean energy scenario

by 2050 due to persistent permitting

delays and transmission infrastructure

hurdles.

S&P Global Commodity Insights

APAC Power and Renewables Direc-

tor Vince Heo said during an industry

forum that systemic challenges, par-

ticularly grid limitations, are likely to

cause the country to miss the govern-

ment’s highest benchmarks.

“I think the major one is the grid

issue. There’s a big gap between the

government target and the Green En-

ergy Auction. They always have a

very big number, but when GEA-4

was announced, we discounted the

actual capacity to be installed, know-

ing there will be challenges in meeting

all these targets,” he said.

Under the government’s 2023-2050

Philippine Energy Plan (PEP), the

clean energy scenario aims for a re-

newable energy share of 56.92 per

cent by 2040 and 64.86 per cent by

2050.

“We are running software to see

whether the system balance could be

met, and it’s clearly not in the Philip-

pines. You don’t have good grid plan-

ning here. Based on our forecast, the

Philippines has to rely more on rm

capacity, which is still coal and gas,”

Heo said.

S&P Global’s forecast suggests the

country will more likely reach a 27

per cent share by 2030 and 50 per cent

by 2050, aligning only with the gov-

ernment’s less aggressive base case

scenario.

Heo said the lack of energy storage

within the power grid remains a criti-

cal weakness. Even with a projected

7 GW of solar projects becoming op-

erational, the system cannot yet han-

dle the intermittency of solar power.

He said the Philippines has poor grid

planning and will have to continue

relying on rm capacity from coal and

gas to maintain system balance.

China’s carbon emissions fell in almost

all major sectors, including power gen-

eration, as growing demand is increas-

ingly met by renewables, according to

analysis by the Centre for Research on

Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

The research carried out for climate

website Carbon Brief showed CO

emissions likely declined 0.3 per cent

for 2025. Although there is some un-

certainty about the gure, the analysis

suggests it is the rst time that emis-

sions have stayed at or declined for a

full calendar year at a time when en-

ergy demand was rising.

“Because the relative drop is so

small, we can’t say with certainty yet

that it’s a fall, therefore the ‘at or fall-

ing’,” explained CREA lead analyst

Lauri Myllyvirta. “The really signi-

cant implication is that emissions

aren’t rising rapidly like they did until

2023,” he said.

Commenting on the analysis Peter

Chalkey, Director of the Energy and

Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said:

“Suggestions that carbon dioxide

emissions from China, the world’s big-

gest emitter, are at or falling are

highly signicant. Even if more coal

power stations are being built, they

aren’t being used at capacity as evi-

denced by emissions from China’s

electricity generation sector falling.”

Although China has 85 coal red

units scheduled to open in 2026, ac-

cording to Global Energy Monitor,

2025 marked a historic shift as coal

red power generation decreased 1.9

per cent and new non-fossil generation

nally outpaced electricity demand

growth.

According to a recent report from

Wood Mackenzie power demand grew

5 per cent in China in 2025, or 494

TWh, yet for the rst time in a decade,

coal red power generation did not

increase to help meet this demand.

Instead, the incremental demand was

met by carbon-free generation, with

the rapid growth in renewables and

constant development of nuclear and

hydro capacity.

“At the heart of this transformation

is the unprecedented expansion of re-

newable energy capacity,” said Sharon

Feng, Senior Research Analyst for

Wood Mackenzie. “China’s wind and

solar capacity has risen more than ten-

fold to 1842 GW over the past decade.”

Since 2015, the levelised costs of

energy (LCOE) for utility solar and

onshore wind have plummeted by 77

per cent and 73 per cent, making re-

newable energy competitive with fos-

sil fuels. This economic shift has un-

leashed massive investment, with

investors and developers racing to

capture market share, added Feng.

Beyond renewables, China has seen

nuclear capacity expand from 27 GW

in 2015 to 62 GW today, which, com-

bined with hydropower, now provides

445 GW.

China emissions plateau

as renewables outpace new

coal red plant ild

ilippine and ndoneia

clean energy targets

nder treat

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - MARCH 2026

Asia News

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insights, and solutions

shaping the clean energy future.

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13 - 14 MAY 2026

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GE Vernova has won a contract from

Lincoln Electric Systems to supply

two LM6000VELOX gas turbines for

the Terry Bundy Generating Station

(TBGS) in Lincoln, Nebraska. The

new units will increase plant output by

around 100 MW.

The expansion is scheduled to be-

come operational in 2029. In addi-

tion to increasing capacity, the up-

grade will enhance efciency and

operational exibility, and strength-

en plant reliability.

The LM6000VELOX provides a

quick start-up time of ten minutes to

full power, and provides operational

exibility with a high cyclic life to

help stabilise the grid.

Jason Fortik, LES Vice President

of Power Supply, said: “These tur-

bines give us condence that we can

expand capacity while maintaining

the efciency and reliability our cus-

tomers expect.”

Hyosung Heavy Industries has won a

$550 million contract in the USA to

supply 765 kV ultra-high voltage

(UHV) transformers, reactors, and

related equipment to a US transmis-

sion system operator.

Compared with existing 345 kV

and 500 kV systems, 765 kV trans-

mission networks enable long-dis-

tance, high-capacity power delivery

while signicantly reducing energy

losses.

While the US government current-

ly levies tariffs of up to 50 per cent

on certain power equipment and re-

lated components, Hyosung is able

to skirt such pressures by having ac-

quired a UHV transformer produc-

tion plant in Tennessee. As a result,

the company has supplied nearly

half of all 765 kV UHV transformers

currently installed across the US

transmission grid.

VoltaGrid has placed an order with

Innio Group for 1.5 GW to reinforce

the company’s power generation for

AI. Under the terms of the agreement,

Innio will supply a total of 300 Jen-

bacher gas engines from its Type J624

and J620 series. The engines will be

packaged into 25 MW units, with de-

livery scheduled for 2028.

The integrated platform delivers

prime, backup, and peaking power

within a single system for operation-

al exibility. The system maintains

full power and efciency at high am-

bient temperatures with excellent

transient performance capable of

managing the highly volatile load

uctuations typical of AI computing

environments.

