Energy, Utilities & Environment

Kuala Lumpur – October 17, 2026 -- Founder Energy Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed Founder Group Limited (FGL), has signed a turn-key EPCC contract worth approximately RM5.58 million (US$1.37 million) to build a 1.78 MW-peak rooftop solar system for a shrimp farming and processing facility in Ayer Hitam, Kedah.

The deal is Founder Group's second solar project for the agricultural sector. It follows a shrimp farm project in Terengganu and is the company's first to combine an integrated shrimp farm with a processing plant.

Kuala Lumpur – October 17, 2026 -- Founder Energy Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed Founder Group Limited (FGL), has been engaged as subcontractor for a 29.99MWac large-scale solar photovoltaic facility in Daerah Kuala Muda, Kedah, in a deal valued at RM6.05 million (approximately US$1.5 million).

The award falls under Malaysia's Corporate Green Power Programme (CGPP), a national mechanism that lets corporates procure renewable energy directly from large-scale solar developers via the grid.

Founder Energy takes on procurement, installation and commissioning scope

Under the letter of award, Founder Energy covers procurement, electrical and mechanical installation, and commissioning of the facility. Major equipment is excluded and will be purchased directly by the main contractor.

Kuala Lumpur – – October 17, 2026 -- Nasdaq-listed Founder Group Limited (FGL) has completed the acquisition of a 19.90% equity interest in Nichcom Go Sdn. Bhd., the Malaysian charge point operator behind the SpacePlus EV charging brand. Financial terms were not disclosed in the announcement.

Malaysia's charger rollout trails its 2025 target by more than 3,500 units

The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) reported 6,416 EV chargers installed nationwide as of May 31, 2026: 2,143 DC chargers and 4,273 AC chargers. That is short of the original 10,000-unit target set for 2025. The National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) now targets 30,000 public charging stations by 2030, roughly five times today's installed base.

Kuala Lumpur – October 17, 2026 -- Nasdaq-listed Founder Group Limited (FGL) is tendering through its subsidiary Founder Energy Sdn. Bhd. for projects under Malaysia's Large-Scale Solar 6 (LSS6) programme, which is expected to draw RM13 billion to RM15 billion (US$3.2 billion to US$3.7 billion) in private investment.

PETRA offers 2,500MW of solar and 1,250MW of battery storage under LSS6

The Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) launched LSS6 in July 2026. The quota covers 2,500MW of solar capacity paired with 1,250MW of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity. A further 150MW of solar capacity is reserved for Bumiputera companies in Peninsular Malaysia.

Shangrao – October 17, 2026 -- JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE: JKS) unveiled Tiger Neo 5.0, an all-black residential module that delivers 510 W maximum power at 25.52% module efficiency, roughly 30 W more than conventional back-contact (BC) products.

First 48-cell all-black version targets premium rooftops

The first Tiger Neo 5.0 version to reach the market is an all-black 48-cell module. JinkoSolar designed it for premium homes and other architecturally refined residences, where appearance weighs alongside output. The module has a deeper and more uniform black finish than conventional BC modules, which the company says helps it blend into dark-colored rooftops.

Vancouver – October 17, 2026 -- Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) will review its third-quarter 2026 operating results in a conference call on Monday, October 17, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time (10:00 a.m. Eastern Time).

Ballard opens Q3 call to investors by phone and webcast

Participants in Canada and the United States can join the live call through a toll-free dial-in line. A live webcast will also run through a link on the homepage of Ballard's website, in the 'Latest News' section.

Webcast to stay available in the Investor Hub after the call

After the call ends, Ballard will post a link to the webcast in the 'Investor Hub' area of the 'Investors' section of its website. Investors who cannot attend live can review the discussion of the quarterly results there.

Atlanta – October 16, 2026 -- Cox Enterprises awarded $30,000 grants from the James M. Cox Foundation to each of its three 2026 Cox Conserves Heroes: David Schick, Nithya Tammana and Detroit Hives. Each winner directs the funds to an environmental nonprofit of their choice.

The winners were announced at a ceremony on Oct. 14. Since 2008, the program has recognized more than 200 individuals and nonprofits. Its criteria align with Cox's corporate goals to save energy and water, reduce waste, and protect and restore natural habitats and species.

Cox pledges 1 billion pounds of plastic diversion by 2034

The awards come as Cox widens its environmental agenda. In 2026, the company added habitat and species protection to its existing goals on water, waste and carbon. Cox has invested $3 billion in cleantech businesses and, with the James M. Cox Foundation, contributed more than $800 million to philanthropic causes.

By 2034, Cox aims to:

Los Angeles – October 16, 2026 -- California approved 433 oil well drilling permits in the first nine months of 2026, a 277% jump over the 115 approved across all of 2023 through 2025, according to analysis by Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance of state data.

Approvals rose another 22.7% between the first half of the year and the first nine months. The figures come from the California Department of Geological Energy Management (CalGEM).

New-well approvals climb from 2 to 80 in a year

Permits for new well drilling reached 80 in the third quarter of 2026, up from two in the same quarter of 2025. Permits to rework or redrill existing wells fell only slightly, and well plugging dropped 5.2% against the third quarter of 2025.

San Francisco – October 16, 2026 -- Novogradac will convene attorneys, developers, investors, lenders, tax insurance providers and advisors at the Fairmont Washington, D.C. Georgetown on Nov. 5-6 for its 2026 Fall Renewable Energy Tax Credits Conference, held immediately after the 2026 mid-term elections.

Federal policy changes drive the agenda

Sessions will cover recent federal developments affecting clean energy tax incentives, technical tax considerations in deal execution, and the evolving clean energy development landscape. Further topics include what is driving investor interest in certain properties and tax equity structures.

Conference chair Tony Grappone, a partner in Novogradac's North Andover, Massachusetts, office, said the renewable energy tax credit (RETC) sector has been shaped this year by "major changes in federal policy and guidance."

Houston – October 16, 2026 -- The 2026 Gulf Energy Information Excellence Awards drew a record 560 nominations, the most in the program's history, and presented 44 awards across the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors at a black-tie gala at The Post Oak Hotel.

AI wins Best Digital Transformation in all three sectors

Artificial intelligence earned Best Digital Transformation honors in the upstream, midstream and downstream categories. Lower-carbon work in ammonia, hydrogen and CO2 recovery was recognized alongside advances in drilling, deepwater and pipeline integrity.

The individual awards covered careers at every stage, from the industry's most promising engineers to lifetime achievers.