Author: Arnes Biogradlija

As EU heads of state prepare to land in Beijing for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, energy cooperation occupies a rare place of consensus amid broader geopolitical friction. Bilateral trade now exceeds €2.3 billion each day, yet the relationship is strained by China’s restrictive rare‑earth export regime and Europe’s pending electric‑vehicle tariffs. Nowhere is this tension more pronounced than in the realm of decarbonization: Europe needs China’s minerals for wind turbines, batteries, and electrolyzers even as Berlin slashes its own green‑hydrogen subsidies. Trade Scale vs. Strategic Anxiety China remains the EU’s second‑largest trading partner, accounting for nearly 15 percent of goods…

Atmos Renewables and Nomad Energy have finalized financing for the 100 MW / 400 MWh Merredin battery energy storage system (BESS)—a $220 million project that translates to roughly $550 000 per MWh in capital costs, more than triple the 2024 global median turnkey price of $165 000 / MWh. CapEx Premium Reflects Remote Connection and Scale At $220 million for 400 MWh of storage, Merredin’s capital expenditure works out to $550 000 / MWh. By comparison, BloombergNEF’s 2024 survey found global average turnkey BESS pricing at just $165 000 / MWh—down 40 percent year‑on‑year to US$165 / kWh (equivalent to US$165,000 / MWh). The Merredin site’s higher cost likely reflects its location eight kilometres from Merredin town, the need for new grid interconnection…

At an estimated production cost of €2.50 per kilogram—half the price of Europe’s subsidized hydrogen—Brazil is positioning itself as a low-cost exporter in the global green hydrogen market. Backed by over €1.3 billion in investments, H2Brazil’s twin projects in Uberaba and Açu signal a strategic move to industrialize hydrogen at scale by leveraging the country’s renewable-rich power grid and export-oriented infrastructure. Uberaba: Scale, Synergy, and Export Readiness The centerpiece of H2Brazil’s strategy is its 820MW electrolyzer-based complex in Uberaba, Minas Gerais. The facility aims to produce 125,000 tonnes of hydrogen annually, feeding 700,000 tonnes of green ammonia, a volume large…

The halt of EWE’s hydrogen project in Bremen, following ArcelorMittal’s decision to abandon its hydrogen transition plans, underscores a core vulnerability in Germany’s industrial decarbonization ambitions: without committed buyers and stable policy, green hydrogen infrastructure remains commercially untenable. Buyer Withdrawals Undermine Project Viability The Mittelsbüren project, intended to anchor Bremen’s role in the green hydrogen economy, was conceived as a climate-neutral production hub supplying hydrogen to ArcelorMittal’s steel operations. But once the steel giant opted to stick with conventional production methods, the project lost its economic linchpin. EWE, left without a primary off-taker, suspended the initiative—an implicit acknowledgment of hydrogen’s…

By 2024, Germany conducted nearly 700,000 energy consultations. The result? A resounding rejection of hydrogen as a viable heating solution for homes. Despite mounting political enthusiasm, expert consensus is increasingly clear: hydrogen heating is a costly detour in the path to decarbonizing residential buildings. The Economics Don’t Add Up Green hydrogen—produced via electrolysis using renewable electricity—currently accounts for just 0.1% of global hydrogen supply. At two to three times the cost of fossil-derived hydrogen (grey hydrogen), its price tag alone renders it economically unviable for residential heating. Thirty-two independent studies evaluated by CORRECTIV show hydrogen heating as consistently more expensive…

By repurposing Northvolt’s flagship Dwa factory in Poland, Lyten isn’t just chasing scale—it’s betting the future of lithium‑sulfur will outflank giants shackled by brand‑new gigafactory gambles. The 270,000 ft² plant, once poised to deliver up to 12 GWh of battery‑energy‑storage systems, instead became a pawn in Northvolt’s bankruptcy chessboard. Lyten swooped in, closing the deal in Q3 2025, and plans to fire up production immediately, leapfrogging years of construction and hundreds of millions in capital outlay. This brownfield playbook isn’t theoretical. In 2024, Lyten converted Cuberg’s Bay Area lithium‑metal lines into the first commercial lithium‑sulfur pilot, proving that repurposed assets can meet rigorous…

In 2023, U.S. venture investment in energy innovation dropped 27% from its 2021 peak. While inflation and interest rates played a role, insiders suggest a more systemic issue: a stagnating ecosystem that fails to scale bold ideas. Doug Wicks, a former Program Director at ARPA-E, has seen firsthand why so many promising solutions fall short—not in the lab, but in the systems meant to support them. WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE Wicks, now an independent strategic advisor, believes the U.S. energy innovation pipeline is undermined by bureaucratic inertia and a reluctance to prioritize “fast failure” over procedural rigor. “We’re not…

A key indicator of Germany’s hydrogen ambitions has dimmed: despite a national target of 10 GW of installed electrolyser capacity by 2030, just over 1 GW has reached final investment decision. Germany’s H2UB Boxberg initiative, announced in April 2024, aimed to repurpose decommissioned lignite‑fired units into Europe’s largest green energy hub. The project centred on a modular “flexibility power plant” concept: an initial 110 MW PEM electrolyser converting surplus wind and solar power into green hydrogen, complemented by large‑scale battery storage and hydrogen‑fired turbines to supply firm, around‑the‑clock power. In June 2025, LEAG confirmed it was “postponing plans for hydrogen production in Boxberg…

An abrupt exit by Queensland’s state‑owned Stanwell Corporation has abruptly halted what would have been Australia’s largest green hydrogen facility, underscoring how shaky economics and wavering offtake commitments are forcing a strategic retreat across the nation’s nascent hydrogen sector. The Central Queensland Hydrogen Project (CQ‑H2) had envisioned an initial 720 MW electrolyser array producing up to 73,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually, with plans to scale to 2.88 GW for over one million tonnes per year. Total capital expenditure was pegged at roughly AUD 12.5 billion (USD 8.2 billion). Yet in a terse statement on July 1, 2025, Stanwell confirmed it was “discontinuing its involvement in the CQ‑H2…

Inner Mongolia’s latest approval of a 1,000 MW integrated wind-solar-to-hydrogen project marks a structural shift in China’s hydrogen policy execution, as it simultaneously pioneers renewable hydrogen production and long-distance pure hydrogen pipeline transport—an infrastructure blend still rare even by global standards. The Damao Banner project, led by Huadian Power via its subsidiary Inner Mongolia Huadian Huayang Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd., reflects a calibrated push by the Chinese central and regional governments to close the gap between hydrogen production potential and practical deployment. Totaling over 6.76 billion yuan (USD 930 million), this project is the first in Inner Mongolia to…