Commenting on the membership, Horatio Evers, CEO Ming Yang Europe, said: “Norway is the birthplace of floating offshore wind, and Norwegian Offshore Wind has built an industry community that we genuinely want to learn from and contribute to. Our ambition in Europe is to manufacture locally, partner locally and innovate locally.” Norway has set a target of reaching 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040, with floating wind expected to play a significant role. Ming Yang has been pursuing opportunities in this area through its OceanX floating offshore wind platform.

The latest move follows the company’s recent admission to the German Offshore Wind Association (BWO) and aligns with its broader European expansion strategy centred on local production and regional partnerships. Referring to wider offshore wind ambitions across the region, Evers stated: “The ambitions agreed at the North Sea Summit in Hamburg earlier this year, 300 GW of offshore wind by 2050, 15 GW installed annually from 2031, make one thing clear: this transition will only succeed if European and international technology providers pull together,” adding that Ming Yang intends to contribute to those goals. Norwegian Offshore Wind represents another step in the company’s efforts to deepen engagement with the European market.

Ming Yang has continued exploring opportunities across Europe despite challenges in entering a market largely dominated by established European suppliers. In March, the UK government blocked the company’s proposed manufacturing hub in the Scottish Highlands, citing national security concerns. Reports earlier in May indicated that the manufacturer was evaluating alternative factory locations in Europe, including Spain. Separately, it was announced on Thursday that Ming Yang will also consider investing in an offshore wind project in Canada.

The newly secured renewable power agreement aligns with Nscale’s flagship European AI infrastructure initiative. As a vertically integrated global hyperscale provider, Nscale enables companies and governments to create, deploy, and expand transformative AI systems. The Kvandal site will launch with an initial capacity of 230 MW, featuring clear potential for future capacity expansion. By securing a reliable supply of renewable electricity, operators can sustain the massive, continuous computing loads required by these advanced technological applications. Establishing a sustainable AI infrastructure in this region leverages the unique operational advantages of the Nordics, which offer access to fossil-free energy, a naturally cold climate that supports energy efficiency, and a highly dependable technological grid.

According to Ronny Brunstad, Managing Director of Vattenfall Norway, the Nordic region presents exceptionally strong conditions for operating a sustainable data center. Brunstad emphasized that securing long-term power contracts grants fast-growing, energy-intensive industries essential predictability and security within an increasingly volatile global energy market.

Operating outside of Narvik, the Kvandal facility represents a crucial component of Europe’s technological capacity. Stian Jenssen, Managing Director for Nscale Scandinavia, noted that successfully developing large-scale technology frameworks in Norway and Europe relies heavily on trusted partners across the entire value chain. Jenssen reinforced that securing green power is a vital part of their business model. Through this long-term strategic alignment, both organizations highlight their operational capability to cultivate a sustainable data center network that consistently meets the stringent demands of modern enterprise computing.

Once the plant reaches full operational capacity, Nordex expects the site to manufacture as many as 1,200 rotor blades annually through four-shift operations. The facility is also expected to employ approximately 1,200 people across manufacturing and administration. The company stated that the new plant strengthens its ability to comply with local content requirements linked to Türkiye’s YEKA specifications while supporting the broader domestic wind industry supply chain. Türkiye has remained an important market for Nordex Group since 2009, with the company maintaining roughly 34% market share since 2017.

Nordex Group CEO José Luis Blanco said: “The start of production at our new blade factory in Menemen marks an important milestone in strengthening Nordex’s manufacturing footprint in Türkiye and supporting our long-term growth strategy in the country.

“By investing in local production capacity, we are not only contributing to the development of the wind industry in Türkiye but also enhancing our ability to fulfill further all local content requirements in accordance with the YEKA-specifications.”

Since 1985, the company has commissioned more than 64GW of wind power capacity across more than 40 global markets. Rotor Blade Production at the Menemen facility is expected to play a key role in supporting both domestic renewable energy projects and export demand from Europe.

The revised Norwegian hydropower investment figure marks a substantial increase compared to the earlier estimate of NOK 44–67 billion presented in January 2024. The company attributes the increase to a larger project portfolio, the effects of inflation, and an extended planning horizon.

Approximately half of the NOK 80 billion investment will go towards major maintenance of existing assets to safeguard current generation capacity. The remaining half is earmarked for upgrades, further development, and new capacity and output.

