Energy, Utilities & Environment

NEW YORK – November 01, 2026 -- The Nest Campus CEO Peter Gilmer says AI's electricity and water consumption must be addressed while its benefits are scaled, in a new episode of Planet Classroom's "AI for a Better World" series hosted by C. M. (Cathy) Rubin.

Gilmer cites billions flowing into clean energy and climate innovation

The episode, titled "Can AI Save the Planet? The Billions Fighting Climate Change," examines why clean energy, energy security and climate innovation are drawing major investment. Gilmer discusses how that capital could speed the transition to a more sustainable energy system. The source gives no specific investment totals.

TORONTO – October 31, 2026 -- PowerBank Corporation (NASDAQ: PBK) shareholders approved a special resolution to consolidate the company's issued and outstanding shares at the annual general meeting held in Toronto on October 29, 2026, with the ratio to be determined by the directors.

All nominees listed in the management information circular dated September 23, 2026 were elected as directors. Shareholders also voted to appoint Deloitte LLP as auditors.

Shareholders let the board set the share consolidation ratio

The resolution amends the company's articles to allow the consolidation on a ratio the board will fix, as set out in the circular. The release does not disclose the ratio, an effective date or vote tallies for the resolution.

European Union – October 31, 2026 -- EU underground gas storage stood at 75% of capacity on 21 October 2026, and the upper-bound cost of refilling it this year reached €27 billion, according to the latest gas Monitoring Report from the EU energy regulators' agency ACER.

Slow refill began from a lower starting point than in 2025

Storage ended winter 2025-2026 at 28% of capacity, down from 34% a year earlier. Disrupted liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows linked to the Middle East conflict slowed the refill further. EU stocks remain below historical levels. The average cost of injected gas was the second highest in the past decade.

Europe – October 31, 2026 -- Switching to dynamic pricing and shifting consumption to cheaper periods could have saved EU households an average of 20%, or about €120, on electricity bills in 2025, according to ACER analysis in its 2026 Monitoring Report on retail energy markets.

Household bills stay elevated after the 2022 crisis

Retail prices rose sharply after the 2022 energy crisis and have not eased. In 2025, EU households spent an average of €840 on electricity and €1,170 on gas. Electricity spending ranges from 1.2% to 3.9% of national median income across the EU, depending on prices, consumption and household income.

Electricity-to-gas price gap blunts the case for electrification

Electricity remains relatively expensive compared with gas, which discourages households from switching to electric technologies. Network charges, taxes and upfront costs often widen the gap further.

SHENZHEN – October 31, 2026 -- SKYWORTH Solar has launched Solavita, a global brand that consolidates its smart microgrid portfolio into four product lines covering residential, commercial, utility and portable applications.

Solavita targets grid flexibility demand across home, business and utility segments

The company cites the International Energy Agency's 2026 mid-year electricity update, which stresses flexible resources and more efficient use of infrastructure as renewable generation expands. Customer priorities differ by market: controlling electricity costs, using more local solar power, or keeping essential loads running where grid supply is unreliable.

Chairman Fan Ruiwu said the company's focus is on the value the systems provide "throughout their life," and that SKYWORTH will work with local partners to adapt delivery to each market.

Caracas – October 31, 2026 -- North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) will raise its in-country Venezuelan fleet to 41 of the 60 rigs it announced earlier this month, as production reached 223,509 barrels of oil equivalent per day on October 19, up from about 200,000 in August.

NABEP stages nine drilling rigs in Venezuela and ships four more

Three of the nine drilling rigs are active in the Junín 10 block of the Orinoco Belt, and three more will start there soon. The remaining three are being refurbished or moved into position. Four additional rigs are being shipped from Houston, Brazil and Colombia. The rigs will open new production from NABEP's heavy oil reserves and include H&P and NOV models from U.S. manufacturers.

Murfeld/Ceršak – October 31, 2026 -- The EU energy regulators' agency ACER has endorsed a four-year extension, running until November 2029, of the exemption from building physical bi-directional gas capacity at the Murfeld/Ceršak interconnection point between Austria and Slovenia.

ACER issued a favourable Opinion on the decisions by the Austrian and Slovenian national energy regulators to prolong the existing exemption. The Austrian and Slovenian transmission system operators (TSOs) proposed the extension, and the national regulators approved it.

Ireland – October 31, 2026 -- The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) has found Ireland's proposed gas transmission reference price methodology largely compliant with the EU Network Code on Harmonised Transmission Tariff Structures (NC TAR), but says the treatment of the Corrib Linkline fails the criteria for non-transmission tariffs.

ACER confirms compliance on six core EU tariff requirements

The agency concluded that the methodology proposed by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) meets the requirements on cost-reflectivity, transparency, avoidance of cross-subsidisation, non-discrimination, volume risk and prevention of cross-border trade distortions. The criteria for setting the flow-based charge are also met.

European Union – October 31, 2026 -- The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) has approved amended implementation frameworks for the PICASSO and MARI electricity balancing platforms. It adopted Decisions 12/2026 and 13/2026 and added three prequalification options for balancing service providers (BSPs).

ACER received both proposals from all electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) on 18 December 2025. PICASSO coordinates cross-border exchanges of automatically activated balancing energy. MARI coordinates manually activated balancing energy. Both platforms draw on frequency restoration reserves.

European Union – October 31, 2026 -- The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) found that institutional frameworks for hydrogen network planning remain incomplete across Member States, limiting alignment with the EU-wide Ten-Year Network Development Plan (EU TYNDP). The finding comes from its latest Opinion on national gas and hydrogen Network Development Plans (NDPs).

Three gaps limit alignment between national and EU-level plans

ACER reports that alignment varies across Member States and sectors. Gas network planning is well established, while hydrogen planning is still emerging. The agency names three obstacles: