A key piece of legislation seven years in the making, Vietnam is to allow large businesses to buy renewable electricity directly from power generators, raising expectations for green energy growth in the country. A portion of Vietnam’s electricity market was opened to private-sector deals last week, ending an effective monopoly by its state-owned utility as the sole electricity distributor. It is a move championed by businesses as crucial to the unfettered growth of clean energy and achieving decarbonisation goals.

TOKYO, July 12 (Reuters) - Japanese companies foreseeing a growing surplus in stocks of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as their demand for the fuel wanes in coming years, are scrambling to invest in regional markets to provide potential outlets to sell the gas. As more nuclear plants restart and renewable energy gains momentum, Japan's LNG imports are at their lowest in over a decade, spurring companies to turn to Asia to unload supplies contracted during past market shocks, such as Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukrain

Planned FIDs on new offshore gas projects in Southeast Asia could lead to $100 billion of investments, according to Rystad Energy. The main drivers are deepwater developments, recent successful discoveries offshore Indonesia and Malaysia, and advances in carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) plans to increase its renewable energy (RE) asset portfolio in the United Kingdom to up to 2.5 gigawat (GW) from 1GW currently over the next five years, driven largely by investment in solar and wind farming. Following a visit to TNB’s operation in the United Kingdom recently, the broking firms of RHB Research and Kenanga Research said Vantage RE, which is TNB’s growth vehicle to drive sustainable growth in the United Kingdom and Europe, will remain one of the utility giant’s major RE growth drivers internationally.

US architecture studios Olin and Overland have completed the "world's first net-positive energy" botanical garden in Florida, which is powered by a rooftop array of 2,158 solar panels. The project is part of a three-year master plan led by Philadelphia-based landscape architecture studio Olin to expand the 15-acre Sarasota campus of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, an institution dedicated to the research and education of air plants and native plant species.

On 13 February, when freak winds brought down a transmission line in Victoria and shut down the state’s largest power station, a fleet of electric cars plugged into a charger in Canberra 500km away stirred. Within six seconds, 16 vehicles started discharging their batteries, sending power back into the grid. While the contribution – part of a pioneering research project – was minuscule compared with the 90,000 households who lost electricity, the experiment showed how EVs could help ease grid calamities of the future.  

The urgency of enhancing energy interconnectivity within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is becoming increasingly crucial as the region embarks on a sustainable energy transition. ASEAN's diverse energy landscape is characterized by the uneven distribution of energy resources. Laos, for instance, boasts significant hydropower capability, positioning itself as a major electricity exporter within the region.

Malaysia can play an important role to lead discussions on science, technology, energy transition, digitalisation, and environmental sustainability, especially as it prepares to take over ASEAN chairmanship next year, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Malaysia is blessed with substantial natural gas resources that have ensured a continuous and affordable energy supply to the country for the past four decades. Natural gas is abundant in Malaysia with deposits having been discovered in all three regions comprising Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

BERLIN, July 2 (Reuters) - For months, Philip Matthias tried to convince his father to install solar panels on their company's roof in the eastern German state of Thuringia, aiming to cut electricity costs and carbon emissions at the metal products factory.

China’s solar and wind energy sector will continue to grow at breakneck speed this year, providing the momentum the country needs to meet its 2030 renewable targets six years ahead of schedule, according to a state-owned researcher’s forecasts.

PETALING JAYA: There will be no increase in electricity tariffs in Peninsular Malaysia from July 1 to Dec 31, says the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry. Commercial and industrial users will receive a reduction in ICPT surcharge of 1 sen/kWh from July to December 2024.