www.teitimes.com

April 2026 • Volume 19 • No 2 • 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

Special interview Decarbonisation Series

TEI Times hears how Siemens Energy is

supporting the shift from conventional on-site

operation and maintenance towards remotely

managed, and ultimately autonomous plant

operations. Page 11

The Iran conict will drive record investment in

clean energy and force a rethink of how nations

secure their energy future, says Joseph Jacobelli.

Page 14

News In Brief

Sentiment shifts on net zero

timeline

Global energy and natural resourc-

es companies are moderating their

expectations on when the world

will achieve net zero, as govern-

ments dilute their clean energy

ambitions.

Page 3

Watershed moment for US

offshore wind

TotalEnergies has signed settlement

agreements with the US Department

of the Interior to relinquish two off-

shore wind area leases awarded in

2022 and will no longer develop

offshore wind projects in the USA.

Page 4

Nuclear re-emerging in

southeast Asian countries

A growing number of southeast

Asian countries are showing re-

newed interest in nuclear power to

meet future demand, as climate

goals and geopolitical unrest weigh

down on the electricity sector.

Page 5

Clean tech groups lobby as

EU legislates on ‘Made in

Europe’

Proposals for the new EU Industrial

Accelerator Act, aimed at strength-

ening Europe’s economic competi-

tiveness and boosting its clean tech

manufacturing capacity, are being

scrutinised by the bloc’s technology

groups.

Page 6

Embedded carbon rules

could shape hydrogen’s

future growth

The EU’s Carbon Border Adjust-

ment Mechanism (CBAM) has in-

troduced a new layer of scrutiny to

the energy transition, affecting how

the nascent market for cross-border

hydrogen develops.

Page 7

Siemens expands data

centre partner ecosystem

Siemens Smart Infrastructure is ex-

panding its data centre ecosystem

through a strategic investment in

Emerald AI.

Page 8

Technology Focus

During a recent visit to County Dub-

lin, journalists had the opportunity

to look at a project that offers a solu-

tion to the delays data centre devel-

opers are facing in bringing power

to their facilities. Page 15

Advertise

advertising@teitimes.com

subscriptions@teitimes.com

or call +44 (0)1933 392987

As the war in Iran escalates, renewable energy advocates are urging an acceleration of

the shift away from fossil fuels to reduce energy price volatility and stop energy from being

weaponised. Junior Isles

Middle East conict reignites electricity market design debate

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY

TIMES

Final Word

“War… huh!” May be it’s

good for something after

all, says Junior Isles.

Page 16

There is a growing call for world lead-

ers to accelerate the transition to re-

newables as the war on Iran exposes

the global economy’s dependence on

fossil fuels.

Following the US and Israel’s attack

on Iran, the Global Renewables Alli-

ance (GRA) issued a statement

launching a ve-step enewables c-

tion Plan, calling on governments to

urgently accelerate renewable energy

deployment in response to renewed

global energy price shocks.

The statement – endorsed by GRA’s

six member associations representing

the global renewable energy industry:

Global Wind Energy Council, Global

Solar Council, Green Hydrogen Or-

ganisation, Long Duration Energy

Storage Council, International Hydro-

power Association and International

Geothermal Association – warns that

the latest crisis in the Middle East

“once again exposes the fragility of a

fossil fuel dependent global energy

system”. It urged governments to

“treat the oil and gas price shocks re-

verberating through the world econo-

my as a pivotal turning point and ur-

gently accelerate the transition to

renewable energy”.

The GRA noted renewable energy

is the fastest and “most cost compet-

itive solution to long-term energy

security, resilience and prosperity”,

and that fast-tracking the deployment

of wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and

storage projects will protect coun-

tries from price volatility and energy

market failure.

“Energy crises keep recurring be-

cause the global energy system re-

mains stuck in the past,” said Bruce

Douglas, CEO of GRA.

“The fastest and cheapest way to

protect economies and households

from price shocks is to accelerate the

deployment of renewables, energy ef-

ciency and storage, strengthen grids

and electrify end use sectors.”

The Renewables Action Plan identi-

es ve priority actions for govern-

ments to break the cycle of energy

crises: fast track permitting, remove

grid and storage bottlenecks, mobilise

nancing, accelerate electrication,

and scale renewable supply chains.

n Fast-track emergency permitting:

Accelerate regulatory approvals by

urgently streamlining permitting and

consenting procedures for renewables

and short- and long-duration storage

projects to deliver a major expansion

of capacity within the next 36 months.

n Address grid and storage blockers:

Expand, modernise and optimise

electricity grids and storage systems to

integrate new renewable capacity, pro-

vide reliability and maximise consum-

er access to low-cost renewables. Sig-

nicantly shorten lengthy grid

connection queues and accelerate grid

access by guaranteeing priority dis-

patch for renewables.

n obilise nancing now: Unlock and

de-risk public and private investment

for renewable energy and storage proj-

ects and associated infrastructure, by

introducing preferential interest rates

and nancing, decreasing nancial

institution lending limits, creating re-

newable lending windows, and redi-

recting capital away from carbon in-

tensive industries.

n ove swiftly to electrication: In-

troduce and implement national

Continued on Page 3

Electricity market design and the price

of electricity have again come to the

forefront, as energy prices skyrocketed

following the joint US-Israeli attack

on Iran.

The debate is particularly intense in

the UK, where electricity prices are

set by the price of gas most of the

time. As the UK’s wholesale gas price

hit a three-year high, Greenpeace UK

urged the government to implement

plans to decouple the cost of electric-

ity from gas.

Greenpeace has been calling for

energy system reforms that would

remove gas plants from the whole-

sale electricity market and place

them into a strategic reserve. This

would stop expensive gas from set-

ting electricity prices, protect UK

bill payers from gas price volatility

and signicantly lower bills.

Greenpeace UK Head of Climate

Mel Evans said: “We’re back on the

global gas price rollercoaster, and ev-

eryone’s feeling sick already. The lat-

est conict in the iddle East has ex-

posed once again how much of a

liability our dependence on gas is. In

the UK, gas sets the price of electricity

85 per cent of the time, and the price

of gas, including North Sea gas, is set

by the market. When we could be

looking forward to rapidly increasing

solar and wind power on the grid sav-

ing us money, instead we face the

prospect of energy bills going up again

thanks to our rigged pricing system.

“Ministers should take control of

our energy bills by removing gas

red power stations from the pricing

mechanism and bringing them into a

strategic reserve. This would stop gas

from dominating our bills and protect

households and businesses from

more gas price shocks.”

The call came as the debate over the

marginal pricing system for the elec-

tricity wholesale market reignited,

with Commission President Ursula

von der Leyen stating that she would

bring different options and ndings

on whether it is time to move forward

with the market design” during a Eu-

ropean Council on 19-20 March.

That Council meeting, however,

only saw EU leaders call for measures

including:

n a t o o l b o x o f t a r g e t e d t e m p o r a r y m e a -

sures to address recent price spikes;

n concrete actions to lower electricity

prices and to address excessive vola-

tility in the short-term and also for the

Commission and member states to

work together on national temporary

and targeted measures to mitigate the

impact of fuels on electricity genera-

tion costs;

n a review of the Emissions Trading

Scheme (ETS).

Eurelectric warned that temporary

interventions should be time-limited,

targeted, and designed to avoid mar-

ket disruptions and hampering inves-

tors condence. The organisation

also stressed that in the long-term,

affordability will not come from

uick xes. It hinges on stronger

grids, better interconnections, a sta-

ble, well-functioning electricity mar-

ket that drives investment in clean,

homegrown generation and infra-

structure, and faster electrication,

Eurelectric said in a statement.

Governments urged to

accelerate renewables in

response to global

energy price shocks

Douglas: energy systems are “stuck in the past”

Forever power.

Forever decarbonization.

Forever excellence.

everllence.com

We move big things to zero with future-fuel engines.

Our experts design and engineer eicient electricity generators running on synthetic

natural gas (SNG), biogas and biofuels. Our gas engines already operate with up to 25%

hydrogen. Full hydrogen combustion is coming soon. We’re also scaling up green

hydrogen production. Together, we can create clean energy.

2612_31668_EVR_Relaunch_Future_Fuels_Energy_Storage_250x340mm_ISOv2.indd 12612_31668_EVR_Relaunch_Future_Fuels_Energy_Storage_250x340mm_ISOv2.indd 1 16.03.26 15:4616.03.26 15:46

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

Headline News

Junior Isles

Global energy and natural resources

companies are moderating their ex-

pectations on when the world will

achieve net zero, as governments di-

lute their clean energy ambitions.

According to a new report, execu-

tives expect the world to reach net zero

carbon emissions by 2070 or later –

well after the 2050 date proposed by

a number of countries.

A survey that polled more than 800

executives globally across oil, gas,

utilities, chemicals, mining and agri-

business, shared with the FT Energy

Source by consultancy Bain, reported

that 44 per cent of executives now

expect the world will reach net zero

emissions by 2070 or later. This marks

a signicant shift from three years ago

when 45 per cent of respondents fore-

cast the world would meet a net zero

target in 2050 or earlier.

Former US President Joe Biden’s

agship climate policy, the Ination

Reduction Act (IRA), drove much of

the optimism and capital inows into

the country’s energy transition indus-

tries. Now that the Trump administra-

tion has rolled back many of the IRA’s

clean energy incentives, fewer exec-

utives expect the US to be an attractive

place for international investments

this year.

Executives still expect the global

economy to rely on hydrocarbons for

at least the next decade, with half of

European executives forecasting oil

could peak before 2035. But 41 per

cent of North American executives

don’t believe this will happen until

after 2050.

The survey came as China and India,

two of the world’s top three carbon

polluters issued new target for carbon

emissions.

In its latest 5-Year Plan, China,

which accounts for roughly 30 per

cent of global greenhouse gas emis-

sions, set a goal to cut carbon inten-

sity – emissions per unit of GDP – by

17 per cent by the end of the decade.

This compares with an 18 per cent

reduction for the ve years to 2025, a

goal that was missed.

Premier Li Qiang said the country

would continue to work towards peak-

ing carbon emissions and achieving

carbon neutrality, goals respectively

set down for 2030 and 2060.

According to E3G, the plan ulti-

mately reects a delicate balancing act

– sustaining economic growth and

industrial competitiveness, while ad-

vancing the energy transition.

“Although climate targets remain

aligned with long-term goals, they fall

short of fully capturing China’s capa-

bilities and the pace required global-

ly,” said the independent cli-

mate-change think-tank.

Meanwhile, in a much delayed plan,

which was originally due to be sub-

mitted to the UN just over a year ago,

India pledged to reduce its CO

emis-

sions relative to GDP by 47 per cent

by 2035, compared with 2005. It also

said renewables would make up 60

per cent of its cumulative installed

electricity capacity by 2035 – short of

the 70 per cent by 2036 estimate sug-

gested by the country’s Central Elec-

tricity Authority.

strategies to accelerate end-use

electrication and system integra-

tion across transport, heating and

industry, supported by exibility

markets, demand response and

short- and long-duration energy

storage. For sectors which cannot

be electried directly with renew-

ables, green hydrogen is the

solution.

n Scale up supply chains: Develop

robust industrial strategies for sup-

ply chain development with clear

milestones to expand renewable,

grid and storage deployment and

stockpiling. Create clear demand

signals and offtake frameworks,

increase pipeline visibility, and gen-

erate long-term revenue certainty,

to promote necessary investments

in critical manufacturing and labour

force capacity.

Meanwhile a new report by Public

First, produced in collaboration

with the Royal United Services In-

stitute (RUSI) and commissioned

by RenewableUK, highlights the

importance of investing in, and safe-

guarding the UK’s domestic energy

supply as a national security prior-

ity, recognising that there are unique

benets to renewables playing the

leading role in maintaining a resil-

ient low-cost power system.

The ndings draw on a detailed

wargame exercise involving ex-

perts from COBRA-level emergen-

cy planning, the National Energy

System Operator (NESO), National

Grid, National Gas, the Department

for Energy Security and Net Zero,

oil and gas companies and renew-

able energy developers. The authors

also conducted interviews with spe-

cialists from the Ministry of De-

fence, NATO and the Alan Turing

Institute. Across a wide range of

scenarios in the wargame – includ-

ing geopolitical conict, extreme

weather and infrastructure disrup-

tion – the UK continued to supply

electricity to households and busi-

nesses. However, exposure to glob-

al gas markets quickly pushed up

bills, leading to increased public

spending and political and scal

uncertainty that could be weap-

onised by hostile states.

