In brief | 16 April ‘26
European Commission: EU approves state aid schemes providing temporary industry electricity price relief
Commission grants schemes for energy-intensive companies in Germany (€3.8bln), Bulgaria (€334mln) and Slovenia (€90mln) on condition to reinvest aid received in decarbonisation.
The Parliament: Europe’s new energy crisis fuels a green 'told you so'
The war in Iran has already added 22 billion euros to the EU’s fossil fuel bill. Climate campaigners say much of it could have been avoided.
Euractiv: Brussels faces pushback over bid to fast-track grids package
European Commission hoped to ‘exploit’ latest energy crisis to bolster its case for centralised electricity network planning.
Bloomberg: Defence firms are asking EIB for help navigating energy crisis
Companies are looking into PPAs with renewables providers, investing in their own plants, including solar, and exploring small nuclear reactors to make firms more resilient.
CNBC: Iran war sparks “fundamental energy transition” in Seoul toward renewables, energy minister says
South Korea commits to achieving 100 GW of renewables by 2030, from a current total capacity of only 37 GW.
Bloomberg: European clean tech investors make the case for geothermal
The energy source is emissions-free, reliable and can’t easily be attacked by adversaries.
T&E: What the future of the Renewable Energy Directive should look like
EU must maintain sectoral targets across transport, industry, heating and cooling, and buildings, to ensure clear decarbonisation pathways and strong demand signals.
LSE: The macroeconomic case for investing in climate adaptation
Report provides synthesis of the economic and fiscal risks arising from physical climate change and the economic case for investing in adaptation to climate impacts.
Euronews: Almost like Lake Como: Germany transforms former coal mines into Europe's largest lake landscape
Eastern Germany's mega complex of artificial lakes created from disused coal mines will reach a new milestone this summer.
ICAP: Global emissions trading continues to expand and mature despite a turbulent geopolitical landscape
The 2026 edition of the ICAP Status Report: Emissions Trading Worldwide showed that 41 emissions trading systems (ETS) are now in force worldwide, covering 26 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.