Energy & Environment

China-Built Waste Plant Ends Bishkek's Garbage Crisis, Powers Grid

Bishkek – September 20, 2026 -- Central Asia's first waste-to-energy incineration plant has begun cutting Bishkek's household waste stream by 1,000 tons a day, supplying 146 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually to the Kyrgyz grid and reducing carbon emissions by up to 100,000 tons a year.

Plant ends five decades of landfill overflow around Kyrgyzstan's capital

For decades Bishkek relied on a single municipal landfill that was expanded six times as the population grew, leaving residents to contend with accumulating garbage, odors and dust. The China-Kyrgyzstan waste treatment and power generation project, which began commercial operations at the end of 2025, was developed to address the deficit. The facility currently processes 1,000 tons of household waste daily against an overall planned capacity of 3,000 tons.

Daikin Details Electrification, Refrigerant Plans at Climate Week NYC 2026

New York – September 20, 2026 -- Daikin U.S. Corporation will send executives to seven sessions during Climate Week NYC 2026, positioning its HVAC and refrigerant technology as a response to rising electricity demand and grid strain.

Daikin executives headline flagship grid-reliability panel on September 21

David Calabrese, Executive Vice President of Daikin U.S. Corporation, will join the Hub Live Flagship Session "Strait Talk, Reality Check: How Do We Keep the Lights on in an Uncertain World?" at The Glasshouse on September 21 at 1:00 p.m. Calabrese said buildings need smarter energy management and efficient HVAC technology to manage demand as electrification accelerates, rather than relying solely on new energy production.

SOCO Launches ODORSORB-101 to Chemically Capture Industrial Odors

Qingdao – September 19, 2026 -- Qingdao SOCO New Material Co., Ltd. has launched ODORSORB-101, a plant-based liquid formulated to chemically capture nitrogen- and sulfur-based odor compounds at industrial and municipal sites rather than mask them.

Product targets ammonia, sulfide and amine compounds at the source

ODORSORB-101 is engineered to capture and lock odor-causing molecules including ammonia, methylamine, trimethylamine, hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans and sulfides, reducing their volatility and limiting re-release into surrounding air. These compounds are commonly generated at wastewater plants, sludge and leachate ponds, manure storage and organic waste sites.

Madison Energy Launches $2B Push for 1 GW Distributed Power by 2028

New York – September 19, 2026 -- Madison Energy Infrastructure has launched a Community Infrastructure initiative to mobilize up to $2 billion in capital, targeting an additional 1 gigawatt of distributed energy capacity by 2028 as AI-driven power demand strains the U.S. grid.

Madison plans to double its energy footprint within two years

The company's operating portfolio is expected to surpass 1 GW later this fall, and the new initiative aims to add another gigawatt by 2028, effectively doubling Madison's infrastructure footprint. The buildout will draw on Madison's utility relationships, national project pipeline, and its network of regional developers through AccelDev.

PBT Declares $0.0196 Unit Payout as Waddell Ranch Costs Persist

Dallas – September 19, 2026 -- Argent Trust Company, as Trustee of the Permian Basin Royalty Trust (NYSE: PBT), declared a cash distribution of $0.019593 per unit, payable October 15, 2026, to unitholders of record September 30, 2026. The payout excludes any proceeds from the Waddell Ranch properties after production costs exceeded gross proceeds in August, extending a continuing excess cost position on those assets.

August Distribution Rises on Lower Trust Expenses

This month's per-unit distribution increased from the prior month primarily due to a decrease in Trust expenses. That gain was partially offset by lower oil and natural gas volumes and weaker oil pricing at the Texas Royalty Properties, even as natural gas pricing improved.

Cross Timbers Royalty Trust Declares $0.064277 September Distribution

Dallas – September 19, 2026 -- Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (NYSE: CRT) declared a cash distribution of $0.064277 per unit, payable October 15, 2026, to unitholders of record as of September 30, 2026.

Texas working interest costs climb by $277,000

Argent Trust Company, acting as Trustee, said XTO Energy reported that excess costs on properties underlying the Texas Working Interest net profits interests rose by $277,000. The increase did not reduce net proceeds from the Trust's remaining conveyances. Cumulative excess costs on the Texas Working Interest net profits interests now total $6,332,000, including $1,762,000 in accrued interest.

Petrobras Accepts Seagems Bid for Vessel in 2028 PLSV Tender

Hamilton – September 19, 2026 -- Paratus Energy Services Ltd. confirmed that Petrobras has accepted a bid submitted by its Seagems joint venture for a third-party vessel under the state oil company's ongoing pipe-laying support vessel (PLSV) tender process for contracts starting in 2028.

Petrobras Publishes Partial Tender Results Favoring Seagems Bid

Petrobras has issued partial results from the tender, confirming acceptance of the bid covering the third-party vessel. The award remains subject to a formal Petrobras contract decision and the execution of definitive agreements between the parties.

78% of US Utilities Deploy AI as Grid Reliability Tops Net-Zero Priority

Boston – September 19, 2026 -- Seventy-eight percent of U.S. utility innovation leaders are now deploying or operationalizing artificial intelligence to manage interconnection demand, as AI data centers strain power grids nationwide, according to National Grid Partners' third annual Utility Innovation Survey.

Grid reliability overtakes net-zero as the industry's top concern

The survey found 74% of respondents say AI-driven data center load growth is already impacting grid reliability. When ranking organizational priorities, 73% of utility leaders placed reliability in their top three, up sharply from 43% in 2025. Net-zero goals, by contrast, fell from 54% to just 16% over the same period.

Sungrow, be.storaged Ink Deal for 1.6 GWh of German BESS Projects

Munich and Oldenburg, Germany – September 19, 2026 -- Sungrow Deutschland GmbH and be.storaged GmbH have signed a framework agreement to jointly deliver battery energy storage system (BESS) projects with a planned pipeline of 1.6 GWh over the next two years in Germany.

Framework agreement standardizes gigawatt-hour scale storage delivery

The deal extends an existing partnership between the two companies, setting standardized processes, coordinated technical solutions, and early joint planning to accelerate project execution and cut coordination requirements. Dr Magnus Pielke, Managing Director of be.storaged, said the agreement establishes a long-term partnership enabling both firms to standardize BESS projects at gigawatt-hour scale and respond faster to regulatory changes.

PolyGone Systems Filter Captures 98% of Microplastics, Featured on PBS

Los Angeles – September 19, 2026 -- PolyGone Systems has developed a biomimetic filtration media that captures up to 98% of microplastic particles down to the nanoscale, using a gravity-driven, low-energy process designed to fit into existing municipal and industrial water treatment infrastructure.

PolyGone rejects size-restrictive filtration in favor of material-affinity capture

Rather than relying on mechanical barriers that filter by particle size and are prone to clogging, PolyGone's system uses materials engineered to naturally attract and isolate microscopic plastic fragments. The company states this approach allows treatment operators to remove contaminants without the high energy costs or operational disruption associated with conventional fine-filtration equipment.