Following Russia’s invasion of

Ukraine, the UK spent £50 billion

supporting consumers, while re-

newable power supported by xed-

price Contracts for Difference re-

turned money to consumers over the

same period. Analysis by Universi-

ty College London estimates that

renewables deployment has already

saved UK consumers over £100

billion since 2010 by lowering elec-

tricity prices and reducing exposure

to volatile gas markets.

Separate analysis from Aurora

Energy Research showed that as gas

markets have become more interna-

tional, prices have become more

volatile month-to-month. When gas

prices were more regionally deter-

mined, between 2012 and 2019, the

typical monthly price spread aver-

aged around 28p/therm. By 2024

and 2025, that gure had risen to

over 50p/therm – almost double –

underlining how exposure to global

gas markets increasingly feeds

straight through to volatile house-

hold bills.

Continued from Page 1

The EU Innovation Fund’s potential

for competitiveness and ghting cli-

mate change is being undermined by

slow deployment, a new report by the

European Court of Auditors (ECA)

has concluded.

With a €40 billion estimated budget

up to 2030, the fund aims to bring clean

technologies to market and support the

transition to a climate-neutral econo-

my. However, the fund’s deployment

has been limited, and its contribution

to reducing greenhouse gas emissions

has remained modest.

The Innovation Fund, which was

launched in 2020, is one of the world’s

largest programmes for supporting

competitiveness in the clean-tech sec-

tor through the scaling-up of innova-

tive net zero technologies. It supports

the transition to a climate-neutral econ-

omy by funding projects in energy-in-

tensive industries, renewable energy,

energy storage, and hydrogen, as well

as carbon capture, use and storage.

When looking ahead, assessing the

performance of the Innovation Fund is

critical. Lessons learned, said the ECA,

could help not only to improve the

Innovation Fund, but also to inform the

design of the proposed €451 billion for

the new European Competitiveness

Fund under the next long-term EU

budget for 2028-2034, which also aims

to scale up innovations in strategic

technologies.

“The Innovation Fund has strong

potential to strengthen the EU’s clean-

tech innovation and competitiveness

while reducing greenhouse gas emis-

sions,” said João Leão, the ECA Mem-

ber in charge of the audit. “However,

slow deployment and signicant proj-

ect delays and terminations have lim-

ited results so far. To maximise its

impact, clear strategic priorities, faster

deployment of funds, and more realis-

tic project assessments are needed”.

To date, around €13 billion in reve-

nues have been collected. But as of the

end of June 2025, almost ve years

after it was launched, actual payments

to projects were only €332 million –

less than 1 per cent of the Innovation

Fund’s overall budget. The slow de-

ployment is partly due to how the fund

is nanced: through the EU Emissions

Trading System (ETS).

As such revenue depends on carbon

market prices, the level of available

funding is inherently uncertain, and no

mechanism guarantees a minimum

level of resources. This uncertainty

affects the deployment of funds and,

ultimately, the reduction in greenhouse

gas emissions. Combined with the long

development timelines for projects,

this has resulted in substantial funds

being accumulated without being

spent. To mitigate this, the auditors call

for additional measures to be consid-

ered with a view to improving budget-

ary planning and enabling faster de-

ployment of funds.

Many of the projects selected expe-

rience delays, and roughly one in ve

fails before becoming operational,

even though the European Commis-

sion applies the requisite selection

criteria, and processes are generally

timely and well documented. Expected

emissions reductions – a key factor in

project selection – are calculated using

theoretical assumptions. According to

the auditors, this approach can lead to

optimistic projections and inuence

which projects receive funding.

By the end of 2024, €12 billion worth

of projects had been selected but only

ve (out of the 208 that had been allo-

cated funding) reported reductions in

greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, the

fund’s project portfolio achieved less

than 5 per cent of the emissions reduc-

tions that were anticipated.

Against this backdrop, the auditors

identied weaknesses in the way proj-

ect maturity was assessed. Several

projects initially evaluated as suf-

ciently mature were later cancelled or

delayed. This suggests that maturity

checks did not always reect the actu-

al readiness of the projects, resulting

in deadline extensions and implemen-

tation setbacks. The Commission

needs to improve project evaluation

methods and assess whether greater

exibility is needed.

Several countries are calling for the

EU’s emissions trading system (ETS)

to be suspended to soften its impact on

energy markets hit by the closure of

the Strait of Hormuz.

The ETS, which accounts for about

11 per cent of energy costs, requires

companies to hold allowances to cov-

er their carbon emissions and incentiv-

ises them to decarbonise.

Countries more dependent on fossil

fuels have targeted carbon costs as gas

prices have risen, with Italy’s Prime

Minister Giorgia Meloni calling for a

suspension of the scheme pending a

review this summer. German Chancel-

lor Friedrich Merz also called the ETS

system into question in March, prompt-

ing a drop in carbon prices by roughly

7 per cent to €71.40/t of CO

emitted,

although he later softened his stance.

Spain, however, has defended the EU

carbon trading system, warning that it

would be a “big error” to take it apart

to alleviate the energy price shock trig-

gered by the Iran war.

Spain’s Energy Minister Sara Aag-

esen Muñoz told the FT that using “this

crisis to change a system that works is

irresponsible and a big error”, adding:

“The ETS needs to last and we can’t

ignore the lessons learned about the

war in Ukraine.”

The scheme had also come under

pressure in an energy crisis that was

exacerbated by the full-scale invasion

of Ukraine in 2022, when Russia cut

gas supplies to Europe. But the bloc

refrained from suspending the carbon

market during that period.

Aagesen said the ETS was once again

“under threat” but should be preserved

because it had been a “huge success”

in promoting green innovation and

investment in Europe.

She said she could support measures

to make sure ETS proceeds are invest-

ed in decarbonisation and to reduce

volatility of carbon prices using a sta-

bility reserve of carbon credits.

EU members had expressed their

concerns ahead of a Council meeting

in late March, where EU leaders kept

the ETS intact and said the already

scheduled review remains on track for

July 2026.

EU ETS under spotlight as global energy crisis deepens

Sentiment shifts on

net zero timeline

n China to cut carbon intensity by 17 per cent by 2030 in latest Five-Year Plan

n Executives see 2070 as more likely net zero timeline

EU Innovation Fund deployment too slow

for clean-tech sector, says ECA

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh

The Alan Turing Institute

supported a study on how

energy could be weaponised

Janet Wood

US President Donald Trump has an-

nounced plans to protect energy cus-

tomers from the costs of data centre

growth.

Saying Americans were concerned

that energy demand from AI data cen-

tres could unfairly drive up their elec-

tric utility bills, he announced:

“We’re telling the major tech compa-

nies that they have the obligation to

provide for their own power needs”.

The Trump administration said Am-

azon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI,

Oracle and OpenAI would sign such

an agreement.

BloombergNEF recently forecast

that US data centre demand will more

than double by 2035 and a backlash

has led to the cancellation of projects

across the country.

Rows of natural gas engines have

recently been employed to power AI

infrastructure and avoid long waits for

electricity connections. However, the

result has been a lengthening queue

for gas generators, with lead times

recently reaching seven years.

 new report from law rm Trout-

man Pepper Locke noted that devel-

opers, hyperscalers, and energy com-

panies are turning to such behind-

the-meter and ‘island-moded’ gener-

ation options.

The report cited a recent Electric

Reliability Council of Texas (ER-

COT) forecast that data centre elec-

tricity demand could rise by 22 GW

between 2025 and 2031 – reaching 78

GW, or roughly 36 per cent of total

statewide demand.

The report said that wind and solar

alone cannot yet provide consistent,

24/7 baseload power at the scale AI

requires without substantial overbuild

and storage and battery capacity re-

mains limited. Small modular nuclear

reactors hold promise but are not yet

commercially deployable at scale.

Brandon Lobb, partner in Troutman

Pepper Locke’s Energy Transactional

Practice Group, said: “AI has shifted

the centre of gravity in the energy

market. Power availability – not just

price  is now the dening variable in

digital infrastructure strategy. Off-

grid solutions are emerging as a prag-

matic response to interconnection

delays, reliability demands, and com-

munity pressures. Companies that

align regulatory strategy, supply chain

discipline, and creditworthy partner-

ships will be best positioned to lead

in this next phase of AI growth.”

Latin American data centre provider

Ascenty has a made a ‘strategic move’

into a renewable energy partnership

with Brazilian developer Casa dos Ven-

tos. The deal, valued at over $500 mil-

lion, includes a long-term Power Pur-

chase Agreement (PPA) and an equity

stake in wind and solar projects.

DNV, which supported Ascenty

during the deal, said that as demand for

data centre capacity is accelerating in

Brazil, operators like Ascenty are se-

curing reliable, long-term renewable

power to meet their sustainability goals

and ensure operational resilience.

Projections in DNV’s 2025 ‘Energy

Transition Outlook’ that AI could raise

global data centre electricity demand

from 1.3 per cent to 9 per cent of glob-

al consumption by 2060. In Brazil grid

requests are expected to exceed 20 GW

within a decade, according to the coun-

trys Energy esearch fce (EE.

“Conducting a technical review

across both wind and solar assets is

essential to support well-grounded de-

cisions for data centres and other

off-takers,” said Tchiarles Coutinho,

Market Area Manager for Latin Amer-

ica, Energy Systems at DNV.

Cuba has suffered repeated nationwide

power outages as a US oil blockade has

put growing pressure on the ener-

gy-starved communist regime.

The island’s energy ministry con-

rmed that the national grid had col-

lapsed after a ship carrying Russian

fuel, which had been set to deliver it to

uba in deance of the U energy em-

bargo, changed course.

Cuba, which relies on imported oil

and fuel, has not received any energy

shipments since January 9th and has

been in talks with the US in an effort

to end the blockade. US President Don-

ald Trump has threatened to impose

tariffs on any countries that supply the

regime.

Cubans have long suffered lengthy

partial power outages but conditions

have signicantly worsened in recent

weeks. Airlines, deprived of fuel, have

suspended ights. The uban govern-

ment has invited exiles to invest in and

own businesses on the island as part of

a larger attempt to boost the edgling

private sector. But a wide-ranging US

embargo, which has long been support-

ed by much of the diaspora, would

prevent broader trade and investment.

Janet Wood

TotalEnergies has signed settlement

agreements with the US Department

of the Interior (DOI) to relinquish two

offshore wind area leases awarded in

2022 and will no longer develop off-

shore wind projects in the USA.

Under the terms of settlement, To-

talEnergies will recover the lease fees

paid for Carolina Long Bay and New

York Bigh t and w il l in ve st an equal

amount in the development of US gas

and power production and exports.

“TotalEnergies is pleased to sign

these settlement agreements with the

DOI and to support the Administra-

tion’s Energy Policy. Considering that

the development of offshore wind

projects is not in the country’s interest,

we have decided to renounce offshore

wind development in the United

States, in exchange for the reimburse-

ment of the lease fees,” said Patrick

ouyann, hief Executive fcer of

TotalEnergies.

“Furthermore, these agreements, un-

der which we will reinvest the refund-

ed lease fees to nance the construction

of the 29 Mt Rio Grande LNG plant

and the development of our oil and gas

activities, allows us to support the de-

velopment of US gas production and

export. These investments will contrib-

ute to supplying Europe with

much-needed LNG from the US and

provide gas for US data centre devel-

opment. We believe this is a more ef-

cient use of capital in the United

States.”

The TotalEnergies settlement comes

as Ørsted announced that its Revolu-

tion Wind offshore wind farm has be-

gun delivering electricity to the New

England electricity grid, where it will

eventually power Rhode Island and

Connecticut. Ørsted owns Revolution,

which comprises 65 Siemens Gamesa

SG 11.0-200 DD wind turbines for a

total capacity of 704 MW, with Sky-

born Renewables. Full commissioning

is expected in the second half of 2026.

The project faced federal stop-work

orders during construction, in August

and December 2025, which the joint

venture between Ørsted and Skyborn

Renewables challenged in court.

