GE Vernova steps up MIT recruitment
Oct 7 – GE Vernova today announced its goal to double the number of interns and permanent hires it brings on board in 2027, expanding its Alliance with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Category: Markets
Germany’s prime carmaker Volkswagen Group, producer of Audi and VW, has committed to invest €30 billion in battery-powered vehicles until 2023. Despite limited raw materials and few available e-car charging stations, there is “significant opportunity,” analysts say, suggesting; “For auto manufactures, it could be a case of evolve or die out.”
National Grid, the UK power and gas system operator, is working towards launching a ‘pathfinder to evaluate constraints and encourage innovation and investment in supply stability. Analysts say this could lower cost for balancing services and ultimately lead to lower energy rates for consumers.
The German finance ministry has made clear it will not pay more into the EU budget to bolster the Commission’s ambitious €1 trillion Green Deal. The ministry said if the EU budget remained at 1 percent of economic output, this would give “enough leeway for mustering the necessary funds through priority setting.”
Bearish sentiment prevails at the U.S. benchmark Henry Hub where gas prices have tumbled to multi-year lows, dragging down wholesale electricity prices at several major hubs like PJM Interconnection and the ISOs in New England, and New York. In Texas, however, high demand and low reserve margins pushed up prices in the peak summer season.
Surging supply from the U.S. and stuttering demand growth in Asia means that in 2020, “Europe will again be called upon to save the day,” said Wood Mackenzie research director Robert Sims. With gas inventories at record highs, European gas buyers are looking for flexible supply, or increased demand creation from within the power sector.
Flow data shows U.S. natural gas output in the Lower 48 states has gained 7.0 billion cubic feet per day y/y to date in January, as shippers struggle with restrictions across the TETCO pipeline network in Appalachia. The return of cold weather this week, and long-term rig decline across Appalachia, starts to drag down production […]
The Japanese government keeps watering down its green energy goals, bowing to cost pressure in the face of slower macroeconomic growth. Ambitious targets to decrease gas and coal generation to 27 percent and 26 percent shares, respectively, and offset that lost capacity with nuclear and renewables, are no longer being pursued.
China’s Blue Sky Policy envisages boosting the share of natural gas in the energy mix from currently 7.5 percent to 15 percent by 2030 which requires substantial investment in LNG and pipeline import capacity and related infrastructure. Imports are forecast to meet more than 70 percent of gas consumption in Greater China in 2040.
Gassco, the Norwegian natural gas pipeline operator, has transported 106.99 billion cubic metres of gas from Norway to northern Europe and the UK in 2019 – just above the volume of Australian LNG exports in the same year.
Spot gas prices at the U.S. benchmark Henry Hub in Louisiana have fallen to their lowest level in the past year since 2016 as domestic production keeps growing. “Lower natural gas prices in 2019 supported higher consumption – particularly in the electric generation sector – and higher natural gas exports,” EIA analysts commented.
- Greensand CCS offers route to decarbonise fossil power
- Glencore signs CIF LNG deal to fuel Suntien’s Hebei power fleet
- Trump-Xi summit: energy trade sits beneath AI headline
- India’s urea build-out crowds out gas-fired power
- Ignitis secures US LNG, adds Henry Hub exposure
- Korea’s GS Energy sources term LNG
- EPC awarded for Colombian LNG terminal, serving power sector
News in Brief
Wärtsilä to power US data center
Oct 5 – Wärtsilä has secured an order to supply a 282 MW onsite power plant for an American data center project. The decentral onsite plant will run on fifteen 50SG engines scheduled for delivery in 2028. The overall power project is expected to be operational in 2029.
PacificLight breaks ground on CCGT with BEES in Singapore
Oct 2 – PacificLight Power has broken ground on a S$1.2 billion hydrogen-ready power plant on Jurong Island, Singapore, a hybrid project integrated with a dedicated battery energy storage system (BEES). With an installed capacity of 670 MW, the combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant will be Singapore’s largest and most efficient single generating unit when it starts up in 2029.
Singapore’s Q4 energy tariffs fall
Sept 30 – Singapore households will have to pay less for gas and electricity in the fourth quarter of 2026. SP Group, Singapore’s grid operator, confirmed the household electricity tariff will fall 10.4%, or 3.32 Singapore cents (S¢) per kWh in the period between October and December 2026. Electricity prices will be at 28.59 S¢ per kWh for the fourth quarter, down from 31.91 S¢ per kWh in from July to September.
Singapore to lower power & gas tariffs
Sept 30 – Singapore households will have to pay less for gas and electricity in the fourth quarter of 2026. SP Group, Singapore’s grid operator, confirmed the household electricity tariff will fall 10.4%, or 3.32 S$cents per kWh in the period between October and December 2026. Electricity prices will be at 28.59 cents per kWh for the fourth quarter, down from 31.91 S$cents per kWh in from July to September.
TTF gas prices rise after Trump rejects Hormuz deal
Sept 28 – European gas prices at the Dutch TTF rose nearly 2.5% on Monday after US President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears that disruptions to Middle East LNG shipments could persist into the winter. The bullishness at Europe’s benchmark gas trading hub is exacerbated by fear of gas shortages, given that gas storages are just under 70% full in key gas consuming markets such as Germany. The Dutch TTF front-month Oct26 contract was last seen trading at €74.05 per Megawatt-hour, while the Brent contract for November delivery was last seen changing hands at $108.08 per barrel.
