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This image shows part of a green hydrogen facility in Spain. A number of major economies, including the EU, are looking to develop green hydrogen projects in the coming years.

Angel Garcia | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Plans for an Australian “super hub” focused on the generation of wind, solar and green hydrogen are taking shape, with those involved hoping it will start producing power by 2027.

In a statement Monday, Fortescue Future Industries said it was partnering with another firm called Windlab on the project, known as the North Queensland Super Hub.

FFI said the hub “could generate more than 10GW [gigawatts] of wind and solar power and underpin the industrial-scale production of green hydrogen from purpose-built facilities within Queensland.”

The initial stage of the planned project will center around the development of the 800 megawatt Prairie Wind Farm and another 1,000 MW project. On condition of approvals, construction of the first phase is slated to begin in 2025.

“Energy generated from the project stands to produce green hydrogen as well as feed renewable power to the grid,” FFI said.

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Described by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier,” hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in a wide range of industries.

It can be produced in a number of ways. One method includes electrolysis, with an electric current splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen.

If the electricity used in this process comes from a renewable source such as wind or solar then some call it “green” or “renewable” hydrogen. Today, the vast majority of hydrogen generation is based on fossil fuels.

In Aug. 2021, oil and gas giant BP said “the production of green hydrogen and green ammonia using renewable ‎energy” had become technically feasible at scale in Australia.

The energy supermajor’s conclusion was based on the findings of a feasibility study announced in May 2020 and backed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, solar developer Lightsource bp and professional services firm GHD Advisory.

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For its part, FFI said on Monday that industrial-scale green hydrogen had been “constrained by the lack of renewable supply to power the process of extracting hydrogen from water through electrification.”

Commenting on the proposals, FFI’s CEO Mark Hutchinson said the natural resources of Australia — including solar, wind and landmass — were “unrivalled in terms of their potential for the production of green energy” and “green hydrogen in particular.”  

“For the first time, the North Queensland Super Hub will provide the quantity of renewable energy we need to support large-scale green hydrogen production right here in Queensland,” he went on to add.

Ambition, but work to be done

The news out of Australia comes as other large economies look to develop plans for green hydrogen.

The European Commission, for example, has said it wants 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers to be installed in the EU by 2030.

Last week, during a roundtable discussion at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described green hydrogen as “one of the most important technologies for a climate neutral world.”

“Green hydrogen is the key to decarbonizing our economies, especially for hard to electrify sectors such as steel production, the chemical industry, heavy shipping and aviation,” Scholz added, before going on to acknowledge that a significant amount of work was needed for the sector to mature.

“Of course, green hydrogen is still an infant industry, its production is currently too cost intensive compared to fossil fuels,” he said. “There’s also a ‘chicken and egg’ dilemma of supply and demand where market actors block each other, waiting for the other to move.”

Also appearing on the panel was Christian Bruch, CEO of Siemens Energy. “Hydrogen will be indispensable for the decarbonization of … industry,” he said.

“The question is, for us now, how do we get there in a world which is still driven, in terms of business, by hydrocarbons,” he added. “So it requires an extra effort to make green hydrogen projects … work.”

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World’s first-ever global emissions tax is on the table at crunch shipping talks

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April 9, 2025

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World's first-ever global emissions tax is on the table at crunch shipping talks

Aerial view of containers for export sitting stacked at Qingdao Qianwan Container Terminal on April 5, 2025 in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China. 

Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images

The United Nations shipping agency is on the cusp of introducing binding regulations to phase out fossil fuel use in global shipping — with the world’s first-ever global emissions levy on the table.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will this week hold talks at its London headquarters to hammer out measures to reduce the climate impact of international shipping, which accounts for around 3% of global carbon emissions.

Some of the measures on the table include a global marine fuel standard and an economic element, such as a long-debated carbon levy or a carbon credit scheme.

If implemented, a robust pricing mechanism in the shipping sector would likely be considered one of the climate deals of the decade.

An ambitious carbon tax is far from a foregone conclusion, however, with observers citing concerns over sweeping U.S. tariffs, a brewing global trade war and reluctance from members firmly opposed to any kind of levy structure.

Sara Edmonson, head of global advocacy at Australian mining giant Fortescue, described the talks as “absolutely historic,” particularly given the potential for a landmark carbon levy.

“I think it would be an absolute game-changer. No other industry on a global level has made a commitment of this size and I would argue most countries haven’t made a commitment of this size,” Edmondson told CNBC via telephone.

