Algeria has inaugurated a 300-megawatt-peak (MWp) solar power plant in El Oued Province, marking a major step in its renewable energy expansion. The El-Foulia solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, spread across 600 hectares in northeastern Algeria, is the country’s largest solar park to date and forms part of its 3.2-gigawatt (GW) national renewable energy programme. The project will feed solar-generated electricity into the national grid, helping meet rising power demand while reducing natural gas consumption for electricity generation. To learn about the market potential of aluminium dross, explore "ALuminium Dross Processing: Generation, Recovery & Strategic Roadmap" 300 MWp facility strengthens Algeria’s solar capacity The inauguration took place on October 26, 2026, in the presence of...
Singapore is exploring solar photovoltaic (PV) roof tiles that could allow heritage buildings to generate clean electricity without compromising their traditional appearance, as the Energy Market Authority (EMA) steps up efforts to advance solar technologies through partnerships with public and private sector organisations. EMA will collaborate with Swiss technology innovation centre CSEM and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to pilot the use of solar PV roof tiles on heritage State buildings. Designed to resemble traditional clay roof tiles, the technology could enable more roof space to generate clean electricity while preserving the overall appearance of historic properties. Traditional clay-tile roofs are an integral part of the character of Singapore’s heritage precincts....
Grow with
AL Circle
As per the official data from Red Electrica, in 2025, Spain positioned itself as one of Europe's dynamic clean energy markets after successfully adding renewable capacity of 8,852.7 MW. In this, solar photovoltaic (PV) dominated the state by adding 7,896.3 MW and the remaining 956.4 MW came from onshore wind. With this expansion, Spain's leadership in renewable generation within the EU territory has been confirmed. However, the increased grid congestion is creating a new challenge for new connections, which holds the power to overturn the market outcome in 2026. Cumulatively, Spain's total installed solar PV shifted to 48,130.6 MW and in 2025, the wind power closed at 33,150.3 MW. Nonetheless, the solar deployment stayed highly concentrated. There are five autonomous communities that hold...
At the start of 2026, the Trump administration once again dominates global headlines—much as it did at the beginning of 2025. Then, the flashpoint was tariffs on aluminium and steel imports; now, it is the US military strike on Venezuela. In the early hours of January 3, 2026, around 2 a.m. local time, the United States launched a military operation codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve; and within the next few days, speculation over Washington’s motives and the broader consequences has intensified. Well, President Donald Trump has been unequivocal about the intent. Following the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro, Trump announced that the US would assume control of Venezuela to tap into the South American nation’s vast oil reserves. This move is quite a familiar geo-political pattern as...
REalloys Inc. and Mission Critical Materials LLC (MCM) have signed an agreement to build a fully domestic rare earth supply chain in the United States, leveraging an unconventional source of acid mine drainage. This is going to be the first end-to-end US production pathway that converts hazardous mine wastewater into rare earth metals and magnets for defence use. The agreement is non-binding but outlines a framework linking upstream recovery technology with downstream processing and magnet production. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain Under the arrangement, REalloys will serve as MCM’s preferred downstream partner for rare earth materials extracted from acid mine drainage, a toxic by-product of coal and hard-rock mining. MCM’s...
The US attack on Venezuela has pulled eyeballs from nations across the globe. From the Venezuelan President and his wife’s arrest to zealing to take control of the attacked country’s vast oil reserve, the US supremo’s actions have stirred quite a debate on the world forum. But when we reminisce the past, we have realised that this is not the first time that the world has gone gaga over a Donald Trump-imposed decision. Long before sanctions on Caracas, On March 1, 2018, the US President, Donald Trump, announced his intention to impose a 25 per cent tariff on steel and a 10 per cent tariff on aluminium imports. In a tweet the next day, Trump declared, "Trade wars are good, and easy to win." On March 8, he signed an order to impose the tariffs effective after 15 days. Not long after, the...