TotalEnergies has signed two new

long-term PPAs to deliver 1 GW of

solar power to supply Google’s data

centres in Texas. The power will be

generated from two sites in Texas:

Wichita (805 MW) and Mustang

Creek (195 MW). Construction at the

sites is due to start in Q2 2026.

Marc-Antoine Pignon, Vice Presi-

dent Renewables U.S. for TotalEner-

gies, said: “We are pleased to sign

these agreements to supply renew-

able electricity to Google in Texas,

representing the largest renewable

PPA volume ever signed by TotalEn-

ergies in the United States.”

Envision Energy has signed a con-

tract with Vietnam’s REE Group to

supply a total of 16 EN-226/8.XMW

offshore wind turbines for two near-

shore wind projects in Vinh Long

Province, Vietnam. The two projects

are the 48 MW V1-3 Phase II and

the 80 MW V1-5&6 Phase II.

Full grid connections for both proj-

ects are scheduled for October 2026.

Edward Hou, Senior Vice President

& President of Asia-Pacic at Envi-

sion Energy said: “This collabora-

tion marks the rst nearshore off-

shore wind project cluster delivered

under Vietnam’s Power Develop-

ment Plan VIII and opens a new

chapter for offshore wind develop-

ment in Southeast Asia. Envision is

committed to delivering this project

as a regional benchmark, providing

strategic support for REE Group’s

energy transition.”

Va lm e t w i ll s u pp l y a u to m at i on s ys -

tems for Daklo 1-3 Power Company

Limited’s Daklo 1 and Daklo 3 hydro-

power plants currently being built in

Kon Plong Ward, Quang Ngai Prov-

ince, Vietnam. The order was placed

by Industries Equipment and Solution

Company (IESC), which has signed a

contract with the EPC contractor to

deliver the systems.

The automation system will control

and monitor all essential hydropower

processes, ensuring safe, reliable,

and high-performance electricity

generation.

Daklo 1 (12 MW) and Daklo 3 (22

MW) hydropower plants are current-

ly under construction. These run-of-

river plants are due to enter commer-

cial operation in Spring 2027.

Valmet will supply its distributed

control systems and electric gover-

nors for both plants. The scope also

covers engineering, design, supply,

and commissioning of the complete

automation system.

RWE has awarded a contract for Ves-

tas to supply offshore wind turbines to

its Vanguard West project in the UK.

Under the terms of the contract, Vestas

will supply, deliver, and commission

92 of its V236-15.0 MW offshore wind

turbines.

The project is scheduled for com-

missioning in 2029, located 45 km

off the Norfolk coast of the UK. The

wind farm will connect to the on-

shore grid via dedicated export cable

infrastructure.

Nils de Baar, President of Vestas

Northern & Central Europe and

Global Offshore, said: “The momen-

tum behind offshore wind in Europe

is building with the UK government,

stepping up its commitment in AR7

and projects like Norfolk Vanguard

West moving forward. This combi-

nation of industry partnership and

government commitment sends a

powerful signal about the UK’s de-

termination to drive forward its re-

newable energy ambitions.”

Gramme Storage 1 has selected Wärt-

silä to supply a 50 MW/100 MWh

battery energy storage system (BESS)

in central Belgium for the Gramme 1

project. The site is scheduled for com-

pletion by Q2 2027.

Gramme 1 will comprise Wärt-

silä’s GridSolve Quantum2 energy

storage system and its control and

optimisation software, GEMS. Wärt-

silä will also deliver the project un-

der an engineered equipment deliv-

ery (EEQ) contract, with guaranteed

asset performance under a separate

long-term service agreement.

Gramme 1 is Wrtsil’s rst energy

storage project participating in Bel-

gium’s Capacity Remuneration

Mechanism (CRM). This is designed

to ensure Belgium’s energy supply

security by enabling assets to deliver

essential grid services such as fre-

quency and voltage support that con-

tribute to electricity system resil-

ience and dependability.

So far in 2026, Nordex has won orders

from several European countries for a

total wind power capacity of 365 MW.

Nordex obtained an order for the

supply and installation of 14

N163/6.X turbines totalling more

than 90 MW in the UK. The project

is scheduled for completion in 2028.

In Türkiye, the Nordex Group re-

ceived orders for different turbine

types for new projects as well as for

several wind farm extensions,

amounting to a total of 78 MW.

In 2027, a new wind farm in Lithu-

ania will be equipped with seven

N175/6.X turbines in the cold cli-

mate version with the Nordex Ad-

vanced Anti-Icing System (AIS),

providing a total of 47.6 MW. The

project is expected to be completed

by 2028.

Nordex Group received an order

from Bürgerwindpark BHU Betriebs

for eight N163/6.X wind turbines for

the Bosbüll Holm Uphusum (BHU)

community wind farm spanning

three villages in the North Frisia re-

gion of Schleswig-Holstein in Ger-

many. The overall capacity is 56

MW. The installation of the turbines

is scheduled for early 2027, with

commissioning expected to be com-

pleted by fall of the same year.

It also won an order from the

Swedish renewable energy company

OX2 for the supply and installation

of wind turbines for the Fageråsen

Wind Farm in Sweden. The order

comprises 27 Nordex N163/6.X tur-

bines, which will be installed on

119-m tubular steel towers, repre-

senting a total installed capacity of

189 MW.

All contracts include multi-year

service and maintenance agreements.

Prysmian has been awarded a £2 bil-

lion contract to supply the cable for SP

Energy Networks and National Grid

Electricity Transmission’s subsea

Eastern Green Link 4 project.

Prysmian will manufacture and de-

liver over 640 km of cable for the 2

GW subsea electricity link, which

will use high voltage direct current

(HVDC) to connect Fife in Scotland

and Norfolk in England. The project

is scheduled for completion in 2033.

The contract includes 530 km of

subsea HVDC cable as well as over

116 km of underground cable.

The project is a joint venture be-

tween SP Energy Networks and Na-

tional Grid Electricity Transmission.

