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Energy

Energy
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Energy. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Electricity arcs in a cold-environment demonstration of CATL’s sodium-ion battery technology during Auto China 2026 in Beijing on April 25, 2026. Photo: AP Photo
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s CATL touts landmark energy-storage order for sodium-ion batteries

Deal for massive grid storage system shows that CATL has ‘overcome all the challenges in mass-producing sodium-ion batteries’, company says.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Reopen Strait of Hormuz by reframing Iran’s tolls as reconstruction

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China manufacturing

China’s industrial profits hit 6-month high amid Iran war price spikes

Japan

In hot water: Japan’s bathhouses struggle to stay afloat as oil prices spike

“Sentos” have cut operating hours and welcomed fewer customers, with some deciding to fold amid the energy crisis.

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A customer washes his hair at a public bathhouse in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters
Science

China unveils ultra-cheap ‘all-iron flow battery’ for renewable energy storage

Next-generation large-scale energy storage system promises ultra-low cost and record lifespan.

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IPO

China’s solar giant Sungrow revives Hong Kong IPO plan amid clean energy boom

Refiled application comes as a cluster of mainland China companies submits listing documents, signalling a pickup in the city’s IPO pipeline.

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Japan

Japan aims to build world’s largest wind farm. Can it power on by 2035?

The plan calls for wind turbines to supply power to the Izu Islands and Tokyo, with an eventual capacity of 1 gigawatt.

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A wind turbine electric generator for renewable energy in Sakata town, Japan. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Ukraine war

Strikes in Ukraine and Russia kill at least 16 on Chernobyl disaster anniversary

Ukraine’s Zelensky marks 40th anniversary with a warning that Russian attacks risk repeating history.

Science

China builds world’s first ‘coal battery’ with zero emission

New technology developed by Chinese scientists achieves higher energy efficiency than burning while eliminating carbon dioxide emissions.

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China economy

Opinion | For the US dollar, a subtler shift than a ‘petroyuan’ order is underfoot

Talk of a dollar collapse or ‘petroyuan’ order arriving amid the Iran war misses the mark. The larger shift is subtler and no less consequential.

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China’s President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Beijing on April 14. Photo: cnsphoto via Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Trump’s oil crisis is accelerating the end of the fossil fuel era

Ironically for president ‘drill, baby, drill’, this crisis may prove an irreversible tipping point for clean energy.

An oil tanker burns off the coast of Iraq after being hit by an Iranian strike last month amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Photo: AP
Zimbabwe

Tianqi Lithium favours China’s salt lakes over Africa amid resource nationalism

In response to Zimbabwe’s export ban, two Chinese companies have promised to build a domestic lithium sulphate plant.

Fukushima nuclear disaster and water release

Editorial | Learn from Chernobyl as the world turns to nuclear energy again

Forty years on, the legacy of Chernobyl is a reminder that energy security cannot come at the expense of public trust.

US, Israel war on Iran

US uses unusual routes to send jet fuel to Asia bases as Hormuz stays shut

The shipments to Subic Bay and Yokose add to a growing trend of US military fuel heading to regions that typically rely on Mideast supplies.

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A Philippine Navy frigate is docked at Subic Bay in Zambales province. Photo: Jeoffrey Maitem
China-Africa relations

China and resource-rich Mozambique sign minerals and security agreement

The two countries are set to survey rare earth elements while strengthening security ties in Mozambique’s conflict-ridden north.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo hold talks in Beijing on April 21. Photo: AP
Japan

As oil costs soar, Japan’s bathhouses struggle to keep heads above water

A shrinking customer base and ageing owners also threaten the survival of these neighbourhood social hubs.

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China economy

Opinion | Why Beijing is going all in on tokens – and what it really wants

Export of tokens not only embeds China’s energy advantage into global AI systems, it pulls the value chain deeper into the country’s interior.

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Indonesia

Mixed bag: Indonesia’s 8% growth dream hits a plastic ceiling

Soaring packaging costs amid the Iran war hint at a deeper malaise as the middle class contracts and growth hits a plateau.

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A woman shops for vegetables in Depok, Indonesia, earlier this month near a sign asking customers to bring their own shopping bags. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

US sanctions China-based oil refinery and 40 shippers over Iran oil

Hengli Petrochemical’s facility in Dalian can process 400,000 barrels per day, making it one of the biggest independent refineries in China.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers target global expansion at Auto China amid energy shock

Most carmakers taking part in the exhibition have either debuted models designed for export markets or announced expansion plans.

China energy security

Why China is spending billions on a robot army to run its power grid

China’s grid operators plan to purchase thousands of robots in 2026 alone, including devices to inspect and maintain vital infrastructure.

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An employee of China Southern Power Grid demonstrates controlling a humanoid robot at the company’s robotics laboratory in Guangzhou. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

‘It’s a tightrope’: why Europe’s wind industry faces a growing China dilemma

A debate is swirling in Europe over what role China should play in its wind power push, as the continent confronts the Middle East energy crisis.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gives a speech at the WindEurope 2026 expo in Madrid on April 21. Photo: Getty Images
China energy security

Explaining China’s new carbon emissions reduction plan

SCMP Plus annotates the 18-point plan issued by the Central Committee and State Council for carbon emissions reductions across strategic sectors.

Food and agriculture

Outside In | The Iran war is brewing a food crisis we must avert

The world’s focus has been on energy shortages but famine and widening food insecurity are faces of the same coin.

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The Philippines

‘We owe it to the world’: Philippines pushes for South China Sea code this year

Talks between Asean and China to agree on setting rules for maritime behaviour and crisis management under the code have stalled.

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A Chinese coastguard vessel (right) fires its water cannon at the Philippine BRP Datu Pagbuaya near Philippines-occupied Thitu island, locally called Pag-asa island, at the South China Sea last October. Photo: Philippine coastguard via AP
US, Israel war on Iran

Why US tanker blockades are raising risks for Southeast Asian strait controllers

The bigger risk is not of the Iran war spilling into their waters, but the strain of operating in more contested sea lanes, analysts say.

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Guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy patrols the Arabian Sea during a maritime blockade on April 15. Photo: US Navy/AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump orders US forces to ‘shoot and kill’ boats laying mines in Strait of Hormuz

US president authorises lethal force as the arrival of a third aircraft carrier bolsters a massive naval presence.

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Semiconductors

Asia’s chipmakers feel the heat as naphtha crunch hits photoresist supply

Japanese suppliers warn of photoresist strain as upstream shocks ripple through Asia’s semiconductor supply chain.

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