Climate, in brief

On Thursday President Trump signed an order after a probe into imported wind turbines under Section 232, a US trade law that lets a president limit imports he finds threaten national security. [1]

The order says the US 'is reliant' on imported turbines and parts. [1]

It also says foreign-made parts carry 'unique cybersecurity risks', and it names inverters, the boxes that turn a turbine's power into the kind the grid uses. [1]

It sets no new tariff. Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, and Jamieson Greer, the US trade negotiator, must hold talks with other countries and report within 180 days. [1]

Trump said he may choose other measures once the talks end, and the tariffs already on steel, copper and aluminium in turbines stay. [1]

The order also calls wind power 'unreliable' and a burden on the US grid. [1]

The same week, the US Justice Department asked judges to cancel the approvals of three offshore wind farms so the government can decide on them again: Maryland Offshore Wind, New England Wind and Revolution Wind. [2]

Revolution Wind, built to supply Rhode Island and Connecticut, has sent power to New England's grid since March. New England Wind could power more than 900,000 homes. [2][3]

The motions were filed inside lawsuits that opponents of the wind farms brought against the US government, so the US government is siding with those suing it. [2]

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a sponsor of a bill to speed up permits for energy projects, said: 'This is how you blow up a permitting deal.' [2]

A White House official then reportedly said the US Defense Department would let a handful of long-delayed onshore wind projects go ahead, and Whitehouse called that only 'a start'. [4]

The same trade law already puts a 15% tariff and minimum prices on imported polysilicon and silicon solar products from 4 December. [5]

Why it matters. The next fixed date is 5 November, when Orsted, which co-owns Revolution Wind, reports to investors; amendments to the US Senate permitting bill come after the Senate returns in November. [2]

Storm Austen, the first named storm of Britain's season, brought gusts of up to 84mph to Jersey on Friday, and fallen trees blocked railway lines and roads in southern England. [18] National Grid, which runs much of Britain's power network, restored power to more than 60,000 properties, but over 10,000 homes were still cut off on Friday evening. [6] In north-west France about 161,000 households lost power, and some weather stations set October wind records. [7] Storm Boelo brings an amber wind warning for much of Scotland from 21:00 on Saturday to 21:00 on Sunday. [19]

Why it matters. Damage from Boelo could bring more power cuts while homes hit by Austen are still being reconnected. [6] Britain's Met Office warns of flying debris, power cuts and lost phone signal in Scotland. [19]

Flash floods hit south-east Queensland, in eastern Australia, after a water treatment plant near Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane, recorded more than 250mm of rain in 24 hours. [8] Beerburrum had its wettest October day on record, roads were damaged, power supplies were disrupted, and 14 schools closed. [8] Fire crews made more than 16 swift-water rescues, and nine flood warnings were in force on Saturday. [20] Some areas got more than twice their usual October rain in a few days. [20]

Why it matters. A forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia's weather service, said the week was more like January or February than October. [20] Severe storms are now forecast across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. [20]

The Welsh government opened a consultation on Friday on banning large steel pylons for new power lines up to 132 kilovolts, and prefers burying cables underground. [21] It says buried cables are less exposed to storms and to birds, but cost more to lay and to look after. [21] Green Gen Cymru, which plans three power line routes for new Welsh wind farms, says burying them costs 4.5 times as much on average. [21] The consultation runs until 15 January 2027. [21]

Why it matters. Green Gen says burying one route, between Carmarthenshire and Powys, would add 500 million pounds. [21] Campaigners in the Llandovery Pylon Group, who fought the pylons, welcomed the plan. [21]

Oil from Gem No.2, a tanker struck near the Strait of Hormuz on 9 October, had spread more than 35km by Wednesday and is washing onto beaches near Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates. [22] BBC Verify's satellite review shows a small leak seen on 19 October grew fast over two days. [22] The slick is spreading towards Siniyah and Khor Al Beidah, islands rich in corals, seagrass and green turtles. [22] The UAE's climate ministry says it began containment at once. [22]

