Global Scans · Affordable and Clean Energy · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

• [New] The exponential rise in AI workloads and hyperscale data center expansion is intensifying global power demand, creating a high-value opportunity for small modular reactors as low-carbon, reliable energy sources. Persistence Market Research
• [New] China and India lead deployments under long-term nuclear energy missions targeting 100 GW capacity by 2047. Persistence Market Research
• [New] A re-elected National Government will strengthen New Zealand's energy resilience and help lower power bills by supporting households to move to solar power. National Party
• [New] Middle East & Africa represent significant growth potential, driven by the need for energy access in remote and rural communities. ReAnIn
• [New] Climate change can disrupt global supply chains and threaten access to food, water and energy. Singapore Green Plan 2030
• [New] With gas stockpiles low across the globe and prices at the pump over $4 per gallon in mid-June, experts expect energy demand to remain high and overall costs to plague consumers for some time. The Shop
• [New] Bangladesh will need to draw on hydropower from Bhutan and Nepal, as well as India's renewable potential, to meet its target of 30% renewable energy by 2040. ORF Middle East
• [New] India views Nepal and Bhutan's hydropower as a vital balancing resource to enable it to achieve its target of 500 GW of non-fossil energy by 2030. ORF Middle East
• [New] Germany's federal innovation agency, SPRIND, launched a quantum sensing initiative to support European projects and startups in a field that could affect defence, navigation, medical imaging, energy, and industrial measurement. Tech Startups - Tech News, Tech Trends & Startup Fundin
• [New] Countries capable of combining: renewable energy, nuclear power, smart grids, AI-based optimization systems, energy storage, semiconductor infrastructure and advanced cooling technologies will gain a decisive advantage in the emerging global order. Global Panorama
• [New] Microsoft is reconsidering aspects of its 2030 clean-energy targets due to soaring AI-related electricity demand. Global Panorama
• [New] Countries capable of integrating renewable energy, artificial intelligence, smart grids and advanced digital infrastructure will shape the future balance of global power. Global Panorama
• [New] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on AI companies to disclose the full environmental cost of their data centers and to power all data centers with renewable energy by 2030. Educational Technology and Change Journal
• [New] A national hydrogen backbone infrastructure is planned, with the first phase set for 2030 and full deployment by 2050, reinforcing hydrogen's role in industrial decarbonization and cross-sector energy flexibility. World Energy Council
• [New] A new study finds that nanomaterial-based batteries could help Italy store more renewable energy by improving energy density, charging speed, cycle life, and safety. Azonano
• [New] Sustainability leaders preparing for 2026 can expect a year of technological leaps, regulatory convergence, and energy challenges. Watershed
• [New] SPARC is a fraction of ITER's size and privately built, and if it hits net energy in 2027 it would get there more than a decade before the public giant runs its real fuel. AutoNotion
• [New] Energy prices will peak sharply in 2026, pushing both oil and gas costs significantly higher and feeding directly into inflation and reduced purchasing power. European Banking Authority
• [New] As nations pursue ambitious decarbonization targets and energy resilience strategies, distributed energy generation is expected to become an increasingly important pillar of the global energy ecosystem. The AI Journal
• [New] The UK's depleted offshore fields could theoretically store over 3,500 TWh of energy, enough to cover projected electricity demand for around seven years. Electricity Info
• [New] Britain's electricity network will require up to £240bn of upgrades to support clean power targets, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has admitted. Electricity Info
• [New] The approximately 500 TWh of energy and 560 billion liters of water consumed by data centers in 2025 is expected to double by 2030. Travers Smith
• [New] China is working toward a major nuclear fusion milestone that will put it leagues ahead in the global race to unlock the 'holy grail' of clean energy. Electricity Info

Last updated: 28 June 2026