Twenty20 Energy

Shell will restart offshore exploration on Namibia’s PEL 39 block in April 2026 with a five-well drilling programme targeting previously discovered zones, despite a recent $400mn impairment.
Mauritania secures Saudi financing to build a key section of the “Hope Line” as part of its national plan to expand electricity transmission infrastructure inland.

Vena Group secures international financing for its 300 MWp solar plant

Vena Group has finalised a landmark foreign currency financing for its Opus solar project in the Philippines, marking a major milestone for cross-border investments in energy.
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Technip Energies has secured a detailed engineering contract for a carbon capture and storage project led by PTTEP, marking a key industrial milestone in the Gulf of Thailand.
RESourceEU introduces direct European Union intervention on critical raw materials via stockpiling, joint purchasing and export restrictions to reduce external dependency and secure strategic industrial chains.

China shifts mining capital to Russia to bypass Western restrictions

China reduces its mining presence in Canada and Greenland, constrained by hostile regulatory frameworks, and consolidates public investments in Arctic Russia to secure strategic supplies.
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Gasunie Netherlands and Gasunie Germany have selected six industrial suppliers under a European tender to supply pipelines for future natural gas, hydrogen and CO₂ networks.
Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning is surveying 22 localities to assess their interest in hosting storage facilities for radioactive waste from the country’s former research reactors.

Washington delays 2026 RFS quotas and reignites uncertainty in the RINs market

The US administration is delaying the publication of the 2026 Renewable Fuel Standard quotas, bundling several sensitive issues into a single negotiation that extends regulatory and contractual instability for refining and biofuel sectors.
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The ban on Russian liquefied natural gas requires a legal re-evaluation of LNG contracts, where force majeure, change-in-law and logistical restrictions are now major sources of disputes and contractual repricing.
Voltalia strengthens its presence in Italy with four solar projects awarded under the FERX tender, securing stable revenues over two decades for a total capacity of 68 megawatts.

Q ENERGY opens the Ventajou wind project to local investment partners

Q ENERGY has announced the entry of three local and citizen-based partners into the capital of the Ventajou wind farm, marking its first strategic equity opening to institutional and community investors.
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French developer Akuo has completed three crowdfunding campaigns to support its solar power plants in Côte-d’Or, raising a total of €5.15mn ($5.57mn) exclusively from local stakeholders.
The US House adopts a reform that weakens state veto power over gas pipeline projects by strengthening the federal role of FERC and accelerating environmental permitting.

France opens final consultation phase for 2050 low-carbon strategy

The third National Low-Carbon Strategy enters its final consultation phase before its 2026 adoption, defining France’s emissions reduction trajectory through 2050 with sector-specific and industrial targets.
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The Turkish president suggested to Vladimir Putin a limited ceasefire targeting Ukrainian ports and energy facilities to reduce risks to strategic assets and pave the way for negotiations.
Iranian authorities intercepted a vessel suspected of fuel smuggling off the coast of the Gulf of Oman, with 18 South Asian crew members on board, according to official sources.

Nel invests in 1 GW of pressurised alkaline electrolysis at Herøya site

Nel ASA launches the industrial phase of its pressurised alkaline technology, with an initial 1 GW production capacity and EU support of up to EUR135mn ($146mn).
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Electricité de France's Flamanville 3 reactor has reached full power for the first time, marking a key industrial milestone in the deployment of EPRs in Europe, despite cost overruns reaching EUR23.7bn ($25.7bn).
Zimbabwe plans to launch the construction of a 600 MW floating solar power plant on Lake Kariba in 2026, aiming to reduce its reliance on drought-affected hydropower.
Texas-based developer Natura Resources receives new federal funding to test key components of its 100-megawatt modular reactor in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The Niigata regional assembly is deliberating on restarting unit 6 of the world’s largest nuclear plant, thirteen years after operations ceased following the Fukushima disaster.

Belgium: Doel 2 permanently shut down after fifty years of operation

Reactor Doel 2 was taken offline, becoming the fifth Belgian reactor to cease operations under the country’s gradual nuclear phase-out policy.
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Rolls-Royce SMR has expanded its partnership with ÚJV Řež to accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors, targeting the construction of several units in the Czech Republic and abroad.
The Indian government aims to amend legislation to allow private companies to participate in civil nuclear development, a move positioned as critical to achieving the country’s long-term energy targets.

China completes modular construction of Xudabao 4 passive tank

The VVER-1200 nuclear reactor at Xudabao 4 in China has completed installation of its final passive water tank, marking the end of modular construction for the second phase of the project.
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Ottawa and Edmonton commit to a nuclear production roadmap by 2050, through a memorandum of understanding also covering carbon capture and an Indigenous-led pipeline project.
Niamey asserts control over its uranium resources by authorising open market sales of Somaïr’s production, formerly operated by France’s Orano, amid ongoing legal disputes.

Equinix secures 500 MWe nuclear supply from Stellaria for AI data centres

Equinix has signed a strategic agreement with French start-up Stellaria to reserve 500 MWe of advanced nuclear capacity to power its future European AI data centres starting in 2035.
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Bishkek plans to host a RITM-200N small modular reactor supplied by Rosatom to address electricity shortages and deepen energy ties with Moscow, despite the risks posed by Western sanctions.
The Niigata prefectural assembly will vote on the restart of Unit 6, potentially marking TEPCO’s first reactor relaunch since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Norway launches cross-border consultation on nuclear power plant project

The Norwegian government has initiated a consultation with neighbouring countries on its modular nuclear power plant project in Aure and Heim, in accordance with the Espoo Convention.
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Türkiye and South Korea have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly explore nuclear power plant projects, marking a strategic step in the long-term development of Türkiye's energy infrastructure.
Asian Development Bank has amended its energy policy to enable funding for civil nuclear projects in developing member countries across the Asia-Pacific region.

First Hydrogen launches project on molten-salt fuels for small modular reactors

First Hydrogen begins research with the University of Alberta to identify molten-salt mixtures simulating nuclear fuels for SMR prototypes.
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Framatome has completed the manufacturing of the first nuclear fuel assemblies for the Barakah power plant, marking a key milestone in the supply agreement signed with Emirates Nuclear Energy Company in July.
A government-commissioned report proposes 47 measures to simplify nuclear regulation, reduce decommissioning costs and accelerate delivery of civilian and military projects.

Zhangzhou’s second reactor delivers first kilowatt-hours to the grid

The Hualong One reactor at Zhangzhou nuclear power plant has been connected to the grid, marking a major milestone in the expansion of China’s civilian nuclear programme.
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Russian state nuclear group Rosatom has validated the additive manufacturing of parts for its small modular reactors, marking an industrial first for RITM-200 SMR plant equipment.
California-based Maritime Fusion, backed by Y Combinator and Trucks VC, is betting on a decentralised approach to fusion to target maritime and off-grid applications.