Why it matters. Experts say oil is far harder to clean once it reaches rocks, mangroves or seagrass than when it is caught at sea. [23] Researchers say it is too soon to judge how much harm it will do. [22]

Electric cars and plug-in hybrids made up a record 67% of new car sales in China in September, China Passenger Car Association figures show. [9] They were 6% in 2020. [9] Their share rose even though they sold 17% fewer than a year before, because sales of petrol-only cars fell 43%. [9] The association's secretary-general blamed dearer petrol after the Strait of Hormuz crisis began. [9]

Why it matters. An analyst at Ember, an energy think tank, estimates China's electric cars have saved 143 million barrels of oil since the crisis began. [9] China's oil imports from January to September fell 15% from a year before. [9]

South Korea's renewable power plants reached 41,040 megawatts on 21 October, passing coal's 40,757 megawatts for the first time, says the Korea Power Exchange, which runs the country's power market. [24] Renewables are now 25.4% of the country's power plants by size, behind only gas. [24] They grew by about 3,504 megawatts a year from 2020 to 2025. [24] The figures measure the size of the plants, not the power they actually make. [24]

Why it matters. South Korea's government aims for 100 gigawatts of renewables by 2030. [24] A tender for 1,100 megawatts of six-hour batteries names its winners in November. [24]

China's commerce ministry has proposed export controls on 12 technologies used to make solar equipment, citing national security. [12] It would ban exports of methods for making thin wafers, perovskite and tandem cells, and a cheaper way to make polysilicon, the purified silicon in panels. [12] It would restrict, but not ban, methods for some advanced cells. [12] Public comments close on 15 November. [12]

Why it matters. The curbs could hurt plans by US companies such as Tesla to make more panels at home, and China has already limited such exports to India. [12] Analysts say China wants to keep its lead while India builds its own factories. [12]

Stocks of polysilicon, the raw material for solar cells, stayed above 560,000 tonnes in China, EnergyTrend, a market research firm, said on 22 October. [14] Production was expected to fall by about 20,000 tonnes in October, yet supply still slightly beat demand. [14] Makers have discussed holding their price at or above 43 yuan, about $6.32, a kilogram. [14] China's deputy environment minister said China will complain about trade barriers at COP31, the UN climate summit in November. [14]

Why it matters. EnergyTrend says high stocks and weak demand are holding back a lasting price recovery. [14] Chinese panels already face growing trade limits in the US and Europe. [14]

The median quoted price for US home solar rose 3.2% to $2.57 a watt in the first half of 2026, says EnergySage, a website that collects installers' quotes. [25] The 30% federal tax credit for people buying home solar ended in 2025. [25] A typical 12-kilowatt system now costs $30,712 before incentives and pays for itself in 10.9 years, against 10.1, partly because EnergySage changed its method. [25] The share of installers offering panels owned by a company, which homes rent or buy power from, rose from 14% to 41%. [25]

Why it matters. Company-owned systems can still claim federal business tax credits through 2027, and EnergySage found pre-paid leases cost 39% less per unit of power than buying, though it says their long-term savings are not proven. [25] Solar loan rates held at 7.5%. [25]

Commissioners in Fort Bend County, Texas, voted 4-0 on Thursday for four deals that could give Tesla up to 35 years of local tax breaks on a planned $10 billion solar factory. [26] The plant near Richmond, south-west of Houston, would make everything from silicon blocks to finished panels, starting in 2029. [26] Tesla must begin building by 30 June 2027 to keep the breaks. [26] It has not committed to building it. [26]

Why it matters. Tesla says the factory would create 9,712 jobs, and the deal runs longer if it averages 12,000. [26] Missing a jobs target in one year costs Tesla only that year's break. [26]

Peak Energy, a US maker of grid batteries that use sodium instead of lithium, raised $108 million in a round led by GM Ventures, the carmaker's investment arm. [16] It says it has more than $1 billion of orders. [16] Its Sacramento factory should start making up to 4 gigawatt-hours of batteries a year in early 2027, and for now its cells come from China. [16] GM is designing new sodium cells for it in Michigan. [27]

