The world is on track to invest $3.4 trillion in energy in 2026, yet the most significant shift is not the scale of spending but where the money is flowing. Electricity infrastructure, renewables, nuclear power, storage, and efficiency are attracting nearly twice as much investment as fossil fuels, reflecting how a second major energy crisis within five years is reshaping global perceptions of energy security.
Fortescue has started construction of a 650MWh battery energy storage system at Cloudbreak in Western Australia’s Pilbara region alongside the 690MW Turner River solar project, expanding its effort to operate iron ore production using renewable electricity.
Global investment in electricity grids must rise from roughly USD 0.5 trillion annually in 2025 to about USD 1 trillion per year through 2035 if the world is to remain on a 1.5°C-compatible pathway.
Iberdrola SA is advancing a 1-GW class battery energy storage system in Queensland, signaling continued international utility investment in Australia’s grid stabilization market.
Ford Motor Company has launched a new wholly owned subsidiary, Ford Energy, aimed at manufacturing stationary battery storage systems at its Kentucky facility with planned annual deployment capacity of 20 GWh.
Fortescue’s private mining grid in Western Australia is now operating with 2.3 GW of generation capacity and more than 5 GWh of battery storage, yet its most consequential shift is not scale but control.
With electricity demand rising and cross-border congestion increasingly constraining renewable deployment, the European Commission has opened a €600 million funding call targeting strategic energy infrastructure across the bloc.
