🇳🇱 Netherlands: Dutch government Launches ‘Grid Congestion Campaign’ with eight strategic measures, ANP
The Dutch government has unveiled eight strategic measures to tackle grid congestion, including regional tenders and increased risk tolerance for operators, aiming to unlock 20 GW of capacity by 2035.
🇳🇱 Netherlands: ACM proposes peak-time electricity surcharges for households and businesses, DutchNews
The Dutch ACM has proposed a new tariff structure introducing higher electricity costs during peak hours from 2028 to incentivise off-peak usage and alleviate pressure on the national power network.
🇫🇷 France: France hits a low-carbon power record – now comes the electrification push, RTE
France is poised to accelerate electrification thanks to an electricity mix that’s over 95% low-carbon, record clean generation, and fossil output at a 75-year low, with prices now competitive enough to drive record exports.
🇮🇹 Italy: Energy Bills Decree: 2-percentage-point IRAP increase introduced for energy and gas producers, Il Sole 24 Ore
Italy’s “Decreto Bollette,” approved on 18 February 2026, aims to cut electricity and gas bills for households and businesses through measures like expanded social bonuses and reduced system charges. It funds this support by raising IRAP by 2 percentage points for power and gas companies, prompting criticism over potential impacts on investment and Italy’s renewable-energy transition.
🇵🇹 Portugal: Portuguese Government formalizes creation of new agency for energy and geology, Observador
Portugal has created the Agency of Geology and Energy (AGE), merging DGEG, LNEG, EDM and EDMI and shutting down ADENE. With AGE taking over all staff, assets, and responsibilities and operating in an installation phase until 30 June 2027 from a Porto headquarters. ENSE will also be restructured and renamed, as the government positions the overhaul as a push for a more agile administration aligned with decarbonisation goals and PNEC 2030.
🇪🇸 Spain: Spanish government is preparing a decree to increase the capacity of the electricity grid and unlock millions in investment, El Pais
Spain is drafting a new royal decree to free up electricity-grid capacity and speed up project connections. The proposal, now in public consultation, would update technical and safety requirements to reduce bottlenecks, improve stability, and make better use of existing network nodes, incorporating lessons from the April 2025 peninsula-wide blackout.
🇩🇪 Germany: Wind turbines and powerlines: New rules planned for energy transition, Tagesschau
Germany’s Economy Ministry plans to reform grid and renewables expansion by ending compensation for new wind and solar projects that are curtailed due to grid congestion in certain regions, to cut costs and steer investment toward grid-friendly locations.
🇩🇪 Germany: The war in Iran: Is this going to be the next gas crisis?, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, which is preventing LNG shipments from Qatar, global gas prices have surged. This has raised concerns about a new gas crisis in Germany, though supply remains stable for now – but high prices and low storage levels could pose challenges for the coming winter.
🇺🇸 Solar power’s newest friends: MAGA influencers, POLITICO/E&E News
The solar industry is increasingly courting conservative media figures and MAGA-aligned influencers to broaden Republican support for solar power.
🇺🇸 Oil climbs as US-Iran tensions keep supply risk in focus, Reuters
Oil prices rose toward multi-month highs as markets priced in potential supply disruptions from rising U.S.-Iran tensions while monitoring indirect nuclear talks in Geneva that could ease the risk. Gains were tempered by increases in U.S. crude inventories, with geopolitics and diplomacy-driven risk premiums still dominating sentiment.
🇺🇸 Data centers remain standout industry for Schneider Electric, Facilities Dive
Schneider Electric says data centers are its biggest growth engine, representing about 30% of orders and underpinning strong Q4 and full-year performance. It expects data center and network markets to grow at over 10% annually through 2030 as demand for high-performance computing infrastructure accelerates, and it expands related technologies and lifecycle services.
🌍 Asia has limited options to diversify from Mideast energy, Reuters
After the Iran war disrupted flows, Asia is struggling to replace Middle Eastern oil and petrochemical feedstock. The region sources about 60% from the Middle East, and switching to West African or U.S. crude is costly, slow and constrained by refinery configurations and term contracts.
🌍 Investors assess Iran conflict impact on energy supplies, CNBC
Asia-Pacific markets mostly finished higher after a late rebound as investors weighed whether the Iran conflict could disrupt energy supplies, even as Wall Street fell on the same concerns. Oil briefly topped $80 before easing, while trade uncertainty increased amid fresh lawsuits challenging President Trump’s tariff regime. South Korea and Japan reversed earlier losses, and SoftBank rose on reports it’s seeking a record $40 billion loan to fund its OpenAI investment.
Stay tuned for our next news update. In the meantime, check out our energy page for more information.