Why it matters. Sodium is cheaper and more common than lithium but holds too little energy for cars, so it suits batteries that stand still. [27] Peak's claim of 20% lower costs has not been checked by anyone else. [16]

Volvo Cars says its EX60 electric SUV has more than 50,000 orders in Europe since production began in April, but it has built only about 5,000. [28] It blames new building methods, such as a battery that forms part of the car's body. [28] Volvo lost 3.7 billion Swedish crowns in the third quarter and is cutting about 2,500 jobs. [28] It plans a cheaper electric car for Europe, delivered after next summer. [29]

Why it matters. Deliveries in the US stay limited until early 2027. [28] Volvo says the car's profits will not show until output rises. [28]

Tesla cancelled the Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand on Friday and is refunding reservations, some placed in November 2019 with A$150 deposits. [30] The truck is made only with the steering wheel on the left, and both countries need it on the right. [30] Electrek, an electric car news site, estimates Tesla sold 7,000 to 8,000 Cybertrucks last quarter, from a factory line built for 250,000 a year. [30]

Why it matters. Tesla is offering a free year of its driver-assist software to reservation holders who buy a Model 3 or Model Y instead. [30] Reservations had waited almost seven years. [30]

PG&E, the main power company in northern California, said on Thursday that its weak credit rating 'must be solved'. [31] Its chief executive, Patti Poppe, said debt it has sold below investment grade since 2017 will cost customers an extra $4 billion in interest. [31] Fitch, a ratings agency, turned its outlook negative in September after California lawmakers did not agree a lasting way to share the cost of wildfire damage. [31] PG&E has cut $2 billion from its 2027 spending plan. [31]

Why it matters. The cut delays connecting new homes and new clean power plants. [31] State lawmakers hold a hearing on utilities and insurance on 29 October. [31]

NextEra Energy, a big US power company, said on Wednesday it has $5.7 billion so far for three energy 'hubs' backed by the US government. [15] Two, in Texas and Pennsylvania, are backed by Japan's government and would add up to 10 gigawatts of gas power by 2032. [15] A third, backed by South Korea, would put 6.5 gigawatts of gas beside a data centre campus in Texas. [15] NextEra will not put in its own money. [15]

Why it matters. Staff at Virginia's utility regulator recommended rejecting NextEra's $67 billion merger with Dominion Energy as it stands. [4] NextEra also signed 2.4 gigawatts of battery contracts in the quarter. [15]

The yearly failure rate of US grid batteries fell by more than 97% from 2016 to 2025, while the amount installed grew 250-fold, Canary Media found using data from EPRI, a power research group. [17] EPRI says big batteries now fail about as often as the oil-filled transformers at substations. [17] In Buffalo, New York, a 3.75-megawatt-hour battery now serves an affordable housing block, among the largest in any US home building. [32]

Why it matters. Fear of fires has slowed batteries in many towns, and EPRI says the small number of failures makes the data thin. [17] The Buffalo building can run on its battery during power cuts. [32]

Austria awarded 173.4 megawatts of solar in its third solar auction of 2026, at an average of 0.0642 euros a kilowatt-hour, a little more than the second round. [33] Builders bid for the extra payment they need, and the cheapest bids win until the capacity is filled. [33] The dearest winning bid was 0.0725 euros, up from 0.0669 euros in the round before. [33] Solar farms on farmland or grassland have their bids cut by up to 25%, to favour rooftops. [33]

Why it matters. Austria's government planned 175 megawatts for each of this year's four rounds. [33] Losing bidders can try again, though no date for the next auction is set. [33]

Italy's second auction for solar panels floating on lakes and reservoirs filled its whole 30-megawatt quota, GSE, the state energy agency, said. [34] The first round offered 50 megawatts and attracted just one 991-kilowatt project. [34] Eight projects won, bidding 2% to 3.25% under the set price, and the largest is a 5.5-megawatt plant in Piedmont. [34] Before the second round Italy's government cut the quota and lowered the set prices. [34]

