The government has announced a review into solar panel installation, which it describes as a “red tape nightmare”.

Regulation Minister David Seymour says the aim is to make New Zealand the simplest place in the developed world to install solar.

Tim Dudek, who owns installation company Solar Craft and has 16 years in the business, told Morning Report New Zealand’s standards have only just been changed to meet those of Australia, and demand has increased around 400 percent in the past few months.

“That’s taken probably a decade of lobbying by the locals or by SEANZ (Sustainable Energy Association of New Zealand).

“Our standards for solar installation have only just been brought up to what I would call the current standard. So I think the red tape that we go through at the moment is sufficient considering the risk of the product and what we’re installing on people’s properties,

“The systems are large, and they’re providing a lot of power and a lot of benefit. But with that, I guess with the power that comes from it, it needs a few safety checks.”

He said while installations could take time, that was just part of any electrical job.

“I would say an installation takes between a month and two months from whoa to go. There are a couple of tickboxes that need to be done with the various lines companies and retailers, electricians and inspectors, but it’s just part of any electrical job, no different to a switchboard or a heat pump installation.”

Dudek said some newer DIY systems did not need any additional red tape, however they were currently illegal in New Zealand.

“I’ve been looking at these new balcony solar systems. They’re a kind of borderline case.

“There’s lots of advantages to them. But there is also some compliance that they would need to go through to be able to connect to our grid and homes.”

Dudek said the biggest issue that needed attention was access to low-cost finance. He said the figures used by the ministry were outdated by about 10 years.

“I would say our average is between $25,000 and $40,000 for a system.

“The systems have got more powerful as time’s gone on, people are putting electric cars at home, and they just need more power.

“They’re just trying to do more with it. We’re trying to shift from petrol and diesel through to electric, and that’s got to come from somewhere.”

He said the current fuel price had accelerated interest in solar energy.

“Supply is pushed at the moment. It’s had about a 400 percent increase over the last three to four months.

“The fuel crisis has put the crunch on it, and we are coping. The government only implemented the training regime in November last year, so that we can train up electricians to install the systems and just do it safely. So just have to roll with the punches and grow as the industry grows.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The Regulation Minister is taking aim at what he says is excessive red tape around rooftop solar that makes it too hard for home-owners and businesses to set up panels.

David Seymour is ordering a review of the installation process, saying he wants to make New Zealand the easiest place in the world to switch to solar.

He said just three to four percent of New Zealand households used solar, despite average power savings of about $1000 a year.

“Solar installation in New Zealand is a red tape nightmare. Just getting it approved can take months,” he said.

“There are up to eight layers of sign-off before small-scale solar systems can be switched on. This requires up to five separate site visits, from four separate entities. For example, during installation the installer often cannot turn off or reconnect the fuse, update the meter, or carry out the required independent electrical inspection. These tasks must be done by other entities, requiring additional site visits.”

In parts of Australia, approval of similar low-risk solar could be granted within 24 hours, Seymour said.

“In Victoria Australia there is one layer of sign-off for small-scale solar installation. The whole solar installation process is managed and carried out by the chosen installer. Standard installations are inspected by a licensed electricity inspector without a site visit. Photos clearly show compliance. A site visit is only carried out in person if something unusual or non compliant is identified in the photos.”

Seymour said more than 30 percent of Australian households used solar power.

He made the announcement at Electric Cherries near Cromwell on Thursday, which is believed to be the world’s first fully-electric farm, powered largely by solar.

Owner Mike Casey, who is also the chief executive of Rewiring Aotearoa, said regulations needed to keep pace with technology and he was pleased to see the government looking at ways to help.

“In Australia, virtual inspections allow the installs to be approved remotely and much more rapidly and other countries have centralised systems that don’t require a physical visit and use an auditing process to ensure standards are being met,” he said.

Researchers have said New Zealanders investing in solar will almost certainly save more money than they spend.

Casey said Rewiring Aotearoa wanted to see national standards across lines companies for solar and legalisation for plug-in solar set-ups which were becoming popular overseas.

“We need more solar in New Zealand, it is very safe when installers are well-trained and given our very low uptake rates at this stage, it is unlikely to affect the network. Approval should be instant here.”

Bureaucracy not the biggest barrier – solar expert

Alan Brent, professor and chairperson in Sustainable Energy Systems at Victoria University of Wellington, said upfront cost was the biggest barrier for most households considering solar – not the installation time.

“It’s not a technical issue in terms of how long it takes. I mean, I have a solar and a battery system in my house, and they came and installed it within a day. We have all the regulations in place … all the technology is there,” he said.

“It is quite a significant investment up front. And it’s quite complicated for people to think about what the long-term savings will be.”

Brent said the best thing officials could do to boost solar uptake was a public information campaign highlighting what residents would spend and what they would save.

The government could also help residents with the upfront costs, he said.

“Something similar to what we have with industry, like the GiDI (Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry) fund – that might be an option … a long-term loan that’s underwritten by the government,” he said.

German and Australian residents also received “quite reasonable” tariffs for returning electricity to the grid, he said.

“That’s provided the incentive for people to put up solar systems,” he said.

However Seymour said cutting red tape would help with upfront cost.

“The more people involved the more expensive it is. So if you’ve got to pay someone to come and do your disconnection and then another person to do the installation, then the first person comes back to do the reconnection, that all adds cost. But I think it’s also about hesitancy and being able to just do it. If you knew that you could get this done in a weekend, you’d be a lot more likely to do it than if you’d heard that your neighbours ended up taking a couple of months to do something that could have been much simpler,” he said.

“If I can honestly say that we have the simplest, most straightforward system in the world, then how much people take advantage of that is up to them.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

A major new 1.5 million tonne per year urea fertiliser project is set to be developed in Southland, offering an environmentally innovative and strategically significant alternative to imported urea fertiliser.

The proposed $3 billion project, intended to be located about 30 kilometres northeast of Invercargill, will give New Zealand’s agricultural sector self-sufficiency, which is critical to the long-term security and performance of an economy heavily dependent on agriculture.

Developed by Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen, the project will also deliver significant investment and employment opportunities in Southland.

“The Southland lignite-to-urea project represents a transformative opportunity for New Zealand’s fertiliser supply chain,” says Victorian Hydrogen executive director Allan Blood.

“By combining proven global technologies with local innovation, we aim to deliver high-quality urea at competitive prices while supporting long-term sustainable agricultural growth and addressing climate challenges.”

New Zealand currently imports 500,000 tonnes of urea annually. In addition New Zealand manufactures 265,000 tonnes, but falling gas supply means domestic production might end.
The proposed facility aims to:

Enhance domestic supply and reduce reliance on volatile international markets.
Stabilise fertiliser costs and mitigate foreign exchange and cost risks for farmers.
Produce additional products such as AdBlue, a diesel exhaust additive to reduce emissions.
Support peaking power electricity demand of up to 114 MW at any one time by temporarily reducing production.

The Southland facility will employ a proven lignite gasification process:

Lignite is reacted with oxygen at high temperatures and low pressures to produce syngas.
Syngas is reacted with steam to produce hydrogen.
Hydrogen is combined with atmospheric nitrogen to produce ammonia.
Ammonia is then reacted with captured carbon dioxide from previous reactions to produce urea.

“The technology is well established globally. The world’s latest urea plant, using technology identical to that we would use in Southland, was commissioned in Zambia in late 2025. The Southland project is about applying this existing technology in a smarter and cleaner way,” Mr Blood says.

“We are committed to mitigating the greenhouse gas impacts before the project proceeds, not after.

“Environmental management will be central to the project’s design, with various opportunities being looked at. These include using CO₂ to make algae-based cattle feed, liquid fuels, construction materials, and in inhibitor technologies to reduce nitrous oxide emissions.”

Unlike traditional urea production, which relies heavily on expensive natural gas, this project will convert lignite to gas while generating its own electricity, some of which can be exported to the grid.

Mr Blood emphasises the company’s dedication to transparent engagement with stakeholders, including local iwi, Ngāi Tahu rūnanga, councils, farmers and landowners across the 3,141-hectare exploration area that has been applied for.

“Mining operations will be designed to minimise disruption, with progressive rehabilitation and more-than-fair compensation for affected landowners,” he says.

“There will be no requirement to acquire farms Mining will occur in long, narrow strips affecting only a small portion of land at any one time. Land will be rehabilitated progressively, and any loss of productivity will be fully compensated by a multiple. We hope that the project will be seen as a substantial additive to annual farm income.”

The project is expected to apply for approvals under the fast-track regulatory process. Key milestones include:

Applying for regulatory consents and engaging with landowners.
Completing initial geological and hydrological studies by spring 2026.
Progressing to detailed engineering and process design.
A targeted three-year pathway from the conclusion of the very detailed studies currently underway, to full production.

“The initial economic analysis looks very good indeed and hence the desire to move forward quickly,” Mr Blood says.

“New Zealand is currently exposed to global fertiliser shocks it can’t control. This project is about providing national self-sufficiency for the next 50 years plus – producing what farmers need in New Zealand, with world-class technology and robust environmental safeguards,” Mr Blood says.

MIL OSI

HAIKOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 April 2026 – On April 15, the Sanya International Yacht Sub-Venue of the 6th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) officially kicked off. The event has brought together brands from leading global yacht-producing countries, such as France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. Over 90 yacht manufacturers and supporting companies have participated in the event, with 200 yachts of various types being showcased at the exhibition.

As a core featured exhibition area of the CICPE, the Sanya International Yacht Sub-Venue covers a total exhibition area of over 160,000 square meters, including a sprawling 148,800-square-meter on-water section. The exhibition is divided into six specialized sections, covering green vessel innovation, China debuts of international brands, and intelligent water sports equipment, among others. While top-tier global luxury yacht brands remain a major draw, the industry’s most compelling highlights this year lie elsewhere: the rapid rise of domestic yacht manufacturing, the commercial deployment of green new energy technologies, and the growing integration of yachting into everyday lifestyle.

International luxury yacht brands made a strong showing at the event, with renowned names like France’s Lagoon, Italy’s Azimut, the United Kingdom’s Sunseeker, Canada’s Bombardier, Germany’s Bavaria, and the United States’ Sea Ray unveiling their latest models. Five superyachts, each exceeding 80 feet in length, docked at the marina, becoming a highlight of the event.

China’s sustained release of high-end leisure consumption potential has made it a core growth driver for the global yachting industry. At the exhibition, 24 products made their China debut, including the United Kingdom’s Princess S72, as well as yachts from international brands like Germany’s Bavaria and Poland’s Delphia. Notably, a purchase intent for the Princess S72 was reached immediately following its debut.

Meanwhile, Chinese yacht manufacturers are stepping up their game, with nine yachts making their global debuts. These new models span a diverse range of categories, including small- and medium-sized luxury yachts, electric leisure vessels, and fishing vessels. Featuring designs tailored to Chinese consumer preferences and competitively priced, they have drawn significant attention on the show floor.

Green and low-carbon development stands as a central theme of this year’s exhibition. A dedicated new energy yacht zone showcases eco-friendly vessels, including pure electric, hybrid, and hydrogen-powered yachts. Among these, electric yachts powered by lithium batteries achieve zero-emission navigation. Their noise levels and operating costs are significantly lower than those of traditional fuel-powered yachts, perfectly aligning with the global shift toward low-carbon consumption.

Furthermore, the exhibition strives to shatter the long-held stereotype of yachts as an exclusive, high-end niche. To that end, it has created immersive consumption scenarios that integrate yachting with gourmet food, lure fishing, and camping. Services such as yacht license consultations and second-hand yacht trading are also being offered, all aimed at making water-based leisure more accessible to the public.

Sanya, the host city of the exhibition and known as the “City of a Thousand Yachts,” is actively building itself into the “Asia-Pacific Yachting Capital.” The city has already completed five yacht marinas, and last year hit a record high of 225,600 yacht departures. Concurrently, the Sanya Central Business District (CBD) has attracted 124 companies along the yacht industry chain, covering full-chain services such as design and R&D, manufacturing and maintenance, berth operations, and high-end supporting facilities.

Leveraging its exceptional marine resources and the policy backing of the Hainan Free Trade Port, Sanya is accelerating the construction of an ecosystem that integrates yacht display and trading, consumption experiences, and industrial agglomeration. This, in turn, provides a vital platform for global yacht brands to expand their presence in the Chinese market.

Hashtag: #CICPE

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Solar advocates, electricians and consumer campaigners are among those calling on the government to ditch its plans for an LNG import terminal and consider other options.

The Sustainable Energy Association and six other organisations, including the Green Building Council, Master Electricians, and Consumer NZ, have joined together to present an alternative proposal to deal with the country’s winter energy problem.

The new Smart Energy Alliance says that includes rapidly rolling out rooftop solar, moving domestic users off gas, and better managing the country’s hydro lakes.

The government announced in February it would proceed with plans to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility in Taranaki, with whole-of-life costs spread across all electricity users through a levy.

The proposal, widely criticised at the time, has attracted renewed opposition after Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz prompted the price of fossil fuels – including LNG – to spike.

Gentailer chief executives were the latest to express doubts at the energy sector’s conference last week.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said in a statement last month that the LNG terminal was selected from a shortlist of five options that it considered “timely, feasible and of sufficient scale to meet dry year needs”.

It would also be beneficial to major industrial gas users, who had been forced to limit production or shut up shop altogether in recent years as domestic gas supply dwindled, the ministry said.

It said rooftop solar would support energy resilience in the longer term, but ruled it out as an immediate solution to the dry-year risk.

A Cabinet paper said distributed solar would not supply enough additional energy during winter, when the country was most likely to experience an energy shortage.

The options the ministry seriously considered – including more diesel and coal generation – were all capable of generating 1.5 terawatt hours of generation, no matter the weather, and could be deployed with a few years.

Smart Energy Alliance spokesperson Gareth Williams said the organisation did not accept the argument that solar was incapable of supporting the dry-year risk.

“It’s correct that solar isn’t the greatest resource in winter, but the modelling that we’ve done… shows that solar is really useful in terms of dry-year because it enables the [hydro] lakes to go into autumn and winter much fuller than they do currently,” he said.

“It was a very bold statement that it’s not relevant.”

What the country really needed was for politicians to agree on a cross-party energy strategy that properly weighed up all the options, Williams said.

“This constant change as to what we’re looking to do through every election cycle is just not going to lead to a good outcome.”

However, distributed rooftop solar was among the obvious solutions that should be rolled out straight away, he said.

Countries as diverse as Australia, Hungary and Pakistan have achieved massive uptake of rooftop solar and battery installations within a few years of rolling out government incentives.

A truly meaningful roll-out here would also need financial incentives.

“[Low-cost] financing by itself has some impact but the real acceleration comes when there’s some kind of rebate,” he said.

“Once it’s moving it has its own momentum and you don’t need [incentives] anymore.”

While solar capacity was built up, coal – which was already in the country – was capable of filling the gap that LNG would otherwise close.

“There is sufficient back-up from the Huntly power station using coal,” Williams said.

“Clearly we don’t want that to be the long-term solution… but as a temporary stop-gap for the next three or four years until those other projects can be accelerated, then we’re perfectly covered.”

Incentives could be particularly targeted at domestic gas users – which would have the additional benefit of saving limited gas supply for major industrial users who had limited alternatives, he said.

“The modelling we did looked for that 2TWh of additional generation, and we modelled it by reducing the amount of gas that was being used for electricity generation down to 45 percent of what it has been over the last three years.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Solar advocates, electricians and consumer campaigners are among those calling on the government to ditch its plans for an LNG import terminal and consider other options.

The Sustainable Energy Association and six other organisations, including the Green Building Council, Master Electricians, and Consumer NZ, have joined together to present an alternative proposal to deal with the country’s winter energy problem.

The new Smart Energy Alliance says that includes rapidly rolling out rooftop solar, moving domestic users off gas, and better managing the country’s hydro lakes.

The government announced in February it would proceed with plans to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility in Taranaki, with whole-of-life costs spread across all electricity users through a levy.

The proposal, widely criticised at the time, has attracted renewed opposition after Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz prompted the price of fossil fuels – including LNG – to spike.

Gentailer chief executives were the latest to express doubts at the energy sector’s conference last week.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said in a statement last month that the LNG terminal was selected from a shortlist of five options that it considered “timely, feasible and of sufficient scale to meet dry year needs”.

It would also be beneficial to major industrial gas users, who had been forced to limit production or shut up shop altogether in recent years as domestic gas supply dwindled, the ministry said.

It said rooftop solar would support energy resilience in the longer term, but ruled it out as an immediate solution to the dry-year risk.

A Cabinet paper said distributed solar would not supply enough additional energy during winter, when the country was most likely to experience an energy shortage.

The options the ministry seriously considered – including more diesel and coal generation – were all capable of generating 1.5 terawatt hours of generation, no matter the weather, and could be deployed with a few years.

Smart Energy Alliance spokesperson Gareth Williams said the organisation did not accept the argument that solar was incapable of supporting the dry-year risk.

“It’s correct that solar isn’t the greatest resource in winter, but the modelling that we’ve done… shows that solar is really useful in terms of dry-year because it enables the [hydro] lakes to go into autumn and winter much fuller than they do currently,” he said.

“It was a very bold statement that it’s not relevant.”

What the country really needed was for politicians to agree on a cross-party energy strategy that properly weighed up all the options, Williams said.

“This constant change as to what we’re looking to do through every election cycle is just not going to lead to a good outcome.”

However, distributed rooftop solar was among the obvious solutions that should be rolled out straight away, he said.

Countries as diverse as Australia, Hungary and Pakistan have achieved massive uptake of rooftop solar and battery installations within a few years of rolling out government incentives.

A truly meaningful roll-out here would also need financial incentives.

“[Low-cost] financing by itself has some impact but the real acceleration comes when there’s some kind of rebate,” he said.

“Once it’s moving it has its own momentum and you don’t need [incentives] anymore.”

While solar capacity was built up, coal – which was already in the country – was capable of filling the gap that LNG would otherwise close.

“There is sufficient back-up from the Huntly power station using coal,” Williams said.

“Clearly we don’t want that to be the long-term solution… but as a temporary stop-gap for the next three or four years until those other projects can be accelerated, then we’re perfectly covered.”

Incentives could be particularly targeted at domestic gas users – which would have the additional benefit of saving limited gas supply for major industrial users who had limited alternatives, he said.

“The modelling we did looked for that 2TWh of additional generation, and we modelled it by reducing the amount of gas that was being used for electricity generation down to 45 percent of what it has been over the last three years.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

A total lack of public charging infrastructure, high upfront costs and strict weight regulations are behind sluggish uptake of EVs in New Zealand’s heavy fleet, operators and advocates say.

Some trucking firms say their fuel bills have more than doubled as the cost of diesel skyrockets past $4 per litre.

But steep hurdles are preventing many of them electrifying their fleets, with full battery EVs making up less than three percent of new heavy vehicle registrations since 2021.

Drive Electric advocacy group chairperson Kirsten Corson said heavy vehicles only make up four percent of New Zealand’s total fleet, but account for 20 percent of transport emissions.

“It’s quite staggering, so it’s really one that we need to look at some mechanisms to increase the electrification, because right now we can see the vulnerability with fuel prices as they are.”

Rubbish collection company Waste Management was among early adopters, introducing the first electric truck to its fleet a decade ago.

Senior project engineer Ashley Davenport said the company’s heavy EV fleet had since grown to 60, most of them mid-sized bin collection trucks.

“We’ve just completed three million kilometres,” he said. “Two million litres of diesel was saved but that equates to 5000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, so that’s a big win, in our eyes.”

The drivers loved the trucks, too, he said.

“Once we get them in an electric truck we find it very hard to get them out of it. They enjoy [that] it’s smooth and quiet.”

The road to electrification had not been straightforward, though.

There were no off-the-shelf models available when Waste Management first introduced EVs to its fleet, and even today, most were conversions.

Funding available – but still low uptake

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) delivery and partnerships manager Richard Briggs said many more models, with updated technology and long-range batteries, were becoming available, but cost was among the hurdles for many operators.

“Many operators in this industry are in survival mode, and so it makes uptake of new technology like these trucks much harder, even if it makes sense.”

EECA’s low emissions heavy vehicle fund, announced in the 2024 Budget, had so far co-funded 120 full battery electric heavy vehicles and four hydrogen hybrid conversions.

“That’s probably less than we would have liked to have seen at this time,” Briggs said.

“It is growing rapidly – the last couple of months there’s been quite a spike in applications to the fund, which is quite interesting to see but not surprising given the rise in diesel price.”

About $3.5 million from the fund had been spent so far, with $24.2m remaining.

The availability and cost of charging infrastructure was the other side of the financial equation.

“One of the main barriers to the uptake of the low emissions heavy vehicle fund was the lack of charging, particularly journey charging,” Briggs said.

There were no dedicated public charging stations for heavy vehicles in the entire country, he said.

To help with that, EECA had just launched a $10m pilot fund to assist with setting up charging hubs, either at shared depots or at key points along highways.

Waste Management’s Ashley Davenport said charging was an important consideration as businesses scaled up their electric heavy fleets.

“Most sites would be able to support one or two trucks but, as you scale up from there, it would be really good to see the sector have a little more support.”

There were good examples from overseas of partnerships between companies that charged their vehicles at different times of day, Davenport said.

“They’ve actually made charging hubs where several companies will charge at the same site… and that really helps to spread the load of that initial upfront capital [cost].”

Call for updated weight regulations

Foodstuffs North Island sent its first long-haul battery-electric truck and trailer unit out on the road two weeks ago, just as diesel prices started to crunch.

Fleet safety compliance officer Chris King said the truck slotted into a run that a diesel vehicle used to do, starting with a morning trip from Palmerston North to Kāpiti before returning to charge up.

“Whilst that’s being charged up we’re able to load the trailer and we do a PM run which goes down to… our depot in Grenada in Wellington, and it’s a full load of milk that goes down there.”

In order to operate the truck though, Foodstuffs had to seek an exemption from Waka Kotahi, as the extra battery weight pushed it above normal axle weight limits.

The weight limits exist to limit the damage to roads from heavy freight, but were “a bit of a bone of contention” for operators wanting to go electric, King said.

“We’re relatively lucky [because] we don’t cart extremely heavy loads. Other operators that might cart a lot of heavy freight… that would be a real constraint for them.”

Briggs said those restrictions – known as the vehicle dimensions and mass rule (VDAM) – were a problem many operators had encountered.

“They either have to have a smaller battery, which then reduces the range, or carry a smaller payload, which then obviously reduces the revenue for each trip.”

Kirsten Corson said the UK and Europe had increased their limits slightly to accommodate heavy EVs, and her organisation supported operators’ calls for New Zealand to do the same.

“The government could look at a business-as-usual exemption… and put that in place now until they get time to review that, because there’s trucks that could come into New Zealand if we could review those VDAM rules faster.”

She also wanted to see the road user charge exemption for heavy EVs, which is due to end on July the first next year, extended out to 2030.

“[Operators] are buying their trucks with a 10, 20-year total cost-of-ownership model. So having some certainty around RUCs is super-important because we aren’t seeing significant growth in our heavy transport sector.”

In a written response, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said Cabinet has already decided the RUC exemption would end because all road users should contribute to maintaining the network.

Axle weight limits were already on the work programme, and the government was considering whether aspects of that programme could go ahead more quickly, he said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

• Innomotics wins several orders to provide motor and drive technology for turbine replacement projects, totaling a volume in the higher double-digit million EUR range
• Environmental, operational and financial benefits for many industries and industrial applications
• Geographic diversity underlines market potential

NUREMBERG, GERMANY – Newsaktuell – 26 March 2026 – Innomotics, a globally leading supplier of electric motor and large drive systems, has won several major orders for turbine replacement projects on nearly every continent. The total volume for all orders is in the higher double-digit million EUR range.

With increased electrification of industrial applications, significant operational cost efficiency and CO₂ reduction can be gained by changing existing turbines with an electric drive system, the so-called Turbine Replacement Technology. This can be used for high-speed pump applications (centrifugal pumps) as well as for high-power compressor systems in refineries, petrochemicals, or oil and gas.

Especially the need for supplying large-scale turbine driven boiler feed pump applications in power plants with high voltage motors becomes increasingly important, as it significantly saves energy consumption, CO₂ and operational costs.

The transition to electric drive technology for rotating equipment is an important part of the overall plant electrification and decarbonization pathway, reducing the use of costly and environmentally harmful carbon fuels.

By sourcing the power from a renewable source such as wind, solar or hydro, CO₂ emissions can be practically eliminated. This is especially relevant for energy-intensive industries and industrial applications. Beyond ecological aspects, the use of high-speed motor systems offers significant benefits to customers, such as increasing efficiency, reducing operational costs and maintenance requirements as well as easy construction and start-up.

“Replacing existing gas and steam turbines with electrical motor and drive systems is a complex task. Thanks to our highly motivated and skilled team, Innomotics is thought leader and pace setter for turbine replacement technology for more than 25 years now and with more than 70 Turbine Replacement projects globally realized. Our outstanding portfolio sets standards: The reliability and availability of our advanced High-speed High Voltage Motor system technology is unrivaled in the field, due to our unique rotor design. Additionally, our Medium Voltage Drive technology includes extended redundancy measures such as cell by-pass systems for maximum uptime”, says Michael Reichle, CEO of Innomotics.

Operators of turbine-driven systems currently face high operational costs, which can be significantly reduced or even eliminated through turbine replacement technology. For example, in a project with Repsol in Spain, Innomotics helped avoid 68,000 tons of CO₂ emissions per year and reduce energy consumption by around 25 percent.

Recently awarded Turbine Replacement Projects

Electric Drive Upgrade for INA Refinery in Croatia:
INA is modernizing its refinery in Rijeka to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. As part of this transformation, steam turbines used to operate compressors are being replaced with electric drive systems. This reduces reliance on fossil fuels, lowers maintenance requirements, and increases overall energy efficiency.

To implement this upgrade within an operating refinery, INA partnered with Innomotics and Siemens Energy. The project includes four electric drive train systems, combining HV and HS-Modyn motors ranging from 1.8 MW to 6 MW with Innomotics Perfect Harmony GH180 variable frequency drives.

The solution ensures high reliability through redundant system design and enables fast installation on existing foundations with minimal construction effort. As a result, INA reduced significantly CO₂ emissions by 96,000 tons, reduced operating costs, total high-pressure steam production reduced by around 25%, and improved availability.

Turbine Replacement Technology for Repsol Industrial Complex in Spain:
Repsol has electrified a gas compressor at its Puertollano Industrial Complex by replacing a steam turbine with an electric motor solution from Innomotics. This upgrade improves energy efficiency by 25 percent and reduces CO₂ emissions by approximately 68,000 tons per year. The solution includes a High Voltage Motor combined with a Perfect Harmony GH180 Medium Voltage Drive, delivering 8.25 MW at 5,800 rpm. Designed for high reliability and continuous operation, the system enables maintenance intervals of up to five years. With this electrification project, Repsol strengthens its commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 while significantly improving operational efficiency and system availability.

Turbine Replacement Technology for Chemicals Park in the Netherlands:
The owner and operator of a chemicals park in the Netherlands aims to accelerate the energy transition of the Dutch chemical industry. One of their three major goals is to achieve net zero emissions within ten years. Therefore, Innomotics was awarded for a turbine replacement project in a propylene plant. The order amounts a considerable value for Innomotics and includes a 25MW as well as an 8.6MW high-speed induction motor together with two Innomotics Medium Voltage GH150 drives. The order also includes comprehensive services.

Turbine Replacement Technology for Power Plants in Republic of Korea:
A Korean energy producer and provider awarded Innomotics an order to replace the previous turbine technology with a 12.5MW electric Innomotics High-speed High Voltage Motor and Medium Voltage Drives. With that replacement the company benefits from higher energy efficiency of at least 20 percent and the associated energy savings as well as reduced CO₂ emissions. The Innomotics solution therefore contributes directly to the customer’s net zero carbon strategy. The parallel operation of three Medium Voltage Drives ensures a particularly uninterrupted and stable power supply.

Turbine Replacement for a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant in Spain:
At the top of its agenda, a German chemicals and plastics giant, has placed the motto: “Net Zero Emissions by 2050”. One measure the company takes accordingly is replacing steam production at co-generation plants with heat pumps and e-driven compressors. Therefore, the Spanish site, has started a turbine replacement project in their propylene production at a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant. The order for Innomotics amounts to a double digit million Euros and includes a 23.3MW High-speed High Voltage induction motor, together with a Medium Voltage Drives and a converter transformer.

Turbine Replacement for Indian natural gas company:
Furthermore, Innomotics has won a pilot order to replace one out of eight installed gas turbines for a state-owned energy corporation in the state of Madhya Pradesh (India). This order creates a new benchmark in the gas turbine replacement market to the extent that the proposed solution will consist of an Innomotics High Voltage HV-M Motor, together with a gearbox and an Innomotics Medium Voltage Drive instead of a High-speed High Voltage Motor system.

Additional Turbine Replacement materials:
Whitepaper on Turbine Replacement
Expert Video concerning Turbine Replacement
Operational savings calculator, reference projects and success stories
Podcast episode on Spotify
Explore the 3D visualization in our virtual world: Innomotics Electrosphere

For more information, visit https://www.innomotics.com/hub/en/applications/turbine-replacement

Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/innomotics
For more information, visit www.innomotics.com.

Hashtag: #Innomotics

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– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

The government will be hearing from officials later this week on possible steps towards “demand restraint”, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says.

Petrol prices have increased by almost $1 per litre on average in the past month, according to price tracker Gaspy, and diesel even more, as global energy markets react to Iran’s military grip on the Strait of Hormuz following the war launched by the US and Israel.

Around 20 percent of the world’s supply usually transits through the strait.

The government is expected to unveil a support package later on Tuesday which it says will be highly targeted and temporary. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has regularly stated there have been no plans to restrict usage, with stockpiles remaining healthy and supplies still arriving as scheduled.

The latest data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment showed stocks for about 47 days of fuel, including about 50 days worth of petrol, 46 days of diesel, and 45 of jet fuel.

Jones, speaking to Morning Report on Tuesday morning, said New Zealand consumed 24 million litres a day – nearly half of which was diesel, a third petrol and the rest aviation fuel.

Towards the end of the week… we’re going to be briefed at a granular level by the officials who are in contact with different industry groups as to the steps we would take if we move towards demand restraint.

“I am focused more on enhancing advancing, broadening and simplifying access to greater levels of supply.”

Reports from importers such as Z Energy were coming in daily, he said.

“We have never once been told that they are unable to deliver, or contracts are being terminated. Naturally, we’re watching that with a pair of hawk eyes. The challenge remains… the access of the refineries owned by Exxon and other such global giants to enough feedstock so they can produce the fuel in suitable quantities.”

New Zealand no longer refines crude oil, with the Marsden Point facility shutting down a few years ago.

“The fuel import companies are operating exactly within their statutory envelopes. They are observing what they promised to bring to New Zealand.

“If we are to increase and store more diesel fuel in New Zealand, we need to increase the storage. And I keep saying, the reason we can’t do that at scale is because they closed down the refinery, and I don’t care if you get annoyed with me saying that. I want New Zealanders to bear that in mind. This is the consequence of closing down the refinery.”

Jones has falsely claimed the Labour government closed the refinery down, repeating that claim again on Morning Report. Refining NZ (now Channel Infrastructure), a private company, made the call to end refining at the Marsden Point site and transition to being an import-only hub. The government considered stepping in, but decided against it, with advice to ministers being that risks to fuel security were “very low”, because any event that cut off the supply of refined oil would likely cut off crude as well.

Jones said the government was working with Channel to “enhance” how much product could be stored at Marsden.

“That will give us additional diesel storage. However, I don’t want any Kiwi this morning to doubt whether there’s diesel in the country on its way. There certainly is.”

Speaking to Morning Report after Jones, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it was a “private decision made by the fuel industry” that would not have hindered New Zealand’s fuel security.

“Marsden Point was refining crude oil that was imported from overseas, so the same supply constraints would be hitting us now whether MarsdenPoint was operating or not.”

He suggested it was ironic that coalition MPs were criticising Labour for having spent “too much money” during the Covid response, yet were now saying “we should have kept a refinery that was going out of business because it was obsolete technology and because it wasn’t economic”.

Asked whether the crisis had shifted his thinking on electrification and moving away from fossil fuels, Jones said it was a “fair point” to stay open-minded.

“There is a source of hydrogen energy in New Zealand. It’s called white hydrogen. It’s called natural occurring hydrogen. I met last week with the Auckland University who are doing extraordinary work in Wairarapa, and they believe they’ve tapped into a vein of infinite power of a hydrogen character, of all places in the hills and the valleys of the Wairarapa coast.

“So I think it’s a fair point that you’re making that we need to be open-minded. And then I say to Kiwis, OK, how do you imagine we’re going to pay for it? To do that, certain things, if we are to underwrite this electrification journey, will have to go by the way.

“And that’s why we have an election. No doubt people will be contesting all of those ideas.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Explainer – With the Iran war leaving supply chains choked off, pain at the pump is rising, but you still need to drive. How can you get the most out of your tank? Here’s some options.

The price of 91 petrol has now heading towards $4 a litre in some parts of the country, the government is mulling weighing in and some have begun to hoard petrol ahead of possible shortages.

Feeling uncertain? Get used to it, for now.

“Nobody has a clue about future petrol, diesel and aviation fuel supplies and their costs,” Massey University Emeritus Professor in Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Energy Ralph Sims said.

There are plenty of other options – public transport, biking or walking if you can, pivoting to electric vehicles – but not everyone can easily take up those alternatives.

