Energy Transition

Tilbury – October 12, 2026 -- National Grid's tunnel boring machine (TBM) Caroline completed a 2.2km drive beneath the River Thames 49 days ahead of the original programme, ending the tunnelling phase of the Grain to Tilbury project, part of The Great Grid Upgrade.

The breakthrough came on Sunday 27 September. Caroline excavated a new high-voltage electricity cable tunnel between Tilbury in Essex and Gravesend in Kent.

Caroline installs more than 10,000 segments across nearly 1,700 rings

The tunnel lining consists of more than 10,000 concrete segments assembled into nearly 1,700 tunnel rings. In her most productive month, Caroline advanced 926 metres and installed 712 lining rings. Peak weekly progress reached 229 metres, and the best single day delivered 41 metres of excavation and 31 installed rings in 24 hours.

Riyadh – October 11, 2026 -- KAPSARC will send more than 20 leaders, researchers and experts to the 25th WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh as a National Partner, with a presence across the Executive, Technical, Synergy and Special Programmes.

Congress runs 11 to 15 October 2026 in Saudi Arabia for the first time

The Congress, themed "Pathways to an Energy Future for All," was first held in London in 1933. It will convene government leaders, industry executives, policymakers, researchers and innovators to examine global energy systems, from security and investment to technology and sustainability.

KAPSARC President Fahad Alajlan and Dr. Ghadah Alarifi, Dean of the KAPSARC School of Public Policy, are among the Center's speakers in the Executive Programme.

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia – October 08, 2026 -- National Energy Services Reunited Corp. (NESR) has signed an agreement with Aramco worth up to approximately $200 million over five years to execute the Aramco 2027 Lithium Demonstration Project, marking Saudi Arabia's first lithium production initiative.

Project targets 2,000 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually

The facility aims to produce 2,000 tons per annum (tpa) of battery-grade lithium carbonate, with commissioning and production start planned for late 2027. NESR's business segment, NESR Environmental and Decarbonization Applications (NEDA), will execute the turnkey project.

Talcahuano – – October 07, 2026 -- Aclara Resources Inc. (TSX: ARA) and steelmaker CAP S.A. have inaugurated a demonstration plant designed to produce up to 175 kilograms of rare earth metal per day at 99.5% purity, targeting the permanent magnet supply chain for electromobility, robotics and wind power.

Joint venture taps decades of steelworks metallurgy

The facility was launched by Aclara Metals SpA, a 50/50 joint venture between Aclara and CAP, drawing on metallurgical expertise accumulated at CAP's Huachipato steelworks in Talcahuano, Chile. The start-up ceremony was attended by Sergio Giacaman, Governor of the Biobío Region, alongside executives from CAP and Aclara.

Copenhagen – – October 07, 2026 -- Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has reached a final investment decision on Via Verde, an Italian biomethane platform with a pipeline of 20 projects, marking the firm's first deployment under its Advanced Bioenergy Fund II (ABF II) and its entry into the Italian renewable gas market.

Via Verde pipeline spans three Italian regions with 20 planned plants

The platform's projects are located across Lombardy, Abruzzo, and Campania, with each plant designed to process between 60,000 and 100,000 tonnes of agricultural waste annually, converting feedstock into biomethane for injection into the gas grid.

Vancouver, BC – October 07, 2026 -- Ballard Power Systems has won an order for 24 FCrail 200 kW fuel cell modules from Siemens Mobility GmbH, totaling 4.8 MW of capacity, to power Romania's first hydrogen-powered passenger train fleet.

Order marks largest-ever commercial deployment of Siemens' Mireo Plus H platform

The 24 fuel cell modules will be installed across 12 Mireo Plus H trains commissioned by Romania's Railway Reform Authority (ARF). The deployment is the largest to date for the Mireo Plus H platform, the first outside Germany, and the first hydrogen rail fleet in Eastern Europe.

Kitchener, ON – October 06, 2026 -- Canadian Solar Inc.'s (NASDAQ: CSIQ) energy storage unit e-STORAGE has signed an agreement to supply and commission a 100 MW/200 MWh battery energy storage system for OX2's Muswellbrook Solar Farm and Battery in New South Wales, Australia. Shipments are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2027, with commercial operation targeted for the third quarter of 2028.

Project sits on former coal land in a designated renewable energy zone

The facility is located roughly 2.5 kilometers east of Muswellbrook, on the site of a former coal mine within the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone. The region's aging coal generators are set to retire in the early 2030s, and the two-hour storage system is designed to hold midday solar output and release it during the evening demand peak as thermal supply tightens.

Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. – October 06, 2026 -- AMPERA has submitted a comprehensive Regulatory Engagement Plan to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with plans to file its combined manufacturing and fuel fabrication facility license application by October 2027.

AMPERA targets October 2027 for combined reactor and fuel facility license filing

The submission marks the pre-application phase of the NRC licensing process for AMPERA's advanced reactor technology. The company is providing regulators with detailed design features, methodologies and analysis intended to accelerate and de-risk the review period ahead of the 2027 filing.

Pune – October 05, 2026 -- The global lithium compound market is projected to grow from $9.82 billion in 2025 to $39.74 billion by 2034, a 16.8% compound annual growth rate, according to new analysis from Maximize Market Research.

Battery demand drives roughly 80% of global lithium consumption

Global lithium production reached approximately 130,000 tons in 2025 against consumption of around 134,000 tons, underscoring tight supply-demand balance. Lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide dominate battery-grade applications, while lithium chloride, lithium bromide, lithium metal and butyllithium serve glass, ceramics, lubricants, metallurgy, air treatment and pharmaceutical markets. Stationary battery storage demand is growing at an estimated 40% annually, adding a new layer of consumption beyond electric vehicle batteries.

Singapore – October 05, 2026 -- Seatrium Limited has secured its ninth Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) conversion contract from Karpowership, extending a partnership that began in 2018.

LNGT Akdeniz will deliver 600 MMscfd regasification capacity

The newly awarded vessel, LNGT Akdeniz, will convert an LNG carrier into an FSRU with a regasification capacity of up to 600 million standard cubic feet per day. Seatrium's scope covers engineering, conversion, integration, installation and commissioning of regasification equipment, with work scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2027.