Europe starts winter with its lowest gas stores since 2013, the IEA says, which could keep gas scarce worldwide into 2027

The stories

33 stories on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   Europe starts winter with its lowest gas stores since 2013, the IEA says, which could keep gas scarce worldwide into 2027

   2013

   the last time EU gas stores started winter this low

   it leaves Europe leaning harder on gas shipped from abroad [1]

   60 bcm

   less gas shipped from Qatar and the UAE, March to October

   bcm is billion cubic metres; the strait was effectively shut [1]

   3%

   fall in the world's liquefied gas supply expected in 2026

   the steepest yearly decline on record, the IEA says [3]

   under 10%

   how full EU stores could be by the end of March 2027

   if the winter is colder than usual and Hormuz stays disrupted [3]

   What happened

   • Europe's gas stores are starting this winter at their lowest level since 2013, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday. [1]
   • The agency says this could keep gas scarce and dear around the world well into 2027. [1]
   • Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted since the war began in February. [2] Shell estimates this shut in a fifth of the world's monthly liquefied gas supply. [2]
   • Gas shipped from Qatar and the UAE fell by more than 60 billion cubic metres from March to October. [1]
   • QatarEnergy then told buyers in China, South Korea, Italy and Belgium that it could not meet its contracts. [2]
   • The IEA expects the world's supply of liquefied gas to fall 3% in 2026, the steepest drop on record. [3]
   • Liquefied gas from outside the Gulf rose 14% from March to October, making up about two thirds of the loss. [3]
   • From March to October, Europe's gas price averaged close to $20, almost 70% more than a year earlier. [3] That is per million British thermal units, a standard amount of gas. [3]
   • In Asia, gas bought for quick delivery rose almost 80% in price, to an average of $21.5. [3]
   • In an IEA test, EU gas stores fall below 10% full by the end of March 2027. [3] The test assumes a colder winter than usual and Hormuz still disrupted. [3]
   • Refilling them would then need much more gas through summer 2027, which could keep markets tight for longer. [3]
   • High prices are already cutting gas use, and the IEA expects world demand to fall about 1.5% this year. [3]
   • In Asia, many power plants are switching from gas to coal. [3] In Europe, gas use is set to fall 3% as industry cuts back. [3]
   • XRG, Adnoc's international arm, agreed to buy Shell's stake in Australia's North West Shelf gas project for $1.5 billion. [4]
   • XRG is based in Abu Dhabi, and the deal opens more Asian customers to it. [4] The project can liquefy 14.3 million tonnes of gas a year. [4]
   • Adnoc Gas's chief, Fatema Al Nuaimi, said rigid gas contracts are 'not fit for different circumstances'. [2]
   • At least 125 ships have been attacked near Hormuz since the war began, 34 of them in October. [5]
   • Hiring a tanker on Gulf routes to China has reached $1 million a day, The National reports. [5]

   Who is involved

   The International Energy Agency, or IEA, helps its member countries prepare for energy supply crises. [1]

   • China buyer
   • South Korea buyer
   • Italy buyer
   • Belgium buyer
   • The International Energy Agency (IEA) helps its member countries prepare for energy supply crises; it published the gas security review
   • QatarEnergy Qatar's state energy firm; its Ras Laffan plant was hit and it told buyers it could not meet contracts
   • Adnoc and its arm XRG the Abu Dhabi energy group; XRG, its international arm, is buying Shell's Australian gas stake
   • Shell a big oil and gas company; it is selling its North West Shelf stake and estimates the gas lost at Hormuz

   How it unfolded

   Iranian missiles badly damaged Ras Laffan in Qatar, the world's largest plant that turns gas into liquid for ships. [2]

   1. Now Hormuz largely disrupted
   2. End of year the IEA assumes it still is
   3. Feb 2026 Middle East war begins; Hormuz shipping disrupted [2]
   4. Mar-Oct gas shipped from Qatar and the UAE falls by over 60 bcm [1]
   5. 3 Nov IEA says EU stores are the lowest since 2013 [1]
   6. End Mar 2027 in a hard winter, EU stores could fall below 10% [3]

   Why it matters

   With stores low, Europe must compete with Asia for the few gas cargoes free to go anywhere. [3] That puts upward pressure on prices. [3]

   From August to October, Asia's price lead over Europe narrowed to about $1, a sign of that contest. [3]

   How it works

   Gas engineers call it the withdrawal rate, and it drops once a store is under 30% full. [3]

   So stores near 10% in March would leave Europe exposed to a cold snap. [3]

   Seen it before

   A squeezy ketchup bottle pours fast when it is full, and only splutters out the last bit.

