Energy Update | Week 4 – Oct 2025: Santee Cooper Nuclear Revival, UAE Solar Mega-Project & CATL Battery Boom
Energy Future: Powering Tomorrow’s Cleaner World
Peter Kelly-Detwiler
Energy Future: Powering Tomorrow's Cleaner World explores the transformation of global power, sustainability, and innovation. Listen to the podcast on:
1.) South Carolina’s government-run power company Santee Cooper selects Canadian private equity firm Brookfield as its partner in resuming construction of the abandoned 2,300 MW V.C. Summer nuclear plant.
2.) The United Arab Emirates starts construction on $6 bn 5.2GW solar PV plant in tandem with a 19 gigawatt-hour battery storage system to provide 1GW of continuous baseload renewable power at competitive rates.
3.) The Mobility House and Itron announce initiative in New York State to accelerate fleet electrification, using flexible service connections taking distribution system capacity into account. This will be done by managing charging capacity limits at specific times, based on system limitations. Phase 1 will involve five school bus five chargers on Staten Island. Phase 2 will activate ten chargers a designated second site elsewhere in New York State.
4.) Battery recycling and cathode production company Redwood Materials raises $350 million for company’s energy storage business, and growing its refining and materials production capacity. Redwood recovers over 70% of all used or discarded EV battery packs in North America.
5.) Global Chinese battery market leader CATL has deployed 700 battery replacement stations in 39 cities across China. In those cities, drivers can access a swap station within a ten-minute drive and exchange their batteries in under 100 seconds.
6.) China’s Mingyang Smart Energy rolls out plans for a twin-headed 50 MW floating offshore wind turbine, supported with a V-shaped tower boasting twin 290-metre rotors.
7.) Joint venture BP and JERA joint venture cancels 2,430 MW Beacon Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts, laying off all staff team members.