28 Jan Energy newstrack, commentary and analysis | China is doubling down on coal
(Oilandgaspress) China’s grid-connected wind and solar capacity reached 1.84 billion kilowatts (kW) in 2025, surpassing coal power for the first time in history, according to data from the National Energy Administration (NEA). The data shows that wind and solar energy now make up 47.3 percent of the nation’s total power mix, exceeding thermal power by 300 million kW. Solar power led the surge with a 35.4 percent year-on-year increase, reaching 1.2 billion kW, while wind power grew by 22.9 percent to reach 640 million kW, it said. Annual renewable additions have accelerated sharply, rising from 120 million kW in 2022 to a record 430 million kW in 2025. This steady climb highlights China’s rapid transformation of its energy grid to meet long-term carbon targets
Despite the massive growth in wind and solar, China is doubling down on coal as well. Related News
Indonesia’s operational and planned captive coal capacity now triples the nation’s 2023 base capacity, exceeds that of Australia’s current total coal fleet, and nearly ties with the entire coal capacity of Germany.
According to the latest analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM), Indonesia’s operational and planned captive coal – or industrial coal power not connected to the national grid – now reaches 31 GW.
The 31 GW capacity comprises 19.3 GW in operation, 3.6 GW of captive coal power plants in construction, and an additional 8.16 GW capacity expansion in planning. Meanwhile, the JETP thematic report for captive study that was released in November last year presents an inconsistent baseline by tabulating 4.45 GW of planned capacity but citing only 3.1 GW in its text, while omitting all announced projects.
These captive projects are also shielded by regulatory loopholes in Indonesia’s Presidential Regulation No. 112 of 2022 (PERPRES 112/2022), which grants exemptions to national strategic projects. This points to a critical lack of oversight as there is currently no public evidence or monitoring framework to verify the mandated 35% emissions reduction required for captive units. Related News
On January 8, 2026, a 500MWh standalone Battery Energy Storage System(BESS) project located at Maritsa East 3 in Bulgaria was officially commissioned.
The project was the jointly developed by BYD Energy Storage and ContourGlobal under their strategic collaboration which is one of the largest standalone energy storage projects in East Europe. It is also BYD Energy Storage’s largest energy storage project in East Europe so far, fully demonstrating its technological capabilities and continued expansion of its global footprint. Since the cooperation agreement was signed in December, 2024, leveraging BYD Energy Storage’s own technological advantage together with CountourGlobal’s strong industry influence, the two parties have worked together to promote project deployment, laying solid foundation for long-term partnership, deeper penetration of the European market and enhanced brand presence in the Eastern European renewable energy sector. . Related News
China’s energy storage technology mix witnessed noticeable changes where pumped hydro storage accounted for less than 40% for the first time while the new-type energy storage represented by lithium batteries saw explosive growth. According to incomplete statistic from China Energy Storage Alliance (CNESA), by the end of 2025, China’s cumulative installed capacity of power storage reached 213.3GW among which pumped hydro storage shared 31.3% while the new-type cumulative energy installations represented by lithium battery accounted for over two thirds.
Against the backdrop of robust industry expansion, it is significant to improve energy storage standardization system especially enhancing safety standard.
Through the incomplete statistic, in 2025, China released over 40 national, industry and local standards on energy storage. These standards cover energy storage planning and designing, equipment testing, grid connection and operation, safety management and emergency response, providing important support to guide high-quality industry development, guarantee the safety of energy storage power stations, and promote the energy structure transformation and the green and low-carbon development across industrial value chain. Related News
Tianneng Group signed a strategic agreement with NASDAQ-listed company VCIG Group. The two parties will build a 1GWh AIDC solar energy storage power station in Malacca, Malaysia. The project aims to address the high-energy-consumption challenge of AIDC and will be developed under an “EPC+F” model.
