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.
Category: Regulation & Policy
Germany’s planned reform of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) will cut energy transition costs while reshaping the balance between renewables and dispatchable power sources, notably gas-fired plants. Amendments to the EEG and a related grid package are expected to be approved by the cabinet on July 29. Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) has […]
Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham will remove value-added tax from domestic electricity bills from October 1, in an early move to ease household energy costs. The measure will be financed by scrapping the government’s planned digital ID programme, pegged at about 1.8 billion pounds ($2.42 billion). The tax cut will eliminate the 5% VAT […]
Plans to steer the construction of new gas-fired power plants in Germany towards its southern industrial regions carry legal and economic risk. Two-thirds of the total auctioned capacity of 20 GW is meant to be built in the southern grid zone to reduce grid bottlenecks and the need for redispatch. To achieve this regional distribution, […]
UK energy regulator Ofgem has confirmed the domestic energy price cap will rise by 13% to £1,862 from July. While the cap applies to households, volatile wholesales gas prices weigh heavy on company’s operating costs. According to the Office for National Statistics, 66% of UK businesses reported concerns about energy prices earlier this year, rising […]
The German government has approved a draft law to subsidise new gas-fired power plants through competitive auctions, aiming to safeguard electricity supply as Europe’s largest economy accelerates its coal exit. The ruling coalition expects the scheme to cost up to €3 billion in 2031, when all contracted capacity is due to be operational, and up […]
The German government prepares to tender around 9 GW of new gas-fired power of dispatchable gas-fired power plant capacity in September, followed by a second tender in December. Subsequent tenders are expected to be open not only to new-build projects but also to existing plants and other technologies capable of delivering dispatchable capacity, according to […]
China Datang has restarted construction on its long-stalled Fuxin coal-to-gasification plant in Liaoning province, aligned with policies to bolster domestic gas supplies. The project, dormant for a decade due to cost constrains, aims to convert low-quality coal into pipeline-grade natural gas, reducing reliance on LNG imports. Construction on the Fuxin coal-to-gas plant began in 2011 […]
A push by five EU governments for a windfall tax on oil and gas profits could fund consumer relief and curb electricity-price inflation, impacting dispatch economics as well as dark and spark spreads. Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Austria have asked Brussels to skim off “surplus profits” of energy companies after a surge in fuel […]
Private Energy Partners has applied for environmental approval to build the 1,188 MW Gladstone SDA Energy Hub, a hybrid gas‑fired power generation and battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Queensland. The project combines six open‑cycle gas turbines (198 MW each), based on Siemens Energy’s SGT5‑2000E technology, with a co‑located 780 MW lithium‑iron‑phosphate BESS –to be delivered in three phases.
Investors are seeking better incentives for integrated LNG and power projects in Vietnam as guaranteed electricity offtake levels are still too low to make projects break even. Developers said Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with 25-year tenures or a higher minimum offtake level, ideally 85–90%, would help secure predictable cash flows and attract international lenders. These […]
- Electricity demand outpaces GDP growth, IEA finds
- Germany’s EEG reform reshapes role of gas-fired powergen
- Biomass challenges gas power on fuel costs, offsets higher Capex
- Saipem’s Baleine contract to boost Ivory Coast’s gas burn
- Cambodia plans to import first LNG for power-gen in 2027
- Japan deepens LNG-to-power links across Asia
- Constitution Pipeline could save US Northeast consumers $5.8bn
News in Brief
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.
Japan mulls debt financing for US power projects
July 27 – The Japanese government is considering foreign debt finance for gas-fired power projects in the United States that form part of its $550 billion U.S. investment pledge. “If financing from foreign banks materialises, it should further facilitate the procurement of foreign-currency funding needed to implement the investment initiative,” the finance ministry said on the platform X late on Sunday.
EUAs hover around €80/t
July 24 – EU Carbon Emission Allowances are expected to continue their mean-reversion trading around €80/t for the rest of this month, as the Commissions adjustments leave supply-demand balances for carbon credits tight through 2035. Further out, Energy Aspects reckons there may be 250 Mt more allowances in the market through 2040 as the pace of how fast the ETS cap falls has been slowed down for 2036 onwards.
Index seeks partners for Rivers IPP
July 22 – Nigeria’s Index Thermal Power has invited engineering firms, infrastructure developers and institutional investors to join the development and financing of its proposed 1,800 MW gas-fired independent power plant in Rivers State. The project is planned for the Onne Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone in Port Harcourt.
Utilita Energy joins WattsWatt
July 20 – Utilita Energy has become the third energy supplier to join WattsWatt – the national energy information service – alongside Outfox Energy and Home Energy in bid to help households gain affordable warmth by comparign tariffs and improving access to energy efficiency grants.
