Andy Home, Andy Home: The US and Canada are now working together to secure critical minerals.
The U.S. president Donald Trump just announced "Project Vault", an $12 billion stockpile of critical minerals intended to protect U.S. manufacturing companies from disruptions in supply. The U.S. will need help to fill up the Vault's 60 critical minerals. The friend-shoring game is back and with a vengeance. As the U.S. tries to build a metal alliance to loosen China’s grip on the metals at the core of modern technology. The U.S. has more friends now than ever.
Executives warn that Europe could lose its nascent green hydrogen industry to China
The fledgling green hydrogen industry in Europe is calling on the EU to introduce "made-in-Europe" requirements for spending public money on the sector. They warn that without the support needed to scale up quickly, the domestic producers will be overtaken by their Chinese competitors. In 2025, the industry suffered a severe blow as many projects were cancelled or postponed due to high energy prices in Europe and the cheaper hydrogen derived from fossil fuels.
RWE looks to buy LNG from ADNOC in Germany as it moves to diversify its supply
RWE signed a preliminary agreement with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company on Friday. The German utility stated that it could purchase LNG for European markets as Berlin strives to diversify their energy partners. The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been visiting the Gulf region to look for new energy sources, and to reduce the country's dependency on the United States, its dominant supplier. RWE is not only a power producer but also a trader of gas and LNG and an energy 'importer.
Maguire: China tightens its grip on clean tech with growing exports of EVs.
China's position as the world leader in clean technology is best illustrated by its EV exports. These will reach nearly $70 billion dollars in 2025, and span over 150 countries. Electric vehicles are a major part of China's manufacturing industry, and millions of people work in the various supply chains that support?clean cars? and their components. Over half of new cars in China are EVs. But as the domestic market slows, China's EV industry is likely to become more dependent on foreign markets.
Maguire: China tightens its grip on clean tech with EV export growth.
China's position as a global leader in clean technology is best illustrated by its massive EV exports. These will reach nearly $70 billion dollars in 2025, and span well?over 150 different countries and territories. Electric vehicles are a major part of China's manufacturing industry, and millions of people work in the various supply chains that support clean cars. Over half of new cars in China are EVs. But as domestic demand declines, the country's EV industry is likely to be more dependent on foreign markets.
HMC Capital's share price in Australia rises after KKR invests in Energy Transition Platform
HMC Capital, a company based in Australia, announced on 'Friday that it had struck a deal with KKR managed funds to invest up A$603 (US$416.49 ) million in preferred equity into its Energy Transition Platform. This will increase its share price. HMC shares rose 7.7% intraday to A$4.34, their highest intraday increase since November 28, 2025. The investment will be backed by KKR’s Global Climate -Transition strategy and finance wind and battery storage projects that are essential to grid reliability –and Australia’s energy transition.
Top tax official: India monitors evolving crypto-trading to ensure tax compliance
India has been in contact with cryptocurrency exchanges for a while to gauge the changing trading activities. It is also seeking to monitor newer crypto products. India does not regulate cryptocurrencies. However, global crypto exchanges like Binance, Coin DCX and Zebpay, which are registered with the government, operate in India. The central bank of Asia's third largest economy has warned against the risks associated with crypto trading and imposed punitive tax on gains from cryptocurrencies.
Holm, CFO of green steel startup Stegra, has been appointed to the position in order to raise additional funds
Swedish green steel startup Stegra announced on Monday that it had appointed Markus Holm to the position of chief financial officer. The company is scrambling?to raise additional cash in order to complete its hydrogen-based'steel plant' in northern Sweden. In Europe, many green steel projects are being delayed or have run into problems because the technology is still new and the investment costs are high. Stegra originally planned to open the plant in this year but will now do so by 2027.
Chinese solar stocks jump on news of Musk's visit, but some firms deny cooperating
Chinese solar shares rose on Wednesday, after local media reported Elon 'Musk sent delegations to visit various companies. This was days after Elon announced plans to build a large-scale?cell capacity for the U.S. The CSI All Share Solar Power Equipment Sub-Industry Index grew 3.61%, while the CSI SH-HK-SZ Solar Power 50 Index grew 3.22%. According to a report published by Sina Finance on Tuesday, citing sources from the Chinese solar industry, a team sent by Musk visited several photovoltaic companies in China.
Glencore is in talks with a US-backed consortium to sell a 40% stake in DRC mining to Glencore
Glencore has been in discussions to sell a 40 percent stake in its copper-and-cobalt operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The assets are valued at $9 billion, including debt. The Orion Critical Mineral Consortium, led by Orion Resource Partners, a private equity fund, and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation are seeking a combined stake of 40% in Glencore’s Mutanda Mining (KCC) and Kamoto Copper Company projects.
