AEP, a US power company with 5.6 million customers, raised its building plan to $100 billion. [1] That is 30% more than its last plan, which was $78 billion. [1] The biggest new customer is a data-centre campus in Ohio needing 10.4 gigawatts of power. [1] A company called SB Energy is planning that campus. [1] AEP's signed-up big customers rose 22% in three months, to 84 gigawatts. [1] Demand 'is growing faster than the operating output of our existing fleet', AEP's finance chief said. [1]

To reach the campus, AEP plans three new power lines at 765,000 volts each. [1] Each line will carry about 3.2 gigawatts. [1] They are due at the end of 2028, 2029 and 2030. [1] The lines will cost about $5 billion, and SoftBank's companies will pay for them. [1] SoftBank also pays AEP a set yearly profit of about 11.35% on that money. [1] The campus's first 800 megawatts can come through power lines that already exist. [1]

AEP will now spend $20 billion on gas power plants, up from $13 billion. [1] It plans about 9 gigawatts of new gas plants by 2032. [1] Its spending on power lines rises to $37 billion, from $33 billion. [1] It expects $8 billion for renewable power, such as wind and solar, over five years. [1]

The Sierra Club, one of the oldest US environmental groups, made a new count. [2] It counted the gas plants planned to run AI data centres. [3] It says US power plants would release 2.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2030. [3] That is 618 million tonnes more than in 2025, a rise of about 42%. [3] It would cancel out 15 years of falling emissions from US electricity, the group says. [3] By 2030, US data centres could emit as much carbon dioxide as Mexico, it says. [2] The group's earlier estimates were only a quarter to half as big. [2] About 40% of US data centres already run on gas turbines. [2] Energy Innovation, another research group, says turbine shortages and grid delays make that uncertain. [2]

About 2,800 data centres are being developed in the US, beside 1,393 already running. [4] Pennsylvania has 328 megawatts of data centres running, and plans for 23.1 gigawatts. [4] Noise, power bills and the environment have made them an issue in next week's US elections. [4]

Why it matters. That extra carbon dioxide would come from gas burned to run AI data centres. [3] The Ohio lines still need approval from PJM, the grid operator, and two regulators. [1] The first line is due by 31 December 2028, if those approvals come. [1]

QatarEnergy, Qatar's state energy company, signed to buy US gas from Woodside for 20 years. [8] It will take up to 3 million tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas, or LNG. [8] The gas will come from Woodside's Louisiana LNG plant, with first deliveries expected in 2030. [8] A week earlier it signed for 4 million tonnes a year from Cheniere, another US firm. [8] That makes QatarEnergy the biggest buyer of US LNG, its boss Saad Al Kaabi said. [8] An Iranian strike on Ras Laffan, Qatar's gas hub, knocked out about 17% of its capacity. [8] Qatar has told buyers in Italy, Pakistan and Bangladesh it cannot deliver until year-end. [8]

Why it matters. Bangladesh's state gas company says it is buying cargoes at 'a significant cost'. [8] Europe's gas price passed 95 euros a megawatt-hour this week, near its highest since 2022. [8]

A glacial lake in Bhutan burst its banks overnight, sending a flood down a valley. [13] Bhutan is a small Himalayan kingdom between India and China. [13] The water came from Shintaphu lake, one of the lakes left by melting glaciers. [13] The flood washed away parts of the Gasa Tshachu hot springs, a tourist site. [13] The area was evacuated before the water came, and no one was reported hurt. [13] Two small bridges may have been swept away, and the road to Laya village is shut. [13]

Why it matters. India's West Bengal state warned villages along the Sankosh River to move to safer ground. [13] In August a flash flood on Nepal's border with China killed more than 1,500 people. [13]

Floods after heavy rain killed at least 5 people in northern and eastern Syria. [14] Four were children who drowned in Raqqa and Deir Az Zor provinces. [14] Another 5 people, 2 of them children, are missing. [14] The al-Salmani bridge collapsed, cutting the road between Raqqa and Aleppo. [14] Rescuers saved 15 people whose cars were trapped by floodwater. [14] About 375 families were moved out of three camps near Raqqa. [14]

Why it matters. UNICEF, the UN children's agency, said earlier floods this year hit 17,000 Syrians. [14]

Indonesia faces its worst forest fires and smoky haze in 11 years, Reuters reports. [15] El Nino weather has dried out peatland, wet ground made of old plants, so it burns. [15] The smoke has raised breathing illnesses and drifted over Malaysia and Singapore. [15] On Wednesday, hundreds of students protested in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, and other cities. [15] They want Indonesia's government to declare the fires a national disaster. [15] Some carried photos of orangutans, the apes that suffer most from the fires. [15]

Why it matters. Indonesia's government says it has prosecuted companies linked to the fires. [15] It has also tried changing the weather to make it rain. [15]

GE Vernova, which makes turbines and grid equipment, will buy Trench Group for $9 billion. [7] Trench makes parts for high-voltage equipment, sold to over 800 power firms and tech giants. [7] Its North Carolina factory will be the first US maker of these parts for 765,000 volts. [7] The deal brings about $5 billion of orders already booked, and should close in late 2027. [7] It will pay half in cash and half with borrowed money, Bloomberg reported. [16] GE Vernova's gas turbine orders grew more slowly this quarter. [7] It has 122 gigawatts of turbines under contract, up from 116 three months ago. [7] It now takes bookings for turbines delivered in 2032. [7]

Why it matters. Its prices for gas turbine orders are on track to rise 50% this year. [7] 'Lead times across the industry are increasingly important,' said Scott Strazik, its boss. [7]

FirstEnergy, a US power company, says data centres could ask it for 26 gigawatts. [5] That list of signed and possible demand grew 4.8% in three months. [5] In West Virginia alone it rose to 6 gigawatts, from 4.3 gigawatts. [5] Two FirstEnergy companies want to build Maidsville, a $2.7 billion power station there. [5] It would burn gas to make 1,200 megawatts, with 70 megawatts of solar beside it. [5] They have booked turbines from Siemens Energy for delivery in 2030. [5] They also asked makers for offers on 3 gigawatts more of gas turbines. [5]

Why it matters. FirstEnergy expects West Virginia's regulator to decide on Maidsville before the year ends. [5] Until big plants are ready, it may use quick 'bridge' power like engines and batteries. [5]

Hubbell, a US maker of electrical and grid equipment, sold over 80% more to data centres. [6] Data centres now buy 15% of what its electrical business sells. [6] Its sales to power companies grew just 5%, with fewer substation buildings sold. [6] A supplier could not get one key part, so Hubbell ran short of electricity meters. [6] Hubbell says that shortage should end by the end of the year. [6] It spends about $25 million a quarter adding factory machines and lines. [6]

Why it matters. Next year it plans to double that to $50 million a quarter. [6] Most of the new capacity will serve power lines, substations and data centres, it said. [6]

The US Senate is due to vote on 9 November on moving a power-line bill forward. [17] The bill, known as BAAJA, would make big new power lines and projects easier to approve. [17] It would end power firms' automatic right to build new regional lines in their own area. [17] FERC, the US energy regulator, could cut profits of firms that skip needed upgrades. [17] The cost of lines between regions would fall on the customers who benefit. [17] Almost no lines linking regions have been built in a long time, said congressman Josh Harder. [17]

Why it matters. Harder said that failure is 'not doing the job to lower prices for folks.' [17] Native American tribal groups oppose its changes to a law that protects historic sites. [17]

Chris Wright, the US energy secretary, visited the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan on Thursday. [18] He said it would be running again before the end of this year. [18] Palisades shut in 2022, and its owner, Holtec International, is restarting it. [18] It would add 800 megawatts of power, Wright said. [18] In September a bundle of nuclear fuel tipped over there during refuelling. [18] The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission said no radiation was released. [18] This month the regulator found staff in two departments afraid to raise safety concerns. [18]

Why it matters. Critics at Don't Waste Michigan, a local campaign group, call it a 'zombie reactor'. [18] Holtec says it will restart only when all federal requirements are met. [18]

Kazakhstan's president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, wants two nuclear power plants built faster. [9] He said building the Balkhash plant could start as early as next year. [9] He also wants a long-term national store of uranium, the fuel for nuclear plants. [9] He wants spare electricity to power a digital economy and artificial intelligence. [9] In winter Kazakhstan buys power from its neighbours at high prices, he said. [9] In summer it sells power back to them much more cheaply. [9]

Why it matters. Tokayev said this 'business' had lasted for decades, and blamed corruption in the energy sector. [9] He said such schemes had held up building power plants in several regions. [9]

South Africa failed to award any contracts in its first auction for gas power plants. [19] The auction opened a year ago and drew 4 bids in May. [19] Together they offered 2,830 megawatts, more than the 2,000 megawatts sought. [19] South Africa's Department of Electricity and Energy announced the result on Wednesday. [19]

Why it matters. Bloomberg says the failure could slow South Africa's move away from coal power. [19]

First Solar, a US maker of thin-film solar panels, opened a factory in Gaffney, South Carolina. [12] It can finish 1.7 gigawatts of panels a year, rising to 3.4 gigawatts by mid-2027. [12] It finishes panels started at First Solar's factories in other countries. [12] The $330 million plant has filled 500 jobs and expects nearly 200 more. [12] First Solar said US trade rules and a 2025 tax law drove the investment. [12] It is the company's sixth factory in the US. [12]

Why it matters. By 2027 it expects US capacity of about 17 gigawatts of panels a year. [12]

Masdar, a clean energy company from Abu Dhabi, began building a floating solar farm in Malaysia. [20] The 200-megawatt farm will float on the reservoir of the Chereh Dam in Pahang state. [20] It should power 100,000 homes, Masdar said. [20] Three international lenders put up about $142.9 million for it this week. [20] It is Masdar's first project in Malaysia, built with two Malaysian firms. [20] It will be one of the largest floating solar farms in South-east Asia. [20]