Electrifying urban air mobility
July 17 – Hitachi Energy and Eve Air Mobility, an Embraer-backed aircraft manufacturer, are looking to advance the electrical infrastructure needed to support urban air mobility. The agreement brings together Hitachi’s Grid-eMotion charging infrastructure with Embraer-backed electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft technology.
H2 turbine market to top $3.5bn
July 15 – The global market for hydrogen (H2)-compatible gas turbines will grow to nearly $3.5 billion by 2032, expanding at an annual rate of over 10% during the forecast period. According to DataM intelligence, hydrogen is emerging as a strategic and sustainable alternative to fossil fuelled power generation as nations strive to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels and stabilize their power grids,
JERA, Samsung collaborate on H2 value chains
July 13 – Japan’s largest power generator JERA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung C&T of Korea to collaborate on hydrogen and ammonia. JERA is developing Japan’s first low-carbon ammonia value-chain, and is targeting start of operations around fiscal year 2029. Samsung C&T focused on low-carbon ammonia infrastructure and supply chain initiatives in Korea, and by combining their capabilities both companies aim to strengthen value chain resilience across Asia.
Seletar Campus to be powered by LNG
July 8 – GasHub has finished an LNG storage and regasification facility at Rolls-Royce’s Seletar Campus in Singapore and begun LNG deliveries, with the system designed to support the campus’s long-term energy requirements, including reliable electricity demand. The setup is part of a shift away from compressed natural gas and aims to reduce fuel deliveries, emissions, and operating costs.
Works start 1GW BESS in Germany
July 6 – Swiss energy storage operator BW ESS has started construction on the 1GW Klostermansfeld project, one of Europe’s largest battery storage projects to date. Situated in the southern Harz region, the battery is designed to supply around three million German households with electricity for at least four hours.
Siemens expand switchgear factory
July 2 – Siemens is investing €300 million to expand the production of high-efficiency power distribution systems for data centers, e-mobility and industrial automation. To that end, Siemens is expanding its switchgear factory in Frankfurt and a new supplier facility in Offenbach, creating 700 new jobs by the end of 2030
Green H2 progresses in Italy
June 29 – IGM, a specialist engineering company, has supplied a 2 MW electrolyser to Industria Gas Tecnici (IGAT), marking the company’s entry into green hydrogen production under Italy’s national Hydrogen Valley programme.
PJM braces for 5.4% load growth
June 26 – PJM Interconnection expects peak summer load will grow at an average of 5.4% per year over the next decade driven by electrification of road transport and the concentration of data centers. Summer peak load in PJM’s Dominion zone was 23,905 MW last year, 23% higher than in 2019, while winter peak load in PJM’s Dominion zone was 25,413 MW in the 2025–26 winter season, 45% higher than five years ago.
Vietnam pushes for LNG-fuelled power
June 25 – Vietnamese authorities in Nghe An province are urging PV Power to speed up development of he $2.25 billion Quynh Lap LNG-to-power project with a view to get the 1,500 MW plant into operation by 2030. Developers – comprising of PetroVietnam affiliate PV Power, Nghe An Sugar Co. and South Korea’s SK Innovation – were asked to prepare a 1:500 construction plan, the feasibility study and other required documentation to speed up permitting.
Gazprom backs Far East power expansion
June 24 – Gazprom is advancing projects to support new gas-fired power generation capacity across Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District to strengthen regional energy security. The initiatives include expanding gas supply infrastructure and ensuring fuel availability for power plants in the region.
Meta invests in solar/BESS
June 22 – Meta is partnering with Enbridge on a hybrid solar and battery energy storage system to power Meta’s data centers in Wyoming. The project comprises 1.6 GW of solar, wind and storage capacity, with the batteries supplied by Tesla.
Oman seeks adviser for IPPS
June 19 – Oman’s Nama Power and Water Procurement Company is seeking advisers for the development of new gas-fired independent power projects (IPPs). Prospective advisors will need to support project structuring, tendering, and negotiations with prospective developers. The advisory tender signals early-stage planning, with project timelines and capacities yet to be disclosed.
RINA to inspect H2WATT project
June 16 – RINA, a global inspection and certification group, has been contracted to assess the safety of the Green Hydrogen Hub Project H2WATT, an initiative lead by Indonesia’s state energy company Persero. The assessment will identify the risk of hydrogen leaks, fire and explosion, and recommend mitigation measures, e.g. ventilation and gas detection systems.
B&W supports 1.6 GW project in Virginia
June 9 – Babcock & Wilcox is collaborating with TerraSpark on a planned 1.6 GW coal-fired power project in West Virginia, part of the proposed TerraSpark Energy Campus, which secured an $18.5 million U.S. Department of Energy grant. The project exemplifies the use of coal-burn for baseload power generation in the United States, complementing gas-fired power in regional grids as feedgas demands for LNG exports keep rising.