If you’re looking to ‘fuelmaxx’ your efficiency, here is more of what experts suggest:

Combine your errands

NZTA estimates that short trips use 20 percent more fuel when your engine is cold.

So if you can manage to tie together things like school runs with the grocery shop and a run to the chemist, you can save your overall petrol consumption, AA fuel spokesperson and former general manager of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Terry Collins told RNZ’s Afternoons.

“Do it all in one trip when the car’s warm – save the fuel, tick off all those little jobs, instead of making them independent trips every time.”

Steady on the acceleration, mate

Sims said that the majority of drivers can save up to 20 percent of fuel use with a few simple changes.

“Most people don’t understand how to drive a car efficiently,” he told RNZ recently.

“I see people accelerate to a red light and then brake heavily, and if you’re running on low tyre pressures, it consumes much more fuel.”

Collins said a lot of it boils down to how you’re driving.

“When we hop in a car what we really want is momentum – movement. So what we do is we use the fuel to gather momentum, but I see every day people wasting that momentum by braking unnecessarily.

“They’re not anticipating the traffic in rush hour, so they’re driving up behind the next car and putting the brakes on. If they could look ahead a number of cars and see that everybody already had their brakes on, they could just drift up behind the other car very slowly and brake.

“Every time you put your foot on the brake, you have lost that momentum for the fuel that you’ve paid for. So think that every time I put my foot on the brake, I’m spending money.”

It’s worth watching your speed on highways, too – Sims said that typically a car at 110km/h uses 10 percent more fuel per kilometre than when travelling at 90 km/h due to greater air friction.

Once upon a time, manual or stick shifts were typically more fuel efficient than automatic transmission vehicles, but thanks to improved technology that’s changing and modern automatics are often as good or slightly better than manuals.

The more you carry, the more you use

Carrying heavy loads will obviously slow your car down, but there are also smaller drags to be aware of.

Modern cars are carefully designed and put through wind tunnels to get the most aerodynamic shape possible, Collins said.

Even leaving roof racks on your car that you never use can add to the drag.

“The moment you put those roof racks on you’re disturbing all that air flow.

“People think ah, they’re OK, but you’d be surprised how much that aerodynamic change affects your fuel consumption.”

Keep up your maintenance

Don’t just think about car services as a way to get your next Warrant of Fitness ticked off. Regular care for your vehicle’s systems can save you money in the long run.

“One of the things we often overlook is just the simple thing of checking your tyres,” Collins said.

Under-inflated tyres can add 10 to 12 percent to your fuel bill, he said.

“You’re just adding drag. … It’s working harder to get that momentum I was talking about earlier.”

Your tyre’s correct pressure should be listed on the vehicle label inside the door or in the handbook. It’s best to check the pressure when the tyres are cold to see how yours are looking.

A dirty air filter or fuel filter can also compromise your efficiency, while old and worn spark plugs may mean you’re not getting enough ignition.

“Just that simple servicing on a regular basis to make sure those jobs are done are going to save you in the vicinity of 10 to 20 percent of your fuel bill,” Collins said.

To A/C, or not to A/C?

This is one of the great existential questions of driving – is it better to wind down your windows or pump up the air con? Studies have had conflicting results and ultimately it’s better to be flexible.

“While it’s more fuel efficient to have it on at 100km/h than it is to have the windows down creating drag, the air con can use around 10 percent more fuel,” the AA’s website states. “You may need to find that balance of comfort and economy.”

A lot may depend on how old your car is and how well maintained the engine and air con systems are.

It’s best to mix and match if you can – windows down and air con off when you’re at town speeds and windows up and air con on if you’re on the motorway.

In general any other unnecessary widgets on your car may also be creating a drag – such as leaving your rear window defroster on long after it’s done the job, or those heated seats when there’s no need to.

Use the technology if you’ve got it

Many newer vehicles are equipped with Auto Stop-Start systems which automatically shut off the engine when a vehicle is in congestion or at traffic lights. As soon as you take your foot off the brake, the engine restarts without delay, Ford NZ explains on its website.

“Your climate control fan, audio system, and headlamps still work while your engine is off for your comfort,” Ford noted.

Collins said some people turn off these features on their vehicles, but it’s counterproductive if you want to save money.

“Some people find that annoying – it’s there for a reason. It’s because those cars have to meet energy efficiency standards. … So every time you turn (that feature) off, you’re actually defeating the purpose of saving fuel.”

Collins said he often commutes over a hill, and said there’s many tricks you can use to avoid consuming excess fuel. Gravity can help to be your brake when going up a hill, and going down, other methods can help keep your foot off the accelerator – such as using those other driving modes you may often ignore on the gear shift.

“I have an automatic but I put it in sports mode, which holds it in gear longer. That acts as an engine brake, so I don’t really need to brake on a lot of the corners. I just go through them smoothly, not touching, and my fuel consumption’s on zero.”

And if you can, avoid rush hour

Sitting idling in traffic will waste significant fuel, so – if your job allows it – consider off-peak travel to avoid those long queues, or working from home certain days a week if your employer permits.

Sims said that many of these steps are easy, but changing habits is harder.

“It’s all pretty basic and the science is well understood for cars, trucks, and buses. But to change human behaviour is always the challenge.”

He called for the government to step up fuel conservation messaging.

“What the government needs to do urgently is to run a national education campaign (similar to what was accomplished during Covid times using all media opportunities) to inform drivers how they can save both fuel and money.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The Automobile Association is advising people to take steps that could help save fuel as the Middle East conflict bumps up prices.

Principal advisor Terry Collins said people can use less fuel by driving safely, checking tire pressure and taking fewer trips.

“Getting the car up to operating temperature … doing all those trips in one go coming back you’re saving fuel.”

Prices have been going up because of the volatility on the wholesale market caused by the conflict in the Middle East following the US-Israel strikes on Iran.

Collins said saving on the cost of fuel can come down to taking simple steps like carrying less weight in the car.

“Don’t drive all week with extra weight unnecessary like golf clubs or other things in your car that aren’t doing anything other than sitting in there. Weight will always make you use more fuel.”

Collins advised people to take a roof rack off their car, as it will make the aerodynamics of the vehicle better.

Checking tyre pressure was also on the list to save fuel, as he said it can decrease in colder weather.

He is also urging people to use an app, like Gaspy, to find the cheapest petrol station near them.

“It’s a homogeneous product which means basically its the same where ever you get it and so buying it by the cheapest price is the best smartest thing to do.”

Since the start of the conflict the price of oil has almost doubled from where it was at the start of the year.

The ripple effects of the price increase has also been the potential for inflation across a wide range of goods and services.

This week demand on Gull’s discount day left some of its petrol stations running low on fuel.

Gull said 3 percent of its sites had not been able to meet the extra demand from customers when it cut prices on its regular Thursday promotion.

Emeritus Professor in Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Energy at Massey University, Ralph Sims, had previously given similar advice to drivers on saving fuel as prices spiked.

“Most people don’t understand how to drive a car efficiently. I see people accelerate to a red light and then brake heavily, and if you’re running on low tyre pressures, it consumes much more fuel,” Sims said.

He also suggested the government do a national education campaign on fuel-saving tips like avoiding heavy braking, checking tyre pressure, and taking things that add weight, like a roof rack, off their vehicle when they are not needed.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Hosting New Energy Summit to Connect Global Experts Insights on New Energy Landscape

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

An energy sustainability expert thinks driving more efficiently could help the country get ahead of any future petrol shortages.

The war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed up fuel prices and caused concern about disruption to supply internationally.

Emeritus Professor in Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Energy at Massey University, Ralph Sims, says there are ways to reduce fuel consumption before extreme measures like returning to the car-free and fuel rationing days of the 1970s and 1980s are considered.

“We’ve got to anticipate that we need to take some actions now, ready for when we’ve got extreme situations, which might be in five or six weeks’ time.

“But people love their cars, and like driving them, and so enforcement is not the easiest of options I think the government has got.

“If this war continues and the oil price goes up and there’s a much higher cost when you fill your car up, then there will be an incentive there, not needing enforcement, for people to look at ways of saving on fuel.”

Sim suggested the government do a national education campaign on fuel-saving tips like avoiding heavy braking, checking tyre pressure, and taking things that add weight, like a roof rack, off their vehicle when they are not needed.

“Most people don’t understand how to drive a car efficiently. I see people accelerate to a red light and then brake heavily, and if you’re running on low tyre pressures, it consumes much more fuel.”

He said limiting how often people could use their cars or how much they could fill up at the pump would be difficult to enforce.

“Car-less days, for example, many people found ways to get around it by having a second car.

“We can learn from what we did before. Did it work? How successful was it? Are there other ways to do it nowadays that are better?”

He said nowadays we also have more transport options available.

“The world has changed a bit now in that we do have electric buses in various cities, and we’ve got electric cars, and electric scooters, and public transport is much better than it used to be.

“To encourage people to get out of their petrol or diesel cars and utilise public transport is one way to conserve fuel. But getting people out of their cars is very difficult.

“Unless you’ve got some extreme situation, then education is the only way to try and change public behaviour.”

Richard Bosselman, the editor of the website Motoring NZ, said electric vehicle (EV) sales had been dismal in recent years.

But he speculated that if people were paying more at the pump, that might change.

“We have to make some hard and fast decisions about what kind of transport we need in this country and how we do it. I think electric is something that we need to jump back onto again and promote.

“Maybe this war will be a wake-up call, and maybe New Zealanders will think more about their car choices going forward.”

He said bringing back the Clean Car Discount, which provided rebates for low and zero-emission vehicles, to encourage people to buy EVs might help the country curb fuel use if the war continues.

He said it could also be an opportunity to develop the country’s hydrogen technologies.

“We’re at the end of the world. We’re at the end of a very long supply chain, so everything that comes to us is going to become more expensive. But we are a very self-sufficient nation. We create a lot of electricity and we can create more.

“We have opportunities to create hydrogen, and there’s a whole hydrogen infrastructure that sits there that could work for transport.

“I think this is a good time for Kiwis to take stock, be creative, and try and be optimistic about the future and look for solutions rather than be worried about the ultimate doom and gloom scenario, no matter how dark it all looks just at the moment.”

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SINGAPORE – Newsaktuell – 13 March 2026 – The cooperation partnership is ready for the next round: Following the successful premiere of the RECHARGE Wind Power Summit 2025 powered by WindEnergy Hamburg at the CCH – Congress Center Hamburg last November, the RECHARGE Wind Power Summit 2026 Asia-Pacific powered by WindEnergy Hamburg is about to launch in the Asian metropolis of Singapore. It will take place at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on 19 and 20 May. Supported by Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board, the new event underscores the city state’s role as a key hub for onshore and offshore wind in the APAC region which holds major growth potential.

On site: market leaders and industry associations

More than 1,000 participants, over 40 top-flight speakers, and around 50 exhibiting companies are expected. “Numerous companies representing all segments of the value chain have secured stand spots already,” says Andreas Arnheim, Director of WindEnergy Hamburg. Confirmed exhibitors include ZF Wind Power, Yixing Huayong Motor, Jiangsu Juxin Petroleum, and Seatrium, a leading Singapore-based offshore manufacturer. The event is supported by key industry organisations including the Asia Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the Association of Singapore Marine and Offshore Energy Industries (ASMI), Bundesverband Windenergie (BWE) and VDMA, Europe’s largest engineering association. Their leaders will use the occasion to network and advance wind power as the world’s key renewable energy source.

