Latest News
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India allows four Chinese-linked companies to bid on government projects
According to a government directive, India has permitted 'four Chinese manufacturers of power equipment with factories in the country' to participate in governmental tenders for critical 'power projects. The order from the Indian Ministry of Finance, dated June 24, and reviewed by said, allows TBEA Energy to participate in tenders. The document stated that India's Power Ministry?had requested the exemption in January of entities with manufacturing units located in India involved in critical energy projects. In January, it was reported that India is looking at a broader relaxation of the rules for Chinese bidders to win government contracts. New Delhi requires that Chinese bidders register with the government panel, and obtain political and security clearances before they can compete for state contracts. India is accelerating its expansion of its transmission system to meet the rising demand for?electricity and renewable energy. The order stated that the exemption was valid for a period of two years from the date it was issued and should not be viewed as a precedent by other companies. (Reporting and editing by Christian Schmollinger; Sarita Singh, Sethuraman N.R.
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BHP employees approve Pilbara Labour Deal, Unions Cite Persistent Concerns
Unions said on Friday that workers at BHP's South Flank iron ore operation and the?Mining Area C?iron ore operation in Western Australia voted for approval of a new labour agreement, but noted that many were still dissatisfied. The Combined BHP Ports Unions reported that 58% of workers voted for the agreement proposed by?the mining company, ending a series of negotiations about pay?and entitlements. Tim Day, WAIO Asset President at BHP said in an email that the agreement included a guaranteed 16% increase in pay?over a four-year period, as well as increases to site-based benefits and a payment scheme for delayed flights. Day said that the deal covered 1,814 employees, and 1,618 participated in the ballot. A spokesperson for the Combined BHP Ports Unions said that a significant minority voted against the agreement, citing the fact that it didn't adequately address certain issues such as the selective utilisation of company policies or the lack of a?clear progression and classification structures. Negotiations are ongoing at Port Hedland following a strike vote by workers last month. Port Hedland, Australia's largest iron ore loading port and one of the biggest in the world, is connected to BHP mines located in the Pilbara area.
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Grid operator PJM takes emergency measures to prevent large-scale US electricity outages
PJM, America's largest?power grid operator said that it had ordered generators?to run at maximum output? and brought idle?power _plants?online immediately on Thursday night, due to the escalating heat dome. PJM’s orders, as detailed on its website for emergency procedures, were aimed to preserve reliability, as it?sought?to maintain power on a network serving 67,000,000 people?across Mid-Atlantic, South, and Washington, D.C., and the world’s largest concentraion of data centers. Even before the heatwave this week, PJM was 'trying to overhaul a shaky system that had been pushed to?the?edge by soaring?energy consumption from data centers and electric cars. PJM’s “transmission security” action included preparing resources for demand-response to reduce electricity consumption if needed. Grid operators were also instructed to inform management, government agencies, and consider public conservation appeals. The report did not order voltage reductions, or tell electric utilities to reduce power to their customers. PJM didn't respond to a?request? for additional comments immediately. All available resources are deployed to reduce the risk of a customer outage if transmission conditions worsen or if supply becomes tighter. Practically, the move was made to avoid rolling blackouts and?other measures of last resort in a region including densely-populated Baltimore-Washington. (Reporting by Tim McLaughlin, Editing by Chris Reese & Jamie Freed).
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Carney confirms that British Columbia and Canada have agreed to a pact that will maintain the ban on oil tankers along the Northwest coast.
The province of British Columbia, in a deal announced on Thursday with Canada's federal government, maintains the ban on oil tankers along the northwest coast. However, it appears that if another route is proposed for the new crude oil pipeline by neighboring Alberta. The agreement was announced hours before Carney will travel to Alberta, where Premier Danielle Smith is expected to announce her province's plan for a pipeline that can transport 1,000,000 barrels of Alberta crude oil per day to B.C. The oil will be exported to other countries from the coast. Carney has attempted to strike a balance in order to grow Canada's oil sector, reduce its dependence on the U.S. and preserve some of Canada's environmental policies. Canada has only one West Coast pipeline that allows it to reach Asian markets. Ottawa's environment policies, particularly under Liberal ex-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, inflamed anger in oil rich Alberta and fueled an emerging separatist movement. On October 19, the?province will hold a non-binding referendum to decide if it wants to start the separation process from Canada. Alberta has stated that it is in favor of a B.C. pipeline route. B.C.'s northwestern coast is closer to Asia geographically than its southern coast. The ecologically fragile area has been a source of concern for many years. British Columbia Premier David Eby appeared to be open to the idea of a pipeline running through his province on Thursday, so long as the ban on tankers remains in place and that the Northwest Coast is protected. This agreement does not require us to support any pipeline proposals from Alberta. However, as I have said previously, we acknowledge our constitutional position and do not have the power to'stop' a new pipe. Eby said to reporters that they would not go to court to oppose a pipeline project. Smith will unveil the crude oil pipeline plan for her province at 8 p.m. EDT (midnight GMT). This proposal has not yet been endorsed by a private-sector sponsor. The federal government has also pledged to speed up the construction of new liquefied gas projects in B.C. Triple LNG production within the next decade. Reporting by Maria Cheng, Amanda Stephenson and Bhargav Asharya (Toronto), editing by Paul Simao