ACWA Power, Gulf Investment Cor-

poration (GIC) and the Ministry of

Electricity, Water, and Renewable En-

ergy of Kuwait have signed an Energy

Conversion and Water Purchase

Agreement (ECWPA) to develop the

$4 billion 2.7 GW Az-Zour North

Phase 2 & 3 project in Kuwait.

The consortium is led by the Ku-

wait Authority for Partnership Proj-

ects (60 per cent), ACWA Power and

GIC (with a combined 40 per cent

stake). It plans to build a 2.7 GW

combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT)

power plant and a seawater reverse

osmosis desalination facility.

Construction will be carried out by

a consortium led by SEPCO III. The

project’s gas turbines will be sup-

plied and serviced by GE Vernova,

while ACWA Power will be responsi-

ble for the long-term O&M of the

project throughout its 25-year term.

The project will use natural gas as

the primary fuel for power genera-

tion, with gasoil as a back-up fuel.

The Ministry and Electricity, Water,

and Renewable Energy will purchase

the total power and water capacity

from the facility.

The UK investor Gridworks has signed

agreements to develop and nance

around £350 million in electricity

transmission projects in Ethiopia. The

projects are the rst public-private

partnerships in Ethiopia’s transmission

sector.

One of the projects will connect

Ethiopia’s Somali region to the cen-

tral and northeastern power grids, im-

proving access in these areas.

A second project will enable devel-

opment of wind and solar power

plants in the northeast and strengthen

electricity interconnections with

neighbouring Djibouti.

Ahmed Shide, Ethiopia’s Finance

Minister, said that the projects will

bolster industrial growth by making

electricity supply more reliable. He

said they would also accelerate elec-

trication for millions of households.

China Civil Engineering Construction

Company (CCECC) has won a contract

to build a 7 MW oating solar power

station for the University of Lagos

(UNILAG) in Nigeria.

The facility will be installed on the

lagoon waters surrounding the uni-

versity campus, and it will be Nige-

ria’s rst oating solar power project.

CCECC said the project would be the

rst oating solar power plant in any

tertiary institution in Nigeria.

CCECC and UNILAG have yet to

announce a timeline for the project.

Floating solar technology, which

places photovoltaic on bodies of wa-

ter, reduces land use and can improve

energy efciency by cooling the pan-

els naturally.

Zimbabwe has announced plans to

build a solar power panel manufactur-

ing plant. The plan hopes to attract

foreign investment into renewable en-

ergy and clean technologies while

building domestic clean energy pro-

duction capacity.

Zimbabwe aims to achieve 2640

MW of renewable energy capacity by

2030, with plans to add 1575 MW of

solar, 275 MW of bioenergy, 150

MW of small hydropower, and 100

MW of wind power.

Among the projects under develop-

ment are the 100 MW Runde River

solar park, being developed by Ener-

gywise, the 30 MW Vungu solar

plant is being developed by Infraco,

Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe is con-

structing a 70 MW solar plant; and

Afreximbank is funding the 1 GW

Kariba oating solar project.

Americas Asia-Pacic

Lincoln Electric to expand

Terry Bundy plant

Jenbacher gas engines

power AI growth

TotalEnergies to supply

1 GW solar to Google

Hyosung wins US UHV

transformer contract

International

Europe

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - MARCH 2026

Tenders, Bids & Contracts

Envision Energy wind

turbines in Vietnam

Valmet to automate Daklo

hydro plants

RWE and Vestas sign UK

wind turbine agreement

Wärtsilä to supply Belgian

BESS

Multiple European

contracts for Nordex

Prysmian wins £2 billion

cable contract

ACWA Power wins

Kuwait CCGT contract

Gridworks to develop

Ethiopia’s grid

Floating solar plant for

University of Lagos

Zimbabwe to build solar

panel manufacturing plant

hile EV adoption grows

across Europe (in some

countries more than oth-

ers) the slower development of

charging infrastructure threatens to

derail progress. It’s vital to keep in-

frastructure investment on track, but

more important is that charging net-

works remain as exible and resil-

ient as possible to cope with addi-

tional pressure on the grid.

This requires a multi-layered ap-

proach, starting with the infrastruc-

ture as the industry evolves and

governments invest in charging net-

works to meet net zero goals and

consumer demand.

But it’s the development and adop-

tion of new technologies that will

create an infrastructure that offers

both exibility and resilience as de-

mand for electrication increases.

We also need to change the way peo-

ple charge their vehicles, through

off-peak charging programmes and

dynamic pricing, automated load

balancing, and more.

Access to charging points is crucial

for supporting EV adoption, and

more public charging networks are

essential. According to the Interna-

tional Energy Agency’s ‘Global EV

Outlook 2025’, which reports on re-

cent developments in electric mobili-

ty around the world, public chargers

have doubled globally since 2022,

with China leading in fast charging

deployments. China now has more

than one public charger for every 10

electric cars.

In Europe, the number of charging

points grew by over 35 per cent in

2024 compared to 2023, reaching

just over a million. But there are

signicant variations across coun-

tries due to differing rates of EV

adoption and charging infrastruc-

ture development.

In recent years, despite at EV

sales, the UK government has an-

nounced several initiatives to drive

development. The most recent was

in November, when it unveiled a £10

million funding package to support

the development of cutting-edge

technologies that will strengthen its

charging network. Companies can

apply for funding for new technolo-

gies that will enable EV charging de-

vices to operate without large grid

connections or even off grid.

The aim of this initiative is to over-

come grid constraint challenges and

enable the rollout of more chargers

on the road network. This incudes in

more rural areas across the country,

giving drivers the condence to

make long-distance journeys.

Any projects and initiatives like

this that encourage off-grid solu-

tions, smart charging and energy

controls to reduce the strain on elec-

tricity networks and ease the need

for expensive grid upgrades is cru-

cial for any future development.

As an industry alliance, we’re for-

tunate enough to see EV charging in-

novation happening in real-time –

from testing through pilot stage, and

on to nal adoption. Right now, we

are in an exciting phase of develop-

ment, with a whole raft of innovative

companies developing new technol-

ogies, including applications for load

management and dynamic charging.

