Energy & Environment

Alliant Hires Ex-IRS Commissioner Holly Paz to Lead Section 48 Tax Practice

Houston – September 7, 2026 -- Alliant has hired Holly Paz, the former Commissioner of the IRS's Large Business & International (LB&I) Division, to co-lead its Section 48 and energy infrastructure tax practice, the consulting firm announced.

Paz oversaw IRS implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act's clean energy tax credits

During her tenure at LB&I, Paz directed the agency's rollout of the IRA's investment and production tax credits, which offer businesses, non-profits and government entities up to 50% credit value on qualifying energy projects. The credit structure includes a transferability provision allowing companies to sell credits for cash and a direct-pay option letting tax-exempt entities receive funds directly from the federal government, contingent on meeting prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements.

Clean Energy Hits Record $2.1 Trillion But Emissions Only Plateau

London – September 07, 2026 -- Global clean energy investment reached a record $2.1 trillion in 2025, yet global greenhouse gas emissions are merely plateauing rather than falling, according to the Energy Transitions Commission's (ETC) Energy Transition Monitor 2026. The world has already breached 1.5°C of global heating and remains on track for roughly 2.5°C.

Renewables supplied 99% of new electricity generation growth in 2025

Coal-fired and oil-fired generation both contracted last year as global renewable capacity nearly doubled since 2022, putting it on track to double again by 2030 -- still around 900 GW short of the tripling pledge made at COP28. Because electricity accounts for only a fifth of total final energy use, this surge covered just 40% of the rise in global energy demand, with fossil fuels supplying the remainder as data centres, cooling needs and heavy industry pushed overall consumption higher.

Six Objections Filed in Pleasants Power Plant Bankruptcy Ahead of Sept. 3 Hearing

Belmont, W.Va. – September 07, 2026 -- Six separate objections have been filed in the Chapter 11 case of Omnis Pleasants, LLC, owner of the 1,278-megawatt Pleasants Power Station, ahead of a September 3 hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Karen B. Owens in Wilmington, Delaware.

Four objections come from Omnis and Quantum entities challenging lender protections

Omnis Fuel Technologies, LLC (doing business as Omnis Energy) and Quantum Pleasants, LLC filed four objections disputing whether obligations claimed by lenders TRAG LLC and RG Energy LLC are properly secured by Omnis Pleasants assets. The filings also challenge the proposed sale timetable and the retention of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (US) LLP as bankruptcy counsel, citing the firm's disclosed prior representation of TRAG and RG Energy. The debtor, lenders and HSF Kramer dispute these positions.

S&P Global Completes Sale of Upstream Software Unit to SLB

New York – September 07, 2026 -- S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) has completed the divestiture of its geoscience and petroleum engineering software portfolio to SLB, the oilfield technology company operating in more than 100 countries. Financial terms of the deal, first announced in April 2026, were not disclosed, and S&P Global said the transaction is not expected to materially impact its financial results or those of its Energy division.

SLB absorbs upstream workflow tools while S&P Global retains data distribution rights

Under the agreement, S&P Global Energy will continue supplying its proprietary data through the divested geoscience and petroleum engineering workflow tools now owned by SLB. The arrangement creates a strategic alliance designed to keep customers accessing S&P Global's datasets within the same tools they use for daily upstream operations.

Obama Foundation Becomes Anchor Tenant for Reactivate Solar in Illinois

Chicago – September 07, 2026 -- Reactivate and The Obama Foundation have signed a multi-year agreement making the Foundation the anchor tenant for community solar projects across Illinois, a structure designed to let low-to-moderate income households and small businesses cut utility bills by up to 50%.

Obama Foundation anchors solar portfolio to unlock financing for local subscribers

Under the deal, the Foundation commits to purchasing a portion of solar output from projects developed, owned and operated by Reactivate, a move that stabilizes project economics and frees remaining capacity for subscription by residents and businesses through the Illinois Solar For All program or other regional community solar schemes.

Ascend Analytics Tops 5.2 GW of Battery Storage Under SmartBidder

Boulder, Colo. – September 05, 2026 -- Ascend Analytics now optimizes more than 5.2 gigawatts (GW) of operating battery energy storage capacity through its SmartBidder platform, positioning the firm as the largest independent provider of bid optimization services to the U.S. storage market.

Portfolio spans three ISOs and over 30 customers

The operating fleet includes roughly 4 GW under management in ERCOT, 1 GW in CAISO and 200 megawatts (MW) in PJM, spread across more than 30 customers. Ascend crossed the 5 GW threshold in the second quarter of 2026 following the onboarding of storage assets for California Community Power, a Joint Power Agency, and San Diego Community Power, a Community Choice Aggregator.

Odyssey Energy Raises $74M to Scale Solar Financing in Emerging Markets

Boulder, Colorado – September 04, 2026 -- Odyssey Energy Solutions has secured $74 million in new financing, combining $27 million in equity with $47 million in debt, to expand its platform financing distributed renewable energy projects across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

New investors join round to fund solar and battery procurement infrastructure

The equity tranche drew new backers Broadscale Group, FMO, and Al Mada Ventures, alongside existing investors Union Square Ventures, Equal Ventures, Abstract Ventures, Twelve Below, FJ Labs, MCJ, and Transition Ventures. Debt financing came from British International Investment, BIO, the Facility for Energy Inclusion via Cygnum Capital, and the Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund via TripleJump.

Calumet Cuts SAF Expansion Cost 89% to $137M, Targets 200M Gallons

Indianapolis – September 04, 2026 -- Calumet, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLMT) has slashed the remaining capital requirement for its Montana Renewables sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) expansion to $137 million, down from the $1.2 billion originally contemplated under a Phase 2 plan backed by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Capital spend drops as Calumet repurposes idle refinery equipment

The reduction comes from redeploying a hydrotreater, hydrogen plant and naphtha splitter from the adjacent Calumet Montana Refining (CMR) asphalt facility under a long-term lease, rather than building new capacity from scratch. The tied-in hydrotreater creates a dual-reactor system running in a lower-yield-loss "polishing" configuration instead of standard "cracking" service.

US-Venezuela Pact Gives NABEP Rights to 65 Billion Barrels, $100B Investment

Caracas, Venezuela – September 04, 2026 -- The United States Departments of State and War have struck a deal with North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) that hands the company commercial rights to more than 65 billion barrels of P1 oil reserves in Venezuela, backed by nearly $100 billion in planned investment.

Washington secures a 35% equity stake and discounted crude access

Under the agreement, NABEP retains operating control of the venture while the U.S. government holds rights to a 35% stake in the company and preferential access to purchase 20% of its production at cost. President Donald J. Trump called it "the biggest oil deal in world history" in an announcement on Truth Social, framing it as a mechanism to bring lower fuel prices to American consumers and fiscal stability to Venezuela.

CHINT Unveils 1,000 kV Transformers, SF6-Free Grid Tech at CIGRE 2026

Paris – September 03, 2026 -- CHINT presented a portfolio of high-voltage transformers, SF6-free switchgear and data center power systems at CIGRE 2026, targeting Europe's grid operators as they contend with surging AI-driven electricity demand.

CHINT displays 1,000 kV and 750 kV transformer technology for high-voltage transmission

Under its Green Power Grid & High Voltage lineup, the company showcased 1,000 kV low-loss, low-noise oil-immersed power transformers alongside 750 kV natural ester oil-immersed units. It also presented SF6-free medium- and high-voltage switchgear, including 24 kV, 145 kV and 420 kV SF6-free gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), aimed at cutting environmental impact in grid infrastructure.