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Sources say that Europe is targeting shadow fleet tankers using false Cameroon flags
According to documents and officials, Europe has taken more aggressive action against tankers that falsely use the Cameroon flag registry for transporting?Russian oil. This includes boarding vessels on sea. The EU has expanded its'mandate for Operation IRINI in the Mediterranean on June 8, allowing it to stop, board, detain and inspect suspected Russian "shadow fleet" ships. Moscow condemned the move. Russia has used these tankers to avoid sanctions, by sailing them under different flags to conceal their true ownership, cargo, and movements. Two European military sources claim that three tankers, the Nelsa and the Oneiroi, which were boarded by IRINI and inspected in recent weeks and found to be fraudulently registered as Cameroonian, had been found. Since the beginning of 2026, the French, Belgians, British, and Swedish navies have seized nine other ships, five of which were flying the flag of Cameroon. Cameroon warned recently that shadow fleet?tankers transporting Russian crude oil had misused its registry. In a June 16 letter to the U.N. Shipping Agency, the Cameroon government stated that an investigation had revealed that several vessels were illegally operating under the country’s flag. It also said two websites were being fraudulently used to assign flags to ships. As a result, the?government announced that 39?ships had been de-listed. In recent years, the central African nation has become one of the largest conduits for fraudulent ship trafficking. The United Arab Emirates will ban ships flying the flag of Cameroon from visiting its ports until they are certified to the highest safety standards. Cameroon "cooperates with international authorities and organizations to enforce maritime laws, protect the credibility of its naval registry and fight against irregular registries," said its transport ministry in a recent statement. Cameroon added that it could not be held responsible for any vessel's activities after de-registration. The Deliver was intercepted by the French Navy on June 25, while it was?sailing in a Cameroonian Flag despite being removed from that country's registry. TOUGHER MANDATE The EU has prepared a'second round of sanctions for mid-July, which will target the shadow fleet. Kaja Kallas, EU's foreign policy chief, said that the goal was to "change the best practices" of the different countries in the use of these ships because they are a real danger. Of course, the other objective is to stop Russia from funding?this conflict. According to European officials, the latest EU sanctions package could be adopted as early as July. It would include 30 additional vessels from Russia's "shadow fleet" and expand listing criteria for vessels that refuel sanctioned vessels or offload?cargo. These vessels can pose risks to seafarers as well as the environment if they do not meet maintenance requirements, or if they break up in the sea. This happened in the Black Sea with two Russian oil tankers that broke apart in the late 2024. (Reporting and editing by Jason Neely; Jonathan Saul and John Irish)
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The heat dome is a problem for the largest US power grid, beyond data center boom
The largest U.S. grid PJM prepared for record-breaking consumption spurred on by a 'heat dome' and a boom in data centres on Thursday. They did this by re-routing traffic on power lines, and dispatching expensive fossil fuel plants to avoid outages. PJM predicted that a scorching heat of up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit would break the 20-year record for demand at 6 p.m. Thursday EDT. The forecast for peak electricity consumption is 166.2 gigawatts, which would surpass the previous record of 165.6 GW. PJM claims it can meet the challenge. According to the 'latest report' from PJM’s independent market monitor, despite the strain on PJM’s grid caused by power-hungry, data-intensive data centers, the operator's total cost of operating a system that serves 67 million users has increased more than 16 billion dollars, or nearly 70%, this year. Monitoring Analytics estimates that the surge in demand for wholesale power across the grid accounted for $3.8 Billion, or 23%, of the $16.25 Billion increase year-over-year. According to the report of the market monitor, PJM's wholesale power cost was $40 billion for the first five month of this year. This is up 68% compared to $23.8 billion the previous year. According to Monitoring Analytics, the costs of keeping PJM’s overloaded grid’s reserve coal and natural gas plants operational nearly?doubled during the first five month period of 2026. The so-called “uplift payments” rose to $1.1 billion from $531 million a few months earlier. PJM has said that it will work with state and federal officials to increase generation capacity, while balancing the addition of new data centres and other large loads on the system. This is done without unfairly affecting consumers. The grid operator said that "PJM has taken a series of coordinated actions in order to bring new resources on line faster, maintain reliability, while supporting economic growth and improve how we plan for growth demand." Analysts at global consultancy firm ICF said that PJM will not be able to meet new demand after next year. Analysts at global consulting firm ICF said that NYISO (the power grid operator of New York State) could face similar constraints in the next few years. According to PJM data, this week's heavy power-line congestion in Northern Virginia, the home of?the largest collection?of?data centers in the entire world, contributed to price spikes exceeding $2,000 per Megawatt Hour. These costs are not immediately reflected in the monthly bill for residential customers. If wholesale prices remain high for several months or even years, the electric utilities will cover these higher wholesale costs by increasing their retail rates and/or supply charges. According to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 66% of U.S. consumers of electricity are exposed to power bought through wholesale markets. When the country's largest grid operator flags price spikes while also warning of record demand, it's a sign that homeowners cannot ignore, said Trevor Guilday. He is an expert in energy conservation and the founder of EcoGen America. Upgraded insulation, energy-efficient appliances or residential solar panels are no longer just "green" choices. These are practical financial defences against a grid under strain. (Reporting by Tim McLaughlin, Editing by Nick Zieminski).