Hydropower accounts for the bulk of the planned investments, exceeding NOK 70 billion in total. Statkraft has previously stated its ambition to initiate at least five major hydropower upgrade projects by 2030. These refurbishments are expected to enable capacity increases and enhance the ability to generate electricity during periods of peak demand, helping to reduce price spikes and sustain supply when wind generation is low.

President and CEO Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal noted that over the past two years, the company has already invested nearly NOK 4 billion in Norwegian hydropower, including the ongoing construction of the new Svean hydropower plant in Trøndelag at an approximate cost of NOK 1.2 billion. She noted that this level of investment will increase substantially in the years ahead, in line with the company’s updated strategy to concentrate resources in its core business.

“Statkraft is helping to build and strengthen Norway. By investing NOK 80 billion, we are undertaking one of the largest industrial programmes in Norway for many decades. In practice, we are rebuilding major hydropower plants,” said Pål Eitrheim, Executive Vice President for Nordics. He added that these investments will generate activity from Finnmark in the north to Telemark in the south, and from Innlandet in the east to Vestland in the west, ensuring power plants can continue generating electricity well into the next century.

A significant driver behind the Norwegian hydropower investment programme is the age of many existing facilities. Several of Norway’s largest hydropower plants are approaching or have already reached the end of their operational lifetimes. Statkraft is currently assessing upgrade opportunities at Nore in Buskerud, which opened in 1928, Mår in Telemark, opened in 1948, and Aura in Møre og Romsdal, opened in 1953. The company is evaluating the potential for these sites to be upgraded to modern, more powerful installations capable of producing more electricity when it is most needed.

In Alta, Statkraft plans to expand the existing facility from two to three generating units, which would enable the utilisation of water that currently bypasses the plant during the flood season.

Beyond generation upgrades, the investment programme also addresses structural and safety requirements. Statkraft is required to reinforce several older dams to withstand greater climate variability and to comply with stricter safety standards. Critical technical equipment across multiple plants will also need to be replaced, and water tunnels require refurbishment. These works are expected to create opportunities for both small and large contractors across the country.

Vartdal acknowledged the scale of the challenge, describing the company’s facilities as remarkable assets that have delivered electricity for decades. She stated that many of the tunnels were excavated 60 to 80 years ago and that a significant portion of the equipment is now reaching the end of its service life. She also highlighted that several large dams are mandated for modernisation, underlining the considerable investment required to sustain a robust energy system.

In addition to hydropower modernisation, Statkraft plans to invest in wind power over the same period. Three of the company’s existing wind farms are approaching the end of their operational lifetimes, while new projects are under development.

Eitrheim drew a direct comparison between the two technology types, noting that the combined initial investments planned for hydropower upgrades and development over the next ten years would deliver less new energy output than the planned Moifjellet wind farm alone. He described wind power as the only technology currently capable of delivering substantial additional energy output at a price level acceptable to industry in the short term.

On the subject of repowering ageing wind farms, Eitrheim stated that Statkraft aims to significantly increase output while reducing the number of turbines, drawing on experience from comparable repowering projects in Spain. The company’s estimates indicate that wind power generation will more than double over the next ten years, with an expected contribution to lower power prices and job creation across Norway. This wind power expansion is an integral part of Statkraft’s broader renewable energy capacity strategy.

Statkraft has noted that all projections are subject to change depending on electricity demand and other factors. New projects will require licensing from the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, while wind power developments are also contingent on approvals from municipal authorities. The company expects to prioritise between projects and has stated it will only proceed with investments that meet profitability requirements prior to final investment decisions.

The scale of the programme, combined with its geographic reach and the volume of hydropower modernisation and renewable energy capacity work involved, reflects a broad and long-term commitment to Norwegian energy infrastructure that is expected to unfold over the coming decade.

Under the terms of the agreement, Dominion shareholders will receive 0.8138 shares of NextEra Energy for each share of Dominion they hold. Upon closing, NextEra shareholders will retain approximately 74.5% ownership of the combined company, while Dominion shareholders will hold the remaining 25.5%.

The combined entity would serve approximately 10 million customer accounts and operate 110 gigawatts of generation capacity spanning nuclear, natural gas, renewables and battery storage assets. More than 80% of the business would remain regulated, providing a substantial base of rate-backed infrastructure investment opportunities as utilities scale capital spending in response to load growth and grid resiliency requirements.

The merged utility would carry a combined regulated rate base of approximately $138 billion, with management projecting annual growth of around 11% through 2032. Executives also highlighted a development pipeline featuring more than 130 gigawatts of large-load opportunities, underscoring the accelerating influence of hyperscale computing facilities, advanced manufacturing and electrification-driven demand on long-range utility planning.

NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum noted that the utility merger is being driven not by scale alone but by operational efficiencies, supply-chain leverage and construction capability as the industry confronts increasingly complex generation and transmission buildouts.

The transaction meaningfully expands NextEra’s regulated utility footprint beyond its Florida base while extending its reach into some of the country’s fastest-growing electricity markets. Dominion contributes regulated operations across Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, including infrastructure directly tied to high-growth data center corridors and large industrial energy users. This positions the combined company squarely at the intersection of power grid expansion and digital infrastructure demand.

The NextEra and Dominion Energy merger reflects a wider restructuring taking shape across the U.S. power sector. Utilities are increasingly seeking larger balance sheets and integrated infrastructure platforms capable of financing multibillion-dollar transmission, generation and grid modernization programs. At the same time, the industry is contending with supply-chain bottlenecks, transformer shortages, permitting complexity and rising construction costs associated with the rapid growth of electricity-intensive industries.

Management pointed to expanded capabilities in data analytics, supply-chain management and AI-driven operational planning as tools intended to improve project deployment and overall grid operations within the combined organization.

The operational structure of the utility merger is designed to preserve existing local regulatory relationships. Dominion’s utility businesses will continue operating under their established names, including Dominion Energy Virginia and Dominion Energy South Carolina. The combined company will maintain dual headquarters in Juno Beach, Florida and Richmond, Virginia, alongside Dominion Energy South Carolina’s operational headquarters in Cayce.

Robert Blue, Dominion’s current chairman and chief executive, will transition into the role of president and CEO of regulated utilities for the combined company and will join its board of directors. John Ketchum will continue as chairman and CEO of the parent company.

As part of the transaction, the companies are proposing $2.25 billion in bill credits for Dominion customers across Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina over the two years following the deal’s close. Management indicated that greater scale and combined procurement capabilities are expected to lower long-term operating and capital costs across the combined regulated electric utility.

The transaction is expected to close within 12 to 18 months, subject to shareholder approval and a series of regulatory reviews. Required clearances include approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and utility commissions in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Once completed, the merged company would rank among the industry’s leading infrastructure investors by annual capital expenditure, regulated rate base and total generation capacity in the power grid expansion landscape.

The installation will feature 15 units of Envision Energy’s EN-182/8.0MW wind turbine technology. Once operational, the Begendik wind power project is expected to generate approximately 360 million kWh of clean electricity every year, significantly boosting the national clean power capacity. This output is projected to reduce carbon emissions by roughly 225,000 tons annually, contributing to the country’s broader decarbonization objectives and grid stability.

Under this strategic partnership, Envision Energy will provide comprehensive lifecycle services and equipment manufacturing. The agreement includes a 15-year operations and maintenance arrangement, highlighting the company’s ability to ensure sustained value and reliability. As a green technology leader, Envision’s involvement is crucial for the long-term performance of the site’s wind turbine technology. This collaboration underscores a commitment to renewable energy development and the expansion of clean power capacity within the Turkish energy grid.

Kane Xu, Senior Vice President of Envision Energy, stated that the Begendik project shows how renewable energy projects can create long-term value creation beyond capacity growth. He noted that by leveraging a large-megawatt platform, the companies aim to develop a benchmark project that integrates economic value and sustainability. Osman Akça, Board Member of Menderes Tekstil, added that the project marks an important step in their clean energy investment journey, expressing confidence in the technology and services provided by their partner to ensure long-term performance.

The newly acquired portfolio includes 42 operational solar power plants distributed throughout Central and Southern Taiwan. These facilities possess a combined nameplate capacity of 187MW and are projected to produce approximately 270 million kWh of clean electricity annually. This output is estimated to support the energy needs of roughly 80,000 Taiwanese households, with the assets maintaining a remaining operational lifespan exceeding 15 years. By integrating these facilities, J&V Energy intends to solidify its standing as a prominent independent power producer.

This solar acquisition serves to enhance the supply capabilities of GREENET, the group’s green electricity retail subsidiary. According to Jerome Tan, Group Chief Investment Officer of J&V Energy, the addition of these assets aligns with a broader strategy to develop a high-quality portfolio that features stable, long-dated, and fully contracted cashflows. The company views this as an opportunity to leverage its internal expertise in asset management, operations, and offtake solutions to drive further value. Furthermore, Kai Tan, Deputy CEO of J&V Energy, noted that the initiative directly addresses the increasing demand from local corporations particularly those within the semiconductor, electronics, and ICT sectors for reliable, large-scale green electricity to meet net-zero commitments. Following the finalization of the deal in 2026, the plants will be fully incorporated into the firm’s existing electricity retail and management platforms.