“Revolution Wind is adding afford-

able, reliable American-made energy

to New England’s grid, helping to meet

growing energy demand and lower

consumer costs”, said Amanda Dasch,

hief evelopment fcer at rsted.

Brazil data centres to be wind and

solar powered

Cuban power grid suffers repeated

collapses

Watershed moment for offshore

wind in the USA

Geothermal support

bill crosses US political

divide

Data centre operators go off-grid

n Hyperscalers promise to meet their own power needs

n Gas generation and behind-the-meter arrangements favoured

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

Americas News

VSE

43rd European

Phot ovoltaic Solar Energ

Conference and Exhibition

14 18

Sep

tember

WTC

World Trade Center

Rotterdam

The Netherlands

EUPVSEC.ORG

MEET THE GLOBAL PV COMMUNITY IN ROTTERDAM

The EU PVSEC is the leading global event for photovoltaics, combining a world-

class scientic conference with a dynamic industry exhibition. Researchers,

manufacturers and innovators come together to shape the future of solar energy.

Why participate?

• Showcase your innovations to an international PV audience

• Connect with industry leaders and decision-makers

• Increase your brand visibility in the growing solar market

Join the EU PVSEC 2026 in Rotterdam.

US Senators John Hickenlooper (Dem-

ocrat) and Steve Daines (Republican)

are launching a bipartisan push to un-

lock federal funding for next-genera-

tion geothermal energy by introducing

the “Geothermal Power Opportunity

With Expanded Regions Act (Geo

POWER) Act”. The legislation would

establish a new programme at the De-

partment of Energy to provide innova-

tive nancing for geothermal projects

in regions that have historically lacked

viable resources.

“We’re on the verge of harnessing

a new wave of geothermal energy to

meet surging electricity demand,

lower prices, and address the climate

crisis,” Hickenlooper said. “The key

will be in scaling up new, next-gen-

eration geothermal projects across

the country.”

Meanwhile, geothermal company

Fervo Energy has closed on $421 mil-

lion in non-recourse debt nancing for

a new plant in Utah.

The project will begin delivering

power to the grid this year and plans to

reach 100 MW of operating capacity

by early 2027. It is fully contracted to

sell its power to Southern California

Edison and Shell Energy. “Non-re-

course nancing has historically been

considered out of reach for rst-of-a-

kind projects,” said David Ulrey, Chief

inancial fcer at ervo Energy.

“Cape Station disrupts that narrative.”

n Tot al En er gi es s ig ns d ea l t o sw it ch i nv es tm en t to g as

n rsted celerates rst ower rom evoltion ind

Photo by Torsten Dettlaff

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

Asia News

Syed Ali

A growing number of southeast Asian

countries are showing renewed inter-

est in nuclear power to meet future

demand, as climate goals and geopo-

litical unrest weigh down on the elec-

tricity sector.

Early last month, Indonesia an-

nounced plans to commission its rst

nuclear power plant between 2032 and

2034, marking a milestone in its long-

term energy transition strategy. Sec-

retary-General of the National Energy

Council (DEN) Dadan Kusdiana, said

the project is part of a broader plan to

reach 44 GW of nuclear capacity by

2060, aligned with the country’s net

zero emissions commitment.

“Of that 44 GW, 35 will generate

electricity, while nine will support

hydrogen production starting in

2045,” Kusdiana explained. The gov-

ernment intends to prioritise small

modular reactor (SMR) technology.

Under the National Electricity Plan-

ning (RUPTL) 2025–2034, Indone-

sia’s initial target is 500 MW of nu-

clear generating capacity, strategically

deployed from 2032 in Sumatra and

Kalimantan.

Kusdiana noted that nuclear energy

is re-emerging in Southeast Asia, with

Es ve largest energy consum-

ers – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philip-

pines, Thailand, and Vietnam – ex-

ploring nuclear options through the

Nuclear Energy Cooperation Sub-sec-

tor Network (NEC-SSN).

Following the news, Philippines

generator Manila Electric Co. (Mer-

alco) announced that it signed a mem-

orandum of understanding (MoU)

with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power

and the Export-Import Bank of Korea

to cooperate on advancing nuclear

energy development in the Philip-

pines.

Under the MoU, the three entities

will explore training programmes,

employee exchanges and knowl-

edge-sharing initiatives to develop

technical competency and long-term

operational readiness.

“Nuclear energy is a way to diversi-

fy our portfolio and reinforce energy

security, while offering a degree of

insulation from fuel market uctua-

tions. Complementary to the Philip-

pine government’s efforts to lay the

groundwork for its nuclear power

programme, Meralco is assessing how

nuclear can best contribute to our

long-term strategy,” Meralco Chair-

man and Chief Executive Manuel

Pangilinan said.

In March, Vietnam took another step

towards reviving its nuclear energy

plans as the government assigned the

Ministry of Finance to lead the ap-

praisal of adjustments to the invest-

ment policy for the inh Thun 

Nuclear Power Project.

After completing the appraisal, the

council will submit its assessment to

the government for consideration and

decision while nalising the neces-

sary documents for submission to the

National Assembly. The proposal is

expected to be reviewed at the rst

session of the th ational ssembly

of it am scheduled for this month

(April 2026).

Also in March, the Singaporean gov-

ernment said it is seriously studying

the possibilities of having advanced

nuclear energy technologies in the

country, including small modular re-

actors (SMRs). It clearly stated, how-

ever, that no decision has been made

yet and that their focus is solely on

researching and assessing the techni-

cal feasibility.

Currently, approximately 95 per

cent of Singapore’s electricity comes

from natural gas generation, and nat-

ural gas is almost entirely imported.

Furthermore, Singapore has set a

goal of achieving net zero emissions

by 2050, but the problem is that the

country’s renewable energy potential

is limited – it lacks hydropower, has

limited wind resources, and insuf-

cient land area for large-scale solar

energy development.

Elsewhere, Taiwan Power Co (Taip-

ower) last month said it would submit

a plan to restart the decommissioned

Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in

Pingtung County’s Hengchun Town-

ship, setting the stage for it to begin

generating electricity as early as 2028.

Taiwan People’s Party Legislator

Liu Shu-pin asked Kung whether the

government is considering using nu-

clear energy as a stable energy source

in the event of a wartime blockade.

If China blockaded the Taiwan

Strait, Taiwan would exhaust its nat-

ural gas reserves in 0 days, its coal

reserves in seven weeks and its oil

reserves in 20 weeks, leaving only 20

per cent of its power generation ca-

pacity, Liu said, citing the results of a

war game by a US-based think-tank.

China’s latest Five-Year plan (FYP)

has set what are seen as cautious cli-

mate goals, against a background that

sees the need to maintain economic

growth and industrial competitive-

ness.

Beijing set a goal to cut carbon in-

tensity – emissions per unit of GDP

 by  per cent by the end of the

decade. That compares with an 8 per

cent reduction for the ve years to

2025, a goal that was missed.

Premier Li Qiang said the country

would continue to work towards peak-

ing carbon emissions and achieving

carbon neutrality, goals respectively

set down for 2030 and 2060. China

would balance “economic and social

development, the green and low-car-

bon transition and national energy

security” Li told the National People’s

Congress last month.

China reported a slight decrease in

overall emissions from energy and

industry by 0.3 per cent in 2025, ac-

cording to recent ofcial gures.

Lauri Myllyvirta, co-founder of the

Centre for Research on Energy and

Clean Air called the FYP targets “un-

derwhelming”, noting that they left

some room for an increase in overall

emissions over the next ve years to

2030.

There was “some walking back” of

an earlier pledge to reduce coal con-

sumption and instead the plan indicat-

ed a plateau. o, this reects hinas

approach of focusing on increasing

the supply and reducing the costs to

drive emissions down, rather than fo-

cusing on strong, measurable emis-

sion targets,” he said.

Energy think-tank E3G said the plan

ultimately reects a delicate balanc-

ing act: sustaining economic growth

and industrial competitiveness while

advancing the energy transition. Al-

though climate targets remain aligned

with long-term goals, they fall short

of fully capturing China’s capabilities

and the pace required globally, it said.

“The challenge ahead will be wheth-

er China can maintain momentum in

its clean economy while delivering

emissions reductions at the scale

needed – an outcome that will be crit-

ical not only for China, but for the

trajectory of global climate action,”

Lei Xie, China Senior Specialist, Cli-

mate Diplomacy & Geopolitics and

Linxiao Zhu,Policy Advisor, Global

Clean Power Diplomacy, E3G, said in

statement.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is

gearing up for the competitive auction

of large-scale offshore wind projects

in ugust, with certicates of award

targeted for 202.

Under the timeline for the fth green

energy auction (GEA-5) round, reg-

istration for ualied suppliers of-

cially opened on March 2, 2026, and

closed on arch , 202. This latest

auction will see the DOE offer 3300

 of xed-bottom offshore wind

capacity, with delivery scheduled be-

tween 2028 and 2030.

GEA-5’s pre-bid activities kicked

off following the Energy Regulatory

Commission’s (ERC) issuance of the

nal ceiling price, or the maximum

allowable bid offers. The ERC set a

ceiling price of esokh (0.8

kWh) for the offshore wind auction,

higher than its initially proposed

eso0.85kh.

According to the DOE, the list of

potential winning bidders for GEA-5

is expected to be nalised and submit-

ted to Energy Secretary Sharon Garin

by eptember , 202. The potential

winners are slated to be announced by

September 23, 2026, with the issuance

of certicates of award scheduled for

ebruary 202.

The auction aligns with the govern-

ments goal of generating the rst

kilowatt-hours of offshore wind pow-

er before the end of President Marcos’

term in 2028.

It also supports the national target

of increasing the share of renewables

in the power mix to 35 per cent by

2030 and 50 per cent by 2040 from

the current 25 per cent.

The Es 0-year reen Energy

Auction (GEA) Plan will offer 25 GW

of renewable generating capacity

planned for delivery between 202

and 2035.

The countrys 58  of installed

wind capacity is entirely onshore. Yet

the World Bank estimates the Philip-

pines has up to 8  of offshore

wind potential (0  from oating

turbines and 8  from xed-bot-

tom turbines).

In an earlier development, in late

February the DOE said it will require

developers with proposed renewable

energy (RE) power plants with an in-

stalled capacity of at least 0  to

pair them with energy storage systems

(ESS), citing the need to support elec-

tricity grid stability and deepen clean

energy penetration.

In a department circular dated Feb-

ruary , 202, the E said it will

require all upcoming variable RE

plants of this size to include energy

storage systems capable of handling

at least 20 per cent of the plant’s gen-

erating capacity.

China balances climate goals

against economic growth in

latest Five-Year Plan

Philippines gears up for offshore wind auction in drive to meet renewables target

Nuclear re-emerging in southeast

Asian countries

n Indonesia lans to commission rst nclear lant etween  and 

n eralco sins o to cooerate on advancin nclear

Photo by Kindel Media

1K+ ATTENDEES | 100+ EXHIBITORS | 120+ SPEAKERS | 3,5K+ 1-ON-1 MEETINGS

September 29-30, 2026

uala Lumpur, Malaysia

ENERGY TECH SUMMIT

SIA 2026

A S I A N E D I T I O N O F E UR O PE ’ S # 1 E VE N T I N C LI M AT E T E C H

I N N O V A T I O N A ND IN V ES T ME N T

Among attendees:

Supported by:

Janet Wood

The UK government has announced

that its eighth Contracts for Difference

(CfD) allocation round (AR8) will

open in July 2026. Up to 18 offshore

wind farms could potentially compete

in AR8.

RenewableUK Chief Executive

Tara Singh said: “Recent global

events have shown, yet again, how

exposed we remain to shocks in inter-

national fossil-fuel markets, and the

best way to reduce that vulnerability

is to generate more of our own elec-

tricity here in the UK, at the stable

prices wind and solar offer.”

RenewableUK says the global off-

shore wind industry is set to reach 100

GW of operational capacity in 2026.

There are 374 offshore wind farms

operating, up from 347 twelve months

ago, and capacity has increased from

82.5 GW to 89.2 GW (fully operation-

al). But 18.8 GW could be delivered

in 2026, with projects completing in

China, UK, Germany, USA, Taiwan

and Poland. Looking ahead, the report

forecasts that 236 GW could be oper-

ational worldwide by 2030.

