BINZHOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 July 2026 – On July 19, Shandong’s Befar Group achieved a technological breakthrough in four key areas of process, engineering, testing, and filling to bring its high-purity hydrogen fluoride (HF) for semiconductor applications to the 6N grade (99.9999%). This milestone fills a production gap for high-purity hydrogen fluoride in Shandong Province.

High-purity hydrogen fluoride is a key raw material used in semiconductor chip etching and cleaning processes, often referred to as the “chemical scalpel” of semiconductor manufacturing. The 6N-grade product is an essential material for advanced process nodes of 28 nanometers and below. For years, core production technologies for this grade have been mainly provided by overseas companies, with domestic supply heavily reliant on imports.

Befar Group overcame key technical hurdles, including multi-stage distillation coupling, selection of low-precipitation equipment materials, cylinder cleanliness and protection, and precise detection of trace impurities. The company maintains key metal-ion impurity levels below 1 part per billion (ppb), solving the problem of secondary contamination throughout the entire production, storage, and transportation chain. To date, the company has completed the construction and commissioning of a 50-ton-per-year high-purity hydrogen fluoride cylinder filling line. Having obtained the cylinder filling license from the Shandong Special Equipment Inspection Institute, the company has begun introducing its products to major customers at home and abroad. This marks a complete closed loop from laboratory R&D to industrial-scale production.

Thanks to its mass production capabilities, Befar Group will continue to deepen its expertise in high-end specialty gas technologies, expand its product portfolio of halogen-based electronic specialty gases, and develop electronic-grade hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide, and other series products. By increasing locally supplied capacity, the company aims to ensure the secure and stable operation of the semiconductor industry chain.

Hashtag: #Binzhou

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

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

GasNZ says Labour’s solar policy released today undermines its benefits by pulling the subsidy from National’s $200m Gas Security Fund.

MIL OSI

• Formula E Season 12 accelerates global expansion and sustainability milestones as DHL delivers precision logistics behind one of the world’s most complex sporting championships
• Battery logistics takes center stage off track as electrification drives new supply chain demands

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 7 July 2026 – As the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns to Shanghai for the 2025/2026 Season, the world’s premier all-electric racing Championship accelerates into its most ambitious chapter yet with a record 17 races across 11 global cities, including new circuits in Madrid and Miami.

Underscoring its commitment to sustainability and transparency, Formula E has also recently become the first global sport to achieve B Corp Certification, a globally recognised designation awarded to companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. “Achieving B Corp Certification is a defining milestone for Formula E and reinforces our mission to drive sustainable innovation both on and off the track,” said Barry Mortimer, Paddock and Logistics Director, Formula E. “It reflects our commitment to operating responsibly as we continue to push the boundaries of electric mobility and sustainable sport on a global stage.”

DHL Powers the Global Movement of Formula E

Behind the high-speed action lies a complex global logistics operation. DHL, the Official Founding and Official Logistics Partner of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship since 2013, plays a critical role in moving the Championship seamlessly across continents, ensuring that every race is delivered with precision, efficiency and sustainability.

Each race in this season requires the transport of approximately 400 metric tons of freight, including 21 electric race cars, charging infrastructure, broadcast equipment, and critical power systems, all orchestrated through tightly coordinated multimodal solutions spanning air, ocean, rail and road.

In the lead-up to the 2026 Shanghai E-Prix, DHL executed a three-day multimodal journey from Sanya, combining ferry and road transport. This required extensive planning and documentation to ensure full compliance across multiple transport regulations, highlighting the precision and intricate choreography required to meet unmovable race-day deadlines.

Battery Logistics at the Heart of Electrified Racing

Beyond motorsport, this partnership shines a spotlight on one of the fastest-growing and most complex areas of global trade: battery logistics. As electrification accelerates worldwide, the safe and compliant transport of lithium-ion batteries has become mission-critical and increasingly challenging.

Formula E offers a vivid real-world example. Each race involves transporting approximately 31 high-performance batteries, each weighing around 400kg—far exceeding typical consumer battery thresholds and classified as regulated dangerous goods. Their transport requires strict adherence to international regulations, including IATA and ICAO standards, covering specialized packaging, state-of-charge restrictions, certified handling procedures, and multiple layers of regulatory approvals from airlines and authorities.