ProPetro to commit 230 MW to Targa
Sept 25 – ProPetro Holding, has committed to supply 230 MW of behind-the-meter power to support Targa’s natural gas processing infrastructure in the Permian Basin. The new units bring the total contracted capacity to 510 MW, with full deployment expected in early 2028.
Fitch ups INNIO’s credit rating
Sept 24 – Fitch Ratings has upgraded the credit rating of INNIO to BB from B+, with a stable outlook, following a recent upgrade by Moody’s. Analyst said these upgrades reflect INNIO’s strong operating performance and cash flow generation, supported by a growing installed base for power gen assets that helps underpin service revenues.
Emerson builds automation service center in Qatar
Sept 23 – Emerson today announced plans to build its first certified flow calibration lab and an associated automation solution service center in Qatar’s Umm Alhoul Free Zone. The new 3,500-square-metre facility will expand Emerson’s local capabilities for customers across the Middle East and Africa.
MOL inaugurates solar & BESS
Sept 21 – MOL Group has inaugurated a new 37.4 MWp solar park and an associated electricity storage system with 20 MW of nominal power and 40 MWh of storage capacity at its Algyő site in Hungary. The hybrid power unit will strengthens the energy independence of MOL’s own operations at Algyő and reduce operating costs by replacing electricity purchased from the grid.
GE delivers GIS substation at Chesterfield
Sept 16 – GE Vernova is fast-tracking delivery of new 400 kV Gas-Insulated Switchgear (GIS) substation at Chesterfield, UK. The new substation is part of National Grid’s Brinsworth-to-Chesterfield and Chesterfield-to-High Marnham project, with the upgrade using SF₆-free technology to strengthen grid resilience across England and Wales in generations.
Singapore’s energy security hinges on LNG
Sept 14 – Singapore’s experience in the Middle East crisis highlights the country’s exposure to external energy supply shocks. Over 95% of Singapore’s electricity generation is fuelled by imported LNG, hence diversification is paramount for supply security, said Gan Siow Huang, Singapore’s minister of trade and industry. Singapore is hence developing a second LNG terminal with a view to increasing import capacity to 15 mtpa by 2030.
AI-linked power projects double in US
Aug 31 – The number of gas-fired power plant projects, linked to US data centres, has nearly doubled in the first half of 2026. According to Global Energy Monitor, 378 MW of gas capacity is currently under development in the US, one-third of total projected capacity worldwide, led by Texas with 122 MW.
GE to deliver GIS substation at Chesterfield
Aug 27 – GE Vernova has been chosen by Laing O’Rourke to deliver a new 400 kV Gas-Insulated Switchgear (GIS) substation at Chesterfield, UK. The new substation is part of National Grid’s Brinsworth-to-Chesterfield and Chesterfield-to-High Marnham project, with the upgrade using SF₆-free technology to strengthen grid resilience in a sustainable manner. The projects form part of The Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the electricity grid across England and Wales in generations.
New gensets for Project Permian
Aug 26 – Net Power has agreed to purchase 123 MW of new power generation equipment to increase the installed capacity of its Project Permian to nearly 200 MW. The gas-fired power project in West Texas is being gradually scaled up to 1 GW.
Singapore allocates new data centre capacity
Aug 24 – Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) has provisionally allocated 200 MW of new data centre capacity to Digital Realty, Equinix, Keppel Data Centres and ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, with each receiving 50 MW for facilities on Jurong Island. All sites will be developed within JTC’s planned low‑carbon data centre park on Jurong Island, and operators must source more than 50% of their capacity from green or low‑carbon energy such as biomethane, low‑carbon ammonia or hydrogen.
German gas storage only half full
Aug 21 – Germany’s underground gas storage facilities are only about 50% full as of mid-August, well below last year’s roughly 67%. To achieve the targeted 70% filling levels by November, the government is preparing additional intervention options although traders remain cautious amid elevated prices and geopolitical uncertainty.
Russian attack damages DTEK power plant
Aug 19 – A Russian air strike has damaged one of DTEK’s thermal power plant, forcing the Ukrainian operator to shut down one unit. DTEK’s thermal power fleet had an installed capacity of about 13.3 GW as of early 2022, spread across eight plants, though repeated attacks since then have destroyed much of that installed capacity, jeopardising regional electricity supply security.
Wärtsilä powers Texan data center
Aug 17 – Wärtsilä is preparing to deliver an off-grid power solution for a new data center, under construction in Texas. The 790 MW power plant will operate with 42 Wärtsilä 50SG engines running on natural gas.
India’s power demand up 5%
July 29 – Electricity demand in India is on course to rise 4-5% year-on-year in 2027, Fitch Rating reckons, referring to the country’s higher cooling needs and economic growth. Coal remains king in the Indian energy mix, fuelling more than 70% of power stations, while gas-burn fell to 15% in June 2026, down from 22% a year earlier amid supply constraints and higher LNG prices.
