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....
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Pick up almost any electronic device made over the past five years—a smartphone, an AI server, a laptop or an autonomous-driving computer. Hidden beneath the casing, the memory chips inside are likely to have been manufactured in just three South Korean cities: Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek or Icheon. Even more remarkable is that those chips were probably made by only two companies—Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Together, they produce roughly two-thirds of the world's memory chips and have a combined market capitalisation of more than USD 700 billion. That reality would have been almost impossible to imagine in 1953. South Korea had no semiconductor industry, no precision-manufacturing ecosystem, no advanced engineering workforce and no capital markets capable of supporting such an industry....
Waaree Solar Americas has secured a 236.22 MW solar module supply order for a utility-scale project in Flemingsburg, Kentucky. The deal strengthens its position in the US solar market. Under the agreement, the company will supply its N-Type G12R solar modules in 615 Wp and 620 Wp variants. The modules will be made at Waaree Solar Americas’ factory in Brookshire, Texas. The order adds to the company’s US order pipeline and reflects rising demand for solar equipment made in the country. The United States remains one of Waaree’s key markets as renewable energy installations grow and policies support domestic manufacturing and a stronger local solar supply chain. Waaree currently has an order book of around INR 530 billion (USD 5.6 billion), reflecting demand for its solar products across...
Vedanta Aluminium is expanding employment opportunities for rural youth in Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts through its VeDakshata skill development initiative, aimed at enhancing industry-relevant skills and supporting sustainable livelihoods in communities around its coal mining operations. Implemented in partnership with the Socio Empowerment and Economic Development Society (SEEDS), VeDakshata is a residential training programme that combines technical education, practical industry exposure and placement support to improve workplace readiness among rural youth. The skill centre, one of the region's first dedicated residential training hubs, offers courses in Food and Beverage Services, Sewing Machine Operation and Assistant Electrician, helping participants prepare for careers in...
Competition in the US rare earth industry has intensified after MP Materials filed a lawsuit against USA Rare Earth, alleging that the company acquired confidential magnet-making technology through former employees. The dispute comes as the United States accelerates efforts to build a domestic rare earth supply chain following China's tightening of export controls on rare earth materials and magnets. China currently accounts for around 90 per cent of global rare earth magnet supplies, making the sector strategically important for industries ranging from electric vehicles and aerospace to defence. MP Materials claims a former senior engineer transferred confidential information related to grain boundary diffusion, a technology used to improve the heat resistance of rare earth magnets while...
Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) has awarded the Suzlon Group with a fresh 400 MW wind energy EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract. It has further strengthened the long-standing partnership between the two companies. The latest award pushes their cumulative collaboration beyond 1 GW of installed wind capacity across four Indian states. The project will be developed in Andhra Pradesh under TPREL's DevCo model, with Suzlon supplying and installing 127 units of its S144 wind turbine generators, each rated at 3.15 MW. Apart from manufacturing and installation, Suzlon will also oversee commissioning and long-term operations and maintenance of the project. Discover: The Gulf aluminium market risks, China impact, alumina supply, carbon costs, and logistics...
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China are collaborating on an increasing number of renewable energy projects across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In this partnership model, UAE companies provide funding and project development support, while Chinese firms supply equipment, technology, and construction services. In late 2025, UAE-based Global South Utilities began two 50 MW solar projects in the Central African Republic and Madagascar using Chinese technology. In early 2026, Abu Dhabi’s Masdar agreed to build and operate the 300 MW Guzar solar project and battery storage in Uzbekistan, incorporating Chinese solar panels and battery systems. Masdar is exploring similar projects in Argentina, Costa Rica and Chile with local state-owned energy partners. Chinese suppliers are expected to...
Has the Strait of Hormuz really reopened? The answer depends on whom you ask. Following the preliminary agreement between Washington and Tehran on June 17, markets initially welcomed the prospect of the Strait of Hormuz returning to normal operations and global energy supplies flowing without disruption. The easing of immediate geopolitical tensions prompted traders to unwind much of the risk premium that had accumulated during the conflict, triggering a sharp correction across oil and aluminium markets. Global benchmark Brent crude fell to around USD 77.76 per barrel on June 17, 2026, its lowest level in more than three-and-a-half months. Aluminium markets followed a similar trajectory, with prices retreating by approximately 10-12 per cent from the four-year highs above USD 3,850 per...
The Strait of Hormuz trade corridor remains at the centre of uncertainty as conflicting claims over its operational status continue to unsettle global shipping markets. While oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply remains in a suspended state, the aluminium industry, sourcing the 5.5 million tonnes of primary aluminium shipped by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of the Middle East, continues to bear the brunt of trade uncertainties. Shipping concerns renewed after Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz was closed in response to the recent Israeli conflict in Lebanon. The declaration triggered an immediate decline in commercial vessel movements, spurring fresh questions about the security of a passage that normally handles around one-fifth of global oil and LNG trade. Explore: The...
Mecwin Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Germany-based Fraunhofer IWKS to support development and production of sintered neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets in India. The partnership is meant to augment India’s capabilities in manufacturing rare earth magnets, a segment gaining strategic importance in view of growing demand from electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, industrial equipment and defence applications. Under the terms of the deal, Mecwin will set up a manufacturing facility in India for sintered NdFeB permanent magnets. The facility is anticipated to cater for a range of sectors including electric mobility, aerospace, industrial motors, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing. The partnership will concentrate...
