Executive Summary
- Odfjell Oceanwind acquired Ørsted’s 80% stake in Scotland’s 100 MW floating “Salamander” project, keeping a key UK floating-wind demo on track as INTOG projects scale toward the 2030s.
- The New York Times highlights renewed U.S. political headwinds for wind projects under President Trump, adding uncertainty to the offshore pipeline.
- Ben & Jerry’s Vermont plant brings a PurposeEnergy anaerobic-digestion “constructed gut” online, exporting ~1 MW to the grid and cutting waste-haul traffic.
- BNEF flags AI/data centers as a major driver of new clean-power demand.
- Norway’s opposition aims to halt electrification of offshore oil and gas platforms, reshaping North Sea power demand and emissions strategy.
- ORLEN continues retail-fuel expansion in Germany; Vietnam debates whether bio-gasoline should be mandatory or voluntary.
- Eni will quintuple Congo LNG capacity to 4 bcm, channeling additional volumes to Europe; oil prices softened but war risks keep upside intact.
- Reports in Germany point to tighter climate/energy subsidies, while Canada offers Berlin a raw-materials partnership to secure critical supply chains.
Cleantech
Ben & Jerry’s turns ice-cream waste into power. Ben & Jerry’s St. Albans, VT facility now pipes high-strength dairy waste to a PurposeEnergy anaerobic digester, producing biogas that runs a generator exporting a little over 1 MW — roughly enough for ~1,300 homes — while reducing >99% particulates in treated water and cutting hundreds of truck trips per year. Implication: industrial AD is scaling as a circular, grid-supportive solution with tangible Scope 1/3 benefits and local air/water co-benefits. Read more.
Companies: Ben & Jerry’s, PurposeEnergy
Battery swapping, rethought. A CleanTechnica analysis argues earlier failures (e.g., Better Place) reflected misaligned incentives and lack of OEM standards rather than a flawed concept. It proposes limited swap bays at existing fuel stations plus OEM collaboration to standardize pack formats, claiming potential grid benefits by shifting charging off-peak. Implication: If even a few leading automakers align on specs, swapping could complement DC fast charging in high-throughput corridors and fleets. Read more.
Company: Extenergy
Data centers stoke green-power demand. BloombergNEF highlights AI/data-center load as a rising catalyst for corporate PPAs and new-build clean generation. Implication: sustained upside for utility-scale renewables, storage, and grid-enabling assets near hyperscale clusters. Read more.
Electricity
Floating wind consolidation: Odfjell Oceanwind buys Ørsted’s Salamander stake. Odfjell Oceanwind acquired Ørsted’s 80% share in the 100 MW Salamander floating project (35 km off Peterhead), joining Simply Blue Group and Subsea7. With INTOG seabed exclusivity and Section 36 consent in place, the project anchors UK floating-wind learnings ahead of larger ScotWind rounds. Implication: validates steel semi-sub concepts and UK contracting frameworks as investor-friendly, helping derisk supply chains for the 2030s. Read more.
Company links: Odfjell Oceanwind, Ørsted, Simply Blue Group, Seaway7/Subsea7, Crown Estate Scotland
U.S. policy turbulence for wind. The New York Times reports growing federal opposition to wind projects under President Trump. Implication: developers face elevated permitting and financing risk; expect slower BOEM timelines and re-pricing of U.S. offshore portfolios. Read more.
Norway rethink on platform electrification. Norway’s opposition party is moving to halt the electrification of offshore oil and gas platforms, a policy that had shifted emissions from offshore to onshore grids. Implication: could ease mainland power constraints but raise platform-side emissions intensity and EU taxonomy scrutiny for Norwegian barrels. Read more.
Germany signals tighter climate/energy subsidies. Reporting indicates planned savings in climate and energy programs, implying leaner public support ahead of 2026 budget debates. Implication: developers should reassess pipeline economics, especially for capex-intensive assets needing grants or CfD-style support. Read more.
Fuel
ORLEN expands German network. ORLEN opened a new station in Lampertheim and is rebuilding a site in Hamburg, signaling continued investment in German retail despite EV uptake. Implication: legacy fuel retailers are defending footprint while preparing for multi-energy hubs. Read more.
Company link: ORLEN Group
Vietnam weighs bio-gasoline mandate. Vietnamese sources debate whether ethanol-blend gasoline should be mandatory or voluntary, with implications for refinery configurations, ethanol supply chains, and pump pricing. Implication: potential demand uplift for domestic ethanol producers and agribio feedstocks if mandate tightens. Read more.
Oil softer, but upside risk persists. Montel notes prices eased; however, war dynamics keep risk skewed to the upside. Implication: maintain hedges; European refiners should monitor crack spreads and Russian flows into the Med/Baltic. Read more.
Chemicals
Waste-to-product: iron phosphate as a by-product. Ben & Jerry’s digestion process coagulates phosphorus with iron salts to produce iron phosphate for soil use, illustrating circular chemistry from food-processing effluents. Implication: growing niche for low-grade specialty minerals and fertilizers from industrial wastewater valorization. Read more.
Policy
U.S. wind policy uncertainty. Federal posture toward wind faces renewed scrutiny per the NYT report, increasing WACC and timeline risk for developers and supply-chain investors. Read more.
Norway platform-power debate resurfaces. A potential halt to offshore platform electrification would materially alter Norway’s emissions-reduction trajectory and domestic power balance. Read more.
Germany trims climate budgets. Reported savings plans point to tighter national support. Watch for project-level renegotiations and delayed FIDs. Read more.
Canada courts Berlin for critical minerals. Canada’s prime minister reportedly offered Germany a raw-materials partnership, underscoring the scramble for secure, ESG-aligned supply chains. Read more.
Geopolitics
More African LNG for Europe. Eni will boost Congo LNG capacity five-fold to 4 bcm, targeted at EU exports. Implication: incremental diversification for European gas portfolios; pressure on TTF seasonality may ease if volumes materialize on schedule. Read more.
Company link: Eni
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