Why it matters. Two projects offering a 2% discount were still left out. [34] Winners must apply for their payments within 30 days of switching on. [34]

Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, the UN's nuclear agency, said on Friday that nuclear power could more than triple by 2060. [35] In the agency's yearly report to the UN General Assembly he named more electric use, AI data centres and tech firms' demand for steady carbon-free power. [35] In 2025 more than 400 reactors in over 30 countries made 10% of the world's electricity. [35] More than 60 new reactors are being built. [35]

Why it matters. Nuclear makes about a quarter of the world's low-carbon electricity. [35] Grossi also warned of 'unprecedented threats' to nuclear safety from the war in Ukraine. [35]

India's trade minister, Piyush Goyal, said in Berlin this week that the EU is 'inviting disaster' with its carbon border tax, which charges imports such as steel for the carbon released making them. [13] He also attacked the EU's 50% duty on imported steel. [13] He said dearer steel, aluminium and cement would raise living costs in Europe. [13] He said the EU has 75 to 77 regulations of this kind. [13]

Why it matters. Goyal said ports, roads and water pipes in Europe would all cost more to build. [13] China says it will raise a similar complaint about trade barriers at the UN climate summit in November. [14]

Belgium will spend 15 million euros more to help poorer households buy heating oil delivered from 1 December to 28 February, energy minister Mathieu Bihet said on Friday. [10] The help rises with the price, from 0.20 to 0.50 euros a litre once oil costs 1.775 euros a litre. [10] Heating oil warms about 35% of Belgian homes, second only to gas. [10] A barrel of Brent crude, a world benchmark, traded at $114 on Friday, against $70 before the war with Iran. [10]

Why it matters. In Wallonia, Belgium's south, nearly half of homes use heating oil because they have no gas mains. [10] A 1,500-litre delivery at today's price costs 2,430 euros. [10]

Bradford Council, in northern England, launched a 2 million pound fund to help businesses switch to cleaner vehicles. [11] Small firms, charities and other groups can get up to 16,000 pounds each. [11] The council leader, Stephen Place of Reform UK, said it would help firms cope with dearer petrol and diesel. [11] The money comes from the UK government's Zero Emission Grant Programme. [11]

Why it matters. It is part of the council's Clean Air programme. [11] Place said the fund would help firms modernise their fleets. [11]

A trial in which 15 young Canadians accuse their federal government of failing on climate change starts on Monday in Vancouver. [36] The case, La Rose v. Canada, argues that weak climate policy breaks their constitutional right to life, liberty and security. [36] It is one of the first full trials anywhere of a national government's climate policy brought by young people. [36] Evidence runs for four weeks, and closing arguments come in February 2027. [36]

Why it matters. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada will not meet its 2030 or 2035 climate targets under his plan. [36] A government report warns of about 5C of warming in Canada by the end of the century under current global policies. [36]

Chinese firms are selling desalination gear, which turns seawater into fresh water, to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others, Reuters reports. [37] China exported more than $2 billion of water-cleaning machinery in 2025, up 25% from 2020. [37] At home it ran 167 desalination plants at the end of 2025, making about 3 million tonnes of water a day. [37] It spends more than 1.2 trillion yuan a year on water. [37]

Why it matters. The glaciers that feed Asia's big rivers are shrinking. [37] China Water Risk, a think tank, warns river flows could peak by 2050 on 10 big rivers that serve one in two Asians. [37]

Another 100 companies have signed a letter urging the European Commission to keep EU targets for hydrogen-based clean fuels in transport and industry beyond 2030, bringing the total to 260, the Hydrogen Council, an industry group, said. [38] It said dropping the targets would waste six years of work and punish the first firms to invest. [38] Separately, the Commission picked 77 clean-technology projects for 3.4 billion euros raised by the EU's carbon market. [38]

Why it matters. Several of the large projects chosen will make more low-carbon hydrogen at oil refineries. [38] The council wrote the letter with Hydrogen Europe and the Renewable Hydrogen Coalition, two other industry groups. [38]