   The truth

   • What is really going on The war around the Strait of Hormuz has cut gas shipments from Qatar and the UAE, and Europe enters winter with its smallest gas stores since 2013. [1]Gas companies like Adnoc are buying supply outside the Gulf, such as Shell's Australian gas stake. [4]
   • Why it works on people A single big phrase like 'lowest since 2013' carries the news, while the IEA's scariest figure rests on a cold winter and a still-blocked strait. [3]
   • The below-10% figure is the IEA's test of a hard winter, not a forecast of this one. [3]
   • Who gains Gas producers outside the Gulf, in North America and Africa — Their liquefied gas sells into a short market, as buyers in Asia doubled imports from the Atlantic side. [3]
   • Who pays European households and industry this winter — With stores low, Europe must outbid Asia for spare gas cargoes, which pushes spot prices up. [3]
   • Who pays People who rely on Asian power plants — Dear gas pushes those plants back to coal, which pollutes more. [3]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How cold this winter will be in Europe.

     The IEA's warning about stores running nearly empty by March assumes colder weather than usual, and no one can know the weather months ahead. [3]

   What comes next

   The IEA's forecast assumes Hormuz stays largely disrupted at least until the end of the year. [3]

1. 02

   Brazil sets out a plan to quit fossil fuels

   What happened

   • Brazil published the first global roadmap for moving away from coal, oil and gas on Tuesday. [12]
   • The plan is voluntary and sets no deadlines. [12] Each country judges its own reliance on fossil fuels and picks its steps. [12]
   • One early step it names is cutting the gas oil firms burn off or let out at their wells. [12]
   • The forest roadmap says forests need about $300bn a year by 2030, against about $85bn available now. [12]

   Who is involved

   Andre Correa do Lago, who led COP30, called the roadmaps 'documents of implementation' for ministries to act on. [12]

   How it unfolded

   Brazil hosted COP30, last year's UN climate summit, in Belem in the Amazon rainforest. [12]

   Countries there fought over fossil fuels, so Brazil promised two roadmaps instead: one on fuels, one on forests. [12]

   Why it matters

   COP31 opens in Antalya, Turkey, this month, and the roadmaps aim to move the talks from promises to doing. [12]

   How it works

   Why stopping methane slows warming within years, not centuries

   Atmospheric chemists say methane traps far more heat than carbon dioxide but breaks down in about 12 years, so cutting it shows fast.

   The twist

   Methane's extra heat lasts only while the leaks go on. Stop a leak, and within about 12 years most of its warming is gone.

   The picture

   Methaneabout 12 years

   vsvs

   Carbon dioxidecenturies

   Step by step

   1. 1 Methane traps about 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over 20 years
   2. 2 But it breaks down in the air in about 12 years
   3. 3 Carbon dioxide stays for centuries and keeps piling up
   4. 4 So a methane cut lowers warming within a decade or two
   5. 5 A carbon dioxide cut only stops more being added

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • How methane is counted can hide beef's warming

     GWP* is built on methane breaking down in about 12 years, so a herd that stays the same size is counted as adding no new warming.

   • Brazil sets out a plan to quit fossil fuels

     Brazil puts cutting gas burned off and let out at wells near the front, because methane is so strong that this cut shows up fast.

   • Gas leak money pays for electric homes

     Aliso Canyon let out nearly 100,000 tons of methane in 2015, and much of that gas has already broken down; stopping a leak like it lowers warming soon.

   • UK minister calls the science 'really scary'

     White lists cutting methane as a UK priority for COP31, the cut that slows warming soonest.

   Where you've seen this

   A bath with the plug out

   turn off the tap and the level falls soon, because the water keeps draining away

   Burnt toast in a kitchen

   open the window and the smoke clears in minutes, but grease on the walls stays for years

   A painkiller

   it wears off in hours, so it only works while new doses keep coming

   The catch

   A short life also makes methane easy to count in flattering ways. Under GWP*, a country that keeps its methane steady can report no extra warming, while that methane still keeps the planet hotter than it would be.

   And the whole of it

   Leaking wells, cattle and old gas stores all add to the same air, from Belem to Los Angeles to New Zealand's farms. Each country counts its own share by its own method, so no one country's count adds up the methane in the air.

   The truth

   • Joeri Rogelj, a climate scientist at Imperial College London, says the roadmaps include 'no timeline or key benchmarks'. [12]

   Good news

   • Deforestation in Brazil has fallen by about 70% in President Lula's last four years. [12]

1. 03

   Oil falls to a four-week low

   What happened

   • Brent oil ended Tuesday at $103.60 a barrel, its lowest close since 7 October. [6] Brent is the benchmark price for two thirds of the world's oil. [17]
   • Earlier that day it rose to nearly $107 after US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island. [17] Qeshm sits at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. [17]
   • A US official said the strikes appeared limited and did not signal a return to major fighting. [6]
   • Traders weighed peace talks to end the wars in Iran and Ukraine. [6]

   How it unfolded

   On 30 October Brent stood at $117.56, after a tanker was hit in the strait. [18]

   Before the war, the strait carried 20% of the world's oil supplies. [6]

   1. 30 Oct $117.56 a barrel
   2. Tuesday $103.60 a barrel

   Why it matters

   Aramco, Saudi Arabia's state oil company, is expanding a pipeline that avoids the strait, its chief said. [6]

   The truth

   • Who gains Saudi Aramco — It is widening a pipeline around the strait, so more of its oil can avoid Hormuz. [6]
   • Nobody knows yet

     When ships can pass the Strait of Hormuz freely again.

     Iran and the US are still far from a deal, a senior Iranian official told Reuters. [6]

   What comes next

   ING, a bank, says clear progress in peace talks would push prices lower still. [6]

2. 04

   2026 may tie 2024 as the hottest year

   What happened

   • 2026 will almost certainly be the warmest or second-warmest year on record, Carbon Brief found. [14]
   • Carbon Brief, a UK climate news site, gives 2026 a 67% chance of beating 2024's record. [14]
   • August 2026 was the warmest August on record in all 6 main global temperature records. [14]
   • The odds of a record vary by group, from 97% in Berkeley Earth's data to under 20% in Copernicus's. [14]

   Why it matters

   About 22% of Earth's surface had its warmest July to September on record, including Iberia. [14]

   How it works

   Climatologists call El Nino the warm phase of a Pacific pattern that releases ocean heat into the air. [14]

   This El Nino broke its daily record in September, and its biggest effect on world temperatures comes in 2027. [14]

   Seen it before

   Sun-warmed paving stones stay warm for hours after the sun has gone down.

   The truth

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether 2026 will be named the warmest year on record.

     Six groups keep the global record, they do not agree on the odds, and they report in January. [14]

   What comes next

   Carbon Brief puts a 96% chance on 2027 being the warmest year on record. [14]

3. 05

   UK minister calls the science 'really scary'

   What happened

   • Katie White, the UK's climate minister, says next week's COP31 talks must respond to science she calls 'really scary'. [19]
   • She pointed to this summer's heat and wildfires as signs warming is 'something we're living through'. [19]
   • She said the UK's priorities include cutting methane and slowing deforestation. [19]
   • White said the Hormuz crisis drove the biggest take-up of solar, electric cars and heat pumps the UK has seen. [19]

   Why it matters

   The heat she means was deadly: Carbon Brief noted 50,000 excess heat deaths across Europe this summer. [19]

   How it works

   White lists cutting methane as a UK priority for COP31, the cut that slows warming soonest.

   The idea, in story 02: Why stopping methane slows warming within years, not centuries →

   The truth

   • She said approving the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea is 'fully in line' with UK carbon budgets. [19]
   • She also defended chancellor John Healey's Budget, which put more weight on keeping bills down, as a 'natural evolution'. [19]
4. 06

   A UK bill ends new fracking licences

   What happened

   • The UK government's energy independence bill, introduced on Wednesday, ends new onshore fracking licences in England. [20]
   • Fracking pumps liquid underground at high pressure to crack rock and free oil or gas. [20]
   • The bill also puts energy brokers, middlemen who find businesses power deals, under the watchdog Ofgem. [20]
   • The UK government expects that to save businesses more than £100m a year in hidden fees and mis-selling. [20]
   • Councils will be able to fine landlords up to £30,000 for homes below energy efficiency rules. [20]

   How it unfolded

   A Conservative government banned it in 2019, and Liz Truss lifted the ban in 2022. [20]

   1. 2019 fracking banned
   2. 2022 ban lifted
   3. Now no new licences

   Why it matters

   Businesses often use a broker for energy, and unlike mortgage brokers these middlemen are largely unregulated. [20]

   The truth

   • Friends of the Earth says leaving smaller fracking-like methods out lets fracking 'creep in through the back door'. [20]
   • A University of Edinburgh professor says quakes from smaller operations can be as large as from big ones. [20]
   • Who pays Small UK businesses — Unregulated brokers pushed some into overpriced energy deals while keeping hidden commissions. [20]
5. 07

   US EPA drops its study of farm air pollution

   What happened

   • The US Environmental Protection Agency is ending a 20-year effort to measure air pollution from giant livestock farms. [21]
   • These farms pack tens of thousands of animals in one place. [21] Their waste gives off ammonia and fine dust. [21]
   • The EPA never produced those methods, and now says its data are 'too old and too limited'. [21]

   Who is involved

   The National Pork Producers Council, a pig farmers' group, welcomed the decision. [21]

   How it unfolded

   Since 2005, a deal spared thousands of farms legal action while a study built ways to measure them. [21]

   1. 2005 deal signed, study starts
   2. Now EPA ends the effort

   Why it matters

   Research links pollution from these farms to nearly 12,700 US deaths a year. [21]

   How it works

   Lawyers call the 2005 deal a safe harbour: farms were spared prosecution in exchange for joining a study. [21]

   The study was meant to show which farms need permits. [21] With no method from it, the EPA has no national way to check which farms cross that line. [21]

   Seen it before

   A teacher who never writes the test can never mark anyone down.

   The truth

   • Who pays People living near big US livestock farms — The EPA has stopped trying to measure the ammonia and dust these farms give off. [21]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether US livestock farms will have their air pollution measured at all.