Conference will feature top-flight speakers

Headed “From ambition to reality: Why Asia is wind’s next big opportunity,” the conference will spotlight the region’s vast potential. Countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea or India, the latter aiming for 140 GW of wind capacity by 2030, are driving demand for technology and know-how. Experts from politics, industry and science will discuss policy frameworks, regulations, cost management, financing, and new technologies while strengthening cross-border cooperation. “It’s all about building strong industrial partnerships that take wind energy in the APAC region and beyond to a new level,” says Andrew Lee, Corporate Power Editor at DN Media Group’s news publication RECHARGE and co-host of the event.

The Summit builds on the successful 2025 debut in Hamburg and marks another milestone ahead of WindEnergy Hamburg 2026, taking place 22–25 September 2026.

More information: https://www.futureenergy.events/website/18561/

WindEnergy Hamburg: https://www.windenergyapac.com/news-details/article/windenergy-hamburg-to-show-its-colours-in-singapore-recharge-wind-power-summit-asia-pacific-presents-a-captivating-conference-and-expo

Hashtag: #WindEnergyHamburg #RechargeWindPower #WindEnergyAPAC #RenewableEnergy #FutureEnergy

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• Strategic Investment of S$3-5 billion in Singapore to advance AI-ready data centre developments, supporting over 2 GW of AI-ready capacity globally, and driving technological innovation with international ecosystem partners.
• First-mover advantage as one of Asia Pacific’s top three hyperscale data centre developers, with proven track record delivering large-scale campus developments in Malaysia, Thailand and India, supporting regional AI and cloud demand.
• Pioneering sustainable energy solutions, including Singapore’s first floating hydrogen power generation model leveraging the nation’s strengths in maritime transport, port infrastructure and global energy supply chains and research into nuclear energy as a future clean power source for data centres.
• Building an integrated innovation ecosystem in Singapore through partnerships with universities, research institutions and global technology companies, while supporting job creation and talent development initiatives for around 3,000 students and professionals.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 March 2026 – Bridge Data Centres (BDC), a Singapore-headquartered digital infrastructure platform backed by Bain Capital, has announced ambitious plans to invest S$3-5 billion in Singapore to advance next-generation digital infrastructure and strengthen the country’s position as a leading AI and cloud hub in Asia Pacific.

BDC had announced its new strategic brand identity in early 2026 that reflects the Company’s position of being a leading hyperscale and AI-infrastructure builder with a growing network of mega-campus developments in Asia Pacific. With close to a decade of experience developing high quality data centres, BDC’s new brand identity reflects BDC’s reputation as platform built on disciplined execution, certainty of delivery, and the ability to scale with customers.

As AI and high-density workloads accelerate across Asia Pacific, customers are looking for partners who can offer world-class capabilities and local agility, provide bespoke solutions at scale, and deliver and operate with a proven track record.

With Singapore serving as its global headquarters, BDC is uniquely positioned to support hyperscale customers and global technology companies seeking high-performance, sustainable and scalable data centre platforms across Asia Pacific, while enabling global technology companies to establish and expand their presence in Singapore as they develop AI and digital capabilities in the region.

Over the past decade, BDC has established itself as one of Asia Pacific’s leading digital infrastructure developers and operators. The Company currently operates and develops hyperscale campuses across Malaysia, Thailand and India.

Building on strong relationships with global hyperscale customers and ecosystem partners, BDC is on track to expand its regional capacity to approximately 2 GW by 2030.

By deepening its investments in Singapore, BDC aims to support customers seeking world-class digital infrastructure expertise, strong technology partnerships and integrated energy solutions that enable the sustainable growth of AI workloads.

First-mover advantage

BDC is among the first data centre developers to foray into Malaysia, where the Company has several large-scale data centre campuses – both operational and under development.

BDC’s flagship MY06 campus is the Company’s first project in Johor, as well as the state’s first hyperscale data centre development. In addition, BDC is the first data centre developer in Southeast Asia to adopt a build-to-suit (BTS) model for hyperscale data centre construction. BDC was also among the first hyperscale operators in the region to deploy advanced liquid cooling technologies at scale, including cold plate liquid cooling, to support high-density and AI-driven workloads. BDC’s suite of sustainability initiatives at MY06 enabled the facility to achieve an annualised Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of below 1.2.

BDC is also the first in Southeast Asia to incorporate Prefabricated, Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) construction, an innovative method that assembles large building sections off site. This enabled BDC to complete MY06 within eight months, which is 40 per cent faster than traditional methods, while reducing on-site dust, waste and noise. This strategy is one of BDC’s key competitive advantages to support the growing needs of hyperscale customers in the region, including Singapore, who need to rapidly scale to meet increasing demand for more capacity to power AI-workloads.

BDC has built Malaysia’s first large-scale Water Treatment Plant (WTP) to treat effluent and convert it into high grade effluent water to cool its upcoming 400MW campus in Ulu Tiram, Johor. The WTP applies advanced Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) technologies to deliver superior water recovery and quality. Since commencing operations in 2025, the WTP has been significantly reducing reliance on potable water. It further strengthens the long-term resilience of BDC’s operations and supports Johor’s broader environmental agenda.

The WTP has also attracted interest from regional public agencies. In 2025, BDC hosted a technical visit by representatives from PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, who were presented with an overview of the plant’s design and its use of advanced membrane technologies for sustainable water reuse in data centre operations.

BDC’s MY-06 Campus (Building 1) has achieved Singapore’s BCA Green Mark Platinum Award granted under the BCA-IMDA Green Mark International for Data Centres 2024 (GMDC: 2024) framework. The BCA Green Mark Award recognises developers, building owners and individuals who have made outstanding achievements in environmental sustainability in the built environment. BDC is the first data centre operator to achieve this recognition for a facility based outside of Singapore. Beyond project certification, BDC has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BCA International (BCAI) to support the international adoption of Singapore’s Green Mark standards in global data centre developments. Through this partnership, BDC will promote Singapore’s sustainable building standards globally while reinforcing the country’s position as a leading AI and green digital infrastructure hub in the region.

These capabilities are aligned with Singapore’s Green Data Centre (DC) Roadmap, which emphasises energy efficiency, sustainable resource use and the integration of green energy to support the growth of digital infrastructure. BDC’s experience in delivering high-efficiency campuses positions it well to contribute to these objectives through practical, deployable solutions.

Pioneering energy solutions

As AI workloads drive the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure, energy resilience, data security and sustainability are becoming increasingly important. BDC is advancing a range of initiatives to explore alternative energy pathways and strengthen long-term power strategies.

A key collaboration is with Concord New Energy (CNE), where the partners are jointly developing Singapore’s first floating hydrogen power generation solution tailored for next-generation AI digital infrastructure, marking a significant milestone in advancing low-carbon energy pathways for the data centre sector.

BDC and CNE will also collaborate with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to support the development of Singapore’s hydrogen ecosystem, accelerating research, engineering and the deployment of scalable clean energy technologies for digital infrastructure applications.

In addition, BDC is working with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research Institute of High Performance Computing (A*STAR IHPC) and HY to evaluate the potential of nuclear energy as a long-term clean power source for data centres.

BDC’s alliance with A*STAR IHPC and HY will leverage advanced modelling and engineering expertise to explore innovative low-carbon energy pathways that will support Singapore’s sustainable digital growth while reinforcing the nation’s position as a trusted global technology hub.

BDC has also established partnerships with global leaders in energy and energy storage technologies, including CATL, EcoCeres, SK Innovation. Through these collaborations, the partners will jointly explore the establishment of innovation and research platforms to advance the development and pilot deployment of clean energy solutions such as hydrogen and biomass energy, as well as next-generation energy storage technologies designed for tropical climates. These initiatives aim to enhance thermal management, improve safety performance and increase the power density of data centre energy storage systems.

These collaborations and pilot initiatives will also contribute to talent development and workforce capability building in Singapore’s digital infrastructure and energy sectors. Through joint research programmes, technology pilots and knowledge exchange with universities, research institutions and industry partners, BDC aims to support the development of specialised expertise in areas such as advanced energy systems, sustainable data centre design, and next-generation cooling and energy storage technologies.

The initiatives are also expected to create high-value job opportunities in Singapore, spanning engineering, energy systems research, digital infrastructure operations and advanced technology development. By nurturing local talent and strengthening cross-disciplinary capabilities, these efforts will help build a robust talent pipeline to support Singapore’s growing AI and digital infrastructure ecosystem.

These partnerships represent a strategic step in BDC’s long-term roadmap to diversify power sourcing pathways, enhance energy security, and future-proof its Singapore data centre portfolio amid evolving grid constraints and decarbonisation dynamics. They also reinforce Singapore’s position as a regional hub for AI-ready digital infrastructure, while supporting the nation’s broader ambitions in sustainable energy innovation and green economic growth. Furthermore, these advancements accelerate Singapore’s ambition to achieve its net zero emissions goal by 2050.

Advancing technology and ecosystem growth

BDC is also pushing the envelope in innovative and sustainable cooling solutions through collaborations with ecosystem technology partners such as Vertiv, Terahop and Teracule, which are subsidiaries of Zhongji Innolight, as well as Delta Electronics and Supermicro.

Many of these partners are established leaders in data centre cooling, power systems and high-performance computing infrastructure, and are active participants in the broader AI infrastructure ecosystem, working closely with leading chipmakers to support next-generation compute environments.

Through its collaboration with Teracule and Terahop, the subsidiaries of Zhongji Innolight, BDC is exploring opportunities to jointly develop next-generation liquid cooling modules and high-performance optical connectivity solutions tailored for AI data centre environments. By combining Innolight’s expertise in optical modules and high-speed interconnect technologies with BDC’s experience in hyperscale data centre design and operations, the partners aim to advance integrated solutions that enhance thermal efficiency, data transmission performance and system reliability for high-density AI workloads.

The collaboration will also explore the establishment of joint research and development initiatives in Singapore, bringing together industry, academia and research institutions to support innovation in AI infrastructure technologies. Through this industry–academia-research collaboration model, the partners aim to accelerate the development and commercialisation of advanced cooling and connectivity technologies while contributing to Singapore’s broader push to strengthen research, talent development and innovation within the digital infrastructure ecosystem.

Together, these alliances focus on the development of advanced liquid cooling architectures, high-density GPU cooling solutions, and energy-optimised HVAC systems designed to support increasingly compute-intensive workloads. These technologies are critical in enabling the efficient operation of AI infrastructure, particularly as rack densities and thermal loads continue to rise in next-generation data centre environments.

Driving regional connectivity

As a Singapore-headquartered digital infrastructure platform, BDC continues to strengthen Singapore’s position as a regional hub for digital infrastructure and AI-driven innovation. With its highly developed connectivity ecosystem, robust regulatory environment and strong international network links, Singapore plays a central role in enabling the growth of the digital economy across Asia Pacific.

In this context, Singapore serves as one of the primary regional hubs, supporting high-value and latency-sensitive digital services such as edge computing deployments, international data traffic management and regional digital service platforms.

To support the burgeoning demand for AI and cloud computing across the region, complementary infrastructure resources across Asia Pacific can help provide additional capacity for compute-intensive workloads, including AI inference, machine learning and large-scale data processing. This cross-border model enables Singapore to remain the connectivity and innovation anchor of the ASEAN digital ecosystem, while regional infrastructure supports the scaling of digital capacity.