It is said that phase I of the project plans to build a 250MW solar infrastructure together with Tianneng’s independently developed liquid cooing energy storage system. Leveraging Malaysia’s “CRESS” programme, the project will provide zero-carbon electricity to local AI computing infrastructure through signing direct power purchase agreement(PPA). The move marks an important breakthrough for Tianneng Group’s energy storage business in large-scale infrastructure development in Southeast Asia. Related News
Amazon has been approved as the buyer of the 1.2GW Sunstone solar project in Oregon, one of the largest solar PV projects in the US.
The Sunstone site was developed and previously owned by Pine Gate Renewables, the US independent power producer (IPP), which filed for bankruptcy in November 2025. It includes 1.2GW of solar PV and 1.2GW of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity, which is ready to build, having received permitting and approvals from the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC).
Amazon’s acquisition was approved by the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, which granted its offer of US$83 million in cash via its specific project subsidiary, Oregon Solar I. The move follows Amazon’s complaints back in November that an Oregon utility was not supplying sufficient power to its data centre projects in the state, where it has built numerous cloud computing data centres close to the banks of the Columbia River. Once fully operational, the Sunstone solar-plus-storage project will be one of the most significant renewable energy generation projects in the US. . Related News
Massachusetts offshore wind project can continue
A US federal judge reportedly said that a nearly completed Massachusetts offshore wind project can continue, as the industry successfully challenges the Trump administration in court.
At U.S. District Court in Boston, Judge Brian Murphy halted the administration’s stop work order for Vineyard Wind, citing the potential economic losses from the delays and the developers’ likelihood of success on their claims. Vineyard Wind is one of five big offshore wind projects on the East Coast that the Trump administration froze days before Christmas, citing national security concerns— and the fourth that has since been allowed to go forward. Read More
Ørsted has appointed Simon Ashley as its next Chief HR Officer and member of the Group Executive Team, effective 1 August 2026. The appointment follows a planned succession process as Henriette Fenger Ellekrog, current Chief HR Officer, has decided to conclude her executive career. Related News
On January 16, 2026, the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) granted the Operational Authorization for testing of the Carbeso Solar photovoltaic plant, with a capacity of 46.13 MWp, located in the municipality of Pujalt (Barcelona), following the completion of construction of the generation facility. This authorization marks the start of the testing period prior to the plant’s final commissioning.
This represents a significant milestone for the company and for the deployment of renewable energy in Catalonia, as Carbeso Solar becomes the largest photovoltaic plant to come into operation in the region, far exceeding the capacity of the largest installation previously in operation. This constitutes a very substantial contribution to Catalonia’s renewable energy targets. Related News
IGNIS Energía, reaches a new milestone: 10 gigawatts under representation in the electricity markets of Spain and Portugal. This achievement reflects our sustained growth in recent years and the consolidation of a diversified portfolio spanning all generation technologies: photovoltaic, wind, solar thermal, cogeneration, hydropower, combined cycles, and biomass.
Beyond generation, we hold a unique position in the integration of storage and demand management within the power system: we are the first market representative to operate a battery in Spain, and we have secured the first regulatory sandbox dedicated to industrial demand-side management. This progress has been made possible by a differentiated value proposition, based on:
·Strong investment in technology and human talent, enabling us to operate with maximum efficiency and reliability. Related News
During the period from 19 to 23 January 2026, Eni acquired on the Euronext Milan no. 2,426,532 shares (equal to 0.08% of the share capital), at a weighted average price per share equal to 16.4844 euro, for a total consideration of 39,999,984.37 euro within the treasury shares program approved by the Shareholders’ Meeting on 14 May 2025, previously subject to disclosure in accordance with applicable legislation.
On the basis of the information provided by the intermediary appointed to make the purchases, here below a synthesis of transactions for the purchase of treasury shares on the Euronext Milan on a daily basis:Read More
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OilandGasPress Energy Newsbites and Analysis Roundup | Compiled by: OGP Staff, Submit your Releases or contact us now!, victor@oilandgaspress.com
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