The expansion also requires fast

growth in grid infrastructure. Lithua-

nia, Latvia, and Germany are planning

a joint offshore interconnector that

would enable electricity trading be-

tween the Baltic countries and Ger-

many and allow for the integration of

up to 2 GW of offshore wind capacity

in Lithuania and Latvia.

The energy ministers of the three

countries recently signed a joint dec-

laration of intent, paving the way for

the development of the Baltic-Ger-

man PowerLink interconnector,

European grid operator TenneT,

meanwhile, plans to more than double

its North Sea offshore grid capacity

by 2032 to meet the plans of the Neth-

erlands and Germany.

More broadly, offshore grid expan-

sion is being advanced with 10 other

North Sea Transmission System

Operators (TSOs) through the Off-

shore TSO Collaboration (OTC),

which presented the rst results of a

joint study on an integrated offshore

grid in April.

Chair Manon van Beek, TenneT’s

hief Executive fcer and T

Chair, commented: “Offshore wind

and the North Sea, as our clean ener-

gy powerhouse, is not just a climate

solution, but a strategic instrument for

energy independence and economic

competitiveness.”

A green hydrogen project in Spain has

secured nal investment approv-

al. Moeve, a $12 billion energy group

owned by Mubadala of UAE and US

private euity rm arlyle, has autho-

rised the rst phase of what it says will

become Europe’s largest renewable

hydrogen plant, after it secured a con-

nection to the Spanish power grid.

The initial stage of the Andalusian

Green Hydrogen Valley development

will mobilise more than €1 billion of

investment, including €300 million in

EU subsidies, to construct a 300 MW

electrolyser alongside new solar and

wind generation. Production is due to

begin in 2029. Eventually it will have

a capacity of 2 GW.

More than 50 green hydrogen proj-

ects have been delayed or abandoned

in the past two years due to cost and

lack of infrastructure. But Moeve

Chief Executive Maarten Wetselaar

said: “What we have gone through is

a very natural cycle of everybody

starting to understand the fundamen-

tal economics.”

He told the Financial Times: “We

have not changed plan,” adding, “This

world is coming, unless we accept that

we stop caring about climate change,

and I’m happy to put our strategy be-

hind that not happening.”

Great Britain’s National Energy Sys-

tem Operator (NESO) and UK Power

Networks have combined to dispatch

energy from distribution-level genera-

tors and batteries specically to man-

age transmission network constraints.

The new management option, ‘MW

Dispatch’ means cleaner energy proj-

ects can connect to the grid much soon-

er. MW Dispatch has created a repli-

cable template, and the service is now

open to any new generator or storage

asset ready to connect in the region.

Craig Dyke, Director of System Op-

erations, NESO said: “Strong coordi-

nation between transmission and dis-

tribution is fundamental to delivering

a smarter, more exible energy system

that works for all users.”

Separately, UKPN has celebrated

delivery of  h of exibility ser-

vices through its day-ahead exibility

market since it launched in 2024. It said

the service is aligned with NESO to

support coordinated system operation

and revenue stacking for exibility

providers.

ichael eneck, rid ervices

Manager at Ev.energy, said the day-

ahead market “has made it quicker and

easier to engage EV drivers in local

exibility, enabling them to help the

grid and be rewarded”.

Janet Wood

Proposals for new EU Industrial Ac-

celerator Act (IAA), aimined at

strengthening Europe’s economic

competitiveness and boosting its

clean tech manufacturing capacity,

are being scrutinised by the bloc’s

technology groups. The act aims to

ensure the EU has the clean tech need-

ed to maintain Europe’s energy secu-

rity and competitiveness.

Proposals by the European Commis-

sion were welcomed by WindEurope

Chief Executive Tinne van der Straeten,

who said: “Industrial leadership in

wind is in Europe’s strategic interest.

We welcome this important political

signal.” He called on legislators to

adopt clear and simple text and on na-

tional governments to ensure a har-

monised implementation of new rules.

The solar thermal industry, however,

was disappointed by the IAA. It said it

“rightly targets net zero technologies

where Europe has lost manufacturing

capacity and competitiveness, with the

aim of bringing production back to the

continent” but warned that by failing

to explicitly include solar thermal in

‘Made in Europe’, public procurement

and public support provisions, it

“weakens Europe’s own clean heat

supply chain”. Guglielmo Cioni, Pres-

ident of Solar Heat Europe, said: “This

is not a sectoral special plea. It is a

consistency check.”

Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hy-

drogen Europe, called on legislators to

“strengthen the Act and close the gaps

on ambition, scope, and clarity”.

He said: “Europe must ensure that its

industry can grow, compete, and lead

globally in strategic clean technologies

like hydrogen.”

Chatzimarkakis also noted that key

provisions do not sufciently support

lead markets for ‘Made in Europe’

low-carbon products, although they

are said to be “indispensable”. He had

concerns over implementation, saying

the “sheer volume of secondary legis-

lation… foreseen in the Act raises con-

cerns on complexity and uncertainty”.

Go-ahead for Spain’s green hydrogen project

istribution eibility helps manage

G system constraints

lean tech groups lobby as

E legislates on

‘Made in Europe’

uclear usion

start-up wins Bavarian

state backing

shore ind epansion boosted by

ossil disruption ears

n UK brings forward CfD allocation round n Transmission network expands further offshore

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

Europe News

Institutional industry cooperation Organised by

#EUBCE2026

eubce.com

Submit your abstract

Technical programme coordination

Tue 19 - Fri 22 May

World Forum The Hague, The Netherlands

Industry programme support

European Commission –

Joint Research Centre (JRC)

Circular Bio-based Europe

Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)

Deadline extended to

7 November 2025

Proxima Fusion has secured €400 mil-

lion from its home state of Bavaria to

help build a €2 billion fusion test facil-

ity. Proxima and Bavaria will each

provide 20 per cent of the €2 billion

cost, if the German federal government

provides the remaining €1.2 billion.

The company hopes the test facility

will lead to plans to construct Europe’s

rst commercial fusion plant, at

RWE’s Gundremmingen site, where

a nuclear power station was decom-

missioned in 2021.

“The potential of fusion technology

for the energy supply of the future is

enormous. Thanks to an excellent re-

search landscape and the start-ups that

have emerged from it, such as Proxima

Fusion, Germany can take on a key

role,” said Dr. Markus Krebber, Chief

Executive of RWE. Proxima Chief

Executive Francesco Sciortino told

the FT it aimed to complete the com-

mercial plant “within the 2030s”.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz previ-

ously said that he wanted Germany to

build the worlds rst commercial

fusion reactor. Berlin has outlined

support for the sector in a federal “Fu-

sion Action Plan” with a pledge of

more than €2 billion in investment by

2029, including €755 million for a

German fusion industry and pilot

plant.

n Industrial Accelerator Act welcomed by wind sector

n Solar thermal and hydrogen groups raise concerns

Photo by Karol

Czinege

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

International News

Nadia Weekes

The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment

Mechanism (CBAM) has introduced

a new layer of scrutiny to the energy

transition, affecting how the still-na-

scent market for cross-border hydro-

gen develops, according to analysis

by energy solutions provider CFP

Energy.

As infrastructure gaps, storage lim-

its and weak demand persist, CBAM

adds a regulatory overlay, imposing

explicit carbon pricing on ows of

hydrogen into Europe and shaping

which projects and hubs are commer-

cially viable.

“Grey hydrogen is produced using

fossil fuels, so companies importing

it will have to pay a carbon tax. CBAM

closes that loophole, ensuring clean

energy claims are genuine,” explains

industry analyst George Brown.

Global hydrogen demand in 2024

reached nearly 100 million tonnes

(Mt), up 2 per cent from 2023.

Low-emissions hydrogen – from re-

newable electricity or fossil fuels with

carbon capture and storage – still ac-

counts for less than 1 per cent of en-

ergy supply.

Hydrogen is predominantly used in

traditional sectors such as rening,

ammonia, methanol and other indus-

trial processes, while emerging uses

in transport, shipping and steelmaking

remain marginal.

Southeast Asia illustrates both the

promise and fragility of the hydrogen

transition. Currently, almost 80 per

cent of the hydrogen produced comes

from unabated natural gas. By 2030,

low-emissions hydrogen capacity

could reach 480 kt per year, largely in

Indonesia and Malaysia. However,

only 6 per cent of announced projects

have reached a nancial investment

decision (FID), while 60 per cent re-

main at very early planning stages.

By imposing carbon taxation on hy-

drogen imported into the EU if fos-

sil-based, the CBAM acts as a mar-

ket-shaping force: it provides price

signals that inuence investments,

supply chains and which low-emis-

sions hydrogen projects reach FID.

Under the IEA’s latest projections,

hydrogen production could reach 37

million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) by

2030 – down from earlier projections

of 49 Mtpa. Offtake agreements are

also sluggish: new long-term con-

tracts totalled 1.7 Mtpa in 2024, down

from 2.4 Mtpa in 2023.

According to CFP Energy, the sector

needs:

n Consistent, long-term regulation

with clear frameworks for quotas,

mandates and CBAM integration.

n Contracts for Difference, guaran-

tees and carbon pricing mechanisms

to de-risk investment.

n Infrastructure acceleration around

strategic ports, industrial clusters and

transport networks.

n Market credibility through transpar-

ent auditing, certication and carbon

accounting.

n International collaboration, includ-

ing technical and nancial support for

emerging markets.

“The hydrogen sector continues to

make incremental progress, but it is

far from its ambitions,” says George

Brown. “If governments and industry

act decisively on demand creation,

infrastructure investment and nan-

cial de-risking, hydrogen could move

from promise to backbone of a decar-

bonised energy system.”

Nadia Weekes

Long-duration energy storage (LDES)

grew 49 per cent in 2025, achieving

more than 15 GWh installed globally,

but still makes up only 6 per cent of

energy storage installations, as it faces

declining investment and increasing

competition from lithium-ion batter-

ies, according to Wood Mackenzie’s

latest sector report.

A fall in government funding and a

collapse in venture capital investment

are placing nancial pressure on both

start-ups and more established players.

Between 2021 and 2025, only three

companies – Hydrostor, EOS Energy

and Form Energy – raised over $1 bil-

lion in funding each.

“LDES technologies are caught in a

strategic squeeze,” said Jiayue Zheng,

managing consultant, energy storage

at Wood Mackenzie. With lithium-ion

batteries dominating the four- to

eight-hour storage market, LDES

lacks sufcient demand and pricing

mechanisms to achieve commercial

viability.”

Revenue certainty is strongest in the

UK, Italy, the US and Australia, with

technology-specic procurement start-

ing to emerge in Spain, Ireland and

Germany. However, most markets lack

capacity mechanisms, and multi-day

arbitrage alone cannot justify LDES

investment.

The report attributes the difcult in-

vestment environment to several fac-

tors, including high interest rates that

make long-payback LDES projects

less attractive, and capital competition

from AI data centres and grid infra-

structure investments. But the biggest

threat is the falling cost of lithium-ion

batteries.

In China, where 93 per cent of LDES

is installed, four-hour lithium-ion bat-

tery projects cost $107/kWh, against

$190/kWh for thermal energy storage

and $201/kWh for compressed air en-

ergy storage (CAES).

a na d i um r ed ox  ow b a tte ri e s

(VRFB) project costs, while projected

to fall by around one-third by 2034, are

240 per cent higher than lithium iron

phosphate battery projects for four-

hour duration, explains Priya Shrivas-

tava, research manager, energy storage

supply chain at Wood Mackenzie.

“The dramatic cost reductions lithi-

um-ion achieved over the past decade

will be difcult for emerging E

technologies to replicate,” she said.

Wood Mackenzie expects lithi-

um-ion batteries to hold an 85 per cent

share through 2034. Demand for the

multi-day storage segment will remain

limited, as the two- to eight-hour sys-

tems already cover the vast majority of

storage needs – multi-day discharge

events occur on fewer than 10 days per

year in most regions.

A handful of large-scale LDES proj-

ects are under development globally,

including Highview’s 50 MW/300

MWh liquid air energy storage project

in the UK, Energy Dome’s 20 MW/200

MWh CO

battery in Italy, and multi-

ple GWh-scale CAES and thermal

projects across China. But moving

from demonstration to commercial

scale deployment will remain chal-

lenging without key market design

reforms, the report concludes.