BDC’s collaborations with ecosystem partners, including major telecommunications companies and global technology firms, also help expand connectivity networks beyond Asia Pacific, further reinforcing Singapore’s role as a key regional interconnection hub.

One such ecosystem partner is Zenlayer, a leading global edge cloud and connectivity provider with a well-established customer base across Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. Through this partnership, BDC continues to strengthen its regional and international network connectivity anchored in Singapore.

This expanded network reach supports low-latency cross-border digital infrastructure integration, enabling hyperscalers to scale efficiently across markets while leveraging Singapore as one of the core regional gateways for digital services.

Catalysing Singapore’s AI-driven digital growth

Looking ahead, BDC will continue to leverage its operating model as a glocal platform, combining regional scale with deep local execution capabilities to expand across Asia Pacific. The Company’s strategy focuses on connecting key economic corridors, developing high-density, utility-integrated campuses, and working with ecosystem partners to align digital infrastructure growth with evolving energy pathways.

Anchored in Singapore as its strategic regional hub, BDC’s investments and partnerships contribute to the development of a robust digital infrastructure ecosystem that supports AI-driven workloads and cross-border connectivity.

BDC is also adopting an industry–academia–research collaboration mode， bringing together industry partners, universities and research institutes to accelerate innovation in AI infrastructure, advanced cooling technologies and sustainable energy systems. This integrated approach supports the development of new technologies while nurturing local talent and strengthening Singapore’s innovation ecosystem.

BDC’s initiatives in hydrogen, low-carbon power solutions and energy storage further contribute to the growth of Singapore’s green economy, catalysing investment in sustainable energy infrastructure and support the transition towards lower-carbon digital operations.

BDC’s efforts support the creation of high-value jobs and the development of specialised technical expertise in Singapore, spanning engineering, digital infrastructure and advanced energy systems. In addition, BDC will work with universities, research institutes and industry partners to support talent development initiatives, including internships, training programmes and collaborative research opportunities, contributing to the development of a strong local talent pipeline for Singapore’s AI and digital infrastructure ecosystem.

Collectively, these contributions reinforce Singapore’s position as a leading AI and digital infrastructure hub in Asia Pacific, underpinned by resilient, efficient and sustainable infrastructure.

Hashtag: #BridgeDataCentres #Singapore

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 March 2026 – VinEnergo Energy Joint Stock Company, a subsidiary of Vingroup, and GE Vernova in the United States have officially signed a technology selection agreement to supply some of the world’s most advanced gas turbines and generators for VinEnergo’s LNG power plant project in Hai Phong. The event marks an important milestone in realizing the goal of developing VinEnergo Hai Phong into the largest gas-fired power plant in Vietnam, contributing to national energy security and promoting the transition toward a green economy.

The signing ceremony between VinEnergo and GE Vernova took place during The Energy of Change Summit 2026 in Hanoi, attended by Acting Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung and more than 400 reputable organizations from the global energy sector. The agreement represents a significant step toward ensuring construction progress and bringing the Hai Phong LNG power plant into operation by the end of 2030.

As a global leader in energy technology with more than 100 years of experience and a strong track record in meeting stringent environmental and operational standards, GE Vernova has been selected by VinEnergo as the core equipment supplier for the Hai Phong LNG power plant. Under the agreement, GE Vernova shall supply two 9HA.02 gas turbines and two H78 generators in phase I, with a capacity of 1600 MW, to ensure the plant can begin operations by the end of 2030.

Nguyen Anh Khoa, Chief Executive Officer of VinEnergo, stated: “Partnering with GE Vernova, a leading global supplier, to deploy the most advanced technologies will not only ensure optimal operational efficiency for the Hai Phong LNG power plant, but also reaffirm our strong commitment to pioneering emissions reduction and building a sustainable green industrial and energy ecosystem.”

Ramesh Singaram, President & CEO, Gas Power, Asia, GE Vernova stated: “We are honoured that VinEnergo and Vingroup have entrusted GE Vernova with a central role in this important project. Through the deployment of the 9HA.02 gas turbine and H78 generator, we are delivering advanced technology that supports lower emissions, industry‑leading efficiency, and reliable large‑scale power generation. This collaboration underscores our commitment to sustainable energy solutions and to supporting Vietnam’s accelerated transition to more sustainable energy.”

The GE Vernova 9HA.02 gas turbine technology is highly efficient, featuring fast startup capabilities and flexible load adjustment, allowing it to respond effectively to continuously fluctuating power demand. With combustion temperatures exceeding 1,400 degrees Celsius, the system significantly enhances power generation efficiency. Notably, the 9HA.02 turbine offers flexible fuel options, capable of burning hydrogen at up to 50% by volume, with a roadmap toward 100% hydrogen in the future, clearly demonstrating its alignment with sustainable energy development goals.

With the official signing of the cooperation agreement between VinEnergo and GE Vernova, the Hai Phong LNG power plant project, developed by a consortium of Vingroup and VinEnergo Energy Joint Stock Company, is expected to begin operations by the end of 2030 as planned and become one of the world’s leading LNG-fueled power plants.

Hashtag: #VinEnergo

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 March 2026 – Prudential Singapore (“Prudential”) announced the launch of PRUActive Life V, a comprehensive and customisable whole-of-life protection plan to support Singapore families in preparing for their health gap years – the period when an individual diagnosed with critical illness takes time away from work to focus on recovery. The plan offers multiplied coverage and lifelong protection with critical illness add-ons. It provides one of the widest ranges of coverage at 182 conditions including mental illness conditions.

As Singaporeans see higher incidences of critical illness (e.g. almost 58 per cent increase in stroke patients from 2011 to 2021^[1]), many families will experience a serious health episode and the affected family member may be unable to work during their recovery. During this ‘health gap’ period, the resulting income loss creates a strain on household finances, along with additional costs to care for the patient at home.

Many Singaporean households remain unprepared to deal with such a scenario. According to the 2022 Protection Gap Study by the Life Insurance Association of Singapore, there is a 74 per cent protection gap^[2] against critical illnesses such as cancer^[3], stroke^[1], and heart disease^[4]. This gap is especially challenging for young families raising children and the sandwich generation caring for both children and ageing parents.

Insurance plans play different roles in supporting families during a serious health event. While hospitalisation insurance covers eligible hospital and treatment bills, critical illness plans pay a lump sum upon diagnosis and families have the flexibility to decide how they want to use the payout.

Ms Toni Fung, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, Prudential Singapore, said: “Many families think that hospitalisation coverage is sufficient when a serious illness strikes and may overlook the wider financial impact on the household. For young families and the sandwich generation, a critical illness can disrupt income and add caregiving responsibilities that impact household finances. Critical illness coverage is therefore not just personal protection, but family protection, as it provides a lump-sum payout to take care of these additional costs.

“Families should consider critical illness protection early to ensure they have a safety net in place and the peace of mind to focus on recovery during their health gap years. With PRUActive Life V, families have access to a comprehensive protection plan that stands firmly behind them for life, even when the unexpected happens.”

Protection for families during their health gap years

PRUActive Life V, alongside its critical illness add-ons, provides whole life coverage for death, terminal illness, total and permanent disability and critical illnesses. It covers a wide range of 182 conditions ranging from cancer to accidental fracture of spinal column and includes additional payouts for 27 medical conditions e.g. mental illness and juvenile conditions^[5]_.

Families may enhance their coverage up to five times (Multiplier Benefit^[6]) up until age 80, to scale protection in tandem with their growing household income and caregiving commitments. There is also Kinship Booster^[7], a 10 per cent boost in basic coverage for free when an immediate family member takes up PRUActive Life V.

Besides young families, critical illness protection is also important for singles with caregiving responsibilities for other family members such as elderly parents or siblings. A serious illness can disrupt their ability to work and continue supporting those who depend on them financially or for care.

Added Ms Fung: “Singles may face added pressure on their personal finances and family obligations during a prolonged period of rest as they do not have a spouse to share the burden. Critical illness coverage becomes an important safeguard to help them stay financially resilient while managing their caregiving responsibilities.”

Understanding the hidden costs of health gap years

Families can face significant financial strain when they take time off to recover from a critical illness. In Singapore, a family with young children has an average monthly household income and expenditure of $21,435 and $8,577 respectively.

Consider a 35-year-old father with two young children who contributes $15,000 to the monthly household income. When he suffers a stroke, the father pauses work and that results in a loss in income. Table A outlines additional ‘hidden’ costs^[8] that he may face during his health break.

Ms Fung highlighted: “Many families underestimate the significant financial cost of recovery during their health gap years, which can be as much as 3.9 times^[9] of one’s annual income based on the assumption of a five-year recovery period. Apart from the disruption to income, families may face ‘hidden’ costs such as caregiving arrangements, home modifications and therapies, as well as the longer-term reality that their insurance options may become limited after a serious illness. These hidden expenses will continue to accumulate and place added pressure to household finances.”

Table A: Hidden costs of health gap years

PRUActive Life V provides families with comprehensive protection against critical illness to manage financial uncertainties during their health gap years.

Other key features include:

For more information on PRUActive Life V, please refer to: https://www.prudential.com.sg/pal-v

[1] Source: https://www.nuh.com.sg/health-resources/newsletter/envisioninghealth—changing-lives-one-idea-at-a-time/delivering-world-class-stroke-care-and-outcomes

[2] Source: https://www.lia.org.sg/news-room/media-releases/2023/singapore-s-critical-illness-protection-gap-narrows-while-mortality-protection-gap-remains-relatively-unchanged-protection-gap-study-2022/

[3] Source: https://www.healthhub.sg/well-being-and-lifestyle/personal-care/cancer-facts-you-cannot-ignore

[4] Source: https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Press-release_Obesity-will-become-the-most-important-risk-factor-for-heart-attacks-within-3-decades_For-dissemination.pdf

[5] Includes Antley Bixler Syndrome, Sanfillipo Syndrome, Bile acid synthesis disorder, and Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency

[6] Multiplier Benefit is applicable only if you chose to have this benefit when you purchase the plan. You may choose from Multiplier Benefit factors of 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x and Multiplier Benefit ages of 65, 70, 75 or 80. The Multiplier Benefit factor and the Multiplier Benefit age will apply to PRUActive Life V and its attached Early Crisis Care and Crisis Care supplementary benefits.

[7] Only applies if the life assured is below age 55 when the immediate family bought the policy. It adds an extra 10% of the death and terminal illness sum assured of the life assured’s policy, up to S$100,000.

[8] References: https://www.snsa.org.sg/post/helpful-information-for-stroke-survivors-and-caregivers; https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/agencyforinb6cc-agencyforin73f5-production08ac-d178/media/agency-for-integrated-care/Files/Caregiving-Support/General-Caregiving-Resources/AIC_AB_Senior-MobilityAids_web.pdf

[9] Source: https://www.lia.org.sg/media/3974/lia-pgs-2022-report_final_8-sep-2023.pdf

[10] The income payout option allows you to receive yearly payouts from the surrender value of the policy over a period of 10 years. As such, this option is like partial surrender. Please note that once you begin receiving the yearly payouts, the sum assured and the long-term value of your policy will be reduced.

[11] Subject to a maximum of 1 claim per policy

[12] This benefit is only available when your policy has acquired a surrender value that is equal to at least two years’ of premiums paid. This interest-free loan amount needs to be paid back at the end of the premium deferment period. If the loan amount is not paid back at the end of the premium deferment period, interest will be charged. The Premium Defer Benefit can only be used once per policy.

