China finds bigger role as US sidesteps Brazil climate summit
China has stepped into the spotlight as a leader of the global warming fight, with the United States missing the U.N.'s annual climate summit in New York for the first three decades. The country's pavilion dominates the entrance of the sprawling COP30 grounds in Brazil’s Amazonian city of Belem. Executives from its largest clean energy companies present their visions of a greener future in English to large audiences, while its diplomats work behind the scenes to facilitate constructive discussions. Washington used to play these roles. Now, they are played by Beijing. Francesco La Camera is the director general of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
French and Benelux stocks: Factors to watch
Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. ALSTOM: French rail maker Alstom has raised its organic sales forecast for 2025 to over 5%, up from 3%-5% in the past. This is due to strong demand for Alstom's trains and signalling system. COFINIMMO: Belgian property investment company Cofinimmo has acquired three development assets in Finland. These include a nursing and care facility under construction, and two disabled care assets. The total budget for these projects was approximately 10 million Euros, and the average gross rental yield was approximately 7%.
White House hosts oil and biofuel discussions as Trump administration closes to a decision on refinery exemptions
Four sources familiar with these discussions say that the White House held separate meetings this week with oil refiners as well as biofuel producers to try to resolve an ongoing dispute about billions of gallons in biofuel blending requirements waived by the U.S. for small refineries. Discussions indicate that the Trump administration will soon make a final decision about whether or not larger refiners are required to compensate for the waived gallons. This decision was originally expected at the end of October, but the shutdown of the federal government delayed it.
Singapore allocates more land to green energy and data centre park
Singapore has allocated more land to its manufacturing hub Jurong Island for renewable energy and data centres, according to a statement released by the Singapore Economic Development Board (SEDB) and JTC Corporation on Monday. The agencies have announced that about 300 hectares (741.32 acre) of land, or roughly 10% of Jurong Island, will be reserved for renewable energy projects and low carbon fuel production. Two of Singapore's three refineries, operated by Exxon Mobil Chevron, and PetroChina, are located on the 3,000-hectare Jurong Island. Tan See Leng said that Jurong Island would be a test-bed globally for new energy and low-carbon technology.
Andy Home: Zinc ROI-LME turns wild when bears sleep-walk and squeeze into the squeeze:
London Metal Exchange's zinc contract is on a wild ride this week, with time-spreads reaching record levels in the face of depleted stock. Since several months the zinc market has been sleeping-walking to this storm, believing that falling LME inventories were not a true representation of a growing market surplus. Metal has been leaking out of LME's warehouses. There are only 35,300 tons left, which is barely enough for a day's global consumption. The arrivals have been very low despite the increasing premium for cash deliveries. It's a painful squeeze for the bears who misjudged zinc's changing dynamics. Last year, there were 300.000 tons of zinc in LME storage warehouses.
LAUDES-U.S. cities drive energy transition despite Trump resistance
The U.S. By Carey L. Mayors report that many cities still have a long way to go in improving building efficiency, electrifying cars and neighborhoods, training employees for new energy jobs, and designing for tomorrow. Keith Wilson, the mayor of Oregon's biggest city, said that cities like Portland don't wait for federal permission before taking action on climate change. Portland, Oregon created last year the nation's first zero emission delivery zone. This is where electric vehicles and bicycles are used to supply shops and restaurants. The city aims to become the first U.S. town to eliminate petroleum diesel sales before 2030.
Vestas shelves Polish turbine plant amid weak European demand, FT reports
The Financial Times reported that Vestas, a Danish wind turbine manufacturer, has shelved its plans to build its largest factory in Poland due to a lack of demand on its main European market. The report could not be verified immediately. Vestas has not responded to the request for comment. Vestas announced plans to build a second offshore wind farm in Poland last summer. The factory was to produce blades in 2026 and create over 1,000 jobs. The company informed the FT that investment in the facility had been suspended "due to a lower than expected demand for offshore winds in Europe". A bill intended to relax rules for the construction of onshore wind farms.
Ukraine wants to increase its gas imports by 30% following Russian attacks
Ukraine wants to increase its natural gas imports from Russia by 30% after Russian airstrikes damaged the gas infrastructure in Ukraine, which Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Hynchuk described as significant on Tuesday. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its attacks against Ukraine's energy industry. Last Friday, it attacked Ukraine's major gas fields. This has raised fears about a possible shortage of gas and the need to import additional gas. Hrynchuk said at a press conference after meeting with Western Ambassadors that "we plan to increase our imports by about 30%" if we are able to expand our capacity. We plan to import during the coldest months.
Norway Approves New Gas Export Pipeline from Troll B
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) has granted consent to start up a new pipeline from the Troll B platform that will help reduce the decline in gas production in coming years, it said on Thursday.The tie-in connects Troll B to the Kvitebjoern gas export pipeline, which runs to the onshore Kollsnes processing plant, with start-up expected during the fourth quarter of this year, the NOD said.The gas from Troll B was previously exported via the Troll A platform to Kollsnes, and some of the gas re-injected, it added.The new gas export solution will facilitate increased gas export from Troll B, as gas injection is no longer needed here, the statement said."It also provides a
Slovakia pushes back on pressure over Russia energy purchases
Slovakia, on Wednesday, resisted pressure to reduce its purchases of Russian gas, saying that it was willing to discuss the matter, but pointed out certain European states who increased their purchases. Both Slovakia and Hungary, both EU member states, are led by populists who have maintained political ties with Russia. Russia supplies most of their oil requirements, and they have argued it would be costly to stop using Russian supplies once their infrastructure has been built around them. They have come under more pressure in the past couple of weeks after U.S. president Donald Trump stated that he wants to see the EU completely stop its Russian energy purchases.
