New Power

Abu Dhabi is set to host what is described as a ‘gigascale 24/7 renewable energy project’ after Masdar announced that the project has reached financial close. The project is being developed in Abu Dhabi by Masdar and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC). It will integrate a 5.2GW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant with a 19GWh battery.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has promised an independent investigation into its actions during the recent heat wave. It will be run by an independent external legal firm reporting to the Chair of the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee and its conclusions will be published.

On-site renewables generation in the automotive sector rose 36% to 80.4GWh in 2025, according to analysis from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). helping manufacturers save £20 million on their annual energy bills. The analysis, representing manufacturers of 99.7% of all UK-built cars and commercial vehicles as well as the wider supply chain, reflects industry investment to cut carbon, reduce resource use and build greener plants for greener vehicles, said SMMT.

Waste heat from data centres could be used to provide district heating in Italy. Digital infrastructure company Equinix and A2A, are collaborating on the project in Milan. It will recover thermal energy produced by servers housed in Equinix’s campus in Settimo Milanese, and transfer it to a new Energy Centre built by A2A. The energy centre has four large heat pumps totalling 72MW, two thermal storage systems with a capacity of 6,000 cubic meters, and its connects to the local heat network.

Good Energy has signed its largest power purchase agreement (PPA) in its history, with Ørsted. Good Energy will source electricity from Ørsted’s Walney 1 and Walney 2 offshore wind farms off the coast of Cumbria. Under the two year agreement, which runs from October 2026 to October 2028, Good Energy will purchase 200GWh of UK sourced renewable electricity each year, around one-sixth of the wind farms’ output.

Octopus Energy’s deal in which pubs get free electricity from 7pm until midnight during world cup games is now covering all games to the end of the tournament on Sunday. The company said over 350 pubs have signed up to the ‘Watt a Deal’ initiative, using over 77,500 kWh. Electricity demand across participating pubs was 19% above normal at kick-off for England’s quarter final game and was 42% above typical levels by 1am.

The government and EDF have agreed heads of terms for a 20-year Contract for Difference for power from Sizewell B. The CfD, which subject to development of the long-form contract and regulatory approvals, will be for £70.50/MWh in 2025 prices from 2035. The agreement will support continued operation of the reactor to 2055.

Secretary of State Ed Miliband has granted development consent for the UK’s second-largest solar farm, ‘One Earth’, on land surrounding the River Trent in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. The 740MW solar farm includes on-site battery storage and two on-site substations. A 400kV cables will connect the solar farm to the proposed National Grid High Marnham substation. The application was accepted for examination on 27 March 2025. The examination began on 8 July 2025 and closed on 8 January 2026.

National Grid is inviting communities across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex to help decide how to spend £30 million in community funding linked to the proposed Norwich to Tilbury project. It is seeking responses in an online survey here. The proposed new 400kV electricity transmission connection between Norwich and Tilbury forms part of National Grid’s Great Grid Upgrade programme.

National Grid’s Distribution System Operator (DSO) is launching a new service to strengthen network resilience by encouraging customers to shift electricity use ahead of forecast severe storms. The new service, Responder, ill enabling National Grid DSO to call on users to turn up their demand across its licence area ahead of storm events. It builds on a trial (StormFlex) by SP Energy Networks.