[13] The bonuses are NOT guaranteed and will vary according to the future experience of the participating fund.

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Hashtag: #PrudentialSingapore #CriticalIllness #HealthGapYears

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 4 March 2026 – VinEnergo announces its large-scale global expansion plan, initially focusing on Asia and Europe with a renewable energy project portfolio totaling 10 GW that has officially secured development agreements. In addition to the capacity already approved in Vietnam, over the next three years VinEnergo will continue expanding its operations and increase its total deployed capacity to 100 GW, positioning itself as a leading global renewable energy enterprise and deepening its participation in the international energy transition.

Under its overall plan, VinEnergo targets the development of 100 GW of renewable energy over the next three years, including 50 GW in core international markets such as North America, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia. These regions demonstrate rapidly-growing power demand, strong renewable energy promotion policies, and significant development headroom for international investors.

In parallel, VinEnergo will also explore expansion into other potential markets such as Central Asia and Africa, where electricity demand and emissions reduction requirements are rising rapidly. Through collaboration with governments and relevant stakeholders, VinEnergo will develop sustainable energy sources, support businesses in accessing clean electricity, contribute to Net Zero goals, and directly participate in shaping green energy policy.

To establish a solid foundation for the structured and long-term deployment of renewable energy projects, VinEnergo has signed partnerships with international financial institutions to access green credit. In addition, VinEnergo has reached agreements with multiple reputable foreign partners to develop a 10 GW project portfolio, with the overall objective of mastering all stages, from design, schedule management, and commercial structuring to long-term operations.

Specifically, in Northern Europe, VinEnergo partners with GreenGo Energy to develop a renewable energy project portfolio of 2 GW in Denmark and Sweden. In the long term, the company plans to expand its capacity in Northern Europe and across Europe to 6.2 GW.

In the Philippines, VinEnergo will develop projects totaling 1.3 GW with NKS Renewables Inc, 1.2 GW with URG Asia Corporation, and 1.3 GW with 11.11 Growth Properties, focusing on large-scale solar power projects in favorable areas such as Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

In these co-development projects, VinEnergo holds over 80 percent ownership and acts as the primary developer, responsible for capital mobilization, construction, and long-term operations. Several projects commenced in early 2026 and are expected to begin operations during 2027 to 2028.

With in-house capability in the manufacturing and integration of battery energy storage systems (BESS), VinEnergo can standardize design, secure equipment supply proactively, and synchronize technical solutions across its entire portfolio. This ensures high operational stability, reduces schedule risk, and optimizes project economics, particularly in markets with high renewable penetration and increasingly stringent dispatch requirements.

According to the plan, in the first quarter of 2026, VinEnergo will increase its total international renewable energy portfolio to 20 GW, with at least 8 GW of additional projects in Southeast Asia and Africa to be signed during the period.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Khoa, Chief Executive Officer of VinEnergo, stated: “Entering 2026, VinEnergo moves into a new development phase with the aspiration to become a renewable energy enterprise with global scale and competitiveness. The simultaneous deployment of a large portfolio across multiple markets affirms our capacity for governance and execution of complex projects. VinEnergo believes we will make an important contribution to the global energy transition process, while elevating the stature of Vietnamese enterprises on the global green energy map.”

In 2025, VinEnergo broke ground on the Hai Phong LNG thermal power plant, with a total investment of approximately VND 178 trillion and a designed capacity of 4,800 MW, placing it among the largest LNG-to-power projects in Vietnam and globally. VinEnergo has also been assigned as the investor for two offshore wind power projects in Ha Tinh, totaling approximately 900 MW with a combined investment exceeding VND 39 trillion.

Most recently, VinEnergo also invested in Phase 1 of the Hon Trau Wind Power Plant project in Gia Lai, with a capacity of 750 MW, one of the largest renewable energy projects in the province. In addition, VinEnergo has been approved as the qualified investor for the Vinh Thuan Wind Power Project, with a capacity of 143 MW.

Co-operation agreements both domestically and internationally reflect partners’ confidence in VinEnergo’s financial strength, governance, and execution capability, while affirming the company’s increasingly established position in the international renewable energy value chain.

With a long-term development orientation and as part of the Vingroup ecosystem, VinEnergo pursues the mission of providing clean, stable, and efficient energy, aligned with disciplined investment, international governance standards, and sustainable value creation for the community, while proactively adopting the latest trends such as AI and big data applications in operations and smart power solution development.

Hashtag: #VinEnergo

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

There are calls for more support for green fuel alternatives as the Middle East conflict exposes New Zealand’s vulnerability to fuel supply chain shocks.

Auckland University economic modelling has found green hydrogen – hydrogen produced by renewables – could have some limited use in future for industries heavily reliant on gas and coal for production.

But cost and limited infrastucture remained major barriers, as did a lack of government policy.

“If we can use renewable electricity, wind, for example, or possibly geothermal as a source of electricity, then that is an attractive option,” Auckland University energy economist Professor Basil Sharp said.

“But until such time as the technology improves and we can get the costs down, it’s going to be somewhere out in the future.”

As the government pushes ahead with a liquified natural gas import facility and global LNG prices soared as a result of Qatar halting production, Sharp said more attention needed to be paid to New Zealand’s energy independence.

“There could be an unintended impact associated with promoting importation of LNG that could and I’m not saying it will, but it could have an impact on the rollout of our renewables.

“It could have an impact on the technology, such as the viability of green hydrogen going forward.”

Green hydrogen a bit player in road to net zero

The modelling found that at best, green hydrogen was capable of supplying about 12 percent of industrial process heat energy by 2050 .

Because it was so expensive to produce, green hydrogen needed the right conditions to be viable and was more attractive when carbon prices were higher, renewable electricity was cheaper, and hydrogen technology costs fell.

It was in those scenarios researchers said hydrogen could play a complementary role in helping New Zealand reach net zero emissions, but electrification was still the key.

“Even if they are making very small contributions to our energy independence when the technology and and the costs come down, we need to be in a position, to take advantage of that and actually promote the utilisation of hydrogen in the economy,” said Sharp.

A new export for NZ?

One of the model’s co-authors and senior economics lecturer Le Wen said New Zealand was already well-placed to produce green hydrogen because 80 percent of our electricity was renewable.

Wen said that if the country invested in and scaled up green hydrogen production, the country could become a leader in genuinely low-emissions hydrogen.

“It may not solve everything on its own, but it could give the country a strong new export opportunity,” he said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

New modelling suggests green hydrogen will play a very limited role in cutting New Zealand’s industrial emissions before 2050.

Green hydrogen could help cut New Zealand’s industrial emissions, but University of Auckland modelling suggests it’s unlikely to make a dent by 2050, with electrification doing most of the heavy lifting.

This is mainly due to costs, infrastructure, policy and behavioural factors, according to research led by Business School masters student Geordie Reid.

“New Zealand has committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” he says. “One of the toughest elements of this commitment is decarbonising industrial process heat; the coal- and gas-fired heat used to produce things like milk powder, steel and cement.”

It’s in this area that green hydrogen can play a role, albeit a limited one, according to Reid and the co-authors.

Under realistic assumptions, says Reid, green hydrogen doesn’t emerge as a cost-effective option.

“However, if technologies rapidly develop and become more cost-competitive relative to alternatives, such as electrification, our results show a shift towards green hydrogen for supplying high-temperature process heat.”

Even then, the role of green hydrogen would be limited according to the modelling, potentially supplying about 12 percent of industrial process heat energy by 2050 in the most optimistic scenario.

The researchers point out that because green hydrogen is expensive, it becomes more attractive when carbon prices are higher, renewable electricity is cheaper, and hydrogen technology costs decline. In those scenarios, they say hydrogen can play a complementary role in helping New Zealand reach net zero emissions. “But in most other cases, electrification is still the key.”

Co-author and Business School research fellow Selena Sheng says, compared to direct electrification, hydrogen technologies exhibit lower overall efficiency due to energy losses occurring at multiple stages across production, storage, transport, and end use.

“There are three main ways to bring green hydrogen costs down in the future. Firstly, we’ve got to have cheaper renewables, possibly through increasing wind and solar power.”

The second avenue, says Dr Sheng, is to develop more affordable methods for producing green hydrogen through a process called electrolysis. This can be achieved by scaling up manufacturing, improving efficiency, reducing reliance on rare, costly materials, and sourcing lower-cost renewable electricity.

“Third, we need to achieve greater economies of scale in production; larger projects will further reduce costs.”

Adding to this, energy economist Professor Basil Sharp says the modelling helps clarify what needs to change for hydrogen to grow into a meaningful part of the energy system.

 “Green hydrogen is like the new kid on the block in terms of technology, so the unit costs are high relative to other forms of hydrogen.

“Practically, what governments can do is remove the barriers to adoption. One of the barriers early on was the absence of industrial standards regarding the transportation of hydrogen. Providing appropriate industry standards creates room for growth.”

Co-author and senior economics lecturer Le Wen points out that New Zealand’s high share of renewable electricity gives it an advantage in producing green hydrogen.

“Green hydrogen is ‘green’ because it’s produced using energy from renewables. New Zealand is well placed in terms of green hydrogen because more than 80 percent of our electricity is already renewable, but cutting national emissions also means tackling industry, which still relies heavily on coal and gas for process heat.”

Dr Wen says that if New Zealand invests in and scales up its green hydrogen production, the country could become a leader in genuinely low-emissions hydrogen.

“It may not solve everything on its own, but it could give the country a strong new export opportunity.”

MIL OSI

The partnership represents a strategic step in BDC’s long-term roadmap to diversify power sourcing pathways, enhance energy security, and future-proof its Singapore data centre portfolio amid evolving grid constraints and decarbonisation dynamics.

The collaboration brings together BDC’s extensive expertise in developing and operating hyperscale data centres across Asia Pacific and CNE’s technical leadership in renewable and hydrogen energy systems. The parties will also collaborate with Nanyang Technological University (NTU), one of the world’s top universities, to support the development of Singapore’s hydrogen ecosystem Together, the parties will accelerate the research, engineering, and deployment of scalable clean energy solutions across the value chain.

Integrated Renewable and Hydrogen Pathways

Under the MOU, the parties will explore advanced power system architectures and generation configurations designed to enhance the resilience and reliability of AI-ready data centre campuses.

A key focus of the collaboration is the development of Singapore’s first barge-based hydrogen power generation model — an innovative marine-integrated deployment approach designed to deliver flexible and modular clean power capacity.

Compared to conventional land-based generation assets, a barge-based configuration offers structural advantages particularly suited to Singapore’s operating environment, including optimisation of scarce land resources through offshore or nearshore deployment, enhanced safety risk segregation between hydrogen handling infrastructure and core data centre operations, and greater flexibility in hydrogen transport and storage leveraging Singapore’s maritime ecosystem.

In parallel, the parties will develop scalable hydrogen supply chain frameworks covering storage, transport, and system integration to support high-density, AI-driven digital infrastructure. The alliance will also assess customised long-term power procurement structures, including renewable power purchase agreements (PPAs) and integrated energy storage solutions, to enhance operational flexibility and overall energy system resilience.

