Energy, Utilities & Environment

Boca Raton – September 16, 2026 -- The national average price of diesel hit an all-time high of $5.85 a gallon on September 16, 2026, according to AAA, then climbed further to $5.9015 three days later, surpassing the previous record set in June 2022.

Diesel prices have risen more than 50% since the outbreak of war with Iran

A year ago the same gallon cost $3.71; on the eve of the conflict it cost $3.76. Six months of disrupted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and crude trading near $90 a barrel have added more than two dollars to a fuel that powers freight, agriculture, construction and a large share of the country's backup and off-grid electricity.

Madison, Wis. – September 16, 2026 -- Everlight Solar has been named a 2026 1-Star Champion in the Fleet category by Dane County's Climate Champions Program, marking its fourth recognition under the initiative since 2021.

Everlight Solar now operates 14 electric vehicles across its regional operations

The fleet supports company teams traveling to job sites and community events throughout the Dane County area. The 2026 designation builds on a 2025 Climate Champion recognition earned after the company converted 25-50% of its vehicles to clean energy.

Company's climate track record spans five years of escalating recognition

Dane County first named Everlight Solar an Emerging Climate Champion in Fleet Operations in 2023. In 2021, the company received Climate Champion Catalyst status for helping other local organizations take climate action.

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – September 16, 2026 -- RTI International has opened a $14 million expansion of its Pilot Xcelerator platform, doubling the independent research institute's commercialization infrastructure for energy and industrial technology startups.

Expansion doubles pilot-scale capacity in North Carolina

The 25,000-square-foot facility on RTI's Research Triangle Park campus gives innovators access to pilot infrastructure, engineering expertise and independent scientific validation to bridge the gap between lab research and commercial deployment. RTI describes the Pilot Xcelerator as the only privately owned industrial pilot laboratory in North Carolina.

Seoul, South Korea – September 16, 2026 -- HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will invest a combined KRW 1.0722 trillion to build a new land-based power generation engine plant and a dedicated small modular reactor (SMR) equipment facility, both in Ulsan, as it races to capture surging power demand from AI data centers.

New 3 GW engine facility targets 2028 startup in Ulsan

The company will spend KRW 833.6 billion on a 215,000-square-meter production complex in Onsan-eup, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, dedicated to HiMSEN engines for land-based power generation. The site will include engine assembly and testing, crankshaft machining, and engine block casting operations. Construction starts in the first quarter of next year, with completion targeted for May 2028 and full-scale operations to follow.

Vancouver, BC – September 16, 2026 -- Falcon Gold Corp. (TSXV: FG) has commenced field exploration at its West Hammond Contact Property in northwestern Ontario, a 156-claim, 3,068-hectare land package within the Atikokan–Hammond Reef Gold District.

Falcon targets satellite gold systems near a multi-million-ounce deposit

The West Hammond program sits adjacent to Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef deposit, which holds approximately 3.3 million ounces of probable gold reserves and an additional 2.3 million ounces of measured and indicated resources as of September 16, 2026, according to Agnico Eagle's public disclosure. Gold was first discovered at Hammond Reef in 1895, and the deposit was subsequently advanced by Brett Resources and Osisko before entering Agnico Eagle's portfolio. It has received federal and provincial environmental approvals, though additional permits and a construction decision are still required.

Oslo – September 16, 2026 -- Nel ASA (OSE: NEL) has signed a framework agreement with Hydrasun to build a dedicated European assembly and integration facility for its modular MC Series PEM electrolyser platform, adding capacity beyond its existing US operations.

Hydrasun will integrate balance-of-plant systems while Nel retains stack production in Connecticut

Under the agreement, Hydrasun will procure, integrate, and manufacture the balance of plant systems surrounding Nel's electrolyser stacks, delivering a fully integrated, containerized offering. Stack production remains at Nel's Wallingford, Connecticut facility in the US, with Hydrasun handling final assembly for European markets.

Wiesbaden – September 16, 2026 -- Germany's annual inflation rate climbed to 2.9% in August 2026, up from 2.8% in July and 2.3% in June, driven largely by an energy price shock tied to the Iran war, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) confirmed. Consumer prices rose 0.2% month-on-month, matching the preliminary reading.

Energy prices post the sharpest annual jump in over three years

Overall energy costs rose 10.5% year-on-year in August, up from 8.3% in July, marking the steepest increase since February 2023's 19.1% spike. Fuel prices led the surge, up 27.7% year-on-year and 3.1% month-on-month, with diesel climbing 6.4% and premium gasoline 2.1% versus July. Light heating oil rose 49.6% annually and 6.5% on the month.

Gothenburg – September 16, 2026 -- Volvo Group will develop an energy park near its planned Mariestad battery cell production site, initially providing approximately 70 MW/260 MWh of battery storage capacity, making it one of the largest energy parks in Sweden.

Volvo Group commits to 70 MW/260 MWh storage capacity as first development phase

The energy park will grow along two parallel tracks: a large-scale battery storage facility using Volvo Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) from Volvo Energy, and a future test bed for developing new energy solutions. The facility is expected to become operational during 2027.

Berlin – September 16, 2026 -- The Mittelplate oil platform in the UNESCO Wadden Sea World Heritage site generated just 0.2 percent of Schleswig-Holstein's state budget in 2025, according to a new analysis by German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH).

Harbour Energy paid 45 million euros in extraction levies against a 21.9 billion euro state budget

British operator Harbour Energy paid 45 million euros in so-called extraction levies to the state of Schleswig-Holstein for 2025 oil production at Mittelplate. Measured against the state's total budget revenue of roughly 21.9 billion euros, that payment amounts to only about 0.2 percent, DUH said. The analysis draws on new figures Harbour Energy submitted during an ongoing court case brought by DUH against the platform's main operating plan.

Brussels – September 16, 2026 -- Committed investment in clean hydrogen has surpassed USD 130 billion globally, backing 6.9 Mtpa of capacity across more than 570 projects, according to the Hydrogen Council's Global Hydrogen Compass 2026 report co-authored with McKinsey & Company.

Ninety percent of tracked projects are already under construction or operational

Global operational capacity nearly doubled over the past year and is projected to double again in 2027 as projects under construction come online, the report states. The analysis draws on data from over 570 projects and perspectives from roughly 70 global CEOs.