While remaining heavily reliant on

conventional and nuclear generation,

Russia is gradually building renew-

able energy installations, according to

intelligence rm lobalata, with

cumulative capacity forecast to reach

18.4 GW by 2035, up from 9.8 GW

in 2025. This represents a compound

annual growth rate (CAGR) of ap-

proximately 6.5 per cent.

Wind and solar PV are the principal

drivers of renewable expansion in the

country.

Onshore wind capacity is projected

to increase from 4.3 GW in 2025 to

10.2 GW by 2035, supported by struc-

tured capacity supply agreements and

domestic equipment localisation pol-

icies. Solar PV capacity is expected

to rise from 3.1 GW in 2025 to 5.3

GW by 2035, driven primarily by

utility-scale installations across

southern and eastern regions.

Renewable capacity additions are

being implemented under a capacity

supply agreement framework for re-

newable energy that provides selected

wind and solar projects with xed

capacity payments for up to 15 years

within the wholesale electricity and

capacity market – reducing wholesale

price exposure and enhancing long-

term revenue predictability.

Domestic content requirements em-

bedded within auction rounds have

supported the development of local

turbine assembly and solar module

production, aligning renewable de-

ployment with broader industrial pol-

icy objectives.

Wind and solar expansion are being

facilitated in the Volga region of

southern Russia, where grid infra-

structure and irradiation levels are

favourable.

Thermal generation continues to

dominate Russia’s power mix. Gas

red capacity is forecast to expand

from 143.5 GW in 2025 to approxi-

mately 151.2 GW by 2035. Coal ca-

pacity is projected to gradually de-

cline over the forecast period, while

oil red capacity should remain large-

ly unchanged. Nuclear power capac-

ity is projected to increase from 26.8

GW in 2025 to 28.6 GW by 2035.

Mohammed Ziauddin, Power Ana-

lyst at GlobalData, noted that Russia’s

renewable energy focus will be on

auctions and localisation require-

ments, with priority given to domestic

manufacturing development and se-

lected regional deployment.

Long duration energy storage faces

funding crunch

Russia’s renewable energy capacity to reach 18.4 GW by 2035

Kyrgyzstan to build $200

million solar power plant

Embedded carbon rules could shape

hydrogen’s future growth

n EU’s rules on cross-border carbon affect project viability

n Infrastructure and de-risking could boost green hydrogen

n LDES struggles to compete with lithium-ion batteries

n Higher cost and limited demand damage prospects

Photo by Kindel Media

EMPOWERING

TOMORROW'S

UTILITIES TODAY

Global Exhibitors

250+

Conference Delegates

1,000+

Conference Sessions

120+

Participating Countries

110+

Exhibition Attendees

25,000+

Expert Speakers

500+

CONNECTING

COMMUNITIES

Supported By

1 9-21 MAY 2026 | ABU DHABI, UAE

HOSTED BY

The National Investment Agency has

signed a ‘stabilisation regime’ for the

construction of a 325 MW solar pow-

er plant in the village of Ak-Kuduk,

Naryn region, with preliminary invest-

ment estimated at $200 million.

Deputy Head of the Agency Meer-

imbek Koichumanov attended the

signing, alongside representatives

from Solar Systems and AST Imperial.

The stabilisation regime guarantees

that the legal and economic conditions

for investors will remain unchanged

during the project implementation pe-

riod, reducing risks and safeguarding

investment.

Photo courtesy of pexels

Junior Isles

Siemens Smart Infrastructure is ex-

panding its data centre ecosystem

through a strategic investment in, and

partnership with, Emerald AI, along-

side the integration of Fluence battery

energy storage solutions, and the ad-

dition of collaborative physics-based

AI modelling with PhysicsX.

According to Siemens, together

these capabilities create exibility

across computing, energy, and infra-

structure systems, thereby helping

data centre operators connect to the

grid faster, scale efciently, and oper-

ate reliably in a power-constrained

world.

As AI drives unprecedented demand

for data centre capacity, the industry

faces a growing challenge in aligning

rapidly expanding computing infra-

structure with available power.

“Scaling AI infrastructure isn’t just

a computing challenge, it is equally

an energy and infrastructure chal-

lenge,” said Ruth Gratzke, President

of Siemens Smart Infrastructure U.S.

“As demand for AI processing accel-

erates, data centre growth is increas-

ingly constrained by grid capacity and

interconnection timelines.

He added: “Addressing this re-

quires complex coordination across

both the digital and energy domains.

Siemens is actively investing in key

technologies and partnerships to ex-

pand the ecosystem required to

scale AI responsibly and support

the next generation of data centre

infrastructure.”

Emerald AI enables AI workloads to

shift in time and location to align with

grid conditions, allowing data centre

demand to respond dynamically to

available power. By coordinating

when and where AI workloads run

alongside dispatching onsite energy

resources, this approach helps smooth

peak demand, achieves faster and

larger grid connections for data cen-

tres, and reduces pressure on con-

strained power infrastructure.

The strategic investment in Emerald

AI strengthens Siemens’ ability to

introduce exibility at the computing

layer. When combined with Siemens’

expertise in power infrastructure and

operational technology, this creates

true IT/OT convergence between AI

workloads and power systems.

A key element of this expanded eco-

system is the addition of Fluence’s

grid-scale energy storage solutions,

designed to support the next genera-

tion of high-performance AI data cen-

tres. As computing clusters grow in

size and density, Fluence energy stor-

age solutions enable data centres to

accelerate grid connection by shaping

load and coordinating ramp rates,

making large AI-scale demand more

predictable and easier for utilities to

approve. This can turn power-con-

strained locations into viable data

centre sites and accelerate time to

power, which can enable deployment

of energy storage in months rather

than years of grid upgrades.

Fluence’s energy storage solutions

can also provide dispatchable, on-site

power that aims to enable data centres

to operate during grid build-outs, ca-

pacity shortfalls, or outages. By sup-

porting consistent power quality and

exible scaling, luence can help data

centre operators bring capacity online

faster while maintaining the reliabil-

ity required for mission-critical AI

workloads.

Strengthening this ecosystem fur-

ther, Siemens is collaborating with

PhysicsX to apply physics AI to the

design and operation of data centre

power distribution systems.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems has in-

creased its adjusted revenue to €5.72

billion (£4.89 billion) in 2025. Driven

primarily by strong demand for energy

supply solutions for large data centres

and the dynamic defence business, the

company recorded an increase of 19

per cent over the previous year.

At the same time, the return on sales

improved signicantly from . per

cent to 17.4 per cent. Adjusted operat-

ing prot rose to 5 million (202:

€662 million). Order intake also devel-

oped positively, increasing by 21 per

cent to €7.14 billion (£6.11 billion).

The company said the gures demon-

strate the effectiveness of “the clear

strategy, targeted investments and con-

sistent expansion” of industrial capac-

ities – both globally and in Germany.

“Our strategy is working – and our

results prove it. Over the past three

years, we have increased revenue by

50 per cent, more than doubled our

return on sales and tripled our prot,

said Dr Jörg Stratmann, CEO of Rolls-

Royce Power Systems AG. “We are

continuing this momentum: we are

growing in a targeted manner in mar-

kets that are crucial for energy supply,

security and technological sovereign-

ty, and are investing a high three-digit

million euro amount worldwide in new

capacities, technologies and innova-

tions – more than ever before.”

Five initiatives are at the heart of the

strategic orientation: energy genera-

tion, defence, marine, battery storage

and service. They determine where

Rolls-Royce Power Systems invests

and specically expands its industrial

and technological strengths.

In a separate announcement, in late

March Rolls-Royce SMR and Swedish

nuclear technology company Studsvik

AB signed a Memorandum of Under-

standing (MoU) to explore further

collaboration and broaden their rela-

tionship across Studsvik’s full range of

services to support the Small Modular

Reactor (SMR) programme.

The agreement enables the two com-

panies to evaluate Studsvik’s capabil-

ities and facilities and further explore

ways they can support the future de-

ployment of Rolls-Royce SMR’s ‘fac-

tory-built’ nuclear power plant.

Rolls-Royce SMR Chief Executive,

Chris Cholerton, said: “This agree-

ment expands our relationship with

Studsvik and strengthens our Europe-

an supply chain, bringing together

worldclass expertise to support the

rollout of Rolls-Royce SMR technol-

ogy. Studsvik’s long-standing capa-

bilities in nuclear services make them

an ideal partner as we accelerate to-

wards deploying our SMRs across

global markets.”

Rolls-Royce SMR continues to

build momentum internationally. The

company has been selected as the pre-

ferred bidder by Great British Energy

 uclear to deliver the Us rst

s, by European utility E to

deploy up to   of new nuclear

power in the Czech Republic and is

one of only two SMR companies to

progress to the nal stage of atten-

fall’s technology selection process in

Sweden.

US solar panel manufacturer First So-

lar says it expects revenues of $4.9-5.2

billion this year, below analysts’ ex-

pectations of $6.2 billion, as a result of

shifting US tariff policy and a slow-

down in demand for clean energy.

irst olars hief inancial fcer

Alexander R Bradley said he was see-

ing “a strategic shift by certain play-

ers, especially oil and gas and the

European utility players, to reallocate

capital away from renewable devel-

opment in the US into some of the

more core businesses”.

Following the announcement, the

companys share price slid . per

cent in late February. Investors were

also unnerved by the cancellation of an

order for 6.6 GW with Lightsource BP,

the largest solar developer in Europe.

The company’s guidance was also hit

by the shifting US tariff regime, with

its Asian manufacturing operations in

India, alaysia and ietnam subject

to levies on exports to the US of 20-50

per cent since late 2025.

Analysts say appetite for solar energy

faces long-term challenges due to ris-

ing demand for baseload power for

energy-intensive sectors such as data

centres and manufacturing.

First Solar’s business, however, will

likely receive a boost with the recent

signing of a patent licensing agreement

that gives it access to existing issued

patents and currently pending patent

applications of Oxford Photovoltaics

imiteds (xford  per-

ovskite-based solar technology.

The non-exclusive license paves the

way for First Solar to continue advanc-

ing its development of photovoltaic

( solar devices employing a per-

ovskite semiconductor – the next gen-

eration of solar technology – for po-

tential applications in the US

utility-scale, commercial and industri-

al and residential markets.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

continues on growth path

First Solar predicts dip in revenues

under US renewable energy policy

Engie to buy UK Power Networks

Siemens expands data centre

partner ecosystem

n Investment in Emerald AI bridges gap between AI computing demand and grid constraints

n anded ecosstem rins comtin and ower eiilit toether to accelerate

grid interconnection

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

Companies News

Photo by Kindel Media

Discover innovations,

insights, and solutions

shaping the clean energy future.

POWERING

THE FUTURE

OF CLEAN

ENERGY

13 - 14 MAY 2026

SEC, GLASGOW

ENGINEERING A NET ZERO

FUTURE, TOGETHER

www.all-energy.co.uk/mib

French utility Engie is set to expand its

role in supplying power to households

and businesses after agreeing to buy

UK Power Networks, Britain’s biggest

electricity distribution company, for

£10.5 billion ($14 billion).

U ower etworks is one of ve

major power distribution networks in

Britain, deriving its revenues from a

portion of customer bills. It is the larg-

est electricity distribution company in

the UK by number of customers, serv-

ing 8.5 million households and busi-

nesses across London and the south-

east of England.

Engie said it would nance the ac-

quisition through €4 billion of asset

sales, new debt and a  billion capital

raising.

Engie Chief Executive Catherine

MacGregor said Britain would become

the group’s second-largest contributor

of operating prot after rance. he

pointed to the UK’s “clear decarboni-

sation and electrication strategy,

which goes hand in hand with consid-

erable investment needs in networks

and energy infrastructure”.

The utility also raised its 202 prot

targets, saying it expected net income

of between €4.6 billion and €5.2 billion

this year, up from a previous range of

€4.2 billion to €4.8 billion, due to the

acquisition.

their needs and tailor a solution to

them,” he said.

Such tailored solutions essentially

mean developing plant control sys-

tems capable of handling the tasks

needed to run an asset that must be

reliable and available. These tasks

can be divided into two areas – the

operational tasks and maintenance

tasks. To run the plant, the operator

has to ensure that all the maintenance

tasks have been carried out – this

covers both preventative maintenance

and monitoring.

“There are a lot of things involved

in the operations aspect,” said Abbasi.

“They include maintaining all the

EHS [environment, health and safety]

requirements, and all the ISO stan-

dards that need to be met in the vari-

ous locations – and each location has

its own regulatory requirements.

Emissions have to be monitored and

reported proactively.”

On top of this, he noted that as per-

sonnel change, staff need continuous

development. “The plant operation is

really the backbone of the plant.

Without this central role, things will

not run. It’s a very unique role and it’s

not easy to nd ualied people. f-

ten, they work beyond retirement be-

cause there is such a demand for

them. And we often seek advice from

them because of the need for their

experience.”

These are the challenges that Sie-

mens Energy is trying to help its cus-

tomers with by developing systems

that are automated and ultimately

autonomous.

Typically, in the past a gas red

combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT)

would be run by around 35-40 people,

varying slightly according to whether

it is owned by an independent power

producer or government utility. But

plant in this way are one element, the

demand for people with the right

skills to work in these plants is “caus-

ing all sorts of challenges”.

Abbasi explained: “For example,

our capacity is limited and we are in-

creasing that capacity. So, we will

look for people and resources to work

in our factories. But we are competing

with the power plants, since they need

similar skilled people. So, there’s a

skills gap in terms of capability.”

At plant manager level the chal-

lenge is even greater, where special-

ist knowledge and experience are

needed.

“The plant manager is like the cap-

tain of the ship – they need to know

all the regulatory requirements, how

to operate the plant, not only for the

year but over the next few years. So,

they need to have integral knowledge

of the plant but also need to know

what is happening in the energy

landscape so the plant can be readied

for the type of operation that is re-

quired in the future.”

Balancing the need for skilled staff,

and whether those staff are even

needed, against the cost pressures that

come with operating a plant initially

designed to run 24/7 but now operates

only when required, is a tricky task.

Although striking the right balance

depends on the plant owner’s operat-

ing model, Abbasi notes that Siemens

Energy is “in the game to help cus-

tomers nd solutions that meet their

needs”.

“In the past the requirement was for

baseload, efcient plant, so we tai-

lored our solution to that. Now we see

a change in many markets, due to the

energy transition, so our customers’

models are changing. So instead of

being a product provider we are in a

co-creation mode where we discuss

he drive towards decarbonisa-

tion has changed the power gen-

eration landscape over the last

decade or so and, with the falling cost

of renewables, will continue to do so

for years to come. Many countries

have set net zero targets and European

countries are among the frontrunners

in the drive to achieve net zero carbon

emissions by 2050.

The shift to clean renewables –

mostly intermittent wind and solar

–has resulted in conventional plant,

originally designed to operate at

baseload, changing their operating

regimes to run for fewer hours. This

in itself has brought signicant

challenges to power plant operators.

Waheed Abbasi, SVP Gas Services

EU & Africa at Siemens Energy, com-

mented: “The traditional generation

business – whether it’s coal or gas –

still has a role to play in supporting

the transition to renewables. And with

gas being cleaner than coal, there has

been a demand for faster [starting and

ramping] power plants. Not necessar-

ily for baseload, but for maintaining

grid stability and providing peaking

capacity when there is no solar or

wind.”

This new type of operating regime

can shorten equipment lifespan and

therefore increase operation and

maintenance (O&M) costs. But in the

changing energy system, there is

greater competitive pressure, which

in turn creates a need to optimise.

“You have to optimise your opera-

tions and how you do things,” said

Abbasi. “This puts pressure on costs

as well as how you respond to market

requirements.” Using a peaking plant

as an example, he said: “You may not

need to run the plant for one or two

weeks. But that doesn’t mean the

plant does not need to be maintained.

The dispatcher will call for power,

and you may have around 30 minutes

to have the plant up and running. So,

it has to be always ready.

“But the question is: if you have a

fully staffed plant, how do you pay

for all the people and things you

need to do for a normal [baseload]

plant when you are rarely running

the plant? This is the dilemma a plant

owner or operator has to think about.

It is about how to maximise your

asset utilisation while ensuring reli-

able, safe compliance and immediate

availability.”

Although the resulting increased

 costs of running a gas red

Special Interview

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

chievin reliale and ecient ower lant oeration is ecomin increasinl diclt as the ener landscae

transorms lant oerators need soltions that redce stan ressre stailise costs and maintain lant

readiness nder all oeratin models r aheed asi enior ice resident o as ervices roe  rica

at iemens ner elains how the coman is sortin the shit rom conventional onsite oeration and

maintenance towards remotel manaed and ltimatel atonomos lant oerations Junior Isles

The unmanned milestone:

ia

autonomous power

Abbasi: It is about how to

maximise asset utilisation

isiiasa

compliance and immediate

availability

Aisasaiisacssisa

icisi-ai

far more informed and comprehensive

than a human can make.”

Siemens Energy’s cooperation with

Drax Group over the years is a good

example of how far control systems

have come. Siemens Energy had long

term service agreements (LTSAs)

with Drax, covering turbines at three

UK open-cycle power plants –

Hirwaun, Progress and Millbrook.

When Drax decided the units would

be used for peaking operation, it is-

sued an open tender for each plant’s

operation and maintenance.

Building on the existing service

agreement and drawing on its broad

power plant equipment and plant

control expertise, Siemens Energy

came up with the concept of remotely

operating the three plants from its

Remote Operational and Control

Center in Newcastle.

“I believe it was this concept that

helped us win the tender,” said Ab-

basi. “We then developed the solution

with them, with the goal of making

the plants reliable and available so

they can dispatch when needed.”

The remote operating centre will

control three SGT4000F gas turbines

and grid technology equipment,

managing large amounts of data from

disparate systems to enable compli-

cated decision-making in both opera-

tions and market participation.

This type of remote operation is es-

pecially welcomed by independent

power producers (IPPs) looking for

new models that allow them to opti-

mise their operations.

Abbasi explained: “The historical

baseload models no longer work, so

they come to us to help create a solu-

tion that meets their requirements for

the grid. The tender could be for a

peaker that has to make a specied

number of starts at short notice for a

certain period of time, and they get

paid for doing this. But those pay-

ments are not the same for being

baseloaded, so they have to optimise.”

With the need to be commercially

successful, one clear goal is to reduce

the number of operating staff – with

the ‘holy grail’ being a plant that can

operate autonomously. According to

Abbasi, there are a few critical chal-

lenges on the road to this goal.

“Safety is super-critical,” he said.

“Everything starts with securing the

safety of people, and secondly the

safety of equipment. This is funda-

mental. You can also argue that safety

includes cybersecurity because people

will try to hack the system to destroy

it. Then it’s about what you deliver,

i.e. availability and reliability.

“Another aspect might be opera-

tional excellence – how you run it.

You don’t w an t t o exc ee d emis si ons

or operate the machine in a way that

results in extraordinary maintenance,

because that adds to the cost. And you

want to look into the future to see the

preventative things you can do to fend

off potential problems. The control

system of the future has to do all of

this.”

uch a system is the rst level of

autonomy, whereby it can look at all

the data coming from sensors to

make the decisions that would nor-

mally be made by maintenance staff

and operators.

“The system would tell you that you

generally, the move is towards greater

optimisation of resources.

Giving an example, Abbasi said: “A

traditional control system of the past

was not like it is today. Now you have

articial intelligence (I tools and

all the incoming information that al-

lows you to react faster and plan a lot

of things in advance. Today you have

more knowhow and knowledge of

your machine. So, less people are re-

quired to monitor it, and this is what

we are driving towards – where the

system can autonomously take care of

things for you.”

Such systems are evolving but full

autonomy is not yet a reality. Abbasi

compared it to self-driving cars: “We

need the technology and we see it in

the future but we’re not there yet. We

are developing it phase-by-phase.

You sta rt s ma ll – at equip me nt l evel

you have automation, then you bring

it to plant level automation.”

A plant, however, is only one of the

pieces connected to the grid, which is

an ecosystem. “It’s like an autono-

mous car on a street that connects all

the cars around it in an ecosystem,”

said Abbasi. “So, it’s about how we

integrate into an ecosystem. That’s

why it’s a journey of automation and

digitalisation. We have solutions at

the equipment level and plant level,

which brings opportunities to opti-

mise, automate and do unmanned

tasks. ut the nal result depends on

how the whole system integrates.”

Control system capabilities have

advanced tremendously over the last

years, as processing power has in-

creased, to allow real-time data analy-

sis and automation. “Today there is

tremendous computing power with

processors that work in nanosec-

onds,” said Abbasi. “So, the evolution

of computing technology has given us

much greater ability to automate.”

Certainly, real-time automation has

changed how systems can be con-

trolled. Combining real-time data

analysis with machine learning and

AI allows control systems to make

adjustments in real-time.

“The technology has given us the

tools to develop AI systems that can

monitor all the data coming from the

sensors – not only from the turbine

but from the plant. For example, you

can look at emissions such as NOx,

vibration data and decide to either

keep a unit running or shut it down in

a controlled manner,” said Abbasi.

He added: “Because an AI system

can handle as many inputs as you can

give it, it can make decisions that are

Special Interview

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

isisisssaaaaaiaas

The Remote Operational and

icas

ica

Group’s power plants

of managing complex load changes in

real-time

n Built-in safety functions that trigger

controlled, protective shutdowns, not

abrupt trips

n Flexible driving modes and reliabil-

ity-enhancing upgrades

n Integrated digital tools, training, and

consulting to help plant teams master

new operating models

According to the company, this is

where its Omnivise T3000 sets the

benchmark. The system was rst in-

troduced decades ago but has evolved

signicantly.

Commenting on the T3000’s capa-

bilities and its development over the

years, Abbasi said: “From my per-

spective, the evolution has been quite

drastic because the backbone is very

reliable. It has multiple layers of cy-

bersecurity built into it; all of the fea-

tures in the control system have been

tested, and they work.

“Now we are looking at how it’s

evolving in terms of its capability

to operate and automate. We are

doing this through test cases with

customers.”

He cited one case where Siemens

Energy was asked to explore how its

control system could improve a

plants efciency, i.e. burn less gas to

deliver the same power output. The

company developed a tailored plant

control system that allowed Dubai

Electricity and Water Authority

(E to signicantly improve ef-

ciency at the Jebel li ower and

Desalination Complex.

Together, Siemens Energy and

DEWA implemented what is claimed

to be the worlds rst I lant Intel-

ligent Controller. The system deliv-

ered signicant results, including a

2.2 per cent improvement in ef-

ciency and fuel savings, in addition

to a reduction of 35 000 tonnes of

carbon emissions per year for each

power block.

Following these exceptional re-

sults, in October last year the two

companies signed a new agreement

to implement the second phase of the

project in M-Station Power Blocks

20 & 30 at the complex.

In another project that moves the

industry even further forward in

terms of what control systems can

ultimately enable, Siemens Energy

undertook a pioneering project in

Germany.

The transformation of Volkswa-

gen’s historic Wolfsburg cogenera-

tion plant, modernised from a coal

red landmark into an advanced gas

red facility, represented another

important milestone in the journey to

autonomous operation. In modernis-

ing the plant, which provides elec-

tricity to VW’s manufacturing facili-

ties as well as to the city of Wolfsburg,

VW wanted to have a plant that

could run unattended for three days.

The challenge saw Siemens Energy

and VW agree on a groundbreaking

initiative known as the 72 hour op-

eration without constant supervision

(BosB72), with the goal of designing

a control system that could run unat-

tended for 72 hours, responding to

remote commands and managing

safe, controlled power plant shut-

downs autonomously.

The modernisation saw Siemens

Energy implement a comprehensive

and innovative solution based on two

SGT-800 gas turbines and the state-

of-the-art control system Omnivise

T3000. This digital control system

was the key to enabling BosB72

functionality.

“Here, we had to deliver a solution

based on certain customer require-

ments dened as os2. This was

all audited by a third party to ensure

that we complied with the require-

ments,” said Abbasi. “Our objective

was to work with the customer to

develop a control mechanism and

system that could run with no human

intervention. It had to have the capa-

bility to see any issues, react to them

and adjust the operation; or shut it

down safely if necessary.