Take Wevo Energy, for example,

with its load management solution

that maximises existing building in-

frastructure by intelligently allocat-

ing power where and when it’s need-

ed most, allowing sites to get more

EVs charged but without expensive

infrastructure upgrades. The really

clever stuff is that smart algorithms

learn drivers’ behaviour and create

an optimal charging schedule, charg-

ing when rates are lowest, and ensur-

ing that the vehicle is fully charged

by the time that it’s needed by the

driver.

Another interesting example is

EVoke Systems, a member company

and software-based EV charging net-

work operator enabling grid-integrat-

ed exibility using open standards

including OpenADR 3 and IEEE

2030.13.

Its platform dynamically adjusts

charging in response to grid condi-

tions and distribution network capac-

ity, allowing EV load to operate

within dened operating envelopes

and function as a predictable, dis-

patchable exibility resource. In Con

Edison’s New York territory, EVoke

maps approximately 2500 EV char-

gers to 82 distribution load zones

and aggregates telemetry every 15

minutes, enabling precise, location-

aware congestion management.

In a groundbreaking collaboration

with Argonne National Labs and

supported by the US Department of

Energy, EVoke has successfully de-

ployed managed charging at Bar-

clays Capital’s campus. This has

helped to reduce peak demand by

200 kW (40 per cent) including de-

terministic load reductions of 200

kW in less than two seconds, dem-

onstrating readiness to support real-

time grid services.

This project shows how intelligent

software can optimise EV charging.

But more important, it demonstrates

how optimised energy use and re-

duced peak demand can translate

into meaningful operational savings.

The demands from more electri-

cation will put unprecedented pres-

sure on the grid.

So, as adoption grows, the focus

will be on optimising charging and

making the most efcient use of

available capacity. This requires a

change in behaviour, to ensure that

EV charging is a win-win for every-

one – the driver, the site owner and,

ultimately, the grid.

Drivers want easy, accessible fast

charging at the right price. The site

owner wants to deliver this but also

to make a prot. The grid meanwhile

needs stability and the exibility to

cope with uctuating supply and de-

mand particularly at peak times.

Electricity suppliers will need to

incentivise vehicle owners to charge

outside of peak periods using dy-

namic pricing signals, time of use

tariffs, or other load shifting mecha-

nisms. Off-peak charging incentives

are a gamechanger, but only if

there’s a signicant difference be-

tween peak and off-peak pricing.

It’s important to make it easy for

people to make these decisions.

The basis for effective load control

lies in standardised information ex-

change on pricing signals, energy

consumption, and capacity. It’s why

utilities and DSOs need to communi-

cate information quickly and secure-

ly using open standards like

OpenADR that are integral to the

success of energy exibility in EV

charging.

Standardisation across the entire

charging system – from the plug to

the customer interface – is key to de-

livering accessible, customer-friend-

ly and scalable solutions.

This enables seamless integration

and collaboration between various

manufacturers and grid operators.

It’s particularly crucial for support-

ing applications like vehicle-to-grid

(V2G), which allows electric vehi-

cles to become distributed energy re-

sources. EVs can store energy and

feed it back to the grid during peak

demand.

Combined with other potential en-

ergy resources like heating, ventila-

tion and AC appliances and renew-

able sources like solar and battery

storage, EVs can form virtual power

plants.

It’s worth noting this in light of the

power outages across some Europe-

an countries, including Spain and

more recently in Germany, when

around 45 000 households in the

southwestern suburbs of Berlin were

without power for several days in

January. While the root causes var-

ied, the result was that customers

were left without power for often ex-

tended periods. This could have been

mitigated if vehicles were able to

power homes during these outages,

potentially incentivising further in-

vestment in this technology.

With reports predicting huge

growth in the global market for V2G

– from $6.3 billion in 2025 to $16.9

billion by the end of 2030 – the rise

of this technology is reshaping the

way EVs interact with the power

grid, supporting grid stability, de-

mand-side management and renew-

able energy integration. Again, it’s a

win-win.

V2G requires bi-directional energy

ow between the grid and the bat-

tery, which means that EVs need to

be designed with bi-directional pow-

er ow in mind. Standards are once

again at the forefront of ensuring the

infrastructure is t for purpose.

A number of pilot schemes are in

place, with companies like Ford,

Toyota and VW working on V2G

programmes with utility suppliers.

In conclusion with more electric

vehicles hitting the roads, managing

charging demand effectively is criti-

cal for stabilising the grid and ensur-

ing reliability, efciency and control.

As the technologies and systems con-

tinue to evolve, they will need to be

put in place sooner rather than later.

For the industry as a whole – from

automotive manufacturers, charge

point operators and technology pro-

viders, to grid operators and utilities

– it has never been more important

to collaborate and co-operate to en-

sure we have systems t for purpose.

Rolf Bienert is Managing & Techni-

cal Director at global industry or-

ganisation, OpenADR Alliance

The rapid growth of the electric vehicle (EV) market represents a once-in-a-generation transformation of the

automotive and the utility sectors, helping to drive greater co-operation throughout the industry. OpenADR Alliance’s

Rolf Bienert, discusses the need for greater standardisation across the entire system, from the charging plug to the

customer interface.

Can we achieve energy

exibility through

managed EV charging?

THE ENERG INDUSTR TIMES - MARCH 2026

Industry Perspective

photo courtesy of: citaevcharger.

Bienert: As electric

vehicles hit the roads,

managing charging

demand effectively is

critical for stabilising

the grid and ensuring

reliability, efciency and

control

The BMWK projects energy import

dependency falling to 27 per cent by

2045 while the IEA and DNV model

30-40 per cent under current policies.

Challenges around grid bottlenecks

and industrial prices are likely to

persist during this period.

Investment environment

Germany has a strong investment pro-

 l e f o r f o r e i g n i n v e s t o r s . I t h o l d s t o p -

tier sovereign credit rating from major

agencies including S&P, Moody’s,

Fitch, and DBRS, AAA (or Aaa) with

a generally Stable Outlook.

