Sep 25, 2026 · Energy & Climate Daily Digest
Energy and climate highlights compiled for September 25, 2026, with summaries, links, and brief commentary.
I. Policy & Carbon Markets
1. WTO agrees to panel reviewing the EU carbon border levy (Carbon Markets)
Summary:
On September 25, the World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body agreed to Russia’s second request to establish a panel examining whether the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and related Emissions Trading System (ETS) allowance allocations comply with WTO rules (case DS639). Russia argues CBAM creates trade barriers for covered imports and that ETS free allowances amount to an export subsidy; the EU said it will participate to defend the rules-based trading system and expressed confidence that CBAM and the ETS are WTO-consistent. More than a dozen members—including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States—reserved third-party rights.
Links:
- WTO — Panel to review EU CBAM and emissions trading scheme
- Reuters — WTO agrees to Russia's panel request on EU carbon border levy
Commentary:
Carbon border taxes now have a litigation calendar—climate tools and trade rules are finally on the same docket.
2. Experts say China’s national ETS will expand to chemicals and petrochemicals by 2030, covering over 75% of emissions (Carbon Markets)
Summary:
China News Service reported on September 25 that at an international power-sector carbon accounting meeting in Chongli, Hebei, Zhang Xiliang, director of Tsinghua University’s Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy, said China’s carbon market already covers power, steel, cement and aluminium smelting, and will further expand to chemicals, petrochemicals and other sectors before 2030, covering more than 75% of national CO2 emissions. The China Electricity Council also said its three-year power carbon-footprint factor work showed the national average power carbon-footprint factor fell 6.9% in 2024 versus 2023, and that seven national power carbon-footprint quantification standards issued in July 2026 take effect on February 1, 2027.
Links:
- China News Service — National carbon market coverage to expand further in the 15th Five-Year Plan period
- 21jingji — National carbon market coverage set to expand further
Commentary:
Expansion timelines matter more than slogans—once chemicals and petrochemicals join, carbon prices hit manufacturing cost curves for real.
3. Report: After the Iran war, ASEAN’s big six issued more renewable than fossil-fuel policies (Policy)
Summary:
The Business Times reported on September 25 that Zero Carbon Analytics found Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam introduced 37 renewable-energy and electrification policies since the Iran war began, versus 29 fossil-fuel policies; including biofuel and new nuclear measures, the six economies unveiled 73 energy policies between February 28 and August 31, 2026. Some 65% of the clean-energy measures have implementation windows longer than three years, versus 21% of fossil policies; solar accounted for 18 measures and storage for seven. Examples include Indonesia’s pledge to install 100 GW of solar over three years and Singapore’s raised 2030 solar target of 3 GWp.
Links:
Commentary:
Patch oil in the short run, pave solar for the long run—security shocks are resetting ASEAN’s policy clock toward distributed renewables.
II. Clean Power & Storage
4. Greenvolt starts construction of a 600 MW/2.4 GWh battery project in Poland (Storage)
Summary:
Greenvolt Group’s Greenvolt Power said on September 25 that construction has begun on the Siedlce battery energy storage system in Poland—600 MW / 2.4 GWh—slated to be the country’s largest and one of Europe’s largest BESS assets, with commercial operation targeted by end-2027. BYD Energy Storage will supply the technology across 210 battery containers and 105 transformer/PCS containers; Greenvolt cites a probability-weighted Poland BESS pipeline of about 2.4 GW. Together with Turośń Kościelna (200 MW/800 MWh, operating since July 2026) and Ełk (same size, due in Q4 2026), the three projects would total 1 GW / 4 GWh.
Links:
Commentary:
Poland is rewriting wind and solar volatility as dispatchable capacity—Europe’s storage race has moved from pilots to gigawatt delivery.
5. Bulgaria’s battery fleet jumps to about 5.7 GW in under two years (Storage)
Summary:
Deutsche Welle reported on September 25 that Bulgaria’s battery capacity rose from near zero to nearly a quarter of total installed power capacity in less than two years; the Energy Ministry told AFP it has reached 5.7 GW, after ENTSO-E data showed a rise from about 1.66 GW to 5.4 GW in eight months. Drivers include roughly €700 million in NextGenerationEU/RESTORE funding for 113 projects plus about €2 billion in private capital. Batteries charged on cheap or negative midday prices and discharged into evening peaks, stabilizing neighboring grids—while experts warn conventional generators lose peak revenue and rising capacity may cannibalize returns.
Links:
Commentary:
Fast permits and fat spreads can turn a small country into a regional battery hub—the next test is whether ancillary services can lock in returns.
6. More than 140,000 California home batteries deliver 580 MW to the grid (Storage)
Summary:
Electronics For You reported on September 25, citing Sunrun and Tesla, that on the evening of September 9 more than 140,000 residential batteries ran as a virtual power plant for three hours and delivered 580 MW to California’s grid—about 110,000 Tesla Powerwalls contributing 517 MW and more than 30,000 other Sunrun batteries adding 63 MW. Dispatch ran through the California Energy Commission’s DSGS and the CPUC’s ELRP after CAISO day-ahead prices exceeded $200/MWh; a follow-up on September 10 sent more than 140 MW to Southern California Edison. The companies called it the largest residential battery dispatch of its kind.
Links:
Commentary:
Peaker substitutes are landing in living rooms—but only if compensation programs exist, not if households are asked to donate grid services.
7. Delta Capacity and Sungrow advance two Finnish BESS projects totaling 600 MWh (Storage)
Summary:
ESS News reported on September 25 that Swiss developer Delta Capacity has started construction on the Kärppiö project in Teuva, western Finland (125 MW / 300 MWh), with Sungrow supplying the BESS, NEPower handling balance-of-plant and substation works, commissioning planned for Q4 2027, and a partial tolling agreement with Centrica Energy. The AKKU One project in Lapinlahti is the same size; together the two sites total 600 MWh. Sungrow said its earlier 1 GWh framework agreement with Delta Capacity has now been fulfilled through these supplies.
Links:
Commentary:
Nordic storage is stacking tolling plus spot trading—OEM framework deals are being digested project by project.
III. Climate & Disasters
8. Nepal’s PM tells the UN a “Himalayan tsunami” demands grant-based climate finance (Disaster)
Summary:
Coverage dated September 25 shows Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah told the UN General Assembly general debate that the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli glacier-related flood about four weeks earlier—a “Himalayan Tsunami”—killed at least 1,400 people, left more than 6,000 missing, and created reconstruction needs estimated at around 10% of GDP. He stressed Nepal contributes less than 0.1% of global GHG emissions yet repeatedly borrows to rebuild, calling for grant-based support rather than “another mega loan,” and proposing a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism led by Nepal, India and China to share satellite data, monitor dangerous glacial lakes and strengthen cross-border early warning.
Links:
- UN News — Nepal PM urges climate justice after ‘Himalayan tsunami’
- The Guardian — Nepal PM says flash flood was ‘warning to world’
Commentary:
If loss-and-damage finance stays a paperwork maze, the next Himalayan warning will only get louder.
9. Hurricane Polo lashes Mexico’s southwest coast as Nolo strengthens toward Hawaii (Disaster)
Summary:
Al Jazeera reported on September 25 that Hurricane Polo fluctuated between Category 4 and 5 along Mexico’s southwestern coast, with the National Hurricane Center expecting a return to Category 5 on Friday and the greatest threat to Guerrero and Michoacán; Mexico deployed about 15,000 security personnel and opened shelters. Hurricane Nolo became a hurricane Thursday night and is turning toward Hawaii’s Big Island, with forecasts of 15–30 inches (38–76 cm) of rain and life-threatening flood risk for Maui; the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating more than 230 National Guard members and closing schools for the week. Forecasters noted Hawaii’s third hurricane watch of the year amid an El Niño-fueled active tropical season.
Links:
Commentary:
Both sides of the Pacific took hits the same day—climate risk is now written as real-time evacuation orders.
IV. Oil Shock & Transition
10. Analysis: The Iran war unexpectedly cuts global oil demand; IEA sees a 2.5% drop this year (Oil & Gas)
Summary:
Business Report on September 25 summarized Washington Post reporting that disruption of oil and gas production and transport from the Iran conflict has sharply reduced fossil-fuel use. IEA data indicate global oil demand is now expected to fall 2.5% in 2026 versus 2025—roughly the emissions of about 42 million internal-combustion vehicles—while the gap versus January growth forecasts equates to about 103 million cars. Shortages and high prices are pushing some consumers toward hybrids and EVs and toward renewables, nuclear and heat pumps; analysts disagree on how permanent “demand destruction” will be, with many forecasts showing a rebound toward pre-conflict levels in 2027, while DNV warns longer conflict raises the odds of structural change.
Links:
Commentary:
Emissions cuts bought by war are not a strategy—the real question is whether destroyed demand stays destroyed after the shock fades.
Today's Summary
- The WTO formally opened a panel track on the EU’s CBAM, putting carbon-border rules into multilateral adjudication.
- China’s ETS expansion path into chemicals and petrochemicals was restated, while ASEAN accelerated longer-horizon renewable policies under oil-price stress.
- Poland, Bulgaria, Finland and California, at different scales, showed storage moving from add-on kit to a core grid tool.
- Nepal’s UN appeal and twin Pacific hurricanes pushed loss-and-damage finance and extreme-weather response back to center stage.
Daily Framing:
Today in the energy-and-climate cycle was a “carbon rules in court, storage racing to build” day—trade carbon barriers went to panel, Asian market expansion and gigawatt-scale batteries shared the frame, while Himalayan and Pacific disasters reminded everyone that finance and physical resilience still lag the speed of impact.
This digest is compiled from real-time search results and is for reference only.