“What made this project exceptional

is not simply that the plant can run

unattended for three days, rather that

it operates on a system able to think,

adapt and respond autonomously.”

To achieve this, the journey began

with an assessment between Volk-

swagen, Siemens Energy and an inde-

pendent inspection authority. Togeth-

er, they conducted indepth analyses

and evaluated logistical site con-

straints to ensure compliance with

every safety regulation.

This validation phase demonstrated

Siemens Energy’s “partner-educator”

approach. “We don’t just deliver a

solution, we help shape it, test it, and

tailor it to real world conditions,” said

the company.

The Omnivise T3000 enabled the

plant to:

n Autonomously respond to remote

load commands for electricity and heat

n Execute controlled shutdowns in

emergencies to prevent damage and

maintain availability

n Free-up staff to focus on critical

maintenance or manage personnel

shortages more effectively.

While the control system has the

Omnivise T3000 at its core, it has

custom-built modules designed for

the plant. These modules, says Sie-

mens Energy, are developed and

“trained” using a mix of data from the

turbines at Wolfsburg, as well as ex-

perience from Siemens Energy’s

wider eet.

“AI is not only leveraging data from

this particular plant; we also have the

know-how from hundreds of opera-

tional units,” said Abbasi.

With the concept proved at Wolfs-

burg, Siemens Energy plans to con-

tinue to develop systems that will

enable its customers to meet the

changing operational demands of the

new energy landscape.

“The integration of renewables into

the grid will require a lot of adjust-

ment in the control systems and how

you operate and manage them. Our

systems will help customers integrate

all their assets, and manage and dis-

patch them. We will be leveraging AI

to help integrate wind, solar and their

other assets and optimise their dis-

patch. This is where the future is go-

ing,” said Abbasi.

He concluded: “I’m super-excited

about the energy transition. Just two

years ago we were projecting energy

demand growth of 65-70 GW per an-

num for our gas business but today we

easily see it hitting triple digits. As a

major OEM, we have a role to play in

this transition, and we want to ensure

we have the solutions our customers

are looking for.”

need to maintain or inspect a piece of

equipment in, say, 1000 hours, to

prevent an event. So when you are

ofine, you can do it anytime when

you have time,” said Abbasi.

He noted that the operational part of

system autonomy is much more

achievable in the near term. Achiev-

ing autonomous maintenance is,

however, further in the future. Much

depends on what the plant owner is

trying to achieve.

“At the end of the day, what is the

vision? It could be that you design

systems that self-maintain. But some

systems cannot be self-maintained,

which means intervention from a hu-

man or a robot. We are already doing

exterior visual inspections using

drones, with a system detecting if

something’s wrong based on visual

feedback. The next decade will be

about how you integrate automation,

which can be robotic.”

As the industry evolves, remote

O&M naturally transitions into un-

manned operations, where digital in-

telligence handles routine decisions

and safeguards the plant. However,

autonomy requires more than soft-

ware, it requires a control system

engineered for safe, independent de-

cision-making.

Siemens Energy’s approach to au-

tonomy has so far seen the develop-

ment of:

n Intelligent control systems capable

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

Special Interview

sa

control system enables the

aa

72 hours

asai

sass

caiaa

caaaiaas

aciiisaia

milestone in the journey to

autonomous operation

grid stability. For example, Europe’s

utility-scale battery storage deploy-

ments increased by about 45 per cent

year-on-year in 2025, according to

several reports published in early

2026, as governments and utilities

sought to balance intermittent renew-

able generation.

Higher fossil fuel prices further im-

prove the economics of renewables,

which offer predictable, long-term

costs once deployed. Corporations

are responding by accelerating sus-

tainability commitments: by early

2026, about 15 per cent of Fortune

Global 500 companies had joined the

RE100 initiative, pledging to source

100 per cent renewable electricity.

This is part of a broader trend where

nearly half (45 per cent) of the For-

tune Global 500 have now set formal

he Iran war’s disruption of fos-

sil fuel supplies, including the

threat to oil and gas shipments

through the Strait of Hormuz, has ex-

posed the fragility of a system still

dependent on geopolitically vulnera-

ble resources. Brent crude prices

surged above $110 per barrel in early

2026, versus an average of just under

$70 in 2025. LNG exports from Qatar

faced curtailment after attacks on crit-

ical infrastructure, according to S&P

Global. The disruptions are not mere-

ly a short-term shock. There are di-

verging views among experts on the

magnitude of the conicts impact on

global energy markets, yet most agree

the impact is signicant. They are a

reminder of the strategic risks tied to

fossil fuel dependence.

Global decarbonisation and the

energy transition were already ad-

vancing rapidly prior to the conict.

Clean energy investment hit a record

$3.3 trillion in 2025, with two-thirds

directed toward renewables, grids,

and storage, according to the Interna-

tion Energy Agency (IEA). The con-

icts most immediate economic im-

pact is the sharp rise in fossil fuel

prices, which strengthens the case for

clean energy. Solar, wind, and battery

storage are now cheaper than fossil

fuel alternatives in over 90 per cent of

new projects globally, reports the

IEA’s 2026 ‘World Energy Outlook’.

The cost of lithium-ion battery

storage fell by about 30 per cent in

2025, year-on-year, to around $78/

MWh, according to BloombergNEF,

making renewable energy systems

with storage increasingly viable for

net zero targets, according to data

from Climate Impact Partners. This

represents an increase, despite signif-

icant political negativity in some ju-

risdictions, such as the United States.

Financing tools are now better

equipped to support the green shift.

limate nance has evolved into a

roughly $2 trillion annual market,

driven by green bonds, sustainabili-

ty-linked loans and public-private

partnerships. The Green Climate

Fund and multilateral development

banks have mobilised private capital

for large-scale renewable projects,

particularly in emerging markets,

though, admittedly, signicant de-

ployment gaps remain.

In 2026, global issuance of sustain-

able debt is projected to reach $900

billion, according to Moody’s, re-

ecting steady investor demand for

assets aligned with net zero goals.

These nancial innovations are criti-

cal to overcoming one of the transi-

tion’s biggest challenges: securing

affordable, long-term capital. The

conicts disruption of fossil fuel

markets is likely to further incentivise

investors to prioritise clean energy,

which offers stable returns insulated

from volatile commodity prices.

The conict is pushing, and is likely

to continue to push in the near-term,

governments to accelerate renewable

energy projects, cut fossil fuel subsi-

dies and introduce carbon pricing.

While some governments have

slowed their climate action, public

support for the shift is strong. A recent

survey found that about 88 per cent of

EU citizens want the bloc to do more

on wind and solar, for example.

Looking at the EU’s efforts, one can

clearly nd a positive trend. The EUs

energy plan sets a binding target of

42.5 per cent renewables by 2030,

with an ambition to reach 45 per cent.

Solar capacity is on track to reach

around 650 GW, slightly ahead of

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

Decarbonisation Series

The Iran conict has disrted loal ener marets sddenl sarin man estions aot the ener transition

The rice shoc and sl riss have shed clean ener to the centre o loal strate hat looed lie a

setac has clearl instead ecome a catalst Joseph Jacobelli.

Iran: accelerating the energy transition

Source: Joseph Jacobelli, ‘The Iran Conflict: Catalyst or Constraint for the Energy Transition?’ (Infographic, Google

NotebookLM, 28 March 2026).

plan. Wind is more of a concern.

Member states are currently tracking

at around 450 GW against a 500 GW

target, leaving a meaningful gap to

close.

The positive trajectory is not with-

out some bumps. There is a risk, for

example, that some governments use

the crisis as a pretext to build more

fossil fuel infrastructure, locking in

emissions for decades. Yet, faster

planning approvals for renewables

and tougher efciency rules would

help guard against this. So would a

rmer commitment to ending fossil

fuel subsidies. Nearly half of current

EU subsidies have no scheduled end

date, sitting in direct tension with the

bloc’s own climate targets.

Other challenges include supply

chain disruptions, particularly for

critical minerals such as lithium, co-

balt and copper, which could delay

clean energy projects, as demand for

these materials outpaces supply and

rening capacity remains concentrat-

ed in a few countries, according to

loombergE. hile the conict

has increased shipping costs and in-

surance premiums, the price of solar

panels and wind turbines has contin-

ued to fall (down 50 to 60 per cent

since 2022) due to oversupply and

efciency gains. owever, grid mate-

rials like cables and transformers

have nearly doubled in price, says the

IEA, straining projects and budgets.

Inationary pressures and nancing

constraints are particularly acute in

emerging markets. In the short term,

Asia’s response to disrupted LNG

supplies has led to a surge in coal use,

with countries like South Korea,

Bangladesh, and India increasing coal

red power generation to stabilise

energy security. For example, Ban-

gladesh has rationed fuel and closed

universities, while India has boosted

domestic coal production to offset

imports, reported NPR.

Despite some headwinds, the IEA

conrms that global clean energy in-

vestment continues to rise, reaching a

record $2.2 trillion in 2025 and pro-

jected to grow further, driven by the

economic advantages of renewables

and the urgent need for energy securi-

ty. The Iran conict marks a perma-

nent shift in the global energy land-

scape. Volatile fossil fuel prices have

pushed renewables past a decisive

economic tipping point. Clean energy

now offers the most stable and pre-

dictable returns for global investors.

Many nations are most likely to fast-

track green projects to secure strategic

energy autonomy as public demand

for wind and solar remains over-

whelmingly strong.

Emerging markets will be facing

short-term hurdles, yet clean energy

investment will continue to break

records. Supply chain risks and grid

costs persist, but the momentum is

now undeniable. This energy crisis,

created by the Iran conict, may in

the future be remembered as a key

catalyst that nally ended global

fossil fuel dependence.

Joseph Jacobelli, head of single-fam-

ily ofce Bourne Impact Capital,

brings 30+ years in energy markets.

He champions sustainable nance

through his ‘Asia Climate Finance

Podcast’ and writings like his second

book, ‘Powering the Unstoppable

Green Shift’

Source: Joseph Jacobelli, ‘Key Impacts of the Iran Conflict on the Energy Transition’ (28 March 2026).

acicaascsaiasii Source: Joseph Jacobelli,

(Infographic, Google NotebookLM, March 28, 2026)

acsacicasii Source: Joseph Jacobelli, (March 28, 2026)

emand for data centres is ex-

periencing exponential growth.

Even in the worst case sce-

nario, McKinsey & Company pre-

dicts a 20 per cent growth through

2030. In its report, ‘Beyond com-

pute: Infrastructure that powers and

cools AI data centers’, Global data

centre demand is expected to grow at

a CAGR of 22 per cent and reach

220 GW by 2030 – nearly six times

larger than demand in 2020.

One potential bottleneck to this

growth, however, is the power need-

ed to run them. According to the In-

ternational Energy Agency (IEA),

electricity consumption from data

centres is estimated to amount to

around 415 TWh, or about 1.5 per

cent of global electricity consump-

tion in 2024. It has grown at 12 per

cent per year over the last ve years,

and is predicted to double to reach

around 945 TWh by 2030 in the

IEA’s ‘Base Case’, representing just

under 3 per cent of total global elec-

tricity consumption in 2030.

In an effort to meet this power de-

mand, data centre developers and

operators have been scrambling to

nd ways of meeting the electricity

needs of their power-hungry installa-

tions. While some are eyeing future

technologies such as small modular

reactors, most are turning to renew-

ables, primarily, or building gas tur-

bine-based power plants to address

their immediate needs. Yet the main

constraint is grid connection – a

problem that is particularly acute in

Europe.

During a recent press visit to Coun-

ty Dublin, Ireland, journalists had the

opportunity to look at a project that

offers a solution to the challenge.

Last month Pure Data Centres

Group (Pure DC), the hyperscale

cloud and AI data centre developer

and operator, together with AVK, a

provider of prime, standby and dis-

patchable power solutions for data

centres and AI infrastructure, an-

nounced the launch of Europes rst,

large-scale, on-site microgrid for a

data centre.

Located at the new Pure DC cam-

pus in Fingal, near Dublin city, the

microgrid will operate in island

mode as a fully independent electric-

ity supply system, capable of gener-

ating, storing and managing its own

power.