     There is no EPA method to estimate it, and a lawyer for Food and Water Watch says no one is going to estimate anything. [21]

6. 08

   How methane is counted can hide beef's warming

   What happened

   • A Greenpeace report says a new way of counting methane could let big beef countries claim cuts they barely make. [13]
   • Methane, which cattle burp out, warms about 80 times more than carbon dioxide over 20 years. [13]
   • It breaks down after about 12 years, while carbon dioxide builds up for centuries. [13]
   • The method, GWP*, was made at the University of Oxford. [13] It treats steady methane output as adding no extra warming. [13]
   • Using it, 10 big livestock exporters could report a 30% methane cut while really cutting 0.6%, the report finds. [13]

   Who is involved

   • New Zealand first national target on GWP*

   How it unfolded

   New Zealand set the first national target built on this method last year. [13]

   Why it matters

   In one year, that gap would be bigger than Indonesia's total emissions in 2025, the report says. [13]

   How it works

   Climate scientists call the comparison global warming potential: how much a gas warms against carbon dioxide. [13]

   Because methane fades in about 12 years, the time window chosen changes how big a tonne of it looks. [13]

   Seen it before

   A sprint and a marathon look very different if you only time the first minute.

   GWP* is built on methane breaking down in about 12 years, so a herd that stays the same size is counted as adding no new warming.

   The idea, in story 02: Why stopping methane slows warming within years, not centuries →

   The truth

   • This year 42 prominent climate scientists warned the method could undercut needed methane cuts. [13]
   • Industry groups did not answer questions from Inside Climate News. [13]
   • Who gains Big livestock countries such as Brazil and the US — With GWP*, they could hold herds steady and still report progress on the methane pledge. [13]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether GWP* will shape how countries report methane at COP31.

     New Zealand already counts with it, while 42 climate scientists have warned against it. [13]

7. 09

   Gas leak money pays for electric homes

   What happened

   • The first $20 million from a gas leak settlement is now open to homes near Los Angeles. [22] It pays for heat pumps, electric stoves and water heaters. [22]
   • In all the program offers $40 million, and poorer households can get up to $31,800 each. [22]

   Who is involved

   Carol Kamei, 72, lived near the leak for 46 years. [22] She hopes to swap her gas oven for an electric one. [22]

   • Carol Kamei a plaintiff, 72

   How it unfolded

   In 2015 a gas storage well at Aliso Canyon failed and leaked for more than 100 days. [22]

   It released nearly 100,000 tons of methane, the largest known leak in the US. [22]

   Thousands of families fell ill, and the gas company moved about 8,000 families out of their homes. [22]

   Why it matters

   Gas stoves, used by 47 million Americans, give off nitrogen dioxide, linked to asthma. [22]

   How it works

   Aliso Canyon let out nearly 100,000 tons of methane in 2015, and much of that gas has already broken down; stopping a leak like it lowers warming soon.

   The idea, in story 02: Why stopping methane slows warming within years, not centuries →

   The truth

   • The leaking facility later reopened at reduced capacity, after it was deemed safe to run. [22]
8. 10

   Voters turn on utilities and data centres

   What happened

   • In Georgia, Democrats won majority control of the Public Service Commission for the first time in 30 years, Grist reports. [9]
   • The commission has the final say on how Georgia Power, the state's biggest utility, makes power and what customers pay. [9]
   • Georgia Power's plans to supply a data centre boom rely heavily on fossil fuels. [9]
   • Georgia is one of 10 states whose voters elect their utility regulators. [9]
   • Michigan voters passed a measure barring utility-funded groups and utility bosses from giving to state campaigns. [9]
   • In Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, winners attacked their rivals over data centres. [9]

   Who is involved

   • Ohio Senate race
   • Pennsylvania House race
   • South Carolina Senate race

   Why it matters

   So the new Georgia majority will decide Georgia Power's rate rises and how it meets new demand. [9]

   The truth

   • Opponents say Michigan's measure limits companies' free speech, and experts expect court challenges. [9]
9. 11

   Solar cut Spain's power costs by €17bn

   What happened

   • Solar power cut Spain's wholesale electricity costs by an estimated €17.02 billion in 18 months. [10] The estimate comes from UNEF, Spain's solar trade group. [10]
   • Without solar, the average day-ahead price would have been €112 per megawatt-hour, not €60.2. [10]
   • The gap was widest in June 2026: €69.6, against an estimated €162.7 without solar. [10]
   • UNEF also estimates every euro put into solar saves €8 on wholesale prices. [10]

   Why it matters

   Homes and firms using their own panels draw less from the grid. [10] UNEF says that helps buyers with no panels too. [10]

   How it works

   Economists call this marginal pricing, and UNEF says solar lowers Spain's price by pushing dearer plants out. [10]

   Solar costs almost nothing to run, so in sunny hours it replaces dearer plants and the price everyone pays falls. [10]

   Seen it before

   If a class trip is priced by its dearest coach, adding a cheap coach means the dear one stays home.