A key development for investors is

ongoing policy adjustments to the

EEG (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz,

Renewable Energy Sources Act). The

planned reform shifts from  xed

feed-in tariffs to two-way contracts

for difference (CfDs). Generators re-

ceive a stable strike price (e.g., €50-

70/MWh, $58.21-81.49/MWh) when

markets dip below but repay windfall

pro ts above it. This funds expansion

without consumer levies. Pre-reform,

heavy subsidies built 215 GW in total

capacity but distorted prices and bur-

dened households at about €40 billion

($46.7 billion)/year peak. The post-

2027 CfD mechanism offers bankable

20-year contracts that reduce devel-

oper risk and accelerate auctions for

all project sizes.

The government is boosting indus-

trial decarbonisation with a €6 billion

($7 billion) programme offering car-

bon contracts for difference (CfDs),

auctioned from 2026 to support car-

bon, capture, utilisation and storage

(CCUS), and electri cation projects.

Record renewables investments in

2023  owed into a robust 2025 pipe-

line of large-scale battery energy

storage systems (BESS), building in-

vestor con dence. 2026 targets hy-

drogen, grid upgrades, and digital in-

frastructure. Strategic regional

clusters amplify opportunities:

Schleswig-Holstein leads offshore

wind, North Rhine-Westphalia and

Saxony-Anhalt host energy-intensive

industry, and Bavaria excels across

clean tech sectors.

Policies and incentives

Germany is accelerating its clean en-

ergy transition through targeted poli-

cies and incentives. The coal phase-

out targets 2038, while the EEG 2023

mandates 80 per cent renewables in

power by 2030 via clear expansion

paths. The EEG 2026 planned amend-

ments demand 26.5 per cent  nal en-

ergy reduction and 39.3 per cent pri-

mary energy cut by 2030, versus 2008,

though progress lags.

Carbon capture gains traction via

the 2025 Carbon Storage Act, en-

abling commercial CCS/CCUS,

complemented by an emerging Car-

bon Management Strategy. Industry

bene ts from a 2026 power price

subsidy, €6.5 billion ($7.6 billion)

EEG network funding, and carbon

contracts for difference to switch to

low-carbon processes. Electri ca-

tion and power generation draw fur-

ther support from the €500 billion

($582.1 billion) Special Fund for

Infrastructure and Climate Neutrality

(SVIK), which channels off-balance-

sheet  nancing into grids, hydrogen

and storage. This is open to private

co-investment alongside European

Investment Bank (EIB) loans like the

enewables reached almost 60

per cent of Germany’s electric-

ity mix in 2025. The latest

policy adjustments to the Renewable

Energy Sources Act (EEG) signal the

shift to ‘Energiewende 2.0’. Private

investment and public funding are

driving hydrogen hubs, grid upgrades

and new industrial clusters. BP,

Google, Partners Group and other in-

vestors are deploying billions. The

question now is whether Germany can

sustain the boom.

Decarbonisation commitments

Germany was an early leader in the

global clean energy sector. A domestic

industry began emerging in the 1970s,

driven by debates on the energy transi-

tion and early pilot projects in wind

and solar power. Momentum acceler-

ated in the 1990s with feed-in laws,

followed by the Renewable Energy

Sources Act in 2000. Experts often

debate Germany’s loss of leadership,

citing the 2012 cuts to feed-in tariffs

and, particularly in solar manufactur-

ing, China’s rapid and aggressive scal-

ing, which sharply reduced production

costs. Today, Germany remains a sig-

ni cant player in clean energy policy

and deployment, despite losing ground

in manufacturing to China.

The nation has not lost its decar-

bonisation momentum. The next

phase is known as Energiewende 2.0.

It set binding targets of 65 per cent

emissions cuts by 2030, 88 per cent

by 2040, and net zero by 2045, based

on 1990 levels, in line with the 2021

amendment to Germany’s Federal

Climate Change Act. Sectoral budgets

enforce accountability across sectors

like energy, industry, buildings,

transport, and agriculture.

Like many nations, Germany con-

tinues to navigate complex transitions.

Progress has slowed in some areas.

Emissions reductions fell to 1.5 per

cent in 2025, below prior years. Emis-

sions rose in buildings by 3.2 per cent

and in transport by 1.4 per cent in

2025. The 2025 coalition weakened

heating laws and delayed coal phase

outs. End-use sectors, such as heat

pumps and electric vehicles, continue

to lag behind gains in the power sector.

Energy mix

The energy mix highlights a clear di-

vide between power generation and

primary energy consumption, using

detailed data for 2024. Renewables

dominated generation at nearly 53 per

cent, with 262 TWh from wind, solar

and other sources, while fossil fuels

like coal (106 TWh) and gas (78 TWh)

still dominated, based on data collated

by the Energy Institute’s ‘Statistical

Review of World Energy’. Non-re-

newable waste, industrial feedstocks

and other non-energy uses accounted

for 5 per cent.

Primary energy consumption shows

a different story. Oil topped the mix at

around 37 per cent, gas and coal fol-

lowed at 25 per cent and 14 per cent

respectively. Renewables accounted

for 25 per cent of primary energy, in-

cluding 2 per cent from hydro. Nucle-

ar contributed zero per cent to pri-

mary energy in 2024, following the

permanent shutdown of the last three

plants in April 2023.

This contrast underlines the success

of Energiewende in greening the grid,

yet the challenge of electrifying

transport, heating and industry ahead

remains.

Most electricity mix forecasts proj-

ect renewables accounting for 95-99

per cent of electricity generation by

2050. The International Energy Agen-

cy (IEA), Ariadne Project, BMWK:

(Federal Ministry for Economic Af-

fairs and Climate Action), and DNV

GL all agree on the nation reaching at

least 80 per cent renewable electricity

by 2035, and net zero emissions by

2045. This will be driven by sector

coupling, linking the power sector

with transport, heating and industry,

as well as rapid wind and solar capac-

ity expansion, including 215 GW for

solar and 230 GW wind by 2045.

The BMWK and IEA highlight hy-

drogen’s role for hard-to-abate sectors

like steel and chemicals, with BMWK

projecting 10-13 GW electrolysis ca-

pacity by 2030. The IEA’s Net Zero

Scenario projects about 300 TWh

hydrogen demand by 2050. Ariadne

models suggest electricity could ac-

count for 50 to 60 per cent of  nal

energy by 2045, up from around 24

per cent in 2024, depending on policy

and technology uptake. DNV’s 2024

‘Energy Transition Outlook’ projects

a 95 per cent emissions reduction by

2050 under current policy trajectories,

noting that permitting delays could

slow progress. Germany targets a coal

phase-out by 2038, with some gas

plants converting to hydrogen-ready.