Essentially, it provides the opportu-

nity for dispatchable capacity to sup-

port data centre operations during

initial development phases, prior to

full integration with the national

electricity system as grid connection

capacity becomes available. Over

time, the campus is intended to oper-

ate as part of a hybrid energy cong-

uration, combining grid-supplied

electricity with on-site infrastructure

designed to enhance exibility, resil-

ience and system stability.

Commenting on the installation,

Pure Data Centre’s newly appointed

CEO, Gary Wojtaszek, said: “What’s

unique about this facility is that it’s

self-powered… They had a chal-

lenge – they couldn’t get connected

to the grid, [so] they built up a

self-generation facility. We’ve

solved a challenge the company has

been suffering with for years...

we’ve also provided a solution that

doesn’t consume a lot of water like

the older data centres did. And there

are also environmental solutions that

help you get to zero carbon.”

The microgrid system, which will

represent about a $1.5 billion invest-

ment when complete, has a total ca-

pacity of 110 MW across three inter-

connected Energy Centres (EC1,

EC2, EC3 at 30 MW each) plus a 20

MW Battery Energy Storage (BESS)

system. It serves a campus with an

operational load that currently stands

at 54 MW but is designed to scale to

90 MW. This means it also has the

potential to help stabilise the grid

when excess power is available.

The idea for the project was rst

hatched about seven years ago –

even before grid constraints became

an issue.

Ben Pritchard, AVK, recalled: “In

2019 data centres were built using a

very well-trodden path… but differ-

ent thinking had to be applied when

Pure Data Centre came to us and

said, we have this site in Dublin that

may never get a grid connection.

nd it was the rst time we saw that

waiting wasn’t an option; so we had

to think outside the box.”

The need for 99.999 per cent, or

ve nines, availability called for

AV K t o a d d “ a n o t h e r l a y e r ” o f t e c h -

nology to conventional solutions.

Pritchard added: “You know you

need a system of, say, 100 MW but

the ramp rate for the load is also

completely undened. o, you have

to design the system with a exibili-

ty that allows for seeing maybe only

  for the rst six months, which

is very different to having an engine

that needs to run at full capacity.”

Drawing on its own expertise in

powering data centres with Pure

Data Centres’ expertise of the pro-

cess, the companies came up with an

integrated architecture that uses a

“tapestry of technologies”. A pilot 10

MW (max. output capacity) microg-

rid system was subsequently de-

signed and installed, and has been

running since 2024.

Pritchard noted: “Some see micro-

grids as a bridging solution but it’s

so much more than that. When we

rst started the conversation with

Pure [Data Centres], we didn’t know

whether there would ever be a grid

connection. So, we went into this de-

signing a scheme that wasn’t there

just for ve years to bridge a gap be-

cause at the time there was no visi-

bility on when a grid would come…

so we went into designing a scheme

that would be able to run for the

foreseeable lifetime of the facility.

“What we are experiencing with

this system is that we’ve built some-

thing that removes demand from the

grid; but also, when that system gets

grid connected, it allows that infra-

structure to participate in grid activi-

ty its the rst time in Europe we

see data centres actually being a solu-

tion to the challenges of the energy

transition and mass grid demand.”

This “temporary” microgrid –

which is seen as the “blueprint” in

terms of performance parameters

and design considerations for how

microgrids will work in the future –

forms the basis for the new larger

installation. It uses a mix of several

2.5 MW MTU Rolls-Royce gas and

diesel engines, some of which can

run on hydrotreated vegetable oil

(HVO) when the gas engines or gas

network fail, and a 2 x 5 MW

BESS.

“This is ‘temporary’ in the fact that

it will one day be decommissioned,”

said Pritchard. “But everything that

we have designed into this scheme is

as complex as the larger scheme.”

Construction of the new scheme is

at an advanced stage. EC1 and EC2

are expected to be fully operational

around September 2026 and will be

followed by EC3 in 2027.

The larger installation is based on

9.8 MW Wärtsilä dual fuel engines –

six already installed (for EC1 and

EC2), with three more to come in the

future (for EC3). These medium

speed engines will run on natural gas

with 1 per cent HVO pilot fuel,

ready to switch to run 100 per cent

on the 72 hours’ worth of HVO bio-

fuel that is primarily kept for back-

up. The microgrid will also incorpo-

rate the existing pilot 10 MW BESS

alongside a new 10 MW BESS.

Apart from the need to reduce the

overall number of engines that

would be needed for the larger facili-

ty, and thereby the footprint, there

were other important drivers behind

the engine selection.

Bob Downing, VP Sales, Energy

Solutions at AVK, explained: “The

medium speed engines are bigger

power blocks, easier to control and

much more adaptable with load

changes. Also, the dual fuel capabili-

ty meets Ireland’s Secondary Fuel

Obligation for microgrids. So, you

have to be able to switch from natu-

ral gas to HVO.”

The obligation is specic to Ire-

land, and Downing points out that

technology choice depends on the

country. With the ability to provide

solutions based on fuel cells medium

speed and high speed engines, as

well as gas turbines, Downing says

the company is targeting microgrid

installations in a number of coun-

tries. With such systems already tak-

ing root in the US, this be-

hind-the-meter solution will no

doubt gain popularity elsewhere.

“We are talking to Germany, the

Netherlands, UK, more in Ireland,

and there’s also a lot of interest in

Spain and Portugal at the moment,”

said Downing.

And as the world continues to em-

brace renewables and the demand

for electricity continues to grow,

with data centres identied as a

strong driver, the developments at

Fingal look set to offer a blueprint

for data centre developers right

across Europe and beyond.

During a recent press visit to County Dublin, Ireland, journalists had the opportunity to look at a project that offers a

solution to the delays data centre developers are facing in bringing power to their facilities. Junior Isles

Powering data centres: a

blueprint for Europe

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

Technology Focus

Artist impression of the data

centre near Dublin, where

construction is well underway

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - APRIL 2026

Final Word

he war launched by the US and

Israel against Iran brings a

sense of déjà vu. One country,

or countries, attacks another, and an

energy crisis ensues – but this time the

ramications are geographically far

more widespread than those that fol-

lowed Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Energy crises have repeatedly ex-

posed the vulnerability of fossil fuel

dependent energy systems  from the

oil shocks of the 1970s to the gas

crisis following Russia’s invasion of

Ukraine and the current conict in the

Middle East.

The war in Iran began pretty much

four years to the day after the still

ongoing Ukraine invasion, but the

world’s energy sector seems no more

prepared. oth renewables and fossil

fuel lobby groups have seied on the

current conicts as pivotal moments

in terms of what should be the imme-

diate response or focus.

The Global Wind Energy Council

(GWEC) last month launched a Wind

Action Plan setting out emergency

policy measures for governments to

accelerate wind energy deployment

and strengthen their energy resilience.

“We need to break the cycle of ener-

gy crises. The unfolding tragedy in the

iddle East and its impact on surging

oil and gas prices is just the latest re-

minder of our vulnerability to volatile

fossil fuels. e simply cant go on like

this, said en ackwell, E of

GWEC. “Economies built around

limitless, homegrown wind and re-

newable energy benet from long-

term, low-cost price certainty.

eanwhile, a new report by ublic

irst, produced in collaboration with

the Royal United Services Institute

(RUSI) and commissioned by Renew-

ableUK, warned that ongoing reliance

on internationally traded gas has left

the U over-exposed to global price

shocks, scal risk and hostile state

activity. The report nds that although

the UK’s energy system is resilient,

this comes with a heavy price tag for

consumers due to unpredictable spikes

in the costs of fossil fuels.

ome politicians, and not only in the

US, also believe the way to energy

independence is to increase domestic

oil and gas extraction. In the U,

where energy prices have been among

the most affected by the conicts in

Ukraine and Iran, the opposition party

has renewed calls for increased drilling

in the North Sea.

ut is this really the most sensible

response, especially when looking for

lasting energy independence

learly fossil fuel independence

cannot come overnight, and there will

be a need for continued investment for

a period. The International as Union

argues that continued investments in

energy infrastructure – including LNG

 and a diverse energy supply are

“critically needed to mitigate market

shocks such as the one we are current-

ly experiencing.

The ublic irst report recognises the

ongoing role of the UK’s North Sea

gas production and the role of gas

storage. However, it concludes that

domestic gas alone cannot protect the

U from international price volatility,

because gas prices are set on global

markets regardless of where the gas is

produced.

New analysis from Aurora Energy

Research also shows that as gas mar-

kets have become more international,

prices have become more volatile

month-to-month, even in the absence

of major shocks.

erhaps those looking to orth ea

elds for the answer should take note

of U public sentiment. fter all, the

proof of the pudding is always in the

eating.

In late March, UK-based energy

supplier ctopus said solar and heat

pump sales surged by more than half

as the Iran conict not only hit prices

at the pump but household energy

prices too.

Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Prod-

uct fcer at ctopus Energy, com-

mented: “We are seeing a massive shift

as people stop just asking and start

acting. ritish families are tired of

being held hostage by global fossil fuel

prices.

For the last several years, Eurelectric,

the organisation representing the

common interests of the European

electricity industry, has advocated

direct electrication using renewables

as the primary, cost-effective pathway

to EU climate neutrality. Although the

main thrust for the need for renewables

might have shifted from climate to

energy security, the electrication

messaging has remained steadfast.

In arch 202, it published its own

Electrication ction lan, identify-

ing the main bottlenecks and laying

out concrete proposals to reignite

progress. This was followed by the

Electrication lliances joint recom-

mendations, putting forward  pro-

posed actions across nine categories,

backed by three overarching priorities.

The EU is expected to ofcially

adopt an electrication action plan

this year; the target is to increase

electricitys share of nal energy

consumption to 2 per cent by 200,

up from 2 per cent in 202.

ith the growing global conicts,

the case for electrication is becoming

increasingly clear-cut, and this was

again brought home at last month’s

Eurelectric EVision conference,

which started just days after the rst

strikes on Iran.

Electric vehicles not only play an

important role in global decarbonisa-

tion through the electrication of

transport, but would also protect

government budgets and drivers from

the high fuel prices triggered by the

war. ut in Europe the clean energy

drive has begun to stutter.

uring a high-level political debate

at EVision, Thomas Pellerin-Carlin,

ember of the European arliament,

strongly criticised recent moves by the

EU, pointing out that there has been

a lack of policy coherence in the

bloc.

There has been a lack of policy

coherence in everything the Commis-

sion has been doing – or rather, undo-

ing – over the last 18 months,” he said,

noting that “for decades” non-coherent

energy policies led to sub-optimal

outcomes for the energy sector as a

whole. Realising that it needed to take

a more system-wide approach  ad-

dressing sectors such as transport,

heat, industry and electricity – on July

14, 2021, it unveiled the ‘Fit for 55’

Package.

Pellerin-Carlin commented: “On

one single day, you had 20 pieces of

legislation that go from the Energy

Efciency irective to 

standards

for cars, to carbon pricing, to energy

taxation directive, renewables, and so

on. That’s the way you need to do

policy. ut thats the way the om-

mission has stopped doing policy.

Over the last 18 months, what we’ve

been witnessing is the great unravel-

ling of the Green Deal, with a salami

approach  just one slice after another.

He added: “On December 16th the

Automotive Package came in, and the

package is about slowing down elec-

trication. ou can wrap it how you

want but the CO

for cars regulation,

as proposed by the ommission, is

worse than the existing law that should

have been implemented under the

202 package.

“A lot of my colleagues think

electrication is happening. Its not.

We are consuming less electricity

now than we did in 2019. And the

new proposal by the ommission

will make electrication worse. o

we are in a situation where we have

two parallel debates: there is the

Eurelectric debate on electricity

grids, and there is the debate on

slowing down electrication and at

the end of the day, if we don’t connect

these, we will be building an electric-

ity grid to nowhere.”

As the world becomes more divided

on the direction of travel, indeed we

seem to be going nowhere. pening

the EVision conference, Eurelectric

Secretary General, Kristian Ruby

summed up the situation best: ow

many wars is it going to take us to

understand that our way to indepen-

dence, to strength, goes by our energy

 electric energy

Edwin Starr once sang “War… What

is it good for? Absolutely nothing”.

erhaps there is one thing it may well

prove good for: accelerating electri-

cation and the clean energy transition.

War… What is it good for?

Junior Isles

Cartoon by Jem Soar