The latest renewable energy tender, as shared by the Dominican government, has received a positive market response, considering the 32 solar and wind projects, where battery energy storage held the lion's share, competed for a total capacity of 600 MW. To be decided in May 2026, the process shall enable further expansion within the future rounds at par with the strong participation level share. What started in August 2025 The region launched the tender for 600 MW solar and wind capacity, which could be traced to August, 2025, where the project demanded inclusion of four hours of battery storage to support the stability in the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI). This request was approved by the Superintendency of Electricity (SIE) under Resolution SIE-092-2025-LCE, which aided...
New plans by the US government have been rolled out for taking up more equity stakes within the critical minerals’ companies, as reported by the White House officials in the last month. This strategic plan, which is also referred to as the once-rare move, is deemed necessary for encountering China's dominance concerning the raw materials usage from semiconductors to MRI machines. Jarrod Agen, the Executive Director of the National Energy Dominance Council, speaking at a forum in Washington, stated, "I think they’re the norm from our perspective. There is a broad scope of different companies that are coming to us. They’re making the right case." Products ranging from consumer gadgets like iPhones to industrial magnets make use of critical minerals like gallium and cobalt. Not only in these...
A new national critical minerals strategy has been brought into light by the UK Government, laying out a plan till 2035. The main focus of this strategy has been on sourcing a steady supply of vital resources like lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths and other essential metals, looking towards a better energy transition and digital economy. The "Vision 2035: Critical Minerals Strategy," as documented by the UK Government, sets ambitious goals for the next decade. In this document, the country aims to cover at least 10 per cent of its domestic demand through local production and an additional 20 per cent through recycling. This has been decided to ensure a cut-down reliance on the international suppliers. Nearly 60 per cent of the country's demand for any critical mineral will be coming...
In Gujarat, India, Waaree Energies, within its Chikhli facility, has been added to the MNRE’s ALMM, which shall further aid in improving the overall capacity of 16.444 GW. With this listing in MNRE's ALMM, the firm's total capacity for manufacturing solar modules within the Indian territory is now expanded to 20.17 GW, which, however, also includes the capacity from Indosolar. As per the latest entry of ALMM, the inclusion of highly efficient module lines, which will be produced at the Chikhli facility, is expected. This shall further include the G12R tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), G12 TOPCon and the G12 heterojunction (HJT) modules. This expansion will extend the firm's range of certified technologies, which is required for conducting Indian projects. Sunil Rathi, the...
With the operational launch of the 1 GW HG14 offshore photovoltaic project, China has touched a significant milestone in renewable energy expansion. This is the world’s largest open-sea offshore solar power facility, which has been fully commissioned off the coast of Dongying in Shandong province. Developed by Guohua Investment, a subsidiary of China Energy Investment Corp. (CHN Energy), the plant received its full-capacity grid connection in late December 2025. Image for reference only (source: https://assets.ratedpower.com/) Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain Spread across approximately 1,223 hectares of shallow coastal waters, approximately 8 km from the shoreline, the project is situated in sea depths ranging from 1 metre to...
On Saturday, the Indian government shared its intention to initiate a scheme for boosting the production of sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPM). This scheme by the Indian government mainly focuses on enhancing the country’s participation in the global advanced materials market while reducing its dependence on imports. According to an official statement, the scheme will release a fund of INR 7,280 crore focused on fostering long-term industrial growth by establishing a comprehensive REPM manufacturing capacity of 6 thousand metric tonnes per year. The expected output is expected to cover the full chain, starting from rare earth oxides to finished magnets. Outlining this scheme aimed towards attaining enhanced competitiveness, pool more technology-driven investments and supporting...
NASA has launched a state-of-the-art high-tech sensor, which is being used to hunt critical minerals throughout the American West. This sensor technology, called AVIRIS-5 (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-5), is built on technology created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which was first developed in the 1970s. AVIRIS-5, whose size is about the size of a microwave, is nestled in the nose of one of NASA’s ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. The sensor made its debut in 1986 and JPL has been working ever since to make improvements. The sensor is one of NASA's and the US Geological Survey (USGS) joint research projects, making it one of the latest tools being used in GEMx. This project focused on searching the surfaces for critical mineral traces, which are a...