€220 million ($256.1 million) WEMAG

grid deal.

End-use decarbonisation advances

with the Buildings Energy Act

(GEG), requiring 65 per cent renew-

ables in new heating systems from

2025. Digital solutions bene t from

amendment to the Metering Point

Operation Act (Messstellenbetrieb-

sgesetz or MsbG), which streamlines

grid tariffs and subsidies for smart

meters and AI  exibility, plus KfW

guarantees (up to 65 per cent for

SMEs) and full FDI access.

Investors backdrop

Large industry actors have been at-

tracted by Germany’s energy transi-

tion. In 2025, 61 companies and inves-

tors launched the ‘Made for Germany’

initiative, pledging €631 billion

($734.5 billion) in private funds

alongside €500 billion ($582.1 bil-

lion) public spending, a portion of

which will be invested in energy tran-

sition related projects. German  rms

like EnBW have committed €50 bil-

lion ($58.2 billion) by 2030 for renew-

ables expansion, while Siemens En-

ergy has been pioneering net zero

factories under the banner.

Google is investing €5.5 billion

($6.4 billion) through 2030, match-

ing 24/7 carbon-free power from

Engie (onshore wind and solar) and

Ørsted’s Borkum Riffgrund 3 off-

shore farm. Switzerland’s Partners

Group acquired Techem, valuing the

company at €6.7 billion ($7.8 billion)

in 2025, bolstering smart metering

for over 13 million dwellings across

Europe and accelerating building

digitalisation.

A vibrant pipeline spans green hy-

drogen  nancings, grid co-invest-

ments, and end-use plays. EIB and

Commerzbank unlocked €1.2 billion

($1.4 billion) for municipal utilities’

renewables and grid projects via risk-

sharing. EV infrastructure hit 185

000 chargers (8.5 GW) in late 2024.

Energiewende 2.0 has attracted re-

cord investments from global giants

like Google and BP, backed by hun-

dreds of billions in public-private

funds. Continued success hinges on

accelerating end-use electri cation as

well as navigating grid and political

hurdles ahead.

Prepared for The Energy Industry

Times by Joseph Jacobelli of actE, a

climate business and ﬁ nance insights

platform (asiacleantechenergy.com).

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - MARCH 2026

Energy Transition Investment Series

Large industry actors

have been attracted

by Germany’s energy

transition, eyeing a

vibrant pipeline that

spans renewables,

green hydrogen

 n a n c i n g , g r i d c o 

investments, and

enduse lays.

TEI Times analyses

the country’s net

zero pledges, power

mix and investment

environment.

Energiewende 2.0: Powering

Germany’s net zero future

The energy mix shows a clear divide between power generation and primary energy consumption

Jacobelli: Continued success

hinges on accelerating end-use

electri cation

he environmental problems

created by waste, especially

waste that currently has to go

to landll, continues to be a signi-

cant issue. And while waste-to-ener-

gy technologies such as circulating

uidised bed boilers can handle most

waste products, waste companies

and local councils who do recycling

have no options for high caloric

value plastic products, other than

sending them to landll.

However, a process patented by

PowerHouse Energy (PHE) looks set

to help tackle the problem. After sev-

eral years of development and pilot

scale demonstration, the company’s

DMG (Distributed Modular Gasi-

cation) technology has nally

reached a signicant milestone with

the signing of an agreement to lease

a site to host what is expected to be

the rst commercial plant of a signif-

icant size.

Commenting on the technology’s

niche, Paul Emmitt, PHE’s CEO,

said: “The push is the reduction of

waste, generally. Our sell is, we al-

low you to generate electricity from

something that was just going to be

buried. There are big energy-from-

waste incinerators, but our system

is set up to be distributed energy, so

the unit is around 40 tonnes/day of

waste. That’s designed to suit a mu-

nicipality. So, we aren’t competing

against the recyclers or the incinera-

tors; what we want is that piece in

the middle that’s still going into the

ground. And surprisingly, there’s

still a hell of a lot going into the

ground.”

In February this year, PHE an-

nounced that it secured a 25-year

lease for a 1.98 acre serviced site at

Silverwood Business Park, Ballyme-

na, Northern Ireland and that it has

submitted a full planning application

to the Mid and East Antrim County

Council. The facility is intended to

take 40 t/day of waste destined for

landll and convert it into 99.999 per

cent pure hydrogen for a variety of

uses, including transport. Negotia-

tions are already taking place on

feedstock and offtake agreements.

Emmitt said: “This is a major step

forward for the company. Ballymena

is set to become the hydrogen hub of

Northern Ireland, with the organisa-

tions including Wrightbus, Translink

and the Mid and East Antrim Bor-

ough Council all focused on devel-

oping the hydrogen economy in

Northern Ireland.”

According to PHE, its technology

is capable of eliminating waste, in-

cluding plastic waste and used tyres

with high levels of energy recovery,

while producing hydrogen and/or

electric power.

With the capacity to export around

3.5 MW from 40 t/day of non-recy-

clable plastic, Emmitt sees it as an

excellent solution for local councils.

“We’re not talking huge outputs

but it’s enough for a town,” he said.

“The ideal scenario is: a new hous-

ing estate gets built; the waste from

the homes comes to a PHE facility;

the heat from the facility is used for

district heating; the electricity is

used to power the houses. So that es-

tate becomes relatively self-suf-

cient,” he said.

DMG is essentially a pyrolysis/

gasication process. Thermal treat-

ment is carried out in a rotating kiln

at around 1000°C with the help of

an oxidising agent but without in-

troducing any additional oxygen or

air into the process.

The operation takes place in a

slight vacuum but although there is

a little air in the chamber, the feed-

stock is not being burned. It breaks

down the waste, so it becomes va-

pour. PHE then controls several of

the reactions in that vapour to pro-

duce syngas.