The complexity is further amplified by varying customs requirements of different countries and cities, and stringent transport conditions across different modes. From certified aluminum containment units and non-stackable packaging to detailed documentation and risk classification requirements, every step demands precision and deep expertise.

“Every Formula E race may look seamless on track, but behind the scenes it is a highly complex logistics operation—especially when it comes to transporting lithium-ion batteries safely across borders,” said Federico Cavani, Head of Motorsports Italy, DHL Global Forwarding. “These are regulated dangerous goods that require meticulous planning, strict compliance with global standards, and specialized handling at every stage. Our partnership with Formula E showcases how advanced battery logistics can be executed safely at scale, and reflects the same challenges DHL customers face as electrification accelerates globally.”

China: The Engine Driving Global Battery Supply Chains

China has emerged as the undisputed hub of the global battery ecosystem, underpinning the rapid growth of electrification worldwide. In 2025, global electric vehicle battery deployment reached 1.2 terawatt-hours (TWh), with China accounting for around 60% of the total, reinforcing its position as the largest and most dynamic market. Beyond demand, China also leads across the manufacturing value chain. The country produces over 70% of the world’s lithium-ion batteries, with some estimates placing its share at more than three-quarters of global output in 2025.

The ability to move batteries safely, compliantly, and efficiently—both within China and across international markets—has thus become a critical differentiator.

“DHL Global Forwarding China partners with several of the world’s leading battery manufacturers, providing end-to-end battery transportation solutions across the entire logistics value chain. The company also supports the rapidly growing energy storage logistics sector, helping customers better manage and optimize their energy storage supply chains. Each year, we handle more than 10,000 TEUs of batteries and battery-related materials exported from China, with shipments destined for major markets such as the United States and Europe,” said Stephen Zhang, Vice President, Ocean Freight, Greater China, DHL Global Forwarding.

As global supply chains evolve alongside the energy transition, DHL’s role extends far beyond the racetrack. From supporting EV and battery ecosystems to enabling resilient, compliant and sustainable logistics solutions, the company continues to power the shift toward a low-carbon future—one race, and one shipment at a time.

DHL Group has made significant investments in its New Energy capabilities under its Strategy 2030: Accelerating Sustainable Growth. Through DHL New Energy Logistics, a sector brand driving electrification and the energy transition, the company delivers end-to-end solutions across the full value chain, spanning wind, solar, EVs and batteries, BESS, charging, grid infrastructure, alternative fuels, and hydrogen. Leveraging a global network covering more than 220 countries and territories and supported by over 20 DHL EV Centers of Excellence and a dedicated team of trained dangerous goods specialists, DHL ensures high-sensitivity cargo moves safely, compliantly, and on time.

Hashtag: #DHL

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

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

• IperionX awarded up to US$6.6 million by the Office of the Secretary of War – Submarine Workforce and Industrial Base program (OSW-SWIB)
• The award forms part of a larger, multi-organization program to scale production of high-performance titanium alloy products, including ballistic-grade titanium plate, for land and maritime defense platforms
• Funding will support expanded manufacturing capability for large-format military titanium components at IperionX’s Titanium Manufacturing Campus in Virginia, strengthening U.S. capacity for mission-critical titanium products and critical-material supply chains
• IperionX will collaborate with the George H. W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to accelerate product scale-up, validation, and transition pathways for defense and strategic industrial applications
• Alongside the OSW-SWIB award, IperionX has received an additional purchase order from the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center to manufacture a range of titanium fasteners for the JLTV in support of U.S. Army and Marine Corps operational requirements

SOUTH BOSTON, Va., July 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IperionX Limited (IperionX) (NASDAQ: IPX, ASX: IPX) has been awarded up to US$6.6 million under a U.S. Department of War (DoW) program, funded by the Office of the Secretary of War Submarine Workforce and Industrial Base, or OSW-SWIB.

