Global Climate News

The UK's Ofgem extended Jonathan Brearley’s term as CEO for five more years until 31 January 2030. Ofgem has been leading the transition to a clean power electricity system to reach net zero by 2050, developing and executing changes in energy infrastructure planning, building and supervision, and reshaping the retail market.

UK-based Mannington Energy Centre Limited has been granted an electricity generation licence by Ofgem on January 8, 2025, authorizing it to generate electricity.

Modo Energy released version 3.3 of its Battery Revenue forecast for Great Britain. The update includes new intraday price modeling, re-optimized battery dispatch in the intraday market, updated nuclear capacities, and commodity price updates. Gas prices for 2025 are 13% higher than previously forecast.

UK-based Green Blades Engineering Limited has been granted an electricity generation licence by Ofgem, authorizing it to generate electricity.

Aurora Energy Research projects a more than threefold increase in Europe’s intermittent renewable energy capacity by 2050. However, this growth will fall short of climate goals due to negative prices, market saturation, and grid congestion. Key strategies to mitigate risks include BESS co-location, portfolio diversification, and accessing additional revenues through capacity, ancillary, and balancing markets. Policymakers need to ensure strong incentives and flexible frameworks to drive sustained renewable growth.

Norwegian SINTEF and Heimdall Power have developed "Neuron", a sensor-equipped device that increases power line capacity by up to 35 MW for some lines, and 40% on average. This reduces the need for expensive and controversial new power lines, enabling faster electrification and renewable energy connection, and potentially avoiding environmental impact from new constructions.

Taiwan's Taipower has refuted media reports of a 7% electricity price hike, stating that the current plan is to subsidize residential electricity prices. They absorbed over TWD 800 billion in costs from 2022-2024, and are requesting government budget support to continue this. Residential electricity prices remain below cost at an average of TWD 2.77 per kilowatt-hour.

Taiwanese government aims to install 5.7 gigawatt (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2025, with an additional 15 GW by 2035. Van Oord has been contracted by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) to install inter-array cables for the Fengmiao 1 offshore wind farm in Taiwan. The 500-megawatt wind farm will be a large-scale source of green electricity. Van Oord will deploy its cable-laying vessel Nexus to install approximately 64 kilometers of cables, starting in 2027.

France's Service d'Infrastructure de la Défense Expertise et Production Nationale (SID EPN) will procure renewable electricity through a negotiated procedure. The estimated value is €125,000,000 excluding VAT, with a contract duration of 400 months starting 10/07/2026. The contract involves the direct purchase of electricity from a renewable energy source in Salbris.

Hungary: Budapest Főváros XXIII. Kerület Soroksár Önkormányzata, Galéria 13 Soroksár, and Soroksár Sport Club awarded a contract to MVM Next Energiakereskedelmi Zrt. for electricity supply in 2025, worth 27,044,627.00 HUF. The contract covers 474,717 kWh with an option to increase to 617,136 kWh.

Hungary's ÉMI Építésügyi Minőségellenőrző Innovációs Nonprofit Kft. awarded a contract to MVM Next Energiakereskedelmi Zrt. for electricity supply in 2025, valued at 97,610,256.00 HUF. Two other companies, E.ON and E2 Hungary, also submitted bids.

Germany's renewable energy generation reached 275.2 TWh in 2024, a 4.4% increase from 2023. Solar power contributed 14% (72.2 TWh) of total electricity output, wind power remained the largest source (136.4 TWh), and coal-fired power plants declined sharply. Battery storage capacity also saw substantial growth.

Iran is planning to address its energy crisis through a 30,000 megawatt project, with 1,500 megawatts already operational. The country is also emphasizing the use of renewable energy sources and has stated that there are no bureaucratic obstacles to renewable energy production in East Azerbaijan province.

India faces challenges in meeting the energy demands of its AI infrastructure. By 2030, AI infrastructure could consume 100-200 terawatt-hours annually. Scaling up renewable energy is crucial, but challenges remain. Modernizing India’s power grid is necessary to ensure consistent energy supplies for data centers.

Brazil has sanctioned a law regulating offshore energy development, aiming to boost renewable energy generation, create jobs, and strengthen energy security. The law includes incentives for domestic industry and provisions for environmental protection and community consultations. Revenue from the initiative will be shared between the federal government, states, and municipalities, primarily funding research, innovation, and sustainable development.

Oregon-based Climate Solutions advocates for a 2025 transportation package to address climate pollution, focusing on zero-emission school buses (LC 1772) and charging infrastructure (LC Pending). They also aim to advance an energy affordability package, including measures to protect ratepayers from utility costs (LC 1806, LC 1547), and expand access to clean technologies (LC 1823, LC 1953). Additionally, they promote innovative transmission solutions (LC 1902, LC 3681) and economic growth through clean tech initiatives (LC 3353) and funding for existing climate programs.

The IRENA and CAPP partnership has produced a report on renewable electricity generation in African power pools. The study shows that renewable sources, particularly hydropower, can meet most projected demand to 2040 and highlights large untapped potential for cross-border electricity trade.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) held its Fifteenth Assembly session, focusing on accelerating the renewable energy transition. Discussions included SDG7 progress, renewable energy partnerships in Central Asia (APRECA), legislative pathways for tripling renewables and doubling energy efficiency, grid and storage solutions, clean cooking initiatives, Mediterranean energy transitions, risk mitigation instruments, a Global Coalition for Energy Planning, environmental impacts of renewables, empowering lives and livelihoods with renewables, community support for the energy transition, and a youth forum. Multiple MoUs were signed with SAARC and KAZENERGY.

The blog post explains the difference between scheduling and dispatching in PJM’s energy markets. Scheduling focuses on planning energy commitments in advance, while dispatching is all about real-time operations. The post provides insights into how scheduling works in PJM’s day-ahead and real-time markets and how dispatching operates in real-time, highlighting the key differences between the two processes and offering practical tips for market participants.

The blog post explores the key obligations for capacity resources in ISO-NE, including availability requirements, penalties for non-performance, and compliance processes. It compares these obligations to those in PJM and MISO, highlighting differences in their frameworks and enforcement mechanisms. The author emphasizes the importance of these obligations for grid reliability and meeting energy needs.