The temperature, oxidising agent

and the residence time of the gases

in the chamber are controlled to pro-

duce either a hydrogen-rich gas or a

methane-rich gas. When looking to

produce electricity, the methane con-

tent would be increased so it can be

burned in a reciprocating gas engine.

Knowing the model of what is going

on in the process and the target oper-

ation points are, according to PHE,

its IP (intellectual property).

Emmitt added: “In a commercial

unit, the kiln is just under 10 m long

with a diameter of just over 2 m.

And because we use a rotating kiln,

there is a relatively constant compo-

sition of syngas, even on a varying

feedstock, because the gas has time

to mix within the system and a big

sell is, plastics don’t have to be

cleaned. In fact, the biogenic in the

waste food [remaining on the plas-

tic] makes the output better. The

exibility of the feedstock is the re-

ally big thing for us.”

The rst small unit to test the tech-

nology was built by Engsolve in

2017. PHE later bought 100 per cent

of Engsolve. By 2019 there were

plans to build a full-scale facility at

an energy and recovery hub near

Ellesmere Port in Cheshire (see TEI

Times, April 2019).

Although this facility never mate-

rialised, work continued with the

construction of the Bridgend Tech-

nology Centre & Feedstock Testing

Unit (FTU) in South Wales. The

unit, which opened in 2024, served

as a centre for the two business

(PHE and Engsolve) and provided a

home for a 2.5 t/day pilot plant. The

FTU was designed, built and com-

missioned by Engsolve, and is oper-

ated by PHE.

In March 2025 PHE opened the

FTU to investors and the public,

showcasing the DMG technology on

a pre-commercial scale. This allows

PHE to demonstrate its IP, provide

testing for future clients and to fur-

ther develop its offerings. The PHE

research and development team will

utilise the system for development,

process optimisation and for the de-

velopment of future IP.

Since opening, the pilot has, ac-

cording to PHE, performed “really

well”, running on feedstocks such as

chicken manure, tyres and waste

plastics. The results have aligned

with the models, so the company

now has validated models that can

show predicted power and heat out-

puts for any given feedstock and

throughput.

The FTU proved to be the turning

point. “Once we got the FTU off the

ground, enquiries started coming

through the door consistently,” said

Emmitt. “Since March last year,

more than 50 enquiries have come in

– from virtually nothing.”

The rst interest came from Aus-

tralia. Gaining condence from see-

ing the Bridgend pilot in action, Na-

tional Hydrogen (NH2) of Australia

signed a ve-year agreement to use

PHE’s technology and engineering

expertise for hydrogen projects in

Australia, Italy, Switzerland and

Hong Kong.

The NH2 project includes a Front-

End Engineering Design (FEED)

study, undertaken by Engsolve, and

a framework agreement that sets out

the terms on which PHE would pro-

vide support on a project-by-project

basis, working closely with NH2 to

deliver these projects successfully.

This agreement is based upon a li-

censing and royalty model, where

PHE monitors the facility 24/7. The

current expectation is that the plant

will be up and running by the mid of

2028.

The FTU was also instrumental in

securing the Ballymena project. This

facility is a validated project that has

progressed steadily and is expected

to begin operation during a similar

timeframe as the NH2 project. When

complete, it will produce syngas for

both hydrogen and electricity.

“The main driver is waste,” said

Emmitt. “There are a number of

companies around Ballymena that

send waste to landll sites, which is

costing them a fortune, so they were

happy to sell us the waste instead.

They see themselves as a hydrogen

hub for Northern Ireland – they have

invested in hydrogen buses and ev-

erything is already plastic piped –

but there is also the power offtake

opportunity.”

Being more open to other applica-

tions outside of hydrogen has also

been key to PHE’s recent success in

attracting investors.

“We shifted from focusing on just

hydrogen production – our outputs

are power, heat and hydrogen if you

want it,” said Emmitt. “But not be-

ing tied to hydrogen as we were in

the past is really bringing people in.”

But while power has always been

an application, Emmitt noted that it

is market and location specic.

He said: “The Australian project

works for power, because power

prices are high. They struck a very

good strike price for power from

waste, which is great. And I think

that, maybe, is the methodology to

take. They look at power rst to

start to pay for the project. And be

hydrogen-ready if that market takes

off.

“But from an electricity perspec-

tive the adoption of the technology is

very much market dependent. In the

UK, it might not really work at the

moment because prices are not great

for the producer.”

Looking forward, Emmitt says that

the real push going forward is “let-

ting people know the technology is

not a one trick pony”.

He concluded: “The power play is

important. Data centres want to run

off-grid; it’s a massive market,

where the technology could help

support the electricity need. The

mining sector is also a big market.

“Geographically, there are oppor-

tunities in smaller EU states where

power prices are high and waste is

being shipped abroad. We are also

talking to Egypt and have a subsid-

iary in Thailand. We are also in dis-

cussions in South America and

North America. The Middle East

has cheap gas and power but has a

massive waste problem, so we are

in talks there. And there are oppor-

tunities in Africa where there’s a lot

of plastic waste; and although pow-

er is cheap, it’s not always stable.

“We are a small company, but we

have global ambitions.”

A process that can convert non-recyclable waste into low carbon energy has reached a major milestone with the

signing of an agreement to lease a site in orthern Ireland for hat could be the rst commercial lant.

Junior Isles speaks to Powerhouse Energy’s CEO Paul Emmit about the technology and what the agreement means

for the energy sector.

More than just power

from waste

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - MARCH 2026

Technology Focus

The 2.5 t/day Bridgend Technology

Centre & Feedstock Testing Unit

Emmitt: The real push going

forward is letting people know

the technology is not a one

trick pony

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - MARCH 2026

Final Word

f there was any debate about

whether climate change is in-

creasingly taking a back seat as a

driver in the energy transition, it was

largely put to bed at the International

Energy Agency’s ministerial meeting

last month. Speaking as energy min-

isters gathered in Paris for its bien-

nial meeting, Fatih Birol, the IEA’s

Executive Director said climate

change was “moving down the inter-

national policy agenda”.