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Rush for electric cars in response to Russian fuel crisis
In Moscow, a car dealership struggles to keep up with the demand for new electric vehicles. Drivers are looking to avoid a fuel crisis which has caused long queues and skyrocketing prices in much of Russia. In recent weeks, the escalating Ukrainian strikes against Russian energy infrastructure has caused gasoline and diesel to be scarce. This has led to restrictions in many regions. According to calculations, retail gasoline prices have reached some of the highest levels ever seen in Europe. The vast distances between cities in Russia, the harsh climate and the limited charging infrastructure have all contributed to the slow growth of its electric vehicle market. The rising cost of fuel is forcing some motorists to switch. EN Cars, a company that specializes in Chinese brands, sells two to three EVs a day. This is up from two to three a week just a few short weeks ago. Since the fuel situation has become complicated, demand?has increased many times," he said. He added that interest is increasing in both budget models and premium models. The showroom was filled with electric SUVs from the Chinese automaker Geely. Fuel prices were up by more than 12% between January and may, which was a good sign for EV demand. According to Autostat and the Ministry for Industry and Trade, the sales of plug-in hybrids increased 125% in the first five month of the year. Sales of fully electric cars also grew 19%, to 4,460. Fuel shortages accelerated sales in June. According to Autostat's Sergei Tselikov, last week 1,754 plug-in hybrids registered. This is nearly a third more than the previous week. It's also nearly 50% above the average weekly rate this year. According to 2GIS, the number of charging stations in Russia increased by 20% between July 2026 and now. Vasiliy, a customer in the dealership said that he was happy he had already purchased a hybrid car and an electric vehicle. He said, "Especially under the current circumstances, I haven't experienced any problems." "I live in an?individual house?on the countryside. I charge my e-bike at home using a?charging station that I installed. It is difficult to charge in Moscow. According to Autostat, EVs and hybrid plug-ins only accounted for 4.3% of Russia’s total vehicle sales in 2017. (Anastasia Lyrchikova contributed additional reporting. Writing by Alessandra Prentice. Mark Potter (editing)
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ETG, a global commodities company, enters Brazil through the Tocantins Fertilizer project
VLI announced on Thursday that global commodities company ETG would install a fertilizer facility at its 'logistics complex' in Palmeirante (Tocantins), marking the entry of the company into Brazil. * ETG will invest?26 millions reais ($4.3million) in the facility that is connected to the North-South Railway. The plant has a?capacity of?up 200,000 tonnes?of fertilizer per year and storage capacity for 45,000 tons. Construction will begin in August and operations are expected to start in February 2027. * The facility is designed to serve agricultural producers in Tocantins, as well as those from neighboring states such Maranhao and Piaui. It will receive imported fertilizers through Itaqui Port in Maranhao using VLI’s logistics corridor, which is scheduled to be inaugurated in 2020. * The majority of fertilizer consumed in Brazil is imported. Reporting by Roberto Samora, Writing by Isabel Teles
India's coal-fired electricity output in June is the highest since November 2023
India's coal-fired electricity generation surged in June to a near three-year high due to increased cooling demand from higher temperatures caused by an extended heatwave, and lower-than-average rainfall during the monsoon season.
India's total electricity generation rose?10.4% in June from a year earlier to 178.31 kilowatt-hours. This is according to Grid-India, which calculated daily data.
The data shows that coal-fired electricity generation increased by 14% on an annual basis to 120.20 billionkWh in June, which is the highest level since November 2023.
According to data from the weather office, India's June was its fifth-driest since 1901, due to an El Nino pattern. The searing heat prompted a demand for cooling. El Nino, or a warm Pacific Ocean off South America, is the cause of a hot and?dry climate in South and Southeast Asia.
Lack of battery storage limits the use of solar power at this time, despite India's overall increase in renewable energy generation.
Data showed that the share of renewable energy generation in India's electricity mix reached a new record in June. The total renewable generation in June was 33.81 billionkWh, a 23% increase from the previous year.
Ankit Jain is vice president and co-group leader for corporate ratings, at the credit rating agency ICRA. He said that despite new additions to renewable capacity, thermal power production could increase in this fiscal year. This would be done to meet higher electricity demand during peak consumption periods.
Data showed that the lower monsoon rains also contributed to a lower hydropower production?in June. The output fell 24.4% compared to a year ago to 14 billion kWh. This was the steepest drop since February 2024.
The data revealed that natural-gas-based generation fell 30.1% from a year earlier in June.
India's coal-powered generation will fall annually in 2025 for the first year since COVID-19 was implemented in 2020.
(source: Reuters)