The award forms part of a larger program to scale domestic production of high-performance titanium alloy products, including ballistic-grade titanium plate, for maritime and land defense platforms.

The multi-organization defense program will focus on titanium mill products and components for platforms requiring exceptional strength-to-weight performance, corrosion resistance, durability, ballistic-impact tolerance, and shock survivability. These requirements represent some of the most demanding performance standards in advanced defense materials, especially for applications exposed to harsh operating environments, high-impact loads, and extended service-life demands.

Funding will support capital equipment at IperionX’s Titanium Manufacturing Campus in Virginia, expanding manufacturing capabilities for large-format titanium components and strengthening U.S. capacity for mission-critical titanium products. The program will be completed in two phases with Phase 1 granting US$0.2 million for project scoping and test work. Upon successful completion, IperionX is expected to receive a further US$6.4 million to scale manufacturing capacity and purchase capital equipment.

The program directly supports IperionX’s strategy to establish a secure, low-cost and resilient American titanium manufacturing platform for defense and advanced industrial customers.

Conventional titanium plate production is technically complex, capital- and energy-intensive, and often characterized by low yields. The process typically involves sponge production, vacuum melting and remelting, ingot or slab casting, breakdown forging, hot rolling, repeated annealing, and final surface conditioning. Each of these steps can contribute to extended lead times, elevated production costs, material yield losses, and supply-chain constraints.

IperionX’s patented titanium technologies are designed to simplify and shorten this production route. The Company’s proprietary HAMR process can produce low-cost titanium powder from titanium minerals or recycled titanium, while its HSPT and THRM technologies deliver high-performance, wrought-like titanium properties without reliance on the full conventional melt-remelt-forge pathway.

Together, these technologies support IperionX’s powder-to-plate titanium manufacturing platform, which is designed to reduce process steps, lower capital intensity, reduce energy intensity, improve material utilization and strengthen domestic supply-chain resilience for strategic titanium products.

Through this program, IperionX will produce and evaluate high-performance titanium alloy products for applications where titanium can provide lightweight alternatives to steel, including armor precursor plate, hatches, covers, brackets, structural components and maritime systems.

In maritime applications, titanium’s high strength, durability and corrosion resistance can support improved readiness, reduced maintenance and longer service life. Across land defense platforms, lower component weight can support improved mobility, payload capacity, fuel efficiency and survivability.

IperionX will collaborate with the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex, an organization within The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory. The collaboration is expected to support material testing, ballistic and shock-survival evaluation, product validation and transition into defense and strategic U.S. industrial applications.

The project is a systematic metallurgical study to demonstrate how THRM/HSPT microstructural engineering can be used to achieve ballistic performance. This project complements separately DoW-funded IperionX programs for powder-to-plate production. Together these DoW-funded activities provide an alternative pathway that has the potential to reduce the U.S. dependency on imported titanium sponge.

Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) fastener prototype order

Alongside the OSW-SWIB award, IperionX has received a purchase order from the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center to produce a range of prototype titanium fasteners for the JLTV and associated trailer – known as the “workhorse” of the Marine Corps’ ground tactical vehicle fleet – to support U.S. Army and Marine Corps operational requirements.

The JLTV is a U.S. military light tactical vehicle, originally built by Oshkosh Defense, designed to replace many Humvees by providing greater protection, mobility, payload capacity, and networked mission flexibility for combat and support operations.

While the value of the initial purchase order is not considered material, a successful prototyping program has the potential to progress into an accelerated roll-out program across a large number of ground vehicles, providing lightweight, strong and corrosion resistant titanium components for the U.S. warfighter.

IperionX Senior Adviser U.S. Army Lieutenant General Ross Coffman U.S. Army (Retired) said:

“During my time as Deputy Commanding General of Army Futures Command, I enjoyed my collaboration with BCDC, and I saw firsthand the importance of a secure U.S. low-cost titanium supply chain for national security.

The Army has a pressing need to reduce the weight of our ground vehicle platforms to maintain combat effectiveness. The benefits of titanium across all defense mobility platforms, including robotics, are well known and I’m proud to be on this mission with IperionX.”