Although there were a number of

positive developments during the

discussions – such as an agreement by

IEA member governments to move

ahead on building deeper institutional

ties with Brazil, Colombia, India and

Vietnam – the gathering was marked

by a division over the importance of

renewables, with the US castigating

net zero ambitions.

As climate change slips down the

political agenda, energy security has

now taken centre stage. Notably, a

summary of the IEA meeting prepared

by chair Sophie Hermans, the Dutch

Energy Minister, focused largely on

energy security. Although it said “a

large majority” of ministers stressed

the importance of moving towards net

zero emissions it also noted the con-

tinued importance of oil and gas.

Two other high-level dialogues had

featured discussions on safeguarding

energy security in the ‘Age of Electric-

ity’ and on investing in Ukraine’s future

energy security, with the participation

of Ukrainian First Deputy Prime

Minister and Minister of Energy De-

nys Shmyhal.

Indeed, the tone had been set by

France’s President Emannuel Macron.

Citing the signicance of Russia’s

attacks on Ukraine’s energy infra-

structure, he said that energy was a

major component of his country’s

“strategic autonomy” and “a central

dimension” of France’s sovereignty.

Acknowledging that energy security

is now top of the agenda, Birol said

ministers “agreed in different discus-

sions that energy security is the funda-

ment of everything”.

The IEA noted in its recent ‘Electric-

ity 2026’ report, that greater efforts are

needed to improve the security and

resilience of power systems around the

world, which face rising risks associ-

ated with ageing infrastructure, ex-

treme weather events, cyberthreats

and other emerging vulnerabilities.

In some ways, it seems that circum-

stances have led the IEA back to its

roots. The agency was formed over 50

years ago to ensure the security of oil

supplies in response to the 1973-1974

oil crisis. And although energy secu-

rity remains a central part of its mis-

sion, the organisation has since

evolved. It now has a wider mandate

to focus on a full range of energy is-

sues, including climate change and

decarbonisation, energy access and

efciency, investment and innovation,

and ensuring reliable, affordable and

sustainable energy systems.

In pointed rhetoric aimed at shifting

global attention away from net zero,

while pressuring other countries to

align with current US energy policy,

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright

said the IEA should go back to its

original role. He called the IEA’s 2050

net zero modelling “ridiculous”, and

said it should focus on its role as an

international data recording agency,

which is focused on energy security.

Wright claimed that many countries

have agreed in private with the US

stance to move away from net zero

goals, and continue to increase produc-

tion and consumption of fossil fuels.

Threatening to withdraw from the

agency, he said: “There has been such

a group mentality, 10 years invested

in a destructive illusion of net zero by

2050, that the US will use all the pres-

sure we have to get the IEA to eventu-

ally, in the next year or so, to move

away from this agenda.”

No doubt it is better for the IEA to

keep the US onside, but at what cost?

The US has paid about $6 million

(€5.10 million) per year in IEA dues,

out of a total agency budget of $22

million. It would be a signicant hit to

the IEA but might be a small price to

pay if net zero is to remain a key part

of the discussion and therefore an end

goal.

Some countries played down the US

threats. French Finance Minister Ro-

land Lescure said: “The worst is

never certain. I spoke with Chris

Wright, I am convinced we have

enough common subjects to work on

together, including nuclear energy,”

Lescure said.

Lescure reinforced France’s com-

mitment to clean energy, and said the

goal was to electrify its industry to rely

less on oil and gas.

“France and Europe’s strategic and

structural answer is electrication. We

of course still have gas needs, notably

for the industrial sector, and I’m very

happy the US can meet that need, but

objectively the long-term goal is to exit

a dependence on imported fossil en-

ergy that is still too great,” Lescure

said.

This desire to end dependence on

fossil fuel imports is indeed driving

European countries to re-examine

their oil and gas strategies. In a recent

interview with the Financial Times,

Mathios Rigas, Chief Executive of

Energean said Greece, Italy and Cy-

prus had shown signs of changing

tack. He said Energean was in talks

over new exploration licences, in-

cluding in an area next to one of its

Greek prospects.

“I’m not saying we are there, but we

are at least in active discussions about

reopening exploration,” he told the FT.

“The Italian government is actively

looking at allowing new activities to

happen, when a few years ago it wasn’t

even… on the agenda.”

While new modelling issued by the

IEA in November predicts oil and gas

demand will rise for 25 years under

governments’ current policies, renew-

ables will continue to replace fossil

fuels as the go-to source for new

power generation – if not for net zero

emissions ambitions, then for energy

security as well as economics.

Addressing the ministerial meeting

via video link António Guterres,

Secretary-General of the United Na-

tions, said: “Renewables are now the

cheapest, fastest and safest source of

new electricity almost everywhere.

Investors know it: last year, $2 trillion

owed into clean energy – nearly twice

as much as into fossil fuels.

And as data centres and AI increas-

ingly drive electricity demand, renew-

able generation will continue to surge

– at least outside of the US – to keep

a lid on power prices.

In a recent interview with the FT,

Zhang Lei, founder and CEO of

China’s Envision Energy, one of the

world’s biggest wind turbine manu-

facturers, said power-hungry AI risks

tipping millions into “energy poverty”

unless investors pour more money

into renewables. He argued that the

case for clean energy was now driven

by mathematics rather than climate

change.

Zhang predicted global electricity

demand would rise as much as 10-fold

over the next decade, while fossil fuels

would become progressively more

expensive to extract as supplies are

depleted, risking higher energy bills

unless more wind and solar farms are

developed.

“For this AI revolution, lots of people

may end up with energy poverty,” he

said… “If we think long-term, we need

a renewable energy system that is in-

nite, inexpensive and trained by AI.

We have to build this renewable en-

ergy system, not just because of the

climate crisis,” he told the FT. “It’s

because of long-term prosperity. This

is just mathematics. It is so simple even

my eight-year-old daughter can gure

it out.”

So, whether the end goal, or main

driver at any point in time, is climate

change, energy security, or the price

of energy, the key tools to get there

seem to be centred around clean en-

ergy. The destinations may change but

the pathway remains the same.

Different destinations,

same pathway

Junior Isles

Cartoon by Jem Soar