She added, however, that “the jury is still very much out” when it comes to a global carbon price.

It’s not really a question of whether they get agreement, it’s just how ambitious it is, how effective it is and how many unhappy people there are.

John Maggs

President of the Clean Shipping Coalition

“There are also a lot of discussions around levy-like structures because obviously the word levy in very polarized countries like the U.S., like Australia and even in China, can be very challenging. But I think there are really good discussions around levy-like structures that would ultimately have an equivalent effect,” Edmondson said.

The IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is scheduled to conclude talks on Friday.

‘A great opportunity’

Some of the biggest proponents of a global greenhouse gas emissions charge on the shipping industry include Pacific Island states, such as Fiji, the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu, and Caribbean Island states, including Barbados, Jamaica and Grenada.

Those opposed to a carbon levy, such as Brazil, China and Saudi Arabia, have raised concerns over economic competitiveness and increased inequalities.

“For countries like Vanuatu … we see the UNFCCC isn’t moving fast enough — and this is the great opportunity,” Vanuatu Minister Ralph Regenvanu said Monday.

Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Arsenio Dominguez delivers a speech at the IMO Headquarters, in London, on January 14, 2025.

Benjamin Cremel | Afp | Getty Images

The UNFCCC refers to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a multilateral treaty that has provided the basis for international climate negotiations.

If adopted, it would be “the first industry-wide measure adopted by a multilateral UN organisation with much more teeth than we could get in the UNFCCC process,” Regenvanu said.

Delegates at the IMO agreed in 2023 to target net-zero sector emissions “by or around” 2050 and set a provision to finalize a basket of mid-term carbon reduction measures in 2025.

Calls for a ‘decisive’ economic measure

“We’re going to get something,” John Maggs, president of the Clean Shipping Coalition, a group of NGOs with observer status at the IMO, told CNBC via telephone.

“The timetable is quite clear and they are working really, really hard to stick to it. So, I think it’s not really a question of whether they get agreement, it’s just how ambitious it is, how effective it is and how many unhappy people there are,” Maggs said.

Clean Shipping Coalition’s Maggs warned that a sizable gap still exists between progressive and more conservative forces at the IMO.

“My feeling from the progressive side is that people are optimistic and confident because the case they are making is a sound one and they’ve got the technical expertise to back them up,” Maggs said.

“But, at the end of the day, China and Brazil and others aren’t just going to go, ‘OK you can have your way.’ There is going to be payment exacted in some way or other,” he added.

PORTSMOUTH, UNITED KINGDOM – OCTOBER 28: The container ship Vung Tau Express sails loaded with shipping containers close to the English coast on October 28, 2024 in Portsmouth, England.  

Matt Cardy | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The international shipping sector, which is responsible for the carriage of around 90% of global trade, is regarded as one of the hardest industries to decarbonize given the vast amounts of fossil fuels the ships burn each year.

Angie Farrag-Thibault, vice president of global transport at the Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental group, said a successful outcome at the IMO would be an ambitious global fuel standard and a “decisive” economic measure to ensure shipping pollution is significantly reduced.

“These measures, which should include a fair disbursement mechanism that uses existing climate finance structures, will encourage ship owners to cut fossil fuel use and adopt zero and near-zero fuels and technologies, while supporting climate-vulnerable regions at the speed and scale that is needed,” Farragh-Thibault said.

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The US wind industry’s 5-year outlook is now a total roller-coaster

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April 9, 2025

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The US wind industry's 5-year outlook is now a total roller-coaster

US wind 5-year outlook
Photo by Amol Mande on Pexels.com

The US wind industry installed just 5.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2024 – the lowest level in a decade, according to Wood Mackenzie’s new US Wind Energy Monitor report. Installations are expected to rebound in 2025, but the real concern lies in US wind’s sharply downgraded 5-year outlook. As for the reason behind that bleak forecast, we’ll give you one guess as to why, and it starts with a T.

Wood Mac reports that 3.9 GW of onshore wind came online last year, along with 1.3 GW of onshore repowers and 101 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind.

Onshore wind

The US is expected to achieve more than 160 GW of installed onshore capacity by 2025, and onshore growth is projected to bounce back from 2024 and surpass 6.3 GW this year.

“The cliff in 2023 and 2024 created by the Production Tax Credit (PTC) push in 2022 will come to an end,” said Stephen Maldonado, research analyst at Wood Mackenzie. “Despite the uncertainty created by the new administration, the massive number of orders placed in 2023 culminating in projects now under construction support the short-term forecast.”