Hindalco Industries has said that recycling electronic waste and printed circuit boards could play an important role in recovering critical minerals and rare earth elements needed for India's future growth. Speaking on the sidelines of the CII GreenCo 15th National Summit, Vaishali Surawar, Chief Sustainability Officer at Hindalco, said the company has commissioned an e-waste recycling facility at Pakhajan near Dahej to process electronic waste and recover valuable materials. According to Surawar, the facility will focus on printed circuit boards and use a seven-stage process to extract metals from discarded electronics. The recovered materials will include copper, rare earth elements and other specialty metals, which are increasingly important for sectors such as clean energy,...
Rare earth elements were formed billions of years ago through cosmic processes, but their importance has never been more immediate. Once treated as a niche mineral group, rare earths now sit at the centre of the global contest for its strategic value in developing technology, clean energy, defence capability, and industrial security. And in this contest, the winner is not who owns the maximum reserves, but who is efficient in processing, refining, and turning into usable industrial inputs. And this is where China holds its strongest advantage China has the world’s highest identified rare earth reserves, estimated at around 44 million tonnes. But there are also the countries like Vietnam, Brazil, Canada, Russia, India, Australia, and the United States who have notable reserves of 22...
Siemens Energy will supply gas and steam turbine technology for the Taweelah C Independent Power Producer (IPP) project in Abu Dhabi, a 2.6 gigawatts combined-cycle natural gas power plant being developed to strengthen power supply and support the integration of renewable energy into the UAE grid. The company’s scope includes three gas turbines, two steam turbines, five generators and associated auxiliary systems. Once operational, the facility is expected to provide flexible power generation to meet peak demand, improve grid reliability and help balance increasing volumes of renewable electricity. The project is being designed with future carbon capture and storage (CCS) capability in mind, supporting the UAE’s long-term goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. While powered by...
Resouro Strategic Metals has released an exciting preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for its Tiros rare earth and titanium project located in Brazil that suggests it has the potential for a USD 1 billion operation. This proposed starter project has been calculated to be able to generate a post-tax net present value (NPV) of USD 714.9 million (about CAD 1 billion) at an 8 per cent discount rate and will provide a very robust post-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 44 per cent. The company plans to begin development with a smaller, high-grade operation designed to reduce environmental and social impacts, accelerate the path to production, and lower project risks. Resouro CEO Christopher Eager stated that the project’s strong economics are supported by significant concentrations of...
China exported 25,378 tonnes of rare-earth ore, metals and compounds between January and May 2026, up 2.2 per cent from the same period a year earlier, according to customs data. While export volumes rose only slightly, the value of those shipments climbed much faster. Export earnings reached USD 243.63 million during the five-month period, marking a 44.9 per cent increase compared with the previous year. In May alone, China's rare-earth exports totalled 5,490.4 tonnes, with shipments valued at USD 63.08 million. The huge gap between volume growth and export value show that prices for rare-earth materials have spiked sharply over the past year. Explore: The most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report – Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand,...
USA Rare Earth shares rose nearly 7 per cent after the company announced the start-up of its hydrometallurgical demonstration facility in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. The facility is expected to play a key role in the company’s efforts to build a rare earth supply chain outside China. First production of separated rare earth oxides is targeted for the third quarter of 2026. According to the company, the plant will process material from multiple sources, including ore from its Round Top project in Texas, third-party rare earth feedstock and recycled magnet waste. USA Rare Earth said the facility will focus on producing heavy rare earth oxides such as dysprosium, terbium and yttrium, materials widely used in magnets, electric vehicles and other advanced technologies. Explore: The most...
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has set standard implementation timelines for Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) projects to improve coordination between power generation and transmission infrastructure. The National Committee on Transmission (NCT) approved the timelines during its 40th meeting held on April 15, 2026, covering transmission assets such as substations, transmission lines and High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) systems. According to the CEA's office memorandum, the standard implementation timelines prescribed for ISTS assets range from 24 to 54 months, depending on the type and complexity of the project. For greenfield projects, new 765 kV and 400 kV substations will have a standard implementation timeline of 36 months. Similarly, 765 kV double-circuit...
Japan and the United Kingdom have unveiled a series of agreements that could lead to Japanese companies investing up to USD24 billion (EUR 18 billion) in Britain over the coming years. The announcement followed talks in London between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of the G7 Summit in France. Starmer said the agreements marked a "new era of co-operation" between the two countries. Under the package, about USD 12 billion is expected to be invested in British infrastructure and financial services, while a further EUR 9 billion is earmarked for offshore wind and other renewable energy projects. The UK government said the investments could support the creation of tens of thousands of jobs. Japanese property and investment groups Mitsubishi...
The share of natural gas in global electricity generation fell for the fifth year in a row in 2025, as renewable energy, led by solar power, played a bigger role in meeting rising power demand. 21.8 per cent of global electricity generation in 2025 was made up of gas, down from 23.9 per cent in 2020. Gas-fired power still grew in total, but at a slower rate than solar and wind. The shift towards renewable energy is important for energy-heavy industries like aluminium. The smelters are rapidly using solar and wind power to cut emissions. Alongside this, more usage of solar and wind power equals more demand for aluminium. Think tank Ember reports that gas-fired generation expanded at an average annual rate of 1.6 per cent from 2021 to 2025, down from 2.9 per cent annually between 2016 and...