Why it matters. Masdar already runs a 145-megawatt floating farm at Cirata in Indonesia. [20] The project should create 1,500 jobs, Masdar said. [20]

BYD, a Chinese carmaker, exported 550,704 cars from July to September. [11] That is 137% more than in the same months last year. [11] Tesla, the US electric-car maker, delivered 486,532 cars worldwide in those months. [11] Inside China, BYD's sales fell about 12% amid a price war between carmakers. [11] Exports are now 42% of BYD's sales. [11] Its profit for the three months rose 28%. [11]

Why it matters. Its stock of unsold cars is up 60% since the end of 2025. [11] BYD blames its growing business abroad, where cars sit longer on ships and at dealers. [11]

Toyota sold 309,766 battery electric cars worldwide from January to September. [10] That is 127% more than in the same months last year. [10] But Toyota's total sales fell for a third month in a row in September. [10] In China, Toyota sold 18.9% fewer cars than a year earlier. [10] Toyota said dearer petrol hurt sales of its petrol and hybrid cars there. [10]

Why it matters. Volkswagen, the German carmaker, sold 38% fewer cars in China in the same quarter. [10] Toyota plans to build a new electric Lexus in Shanghai, China, from next autumn. [10]

Rivian, a US electric-vehicle maker, is delivering a longer-range version of its delivery van. [21] A bigger battery gives it about 30% more range. [21] The battery now holds 129 kilowatt-hours of energy, up from 100. [21] The old van was rated at up to 160 miles on one charge. [21] A new all-wheel-drive version is meant for longer rural routes on gravel, mud and snow. [21] Most of Rivian's vans so far have gone to Amazon. [21]

Why it matters. GM stopped making its BrightDrop electric vans, and Canoo went bankrupt, so rivals are fewer. [21]

Western Australia plans to let people plug solar panels into an ordinary wall socket. [22] The state is consulting on a safety standard based on Germany's rules. [22] Systems could make up to 2 kilowatts, and batteries are allowed too. [22] That opens cheap solar to renters and flat-dwellers who do not own a roof. [22] A plug-in kit can move with a family when it changes home. [22] Only one is allowed per home, and none where rooftop solar is already fitted. [22] It would be a first in Australia. [22]

Why it matters. Solar Citizens, a campaign group, wants Australia's government to set a national rule by next July. [22]

Solar farms built on the ground covered 2,798 more hectares of Italy in 2025. [23] The figure comes from ISPRA, Italy's environmental research institute. [23] Italy added 1,700 hectares of solar farms in 2024, and just 75 in 2021. [23] Solar was about 27% of all the land newly built on in Italy last year. [23] ISPRA counts solar farms as land that can be given back, unlike roads and buildings. [23] Italy's rooftops could hold 140 to 193 gigawatts of solar without new land, ISPRA says. [23]

Why it matters. Italy's top court this year upheld limits on solar farms on farmland. [23] Projects with signed grid deals could need over 10,260 more hectares within two years. [23]

Researchers in China built a solar cell that needs no indium, a rare and costly metal. [24] Indium is normally used in the clear layer that carries current off a cell's surface. [24] The team used zinc oxide with a little gallium in its place. [24] The new cell turned 24.92% of sunlight into electricity. [24] That was only 0.68 points below a matching cell made with indium. [24]

Why it matters. The researchers say the high cost of indium drove the search for a substitute. [24]

Bridger Pipeline wants to build a 650-mile oil pipeline across Montana and Wyoming. [25] It would carry Canadian tar sands oil, a thick mix of sand, clay and heavy oil. [25] Tar sands oil makes about 20% more greenhouse gas than ordinary crude, Grist reports. [25] President Trump gave it a permit this spring to cross the border from Canada. [25] Bridger has paid about 450 landowners on its main route to let surveyors in. [25] Farmers hit by drought hope to be paid for letting the pipe cross their land. [25] Daniels County, home to about 1,600 people, has no pipeline paying it taxes yet. [25]

Why it matters. The US Bureau of Land Management must still publish a review for public comment. [25] Keystone XL, a pipeline planned across the same area, was cancelled in 2021. [25]

Lake Powell is one of the two biggest reservoirs on the Colorado River in the US. [26] A 27-year drought, the longest in 1,200 years, has shrunk the river. [26] Last month Powell hit a record low, under 150 feet above 'dead pool'. [26] Dead pool is the level below which water can no longer flow out past the dam. [26] The Glen Canyon Institute wants new tunnels to empty Powell into Lake Mead, downstream. [26] Powell's dam makes about 730 megawatts of power, which backers say solar could replace. [26] About 11% of the reservoir's water evaporates every year, experts say. [26]

Why it matters. The US government left draining out of its 10-year river plan, finalised in August. [26] New tunnels would take about a decade and cost billions of dollars. [26]