   The truth

   • UNEF is the solar industry's own group, and its figure comes from modelling a market without solar. [10]

   Good news

   • Solar power cut Spain's wholesale electricity costs by an estimated €17.02 billion in 18 months.
10. 12

    India passes 300 gigawatts of clean power

    What happened

    • India's renewable power capacity passed 300 gigawatts in 2026, almost four times its size a decade ago, the IEA says. [11]
    • India reached its goal of half its power capacity from non-fossil sources in 2025, five years early. [11]
    • Renewables saved India more than $100 billion in coal and gas imports from 2011 to 2025. [11]
    • Without them, India would have imported about 110 million tonnes more coal in 2025. [11]
    • India is now the world's second-largest maker of solar panels. [11]

    Why it matters

    The IEA's head, Fatih Birol, says this gives India energy security while world energy markets are uncertain. [11]

    How it works

    Energy analysts call it cutting import dependence: India's sun and wind power is fuel it need not buy abroad. [11]

    Seen it before

    A garden that grows its own tomatoes needs fewer trips to the shop.

    The truth

    • What is really going on Spain and India show home-grown solar and wind saving them billions on power and fuel imports. [10][11]
    • The IEA released these figures at a New Delhi summit, beside India's renewable energy minister, Pralhad Joshi. [11]

    Good news

    • India's renewables saved it more than $100 billion in coal and gas imports from 2011 to 2025, and it met its clean-power capacity goal five years early.

    What comes next

    The IEA expects India's renewable capacity to reach about 530 gigawatts by 2030, mostly solar. [11]

11. 13

    Waaree doubles its Texas solar panel factory

    What happened

    • Waaree, an Indian solar panel maker, started two new lines at its factory in Brookshire, Texas, on 29 October. [23]
    • Each line makes 800 megawatts of panels a year, bringing the site to 3.2 gigawatts. [23]
    • Waaree is also growing its Arizona plant, to make 4.8 gigawatts in the US by March 2027. [23]
    • Its US factory revenue rose to 13 billion rupees, or $146 million, last quarter, from 7.32 billion a year earlier. [23]

    Why it matters

    US orders now make up 43.8% of Waaree's order book, up from about 36% a quarter earlier. [23]

    How it works

    Trade economists call it tariff-jumping: Waaree builds in Texas as US measures make imported panels dearer. [23]

    A panel made in Texas is not an import, so those measures do not fall on it. [23]

    Seen it before

    A school that charges for snacks brought in makes it worth opening a tuck shop inside.

    The truth

    • Who gains Waaree and other panel makers building in the US — US measures that make imported panels dearer give their Texas-made panels an edge. [23]
12. 14

    Tesla's battery plant gets trade zone status

    What happened

    • Tesla's Megapack factory in Brookshire, Texas, is now a foreign-trade zone, approved for 14 months. [24] Megapacks are big batteries for power grids. [24]
    • In a zone, a firm can pay import duty later, when the finished product leaves. [24]
    • But Chinese battery cells inside still pay the US tariff, which rose from 7.5% to 25% on 1 January. [24]
    • The factory is built to make 50 gigawatt-hours of batteries a year. [24]

    Why it matters

    Paying later helps Tesla's cash while the factory ramps up. [24] Megapacks shipped abroad from the zone pay no US duty. [24]

    The truth

    • Electrek, an electric vehicle news site, calls the status useful but 'not an exemption'. [24]

    What comes next

    LG Energy Solution is due to start supplying Tesla with cells from Michigan in the second half of 2027. [24]

13. 15

    A Chinese cell maker opens a plant in Indonesia

    What happened

    • Yingfa Ruineng, a Chinese solar cell maker, opened a 7.5 gigawatt cell factory in Indonesia. [25]
    • It is the company's first base outside China, and will supply Southeast Asia and the Middle East. [25]
    • Yingfa Ruineng ranked second in the world for solar cell shipments in the first half of 2026. [25]
    • Its four bases can make 51.5 gigawatts of cells a year. [25]

    Why it matters

    The plant supports Indonesia's 100 gigawatt solar programme. [25]

    How it works

    Economists call it a local-content rule: Indonesian panel makers must use local parts, which Yingfa's cells help them meet. [25]

    So cells made inside Indonesia can help local panel makers meet the rule, which imported cells cannot. [25]

14. 16

    Hanwha Qcells cuts sales jobs in Germany

    What happened

    • Hanwha Q-Cells, a big South Korean solar maker, is cutting its German arm back to research and development. [26]
    • The restructuring will cut some sales and business development jobs, a spokesperson told pv magazine. [26]
    • The company denied it, saying 'Q-Cells is not ceasing its operations in Europe'. [26]
    • It says its US operations are unchanged. [26]

    How it unfolded

    Rumours said it would leave Europe by early 2027, fed by reports of unusually cheap panel sales. [26]

    A year ago it stopped selling home solar systems directly in Germany. [26]

    Why it matters

    Sales staff in Germany lose jobs, while its research team is growing. [26]

    The truth

    • Nobody knows yet

      How many jobs Hanwha Q-Cells is cutting in Germany.