Even after President Donald Trump announced a rare earth “truce” with Chinese President Xi Jinping in late October, US companies say the promised relief has yet to materialise on the ground. Market participants report that China is still limiting access to key rare earth inputs needed to build permanent magnets and other strategic products in the United States. More than a dozen consumers, producers, government officials and trade experts said China has increased shipments of finished magnets, but American manufacturers still cannot secure the raw materials required to make them domestically - a central goal of the administration. The people requested anonymity because the discussions aren’t public. The situation underscores lingering tensions in US - China trade relations since the Oct...
Rio Grande do Norte is set to receive another major boost in renewable energy. The Chinese group CPFL Energia confirmed an investment of about BRL 800 million (USD 144.8 million) to install new photovoltaic generation projects in the state, strengthening its position as one of Brazil’s leading hubs for clean energy. The delegation, led by Sun Peng, chairman of the company’s board of directors, was joined by executives from CPFL Renewables and state authorities. The initiative marks a new step for the conglomerate in Brazil, expanding its portfolio beyond wind power and moving decisively into large-scale solar generation. CPFL’s parent company, State Grid, has 843.3 MW of installed capacity in Rio Grande do Norte - the equivalent of roughly 61 per cent of its wind generation in Brazil. The...
India’s rare earth footprint spans coastlines, riverbeds and hard rock terrains, giving the country one of the more widely distributed resource bases globally. According to the government data, India hosts around 7-7.2 million tonnes of rare earth elements oxide (REO) contained within 13.15 million tonnes of monazite, occurring across coastal beach sands, teri and red sand belts, and inland alluvium in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Maharashtra. In addition, 1.29 MT of rare earths is located in hard rock formations in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Despite this geological spread, India currently meets very little of its rare earth demand through local production, relying instead on imports - an imbalance that has come into focus as global...
The federal critical mineral policy of the US in 2026 will be shifting its focus beyond rare earths towards the high-risk inputs, likely antimony and tungsten. This is mainly because the US are highly dependent on China, Tajikistan and Russia to receive a proper supply of these minerals in its defence alloys, munitions and flame-retardant applications. Washington, with this shifted focus, will be prioritising the domestic processing capacity in place of the new mines and back alternatives towards the traditional smelting and further refining, which shall aid in reducing the overall emissions and bring down the US power prices. Concurrently, the rising demand for electricity from the AI data centre will create pressure on metals like aluminium, copper, titanium and magnesium, creating a...
ElementUSA has confirmed plans to invest USD 850 million in a rare earth and critical minerals refining project in Gramercy, Louisiana, advancing a strategy first outlined several years ago. The project is likely to generate 200 direct jobs on site. In addition, Louisiana Economic Development forecasts 554 jobs to emerge from the supporting industries and services. Rather than relying on the newly mined materials, the operations in the facility will now focus on the recovery of high-value minerals from bauxite residue and alumina by-product, which is often treated as waste. ElementUSA intends to apply its proprietary processing methods to extract gallium, scandium, iron, and other critical materials from more than 30 million tonnes of residue available from nearby industrial operations....
Vietnam is recently being portrayed as “following China’s playbook” on rare earths after it introduced a ban on exports. But if studied closely, they are structurally different with two distinct objectives. While China has restricted its rare earth exports, effective April 4, 2025, using licensing, quotas, and regulatory scrutiny to reinforce its dominance over a supply chain it already controls, Vietnam has put a complete ban, effective January 2026, to supporting its domestic industry that has struggled for decades to exploit its reserves. 中文翻译附于新闻末尾，敬请继续阅读。 China vs Vietnam - imitation of policy or inspiration? China still accounts for 70 per cent of the global rare earth supply, boasting 700 million tonnes of reserves. and an even larger share of processing and magnet manufacturing....
Australian-based industrial technology company Metallium has agreed to work with a US company called ElementUSA to extract two important metals, gallium and scandium, from red mud at its demonstration facility in Gramercy, Louisiana.The project will focus on using Metallium’s proprietary Flash Joule Heating (FJH) technology, which involves passing of a direct current through a material, where the resistance of the material itself converts electrical energy into heat energy. Being home to a nationally significant alumina refinery, Gramercy holds around 30 million tonnes of red mud feedstock that offers long-term processing potential. Under the agreement, Metallium will receive up to USD 10.1 million (AUD 15.16 million) in non-dilutive funding. This funding will be used to install and...