IperionX CEO Taso Arima said:

“This award is an important validation of IperionX’s strategy to scale high-performance titanium manufacturing capacity in the United States. By combining lower-cost titanium feedstocks with our patented HAMR, HSPT and THRM technologies, we are developing a more efficient domestic manufacturing platform for high-performance titanium plate and components.

Our objective is to shorten the conventional titanium production chain, reduce supply-chain complexity and build a more resilient, lower-cost U.S. titanium supply chain for defense, aerospace and advanced manufacturing customers.

In addition to the award, the new prototype order for titanium fasteners for the JLTV is a further signal of the important role that is developing for IperionX in supporting the U.S. defense industrial base.”

APPENDIX

Award details

IperionX has been awarded an initial $0.2 million in funding under the OSW Submarine Workforce and Industrial Base Program for project scoping and test work (Phase 1). Upon, and subject to, successful completion of Phase 1, IperionX will be awarded a further $6.4 million to scale process technology and purchase capital equipment to be installed at IperionX’s Titanium Manufacturing Campus (Phase 2). Phase1 and Phase 2 of the project are scheduled to be complete within two years.

About THRM and HSPT

IperionX’s patented THRM and HSPT processes use hydrogen-enabled thermodynamics and powder-metallurgy processing to engineer wrought-like microstructures and mechanical properties in titanium alloys. These technologies reduce processing complexity and limit reliance on conventional high-cost forging and extensive thermo-mechanical work, enabling a faster and lower-cost route to advanced titanium components.

IperionX’s leading R&D team includes THRM and HSPT co-inventor Dr. James Paramore, who joined the Company after previously serving at both the U.S. Army DEVCOM ARL and BCDC.

Titanium for U.S. Defense Industrial Base

U.S. Department of War’s SWIB program reflects the strategic priority of rebuilding domestic industrial capability in critical defense materials.

Why titanium matters

• Defense platforms require titanium plate, sheet and fabricated components where weight, durability, corrosion resistance and strength matter most.
• In land defense systems, titanium plate supports armor precursor plate, hatches, covers, brackets and structural components where lower mass can improve mobility, payload, fuel efficiency and survivability.
• In maritime defense platforms, titanium’s strength, durability and corrosion resistance can reduce maintenance, extend service life and improve readiness.

Why incumbent production is difficult

• Conventional wrought titanium plate typically requires sponge production, vacuum melting and remelting, ingot or slab casting, breakdown forging, hot rolling, repeated annealing and final surface conditioning.
• Titanium’s high reactivity requires tight process control, multiple high-temperature steps and large specialized equipment, driving high capital intensity, long lead times and significant energy use.
• As plate thickness falls, manufacturing costs compound. Repeated rolling and annealing reduce throughput, while alpha-case removal through grinding, pickling or chemical milling lowers product yield.

IperionX’s powder-to-plate manufacturing platform

• HAMR produces low-cost titanium powder from titanium minerals or recycled titanium, and HSPT + THRM deliver wrought-like titanium properties without the full conventional melt-remelt-forge pathway
• Together, these technologies support a powder-to-plate manufacturing platform with fewer major process steps, lower capital intensity, lower energy consumption, improved material utilization and stronger domestic supply-chain resilience

About IperionX

IperionX is a leading American titanium metal and critical materials company – using patented metal technologies to produce high performance titanium alloys, from titanium minerals or scrap titanium, at lower energy, cost and carbon emissions.

Our Titan critical minerals project is the largest JORC-compliant mineral resource of titanium, rare earth and zircon minerals sands in the United States.

IperionX’s titanium metal and critical minerals are essential for advanced U.S. industries including space, aerospace, defense, consumer electronics, hydrogen, automotive and additive manufacturing.

Forward Looking Statements

Information included in this release constitutes forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “continue”, and “guidance”, or other similar words and may include, without limitation, statements regarding plans, strategies and objectives of management, anticipated production or construction commencement dates and expected costs or production outputs.

Forward looking statements inherently involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance, and achievements to differ materially from any forecast future results, performance, or achievements. Relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, changes in commodity prices, foreign exchange fluctuations and general economic conditions, increased costs and demand for production inputs, the speculative nature of exploration and project development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits and diminishing quantities or grades of mineralization, the Company’s ability to comply with the relevant contractual terms to access the technologies, commercially scale its closed-loop titanium production processes, or protect its intellectual property rights, political and social risks, changes to the regulatory framework within which the Company operates or may in the future operate, environmental conditions including extreme weather conditions, recruitment and retention of personnel, industrial relations issues and litigation.

Forward looking statements are based on the Company and its management’s good faith assumptions relating to the financial, market, regulatory and other relevant environments that will exist and affect the Company’s business and operations in the future. The Company does not give any assurance that the assumptions on which forward looking statements are based will prove to be correct, or that the Company’s business or operations will not be affected in any material manner by these or other factors not foreseen or foreseeable by the Company or management or beyond the Company’s control.

Although the Company attempts and has attempted to identify factors that would cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in forward looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause actual results, performance, achievements, or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and many events are beyond the reasonable control of the Company. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in these materials speak only at the date of issue. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange listing rules, in providing this information the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward-looking statements or to advise of any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Contacts

Anastasios (Taso) Arima, Founder and CEO
Toby Symonds, President
Dominic Allen, Chief Commercial Officer

Investors: investorrelations@iperionx.com
Media: media@iperionx.com

+1 980 237 8900
www.iperionx.com

– Published by The MIL Network

BINZHOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 June 2026 – Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance jointly released the list of China’s third batch of pilot cities for the new technological transformation of the manufacturing sector. Binzhou City in Shandong Province has successfully been selected and is eligible for up to 300 million yuan in national fiscal incentives.

Along the banks of the Yellow River, Binzhou in Shandong Province is witnessing a surge in industrial development. In the smart workshops of Weiqiao Pioneering Group, robotic arms move with precision and agility; at the command center of Chambroad Holdings, data from pipelines spanning thousands of miles updates in real time; at the port terminals, high-end aluminum products and fine chemical goods are continuously loaded onto vessels, setting sail for global markets.

This industrial hub boasts 37 out of the country’s 41 industrial categories, forming six trillion-yuan-level industrial clusters, including high-end aluminum, fine chemicals, and smart textiles. A total of 82 products rank among the top in China or hold leading global market shares. Binzhou has been listed among China’s Top 100 Advanced Manufacturing Cities for four consecutive years.

In 2025, the industrial enterprises above designated size in Binzhou achieved operating revenue exceeding RMB 1.06 trillion, crossing the trillion threshold for the second consecutive year. Total profits reached RMB 77.73 billion, with a profit margin of 7.3%, both ranking first in Shandong Province. Value-added industrial output above designated size accounted for 38.9% of the city’s GDP growth, cementing industry as a key pillar of economic development.

Binzhou’s transformation has been driven by extending technological upgrading from individual enterprises to entire industrial chains. From 2023 to 2025, three clusters, i.e., lightweight aluminum new materials, intelligent textiles, and functional nutritional products, were successively selected as provincial-level advanced manufacturing clusters. The proportion of R&D investment in GDP has remained the highest in Shandong for five consecutive years. Six national-level excellent smart factories, 32 provincial-level advanced smart factories, and 66 green factories above the provincial level have taken root here, turning intelligent manufacturing and green transformation from blueprints into reality.

From an industrial city to an intelligent manufacturing powerhouse, Binzhou is steadily advancing on the path of new industrialization with practical actions, writing a new chapter of high-quality development.

Hashtag: #BinzhouInformationOffice

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

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

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 May 2026 – At the International Hydrogen Development Symposium 2026 today (May 18), nine pioneering companies from Korea, the Chinese Mainland, France, and Hong Kong – including Hyundai Motor Group – signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on hydrogen ecosystem building, marking a major step toward advancing the city’s green economy.

This multi-party signing was officiated by Deputy Minister for Territorial and Urban Policy at Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea, Mr Jeong Eui-kyung; the Acting Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong; the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Poon Kwok-ying; and the Director-General of Investment Promotion of Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), Ms Alpha Lau.