      The company confirmed job losses in sales but declined to give further details. [26]

15. 17

    A New Jersey reactor gets more power, and a fault

    What happened

    • PSEG Power and Constellation plan to add 200 megawatts to their Salem nuclear plant in New Jersey. [7]
    • The plant now has 2,280 megawatts, and Constellation's share of the extra will serve a power deal with Google. [7]
    • But an inspection found a damaged thermal shield inside the Salem 1 reactor, stretching its refuelling outage. [7]

    Why it matters

    PSEG's chief, Ralph LaRossa, says it is talking to data centre builders about deals for its nuclear power. [7]

    How it works

    Engineers call it a capacity factor: PSEG's 3,760 megawatt nuclear fleet made 95.5% of its flat-out maximum last quarter. [7]

    Reactors that run almost non-stop give the steady supply PSEG is now offering data centre builders. [7]

    Seen it before

    A shop open every hour sells more than one that shuts for lunch.

    The truth

    • Nobody knows yet

      When Salem 1's damaged reactor shield will be fixed.

      PSEG says the outage depends on the timing and results of tests that are still running. [7]

16. 18

    A US grid shrinks its emergency power plan

    What happened

    • PJM, a US grid operator, filed a revised plan to buy emergency power as data centres grow. [27]
    • The purchase could be as small as 630 megawatts, down from 6,800, Jefferies analysts said. [27]
    • Utilities in PJM's area lowered their forecasts of big new power users. [27]

    How it unfolded

    In late September, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the US power regulator, rejected most of PJM's first plan. [27]

    1. Late September FERC rejects the first plan
    2. 1 March PJM wants to start buying

    Why it matters

    The plan sets who carries the cost and risk if a big customer changes supplier or never arrives. [27]

    The truth

    • A consultant at ICF says state rules will decide whether utilities get these costs back on time. [27]
    • Nobody knows yet

      How many planned data centres will really be built.

      Utilities in PJM's area keep lowering their forecasts of big new users. [27]

    What comes next

    PJM now wants to start buying on 1 March, about 7 months later than planned. [27]

17. 19

    Data centres could ease grids with their own power

    What happened

    • Ember, an energy analysis group, studied how data centres could help strained grids in nine markets. [28]
    • Shifting computer work to quieter hours could free only about 3% of data centre capacity. [28]
    • Running on their own generators or batteries could give nearly 5 times more relief. [28]
    • At two big Texas data centres, shifting work cuts 0.55 gigawatts, and their own power up to 2.7. [28]
    • In Ireland, data centres already use about 19% of peak demand. [28]

    Why it matters

    A data centre can be built in 18 to 24 months, while grid upgrades take 4 to 10 years. [28]

    How it works

    Engineers call it bring-your-own-capacity: the data centre switches to its own power when the grid is strained. [28]

    Most data centre work cannot wait, so switching power source frees far more than moving the work. [28]

    Seen it before

    A house with its own generator keeps its lights on in a power cut and leaves the grid alone.

    The truth

    • If that power is gas, Ember warns it could lock in emissions for decades. [28]
18. 20

    Report backs batteries over gas for data centres

    What happened

    • Researchers at Georgetown and Duke universities say data centres should turn to batteries before gas plants. [8]
    • US utilities plan more than 60 gigawatts of new gas plants for data centres. [8]
    • About 90 gigawatts of gas generators at data centres themselves have also been proposed. [8]

    Why it matters

    Batteries are much cheaper than round-the-clock gas when a few hours of storage meet the need, the report says. [8]

    How it works

    Planners call this stranded-asset risk: other customers paying for gas plants built for data centres that close. [8]

    Batteries come in small blocks, so planners can add or cut them as demand shifts. [8]

    Seen it before

    Renting bikes one at a time beats buying a bus for a club that may not last.

    The truth

    • Who gains Battery makers — Utilities and data centres turning to storage lifted BloombergNEF's US storage forecast. [8]

    What comes next

    BloombergNEF now expects US storage to pass 11,000 gigawatt-hours by 2036, 30% above its forecast six months ago. [8]

19. 21

    The US launches 'BattMan' to make batteries

    What happened

    • The US Energy Department launched a Battery Manufacturing Accelerator, nicknamed BattMan. [29]
    • It aims to fill gaps in US supplies of battery materials and parts. [29]
    • US battery demand is expected to rise from 179 gigawatt-hours in 2025 to 707 in 2035. [29]
    • China controls 60% to 100% of several key stages of battery making, the department says. [29]

    Why it matters

    Data centres could make up a quarter of US battery demand by 2030, one forecast says. [29]

    The truth

    • US cell and pack factories have grown, but factories for the parts inside them have not. [29]
20. 22