US Judge rules Trump can't block Rhode Island offshore Wind Project
A federal judge ruled that the Danish offshore wind developer Orsted could restart the work on the almost finished Revolution Wind project, off the coasts of Rhode Island. The project was halted by President Donald Trump’s administration last month. Trump's efforts to stop offshore wind expansion in U.S. waterways have been hampered by the ruling. Orsted has won a tangible victory, as it is losing $2 million per day since August 22, when the project was stopped. Revolution Wind is located about 15 miles from the coast. Once it's completed, the project is expected to generate enough electricity to power over 350,000 homes across Rhode Island and Connecticut. Orsted's U.S.
Andy Home, recycling pioneer, races to close rare earths scrap gaps
This question is more urgent now than ever after China restricted its exports in the first half of this year. The move sent shockwaves throughout Western manufacturing chains. The race to create domestic mine-to magnet supply chains is accelerating, especially in the United States. Here, the Department of Defense has taken a direct stake, MP Materials, the operator of the only rare earths mining facility in the country, and guaranteed a minimum price for the products. Old laptops, powertools and smartphones are all part of the solution. It's amazing that less than 1 percent of rare earths are recycled, given the importance of these materials in high-tech products today.
Andy Home, recycling pioneers racing to close rare earths scrap gaps
This question is more urgent now than ever after China restricted its exports in the first half of this year. The move sent shockwaves throughout Western manufacturing chains. The race to create domestic mine-to magnet supply chains is accelerating, especially in the United States. Here, the Department of Defense has taken a direct stake, MP Materials, the operator of the only rare earths mining facility in the country, and guaranteed a minimum price for the products. Old laptops, powertools and smartphones are all part of the solution. It's amazing that less than 1 percent of rare earths are recycled, given the importance of these materials in high-tech products today.
Taiwan's offshore projects will move into deeper waters and require more state support
Industry officials and analysts say that Taiwan's attempt to boost its offshore wind market will require a huge amount of government support to help prospective suppliers achieve their capacity goals, as projects are moved to deeper, more technically challenging waters. The island's densely-populated population, which was long dependent on coal power, has quadrupled the wind power capacity from 1 gigawatt to 4 GW, up from less than 1 before the COVID-19 epidemic. It aims to have 60% of its power derived from renewable sources by 2050. Energy administration has said that it is still collecting feedback about the bidding process.
Why E20 fuel has caused angst on the Indian auto market
The launch of E20 by the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created confusion and panic in the third largest auto market. How was E20 implemented? How does it help? E20 is petrol blended 20% with ethanol. This alcohol is primarily produced from sugarcane, maize and other grains. The fuel was first introduced in April 2023 at a handful of pumps and is now available across India. It replaces the 10% ethanol, known as E10, which most cars were designed to run on. Recent weeks have seen older fuel blends such as E10 and E5 disappear, leaving the consumer with no other choice than to purchase E20.
White House review of waiver plan for biofuel pits refiners against farmers
The White House is reviewing an important rule that could change the balance between oil refiners, farmers and the Renewable Fuel Standard. It will determine how to redistribute large volumes of biofuel blend obligations that have been recently exempted. The result, which is expected in the next few weeks, will determine what happens to billions of gallons U.S. demand for ethanol and biodiesel. This demand is vital for farmers who provide the corn and soy beans to produce biofuels but expensive to oil refiners who ensure that the biofuels mix into the nation's gasoline supplies.
Wood Group accepts Sidara’s takeover bid following a year-long pursuit
The Wood Group in Britain has accepted a conditional bid of 216 million pounds ($292 millions) from Dubai's Sidara. This ends a long-running pursuit involving multiple offers and rejections. Sidara's 30-pence per share offer will see it assume Wood Group's $1.6 billion debt and inject $450 millions of cash in the company. Wood Group must publish its delayed results, and ensure that certain debt facilities will not be terminated. A British oilfield service firm delayed publishing its annual results in April due to an audit that was pending, resulting in a temporary suspension.
Trump's options for easing Russia sanctions are limited in comparison to Europe
Donald Trump, the U.S. president, could lift some sanctions against Russia quickly as a way to reward Moscow for successful peace talks with Ukraine. However only Europe can make the larger steps necessary to ease Russia's cash crisis. Trump has threatened to impose additional sanctions and tariffs against Russia and its oil buyers if there are no signs of progress in the three-and-a-half-year long war in Ukraine. If the talks are successful, Trump could start to ease some of his punitive measures. Trump has a number of options, including releasing Russian assets, reopening U.S. loans to Russian corporations and banks, and allowing U.S.
Vietnam will switch to fuel blended with ethanol to increase U.S. exports
Vietnam plans to switch to ethanol-blended fuel from next year. This will allow the Southeast Asian nation to import corn and ethanol from the United States. According to documents reviewed by the ministry, the Ministry of Industry and Trade submitted a proposal for the government to switch from RON95 and RON92 unleaded gasoline standards to E10 -- a blend of gasoline and up to 10% bioethanol. The current unleaded gasoline standard is RON92 and RON95. According to a document, the switch will allow the importation of American corn and ethanol to Vietnam, as the Southeast Asian nation seeks to reduce its trade deficit with the United States, which is its largest export market.
AI revolution to transform Europe's outdated power plants
Microsoft and Amazon are looking to convert some of Europe's old coal and gas-fired power plants into data centres with ready access to electricity and water. Engie in France, RWE in Germany, and Enel in Italy are all looking to capitalize on the surge of AI-driven energy demands by converting their old power plants into data centres, and securing lucrative power supply agreements with their operators. The data center option is a great way for utilities to offset the high costs associated with shutting down old power plants and potentially fund future renewable development.