Siemens Energy CEO: spin-off wind business idea is valid, but first turnaround must be achieved
Siemens Energy CEO, said on Tuesday that it is reasonable for activist investors Ananym Capital?to push?for the spin-off of a loss-making division of wind turbines?of the firm. Ananym, a U.S. company, said it took a stake in Siemens Energy in December and asked the management to review its wind division, Siemens Gamesa. It claimed that the division could be worth up to $10 billion and a spinoff would increase investor returns by 60 percent.
Goldwind Science under investigation by EU for possible subsidies
The EU launched an investigation into Goldwind Science and?Technology, a Chinese wind turbine manufacturer, on Tuesday after claiming that it received foreign subsidies which gave it an unfair edge in Europe. The European Commission took this action after a group of Chinese wind turbine suppliers were asked for information under the EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which targets unfair state aid from abroad. The major European turbine manufacturers?Vestas Energy…
Siemens Energy CEO: spin-off wind business idea is valid, but first turnaround must be achieved
Siemens Energy CEO, said that it was reasonable for activist investor Ananym Capital to push for a spinoff of?its wind turbine division. However, the business must first be stabilized and turned around. Ananym Capital, based in the United States, announced in December that it had acquired a stake of Siemens Energy. The company asked management to review Siemens Gamesa's wind division. It said the division could be worth up to $10 billion and that a spin-off would increase investor returns by 60 percent.
Auditors say EU efforts to diversify imports of critical raw materials have failed so far
The European Court of Auditors stated on Monday that the EU's efforts in diversifying its imports of metals, minerals and other critical materials for?technology, defence and energy transition have "yet not produced tangible results". The EU's Critical Raw Materials Act 2024 sets out a plan for boosting?local?production of 34 strategically important materials in order to reduce reliance on imported products from a small number of countries, primarily China, Turkey, and Chile. List includes lithium, antimony and tungsten.
Michigan suedes oil companies for collusion to restrain competition in EVs
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed an antitrust suit against four major oil firms on Friday, alleging that they have colluded over decades to prevent competition from renewable energy sources, including?electric cars. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, western Michigan, names BP and Chevron. It also names ExxonMobil, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute. The lawsuit said that the companies had acted as a "cartel…
Baker Hughes, a provider of oilfield services, reports a 11% increase in its adjusted quarterly profits
Baker Hughes reported a 11% increase in 'adjusted profits' for the fourth quarter, as demand for?its gas-technology equipment and services outweighed weakness in its oilfield equipment and services business. In recent quarters, the company has benefited from the demand for its equipment and services such as compressors and gas turbines that it offers to LNG companies, as low oil prices have hurt drilling and completion activity in oil basins.
EWE CEO: Germany's EWE will not participate in the first round of power plant tendering
The CEO of German utility EWE said that the company has no intention to participate in a upcoming tender in Europe's largest economy for new power plant capacities. However, this could change if additional rounds are scheduled later in this decade. Germany announced earlier this month that it had reached an accord with the European Commission regarding a plan to construct new power plants. It added it would tender 12 Gigawatts of capacity by 2026 with a particular focus on gas-fired sites.
Why is Elon Musk interested in putting AI data centers into space?
Musk's plans to launch satellite data centres into orbit could be given a boost by a proposed merger between Elon Musk's SpaceX, and xAI. The news was reported exclusively on Thursday. Musk is battling for supremacy against tech giants such as Alphabet's Google and OpenAI. What are space-based AI data centers? The concept of space-based data centres is still in its early stages. They would likely rely upon hundreds of satellites powered by solar energy…
Houston, the US oil capital, is buzzing as industry prepares for Venezuelan oil rush
Matthew Goitia explains his idea in a bar downtown Houston. He wants to build and refurbish marine terminals for Venezuela that will allow crude oil to be blended and exported, and chemical products shipped. Matthew Goitia, a director at Pelorus Terminals, explains his ambitious plan to refurbish and build marine terminals that can blend and export crude and ship chemical products in Venezuela. He also plans to add storage tanks, renovate the docks, and ensure that power is available. This could all take three to ten years.
WTO panel supports China in its case against US clean-energy subsidies
The World Trade Organization panel backed China's complaint on Friday, and recommended changes to the?U.S. Beijing claimed that tax credits for clean-energy?discriminated against imports. The report of the panel recommended that the United States remove the Inflation Reduction Act measures by October 1, 2026. The panel stated that "that date seems to be a reasonable deadline" for the withdrawal of the ITC/PTC Bonus Credits. The 'office of the U.S.