    Volkswagen's cheap electric Polo wins car of the year

    What happened

    • Volkswagen's ID Polo, an electric car from €24,995, won German Car of the Year 2027. [30]
    • A jury of nearly 50 car journalists chose it over all other cars. [30]
    • The cheapest version has a 37 kWh battery and a range of up to 334 km. [30]
    • More than 50,000 people have ordered one since April, says Thomas Schafer, VW's brand chief. [30]

    How it unfolded

    Last year's winner was also an electric car, the Skoda Elroq. [30]

    Why it matters

    Schafer says it brings electric cars 'right into people's everyday lives'. [30]

    The truth

    • That order count is VW's own figure, not one from car registrations. [30]
21. 23

    Kia's US electric sales double

    What happened

    • Kia sold 80,008 cars in the US in October, its best October ever. [31]
    • Sales of its electric and hybrid cars rose 112% and 114% on a year earlier. [31]
    • Its new small electric SUV, the EV3, starts at $29,890. [31]
    • Kia sold 1,496 EV3s in its first two months on sale. [31]

    Why it matters

    Kia says electrified and hybrid cars drove its growth, so its record rests on them. [31]

    The truth

    • Its EV6 is still down 39% so far this year. [31]
22. 24

    China's mangroves come back, and birds follow

    What happened

    • China's mangrove forests grew from about 26,000 acres in 1998 to about 70,000 in 2020, a study found. [32]
    • Mangroves are trees that grow in shallow sea water along coasts. [32]
    • The number of bird species seen in them rose from 148 to 397. [32]
    • Planting, new laws to protect them and warming that lets trees spread north all helped. [32]

    How it unfolded

    China had lost about half its mangroves in the second half of the 20th century. [32]

    Why it matters

    Mangrove roots slow incoming waves and soak up pollution along the coast. [32]

    How it works

    Ecologists trace it along a food chain: clear water under the roots feeds plankton, then fish, then birds. [32]

    Seen it before

    A new bakery on a street soon brings a cafe, then a crowd.

    The truth

    • The study did not split planted forests from natural ones, which other research finds richer in wildlife. [32]

    Good news

    • The bird species recorded in China's mangroves rose from 148 to 397 as the forests grew from about 26,000 acres to about 70,000.
23. 25

    England and Wales record the most wildfires

    What happened

    • England and Wales recorded 1,350 significant wildfires this year, a record, figures from fire chiefs show. [15]
    • That is more than 300 above 2025, and over 1,000 above 2024. [15]
    • In August, South Wales firefighters fought 14 wildfires at once, including one above Treherbert. [15]
    • Help came from 22 other UK fire services and from soldiers. [15]

    Who is involved

    Visiting Treherbert, Prince William called more wildfires a 'terrifying prospect' and pointed to a lack of firefighting aircraft. [15]

    Why it matters

    Months of record heat and dry weather set off the fires through spring and summer. [15]

    The truth

    • The fire chiefs' record covers England and Wales only, not Scotland or Northern Ireland. [15]

    What comes next

    The UK government says RAF Chinook helicopters and A400M planes will be fitted to fight fires. [15]

24. 26

    US buildings lost to wildfire could triple

    What happened

    • Wildfires could destroy nearly three times as many US buildings a year by mid-century, a new study finds. [33]
    • That could mean up to 449,000 buildings lost between 2026 and 2060. [33]
    • Fires burning over 4,000 acres in a day were 2.7% of fires but destroyed 78% of buildings lost. [33]

    How it unfolded

    Building in the riskiest areas grew tenfold from 1945 to 2015. [33]

    Why it matters

    US firefighting spent 48 days in a row at its highest alert level this year, against an average of 25. [33]

    How it works

    Fire scientists say a warmer atmosphere pulls more moisture from land, drying plants into fuel. [33]

    That drying nearly doubled the area burned in western US forests from 1984 to 2015. [33]

    Seen it before

    Washing on a line dries fastest on a hot, dry day.

    The truth

    • Who pays Low-income western US neighbourhoods — About a third of the places at greatest future wildfire risk are low-income. [33]
25. 27

    Heat linked to 710,000 deaths in a year

    What happened

    • Heat was linked to 710,000 deaths worldwide in 2023, estimates the 2026 Lancet Countdown, a report on climate and health. [16]
    • About 71% of those deaths are put down to human-caused warming. [16]
    • Researchers compare deaths at real temperatures with those expected in a world without warming. [16]
    • At the UN, 66% of countries' leaders linked climate and health in 2021. [16] By 2025 it was 26%. [16]

    Why it matters

    Heat can cause deadly heatstroke and worsen heart and kidney disease. [16]

    The truth

    • Still, 93% of national climate plans sent in 2025 mentioned health. [16]

    Good news

    • Falling air pollution from fossil fuels now prevents about 323,000 early deaths a year in at least 77 countries. [16]
26. 28

    Wales will miss its net zero goal for public bodies

    What happened

    • Audit Wales, the Welsh public spending watchdog, says public bodies will probably miss net zero by 2030. [34]
    • Net zero means adding no more planet-warming gas to the air than is removed from it. [34]
    • Cleaning up Welsh council buildings alone would cost at least £2.3bn, one estimate says. [34]
    • Since 2022, money and political pressure pushed cutting carbon down the list, the auditors say. [34]