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The pipeline for onshore has 10.8 GW currently under construction through 2027, with another 3.9 GW announced.

GE Vernova led onshore wind installations in 2024 with 56% of the market and will continue to lead in connections for the next five years. It was followed by Vestas (40%) and Siemens Gamesa (4%).

Offshore wind

Offshore wind is projected to increase in 2025 as well, with 900 MW of installed capacity, up from a disappointing 101 MW in 2024. However, several projects have been shelved in the wake of Trump’s anti-wind executive orders, which downgraded the five-year outlook by 1.8 GW.

Electrek’s Take on US wind’s 5-year outlook

According to Wood Mac, 33 GW of new onshore wind capacity will be installed through 2029, along with 6.6 GW of new offshore capacity and 5.5 GW of repowers. However, due to Trump’s anti-wind policy and economic uncertainty, this five-year outlook is 40% less than a previous total of 75.8 GW. ​Growth will happen, but it’s going to be slower.

The main reason is Trump’s flourish of his Sharpie on executive orders that include “temporary” withdrawal of offshore wind leasing areas and putting a stop to onshore wind on federal lands. Plus, firing all those federal employees will likely make permitting wind farms a slower process. (Trump just wrote more executive orders today allowing coal projects on federal lands; he won’t have federal employees to issue permits for those, either.) He’s worked to throw up obstacles for wind projects in favor of fossil fuels. He won’t stop the wind industry, but he’s managed to get some projects canceled, and he’ll make things more of a slog over the next few years.

Read more: Coal is dead and Trump’s executive order won’t revive it

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BYD’s low-cost Seagull EV now starts at under $8,000 in China

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April 8, 2025

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BYD's low-cost Seagull EV now starts at under ,000 in China

BYD-Seagull-EV-$8,000

BYD’s cheapest EV in China just got even more affordable. After cutting prices this month, the BYD Seagull EV starts at just 56,800 yuan, or under $8,000.

BYD cuts Seagull EV price to under $8,000 in April

Despite an intensifying EV price war in China, BYD is cutting prices once again. The Chinese EV giant announced a new promotion this month across several Ocean Series models, including the Seagull.

The 2025 BYD Seagull EV is available starting at just 56,800 yuan ($7,800). The offer is for the non-Smart Driving Vitality Edition model, which usually starts at 69,800 yuan ($9,500).

After launching the new Seagull last year, BYD said the low-cost electric car officially opened “a new era of electricity being lower than oil.” Earlier this year, it upgraded most of its vehicles, including the Seagull, with its new “God’s Eye” smart driving system at no extra charge.

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BYD’s Seagull is offered in three trims in China: Vitality, Freedom, and Flying. It has two battery options, 30.1 kWh or 38.9 kWh, which is good for the 305 km (190 mi) and 405 km (252 mi) CLTC range, respectively.

BYD-seagull-EV-$8,000
BYD cuts vehicle prices in April 2025, including the Seagull EV (Source: BYD)

At just 3,780 mm long, 1,715 mm wide, and 1,540 mm tall, the Seagull is even smaller than the former Chevy Bolt EV (4,145 mm long, 1,765 mm wide, and 1,611 mm tall). It’s about the size of a Fiat 500e.

BYD-Seagull-EV-$8,000
BYD Seagull EV (Dolphin Mini) testing in Brazil (Source: BYD)

The price cut comes as BYD’s sales continue surging. With another 377,420 new energy vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) sold last month, the Chinese automaker has now sold over one million NEVs in 2025.

BYD’s EVs accounted for 416,388 while PHEV sales reached 569,710, an increase of 39% and 76% from last year, respectively.

BYD Seagull EV trim Starting Price Range
(CLTC)
Vitality Normal: $9,500 (69,800 yuan)
Now: $8,000 (56,800 yuan)		 190 mi
(305 km)
Freedom $10,300 (75,800 yuan) 190 mi
(305 km)
Flying $11,700 (85,800 yuan) 252 mi
(405 km)
BYD Seagull EV prices and range by trim in China

Perhaps even more importantly, BYD sold over 206,000 vehicles overseas in 2025, more than doubling from last year. The Seagull EV is also sold in other global markets like Mexico and Brazil as the Dolphin Mini.

Later this year, it will launch in Europe as the Dolphin Surf, with expected prices starting under £20,000 ($26,000). Although it may not be the cheapest EV, BYD’s executive vice president, Stella Li, recently told Autocar it will be “the best value” when it arrives.

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