Mr Eric Fan, Chief Executive Officer of Bridge Data Centres, said, “The accelerating demand for AI-ready data centres requires new energy architectures that are resilient, scalable, and sustainable. This collaboration with Concord New Energy reflects our commitment to diversifying long-term power pathways. By pioneering Singapore’s first barge-based hydrogen generation solution, we are exploring innovative models that integrate clean energy with advanced digital infrastructure.”

Mr Joe Zhou, Group Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Global Business of Concord New Energy, said, “Singapore’s hydrogen ambitions and its position as a global maritime and energy hub create a strong foundation for piloting advanced hydrogen power solutions. Through this partnership, we aim to contribute engineering expertise and scalable system design to support the decarbonisation of AI-intensive data centre environments.”

Advancing Singapore’s Clean Energy and Digital Infrastructure Ambitions

The collaboration is expected to anchor advanced hydrogen system engineering and barge-based deployment capabilities within Singapore’s energy ecosystem. Through its Concord Clean Energy Research Centre, CNE will expand applied clean energy research and collaborate with local institutions, including NTU and public agencies, to drive the development of scalable clean hydrogen energy solutions in Singapore.

The partnership will facilitate structured knowledge transfer and local talent development in hydrogen systems integration, renewable optimisation, and advanced energy engineering. The initiative is expected to support the creation of high-value jobs and specialised technical competencies in these domains.

In addition, the collaboration is anticipated to catalyse investment in hydrogen-related infrastructure, including storage, transport, generation assets, and associated supply chains, strengthening Singapore’s clean energy transition.

As Singapore scales AI-driven workloads and high-performance computing capacity, energy reliability, flexibility, and sustainability are becoming decisive enablers of digital growth. The collaboration between BDC and CNE reflects BDC’s proactive strategy to future-proof its power architecture, diversify long-term sourcing pathways, and strengthen infrastructure resilience.

By anchoring advanced hydrogen engineering and marine-integrated deployment capabilities in Singapore — a global maritime and energy trading hub — the initiative not only strengthens Singapore’s ability to pilot innovative hydrogen solutions within a land-constrained urban environment, but also establishes a scalable offshore-integrated clean power framework that can be extended to Southeast Asia’s rapidly expanding AI-driven data centre markets.

Hashtag: #BridgeDataCentres

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Thousands of high-voltage pylons and other national grid sites are exposed to flooding, along with hundreds of kilometres of transmission lines, data provided to RNZ shows.

Network owners say increasingly frequent severe weather driven by climate change is heightening the flooding risk to distribution infrastructure too, along with damage caused by high winds and treefall.

Transpower is already pursuing plans to raise the height of some transmission sites, or even move them, while lines companies are pushing for increased powers to deal with ‘out of zone’ trees they currently cannot trim.

But together with sustainable energy advocates, they say having more distributed energy sources, such as solar panels and batteries, could also help to keep the lights on during weather emergencies.

Hundreds of people in the lower North Island went all of last week without power, after a storm brought down hundreds of lines in Wellington, the Wairarapa and Whanganui-Rangitīkei areas.

That followed prolonged power outages in Southland and Otago after a severe storm in late October.

Clutha Valley farmer Richard Hunter was among those affected, after the storm brought hundreds of trees down across his property, including onto power lines.

Hunter said the clean-up had been lengthy and expensive.

“We’ve employed an extra person to help with fencing, we’ve had a digger come through to lift a lot of trees off fences and clear fencelines, and that work’s still ongoing.”

Since the storm, he has increased generator capacity on the farm and would “possibly” be better prepared for another long outage.

“But you just don’t know how widespread the next event might be.”

Data published by Earth Sciences New Zealand (ESNZ) last year showed that 46 transmission sites such as substations are exposed to a flood hazard – more than 20 percent of the 216 sites around the country.

Additional data, released exclusively to RNZ, shows that more than 3800 pylons, towers, and other national grid structures are also exposed (10 percent), along with 1235km of the country’s transmission lines (11 percent).

The proportion of transmission infrastructure exposed is projected to rise with every additional degree of warming.

Some regions are more vulnerable than others.

The largest number of affected transmission sites and structures are in Canterbury, while the proportion of both lines and structures exposed in Bay of Plenty is among the highest of any region.

Of the 470km of lines in Bay of Plenty, 16.8 percent are exposed, while 17.5 percent of the region’s more than 1800 structures are at risk.

ESNZ principal scientist Emily Lane said the exposure was high, even before taking the effects of future warming into account.

“We’ve got quite a lot of our infrastructure in these vulnerable areas.”

Just because an asset was exposed to flooding did not mean it would fail, though.

“Oftentimes there will be a flood and the power poles might be just sticking out of the water and that’s actually not a problem,” Lane said.

“But if you’ve got high velocity [water] you might get scour. If you’ve got debris, the debris might pile up against the pylon and that could increase the scour or increase the loading on it and that’s when you start getting problems.”

There were also indirect threats.

“If a structure gets damaged by another hazard and that’s in a flood-affected area, you can’t get to it because of the flooding – you can get these cascading impacts.”

The modelling was unable to take into account any mitigation or other protective features, such as elevated floor heights at substations, she said.

“What our hope is, is that Transpower is using this and going, ok, these are the places we need to check out.

“It might be that they go, we actually already knew about this and we’ve built the floor height to this level and so we’re comfortable that that’s ok.”

Building a more resilient network

Transpower’s strategy, performance and risk manager Julian Morton said climate resilience had been part of Transpower’s asset management approach for more than a decade.

The transmission network ran through “some pretty rugged country” and flooding, land stability and access were all risks.

“We know climate change is increasing the threat to some of our sites,” he said.

The state-owned enterprise had a list of 12 substations that were high-priority for being adapted or moved to better protect them from future flooding.

First off the blocks would be Redclyffe substation in Hawke’s Bay, which failed during Cyclone Gabrielle when it was flooded.

The Commerce Commission granted approval late last year for Transpower to go ahead with plans to redevelop the substation on the existing site, but with raised floor heights to keep it above future floodwaters.

Transpower considered, but rejected, a plan to move the entire substation to higher ground, at an estimated cost of $280 million.

The approved plan is expected to cost $44m.

Other locations might require more drastic measures as time went by, Morton said.

“We’re looking at … what are our future options at those sites like South Dunedin where we know that we’re going to run out of runway where just elevating may not tick the box.”

The ESNZ data, produced as part of a wider project to map inland flooding risk across the country, only included national grid infrastructure.

It did not take into account local distribution networks.

However, Electricity Networks Aotearoa (ENA) chief executive Tracey Kai, whose organisation represents the 29 lines companies in New Zealand, said climate change was starting to test them too.

“We build infrastructure for 100-year events, but those 100-year events are not only happening more frequently, but they’re more severe than when we forecasted them initially,” Kai said.

After Cyclone Gabrielle, her organisation analysed the causes of local network outages to 240,000 people and found a fairly even split between tree damage, older infrastructure failing, and flooding.

A “bugbear” for ENA’s members was not being able to manage trees that were outside minimum clearance zones but still posed a threat to lines, Kai said.

Legislation had been drafted that would restrict new planting around lines, and that would help, she said.

However, lines companies were pushing for further changes that would shift the onus of trimming and managing trees onto commercial and public owners of trees, such as forestry companies and councils.

“Network companies are fine looking after what we call mum and dad trees, so trees outside my house, outside your house,” Kai said.

“But those that derive a return from that tree planting should be bearing that cost really.”

The role of ‘distributed energy’

Sustainable Energy Aotearoa innovation pathways manager Gareth Williams said frequent severe weather events were showing up “just how vulnerable the networks are”.

Improving the resilience of that infrastructure where possible was important, but some of the options were “horrendously expensive”, he said.

“There are definitely fixes, but at what cost?”

The country should also be rolling out distributed energy, where generation and storage happened locally through technologies like solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles.

That could play “a critical role” in making households and communities more resilient, he said.

“If there’s an upstream [outage] and there’s enough solar and batteries, essentially you can create the network as a whole series of little microgrids so each microgrid can operate independently.”

It was unlikely to provide enough electricity for people to run their power as usual, but it would keep the essentials going, Williams said.

“You could have a microgrid providing a basic electricity supply for lights, televisions, refrigeration, phone-charging, internet – for quite an extended period.”

Tracey Kai said as more renewables were rolled out, it made sense to have “everything, everywhere, all at once”.

“If you have distributed energy, whether it’s your electric vehicle or solar or batteries, if you can afford the upfront cost of those things, not only will it bring your power bill down in the long run, but also it provides resilience.”

She would go “one step further” than just individual installations.

“Solar on marae, solar on schools, they’re all options because it means that it’s not just a household that benefits or a neighborhood, it means that anyone who’s affected, they can kind of stand that up as a place of refuge and safety while services are being restored.”

Six reviews since Cyclone Gabrielle had talked about the importance of community hubs, Kai said.

“That is something that would make a real difference.”

A resilient network would still be needed, though.

“You will still need supply from the grid. And if you are exporting back in and selling your excess power, you’re still going to need a network to transport your electrons on.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

MIL OSI

A university researcher who tracks the amount of ultra-processed products and ingredients coming into New Zealand is calling for stronger regulations around marketing, especially to children.

Ultra-processed foods are not just junk food, but anything full of chemical based preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, and artificial colours and flavours.

A US attorney is suing some of the biggest food manufacturers, accusing them of deliberately designing products to be addictive – despite the harm they are known to cause. David Chiu says with products from all companies involved in the lawsuit also available in New Zealand, it should be a worry here.

In 2023, ultra-processed foods made up 23 percent of New Zealand’s imports, compared to only 7 percent in 1990, says Dr Kelly Garton from the University of Auckland.

She told Checkpoint it was time for the government to step in, because consumers were influenced in ways they could not control.

A major step would be better labelling and restrictions around packaging directed at children.

“I would love for our labels to give much clearer indication to consumers and what’s in their food. Getting rid of any of those misleading claims around healthiness or environmental friendliness, for example, as well as not allowing ultra-processed foods to have marketing packaging that’s targeting kids.”

Garton said much of the marketing was currently targeted at young people, along with their parents.

“A lot of these products will have colours, shapes, or flavours or textures that are meant to appeal to children and younger people. And so obviously that’s meant to sell more product.

“A lot of the marketing is targeted at parents. It might have a certain amount of health washing, you know, a good source of protein when maybe it’s a protein derivative that’s been added back in. not necessarily a healthy whole protein that you could be consuming otherwise.”

But marketing was only one of the reasons that ultra-processed foods were so prominent in New Zealanders diets.

“We are now reliant on these products in many ways that we can’t control, these are the products that are by and large the most available and affordable, and they’re heavily marketed to us.

“Also in terms of our social and economic circumstances, many of us, most of us are time poor. Many of us are financially constrained. We’re overly reliant on foods that are cheap, shelf stable, and very convenient. Added to that, fresh fruit and veg is absurdly expensive these days.”

Alongside Checkpoint, Garton examined a number of ultra-processed products to decipher the contents.

She said flavourings were often a warning sign.

“These flavours or natural colourings are put there to emulate or to mask or enhance flavours that whole foods would have. So they’re inherently manipulating our sense receptors.”

However, just because something falls under the ultra processed category did not mean it had to be avoided.

“These products would fall under the ultra-processed classification. Not all of them are going to be bad for us. Some of them, especially those that give us a lot of fibre and low in sugar, can be absolutely part of a healthy diet, especially given the constraints that we’re under these days.”

But if possible, Garton said the less processed option was always preferable.

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