Spearheaded by Hyundai Motor Group, the MOU establishes a collaborative framework to build a comprehensive, self-sustaining hydrogen ecosystem in Hong Kong, targeted to be fully operational by the end of 2030. The collaboration will prioritise the development of waste-to-hydrogen technologies to convert landfill gas into clean energy, along with an immediate focus on piloting a liquefied hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. To enable full value chain integration, it also targets the deployment of customised hydrogen fuel cell commercial vehicles, including tour and airport shuttle buses.

Through facilitating public-private partnerships and inter-governmental collaboration, InvestHK is supporting Hyundai Motor Group and its partners to implement go-to-market strategies aligned with the shared vision for hydrogen ecosystem building.

This partnership will also position Hong Kong as a strategic base for Hyundai Motor Group’s hydrogen business expansion across the Asia-Pacific region.

Miss Wong said, “This collaboration marks a significant milestone in developing tangible, on-the-ground hydrogen applications to accelerate the green transition towards carbon neutrality. By combining Korea’s world-class technological capabilities with Hong Kong’s strategic urban context, Hong Kong could serve as an exceptional international demonstration platform for showcasing green and low-carbon technologies. If these cutting-edge innovations could be applied and scaled up successfully here, it will serve as a positive model and provide highly viable options for reference by modern cities worldwide.”

Ms Lau said, “Today’s multi-party signing is both a landmark moment for Hong Kong’s green economy and a clear signal that the city’s hydrogen ecosystem is gaining real traction. Over the past three years, InvestHK has helped leading hydrogen enterprises establish themselves in Hong Kong, several of which have since listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising over $2.5 billion in total. For businesses with global green ambitions, Hong Kong is where business growth takes shape.”

Executive Vice President and Head of Energy & Hydrogen Policy Sub-Division at Hyundai Motor Group, Mr Seung Kyu-shin, said, “This MOU was signed as Hyundai Motor Group’s commitment to advancing Hong Kong’s proactive hydrogen policies and driving the acceleration of its hydrogen ecosystem utilising the Group’s hydrogen business capability and experience. Starting with Hong Kong, we look forward to expanding our collaboration and business opportunities across the broader Asia-Pacific hydrogen market.”

Partners entering into this MOU include Hyundai Motor Company and Hyundai Engineering & Construction from Hyundai Motor Group, China Inspection Co Ltd, Chun Wo Bus Services Limited, Chun Wo Construction & Engineering Company Limited, Jiangsu Guofu Hydrogen Energy Equipment Co Ltd, JEA ENG, Templewater Limited, the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, and Veolia Hong Kong Holding Limited.

This multi-party, long-term collaboration is set to establish a robust, end-to-end hydrogen industry chain – spanning production, storage, transportation, refuelling and utilisation.

New energy is vital to Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 and the national dual-carbon goals. As set out in the Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address, Hong Kong will establish public hydrogen filling facilities on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon, press ahead with more hydrogen trial projects, and develop the GBA Hydrogen Corridor in collaboration with Guangdong Province. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is actively advancing hydrogen development through technological innovation, talent cultivation, ecosystem building, and regional co-ordination. To date, over 30 hydrogen trial projects have been greenlit, paving the way not only for decarbonisation targets, but also for unlocking new quality productive forces for green economic growth.

Hashtag: #InvestHK

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

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

Melbourne, Australia, May 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nova Minerals Limited (“Nova” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: NVA) (ASX: NVA) (FRA: QM3) is pleased to advise that Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Christopher Gerteisen, will attend and present at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference (ASEC).

ASEC is a premier Alaskan energy and resources gathering, bringing together senior government officials, industry executives, and leading researchers to advance dialogue on energy security, resource development, and sustainable infrastructure across the state and broader region. The conference will be held in Anchorage, Alaska, from 19 – 21 May 2026. Further details on the conference can be found at https://alaskasustainableenergy.com/

Mr. Gerteisen will join a distinguished speaker program that includes, among others:

• Doug Burgum, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior and Chairman, National Energy Dominance Council
• Mike Dunleavy, State of Alaska Governor
• Nancy Dahlstrom, Lieutenant Governor, State of Alaska
• John Crowther, Commissioner, Alaska Department of Natural Resources
• Audrey Robertson, Assistant Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation
• Randy Ruaro, Executive Director, Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA)
• Lee Ann Munk, Director, Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative, University of Alaska Fairbanks

ASEC provides a valuable platform for Nova to further strengthen relationships with government, industry, and community leaders as the Company progresses the Alaska-based Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project toward production.