The CFA was signed by Ahmed Ali Alshamsi and Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, both of whom underscored the importance of strengthened cooperation to improve project efficiency particularly in the development of solar power plants and battery energy storage systems.

A Partnership Built on Proven Collaboration

The UAE renewable energy agreement between EWEC and Masdar is not built from scratch. Both organisations share a strong history of working together on some of the region’s most significant solar power initiatives, including the Al Dhafra, Al Ajban, and Khazna solar projects. These past efforts have laid a solid foundation for what is now expected to be a broader and more structured collaboration under the new framework.

By combining EWEC’s deep expertise in energy procurement with Masdar’s globally recognised capabilities in renewable energy development, the partnership is positioned to deliver faster and more efficient project outcomes.

Targeting 60 Percent Clean Energy by 2035

One of the central objectives of the Collaboration Framework Agreement is to support Abu Dhabi in achieving 60 percent of its total energy demand from renewable and clean sources by 2035. To reach this goal, EWEC has outlined plans to expand its solar power capacity to more than 30 gigawatts.

In parallel, a minimum of 8 gigawatts of battery energy storage will be integrated into the grid. This large-scale storage deployment is intended to ensure the stability and reliability of power supply as the share of intermittent clean energy sources continues to rise.

These efforts are firmly aligned with the UAE’s long-term national commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Supporting the Local Economy and Emirati Workforce

Beyond energy production targets, the CFA also places considerable emphasis on economic and social outcomes. The agreement includes specific measures to increase In-Country Value by promoting the use of local suppliers and service providers within project supply chains.

Additionally, the partnership seeks to create meaningful employment and skills development opportunities for Emirati professionals in the clean energy sector, contributing to a more locally empowered energy workforce.

Toward Emission-Free Water Production

The collaboration extends beyond electricity generation. The agreement is also expected to contribute to cleaner water production by reducing dependence on fossil fuels in desalination processes. This is in alignment with the UAE’s broader goal of achieving nearly emission-free water production by 2030 a target that ties energy and water sustainability together within a unified national vision.

Strengthening Energy Security Through Innovation

Officials from both EWEC and Masdar stated that the agreement will enhance the country’s energy security while encouraging innovation across the sector. The structured framework is expected to reduce timelines and improve the execution quality of future UAE renewable energy projects, as both parties leverage their combined strengths.

The Collaboration Framework Agreement represents a concrete step in building a more sustainable, reliable, and resilient energy system capable of supporting the UAE’s long-term growth and development ambitions.

The company stated that its hybrid interdigitated-back-contact (HIBC) solar cell architecture enabled the breakthrough, combining multiple advanced design elements. These include passivated tunneling contacts, dielectric passivation layers, and both n-type and p-type contacts integrated within the same structure. Longi further noted that HIBC-based modules have already demonstrated an efficiency of 26.4%, a figure certified by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). According to the company, “These breakthroughs in technological capability have already translated into a leading edge in mass production.”

Longi’s previously published research outlines the technical configuration underpinning the achievement. The cell is constructed on a high-resistivity half-cut M10 wafer that incorporates edge passivation and optimized n-type contacts formed through a dual-temperature process. An indium tin oxide (ITO) layer is used to enhance lateral conductivity, while multilayer coatings of aluminum oxide (AlOx) and silicon nitride (SiNx) are applied to suppress surface recombination. Additional refinements include reduced phosphorus doping in the n-type polycrystalline silicon layer to limit diffusion, as well as in situ edge passivation during fabrication.

Further design enhancements involve deep-trenched metal fingers and selective ITO etching to minimize leakage between contact types. A thicker amorphous silicon layer has been introduced to improve junction coverage and sidewall encapsulation. To address contact resistivity while maintaining passivation quality, the amorphous silicon layer is crystallized using a pulsed green nanosecond laser. Longi indicated that while the technology shows potential for scaling into heterojunction solar cell manufacturing, further work is required to reduce resistive losses in the p-type contact. The company’s latest result reinforces the competitive trajectory of Solar Cell Efficiency improvements in next-generation photovoltaic technologies.