    How it unfolded

    Wales's Labour government set the goal in 2017. [34]

    1. 2017 goal set
    2. 2030 goal date

    Why it matters

    Public bodies were meant to go first, so charge points and clean heating got easier and cheaper for everyone. [34]

    The truth

    • The goal was never made a target, and carries no penalties or rewards. [34]
27. 29

    Britain bans lead shot from 2029

    What happened

    • Selling and using lead shot will be banned in England, Wales and Scotland from April 2029. [35]
    • Each shotgun cartridge can scatter up to 300 small lead pellets, said conservationist Sacha Dench. [35]
    • Water birds mistake the pellets for food or grit and grind them up in their stomachs. [35]
    • Up to 100,000 UK water birds may die of lead poisoning each year, Dench says. [35]

    Who is involved

    Her campaign group won the RSPB Medal, the top award of the bird charity. [35]

    Why it matters

    Lead poisoning is enough to push some bird species towards extinction, Dench says. [35]

    The truth

    • By her estimate, 7,000 to 13,000 tonnes of lead are spread in UK nature each year. [35]
28. 30

    Southwest floods leave one dead as rivers fall

    What happened

    • Days of heavy rain flooded the US Southwest, where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet. [36]
    • At least one person died in the floods. [36]
    • The San Juan River reached 16.81 feet before its level began to fall. [36]
    • Hundreds were evacuated, and rescuers made dozens of rescues, some by helicopter. [36]
    • In Durango, Colorado, about 200 people helped clear mud from homes and streets. [36]

    How it unfolded

    A forecaster said Tucson was getting 'two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of days'. [37]

    Why it matters

    The rain also brought some relief to reservoirs in a region in a long drought. [36]

    The truth

    • Police suspect a second death was linked to the floods, but have not confirmed it. [36]
29. 31

    South Korea and Turkey sign a nuclear finance pact

    What happened

    • South Korea's export bank and Turkey Nuclear Energy Inc agreed to explore funding for Turkish nuclear projects. [38]
    • South Korea wants a role building Turkey's planned second nuclear plant at Sinop, on the Black Sea. [38]
    • KEPCO, South Korea's state power company, has done early studies for Sinop, Erdogan said. [38]
    • Turkey has not yet chosen a partner for Sinop. [38]

    Who is involved

    Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung, in Seoul on Tuesday. [39]

    • Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkey's president
    • Lee Jae Myung South Korea's president
    • KEPCO South Korea's state power company

    How it unfolded

    It builds on a nuclear deal South Korea's KEPCO and Turkey signed in November 2025. [38]

    1. Nov 2025 first nuclear deal
    2. Tuesday finance pact

    Why it matters

    Erdogan says financing, power costs and other countries' offers will all count when Turkey chooses. [38]

    The truth

    • Turkey's energy ministry gave no funding amount for the pact. [38]
30. 32

    Louisiana's coast grows where river mud reaches it

    What happened

    • Wetlands in Louisiana's Barataria Basin are gaining ground, while most of the state's coast is shrinking. [40]
    • The Davis Pond diversion, built in 2002, lets Mississippi River water into the basin to push back salt water. [40]
    • It also carried the river's mud, which raised the bottom and built new land. [40]

    How it unfolded

    Louisiana's coast has been losing about 11 square miles a year to erosion and other forces. [40]

    Governor Jeff Landry cancelled a $3 billion diversion of the same kind in July 2025. [40]

    Why it matters

    Diversions are now seen as key to fighting coastal land loss in Louisiana, an Army Corps scientist says. [40]

    How it works

    A state coastal scientist calls it the delta cycle: a river spilling its mud over its banks, as before levees. [40]

    Levees stopped the river overflowing, and a diversion opens a gate so it can spill again. [40]

    The truth

    • He said it would harm shrimp and oyster fishing. [40]

    What comes next

    Budget papers show the state plans at least $340 million on five smaller diversions. [40]

31. 33

    An electric aircraft reaches a patient first

    What happened

    • A paramedic in rural Hyde County, North Carolina, flew a one-seat electric aircraft to an emergency call. [41]
    • She was giving care 20 minutes before the ambulance crew arrived. [41]
    • The aircraft, a BlackFly made by Pivotal, takes off like a helicopter and flies at about 60 mph. [41]
    • It can fly 20 miles on a charge and carry 200 pounds. [41]

    How it unfolded

    The county began a six-month trial in March, with more than 300 training flights before its first emergency calls. [41]

    Why it matters

    Rural US emergency responses take nearly 15 minutes on average, against a goal of 8. [41]

    The truth

    • The aircraft cannot carry patients; it gets a medic there to steady them until an ambulance comes. [41]

    Good news

    • A paramedic in rural North Carolina reached a patient 20 minutes before the ambulance, by flying a one-seat electric aircraft.