A copy of Mr. Gerteisen’s presentation can be found at the link below
https://novaminerals.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Presentation-for-Governors-Critical-Minerals-Conference.pdf

About Nova Minerals Limited

Nova Minerals Limited is advancing one of the world’s largest undeveloped gold deposits into production and securing a U.S. domestic supply of the critical mineral antimony. The Company is focused on the exploration and development of the Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project, located in Alaska, a tier-one mining jurisdiction.

Estelle hosts two defined multi-million-ounce gold resources, and more than 20 prospects distributed along a 35-kilometre mineralized trend, in the prolific Tintina Gold Belt, a province which hosts a >220 million ounce (Moz) documented gold endowment and some of the world’s largest gold mines and discoveries including, Kinross Gold Corporation’s Fort Knox Gold Mine. In parallel, Nova is advancing its critical minerals strategy, fully funded by a US$43.4 million U.S. Department of War award to develop a domestic antimony supply chain, targeted for production in late 2026/2027.

Further discussion and analysis of the Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project is available through the interactive Vrify 3D animations, presentations and videos all available on the Company’s website.
www.novaminerals.com.au

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “aim,” “should,” “will” “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are based on Nova Minerals Limited’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the final prospectus related to the public offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Nova Minerals Limited undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

For Additional Information Please Contact

Investor Relations:
Dave Gentry, CEO
RedChip Companies, Inc.
Phone: 1-407-644-4256
Email: NVA@redchip.com

Craig Bentley
Director of Finance & Compliance & Investor Relations
E: craig@novaminerals.com.au
M: +61 414 714 196

– Published by The MIL Network

A partnership to get green hydrogen trucks up and running in New Zealand says there is renewed interest in the technology as diesel prices remain high.

Hydrogen fuel company Hiringa and heavy vehicle leasing business TR Group have faced delays getting their model up and running, but say they are now close to getting a dozen hydrogen fuel cell trucks on the road.

They, and other advocates for sustainable transport, say they offer a helpful alternative to battery electric vehicles for heavy freight.

However, not everyone sees hydrogen as a viable way to decarbonise heavy vehicles, with some critics saying New Zealand should focus on building out battery technology instead.

Transport is New Zealand’s second-largest source of greenhouse gases after the dairy industry, accounting for 18 percent of total emissions in 2024.

Uptake of electric passenger vehicles slowed after the government ended the Clean Car Discount, although spiked again recently after the conflict in Iran sparked an ongoing fuel crisis.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) delivery and partnerships manager Richard Briggs said the heavy vehicle fleet had proved even tougher to decarbonise.

“There’s been a lot of tyre-kicking, literally, and early adopters are looking at both battery electric and hydrogen, but really only those with relatively deep pockets who are prepared to take a risk and invest are looking at this.”

Five years ago, TR Group and Hiringa signed an agreement to establish an initial network of both hydrogen trucks and refuelling stops.

The government contributed $6 million for the purchase of 20 trucks, through the Covid Response Fund, and loaned Hiringa $16m to build four refuelling stations in Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton and Palmerston North.

Hiringa’s compressed gas is made and stored onsite at the refuelling stations, by using electrolysis to split water back into its components of hydrogen and oxygen.

The company uses off-peak renewable energy for the process, to make it as cheap as possible -TR Group said it was currently paying less for it per kilometre than diesel.

A battery fuel cell onboard each truck then converted the gas back into energy with water and heat as the by-products, with no tailpipe emissions.

Renewed interest after slow uptake

A handful of hydrogen heavy vehicles have been making use of the refuelling stations, including a New Zealand Post truck that has clocked a quarter of a million kilometres.

However, difficulties in procuring trucks after TR Group’s initial US supplier went bust had delayed getting the additional 20 trucks.

TR Group’s project manager Grant Doull said Rolleston-based company GVB had instead completed conversions of nine diesel trucks to hydrogen, with the final 11 due to start arriving at TR’s depot in Auckland from July.

The company had been training drivers and extensively testing routes since the first trucks arrived.

The delivery delays, combined with a post-Covid recession and cost-of-living crisis had “slowed progress” in securing commercial leases, Doull said.

“But we’ve definitely seen a massive uplift these days with the current fuel situation.”

The company was now in final contract negotiations to get 12 of the trucks out on the road.

Hiringa chief executive Andrew Clennett – whose business relied on having a fleet of vehicles to supply fuel to – said uptake had been slower than Hiringa would have liked.

“Obviously, sitting there with a network that’s been underutilised has put some pressure on,” he said.

That was changing now, he said.

“The market is definitely showing a lot more interest now. I think the penny’s dropped a little bit, that with the Ukraine war, we had a fuel crisis, we’ve got another one which is bigger and worse and longer, and it would be a brave director of a company that would bank on not having this again.”

Battery electric or hydrogen?

Doull said TR Group was already leasing out battery electric trucks and vans, which were a good zero-emissions choice in many cases.

“Let’s say if they operate the truck, four or five hours, maybe – it could be 500, 600 kilometres a day – say they have a depot where they’re loading and unloading and they’ve got good charging infrastructure at that depot, then it’s probably something that’s going to get solved with a battery electric truck quite easily.”

However, the battery on an electric truck could weigh several tonnes, limiting the rest of the payload, and long-haul trucks that operated round the clock could not easily be charged, he said.

The other advantage hydrogen offered at the moment was that the infrastructure was already available.

“The reality is there’s no heavy vehicle fast charging for trucks in the country at the moment,” Doull said.

“There are, however, four high-speed heavy commercial vehicle hydrogen refuelling sites.”

University of Canterbury Sustainable Energy Research Group co-leader Rebecca Peer said the previous hype of green hydrogen as a “Swiss Army knife” for decarbonisation had passed.

However, heavy transport was a “niche” that still had potential in New Zealand.

“The advantages I see for the hydrogen vehicles are particularly acute when you have very long distance or highly variable routes with unpredictable fuelling times,” she said.

From her perspective, it was not an either-or argument.

“My answer, as a researcher who looks at energy transitions, is yes to both.”

Briggs said because hydrogen had to be created, stored, and then converted back into energy, it was three to five times less efficient than battery electric.

Battery electric vehicles were also cheaper – with some good-quality models now achieving parity with their diesel equivalents, once EECA subsidies were included.

“On the surface of it, you say, it’s a no-brainer – why on earth would you consider hydrogen?”

There were other aspects to consider, though, including the “huge investment” needed for charging infrastructure, especially as megawatt batteries become available, Briggs said.

Like Peers, he believed there were still some good use-cases for hydrogen.

“There’s going to be more and more battery technology emerging in the next 10 years… but certainly from what we’re seeing I don’t think it’s yet game over for hydrogen,” he said.

“That long distance heavy haulage where you’re carrying maximum payload weights, where you’re needing to double-shift a vehicle – so refuelling time is needed in minutes, not hours – is still a use application for hydrogen.”

However, the time had passed where it was seen as a good answer to decarbonising passenger cars.

“Hydrogen doesn’t really make sense, largely because every car can be charged at home, and also the car battery then can be an integral part of the home energy system,” Briggs said.

“That’s just not a thing that hydrogen vehicles can replicate.”

EECA said the data collected from Hiringa and TR Group, once trucks were on the road carrying full pay-loads, would be shared with other operators considering purchasing or leasing a hydrogen vehicle – together with its existing data on battery electric heavy vehicles.

There is still $24m remaining in its low-emissions heavy vehicle fund, which provides companies with a subsidy of up to 25 percent of the cost of a hydrogen or battery electric heavy vehicle.

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

BDC intends to further deploy HVO-powered energy solutions across its data centres in Asia Pacific and beyond

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

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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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.

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