2025-09-17 07:40

FRANKFURT/PRAGUE, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Commodity trader and investment company ResInvest Group said it is in talks to buy Datteln 4, the 1 gigawatt coal-fired power plant Uniper (UN0k.DE) , opens new tab must sell as part of the German utility's government rescue in 2022. Datteln 4, located near Dortmund in Germany, is the most valuable asset on Uniper's list of asset disposals required by the European Union in exchange for approving Berlin's 13.5 billion euro ($15.9 billion) bailout, and a sale would mark a major step in the group's restructuring. Sign up here. Talks over the sale of Datteln 4, which has to be divested by end-2026, could wrap up by the end of the week, two people briefed on the matter said, adding no formal decision had been taken yet. Uniper declined to comment. A deal would further expand ResInvest's portfolio after the company, which is based in the Czech Republic and Switzerland, last year bought two coal-fired power plants in Poland with a combined capacity of 568 megawatts from CEZ (CEZP.PR) , opens new tab. The group, founded by Czech investor Tomas Novotny, in April also bought a stake in Australian mining group Fenix Resources Limited (FEX.AX) , opens new tab and invested in dry bulk vessel firm Mira Bulk. "We can confirm that discussions are currently underway," a spokesperson for ResInvest said in an e-mailed statement, without providing further details. A third source familiar with the matter said that a sale could value the 1.052 GW plant, which has been operational since 2020 and supplies power to Deutsche Bahn (DBN.UL), at around 1 billion euros, less than the 1.5 billion it cost to build. Uniper finance chief Jutta Doenges last month said that demand for Datteln 4 was decent and that progress around the sale, which was initiated last year, was expected in the second half of 2025. ($1 = 0.8477 euros) https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/commodity-trader-resinvest-talks-buy-unipers-datteln-4-power-plant-2025-09-17/

2025-09-17 07:35

Russia: dialogue with the U.S. continues on various issues Sakhalin-1 cited as a prime example of resumed cooperation MOSCOW, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday that Moscow was ready to deepen discussions with the U.S. on energy cooperation, including on the Sakhalin 1 project, RIA reported. Ryabkov also said that Russia was in contact with the U.S. on various issues, and that dialogue continued. Sign up here. "I can mention Sakhalin-1 as the most obvious example of the work that has begun in this area," he was quoted as saying by RIA. Russian president Vladimir Putin signed last month a decree that could allow foreign investors, including top U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil to regain shares in the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project. The signing of the decree came on the day Putin met Donald Trump in Alaska for a summit where opportunities for investment and business collaboration were on the agenda, alongside talks to find peace in Ukraine. Exxon previously held a 30% operator share in the lucrative project, and is the only non-Russian investor to have quit its stake. The U.S. major took an impairment charge of $4.6 billion to exit its Russian business after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-is-ready-deepen-discussions-with-us-sakhalin-1-project-ria-reports-2025-09-17/

2025-09-17 07:26

LISBON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Portugal's largest utility, EDP (EDP.LS) , opens new tab, wants faster licensing and higher returns on assets to expand its electricity grid, which is crucial for the country to carry out its planned multibillion-dollar green industrial projects, its CEO said. "Without more electricity grids, there is no energy transition. The difficulty in accessing the grid is creating uncertainty about the viability of (industrial green) projects," CEO Miguel Stilwell de Andrade told reporters late on Tuesday. Sign up here. A huge blackout that hit Spain and Portugal on April 28 reignited debates about investments in power networks - and their remuneration - to make sure they can cope with increased electrification, power demand growth from AI and data centres, and renewables integration. Stilwell de Andrade said the government must "simplify procedures and shorten licensing periods," which can often take several years. The regulator ERSE must also allow "adequate remuneration" on EDP's asset base in Portugal, which is low compared to its European peers, he said. The rate of return on its asset base is now around 5.5%, and EDP wants it to be in line with other European countries where investments are rewarded with returns as high as 7.5%. EDP owns the largest Portuguese distribution grid in high, medium, and low voltage, with over 228,000 kilometers (142,000 miles) serving more than six million domestic and industrial customers. It plans to invest 3.1 billion euros ($3.67 billion) in its grid between 2026 and 2030, up 50% from 2 billion euros in 2021-25, to address high demand for electricity connections from green industries and renewables spread across the country. According to the state agency that promotes investment, AICEP, in the Sines region alone, south of Lisbon, there are several projects, such as lithium batteries, green hydrogen, decarbonisation of refineries, planned or in early execution, totalling over 9 billion euros in investment. Environment Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho said investment in grids was a "high priority" and the government was working on a decree law to streamline grid connection procedures and environmental licensing, "which will simplify the creation of high-demand (electricity) zones". https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/portugals-edp-urges-faster-licensing-higher-returns-expand-grid-2025-09-17/

2025-09-17 07:12

Greece urges stricter sheeppox checks after latest outbreak Greece says if measures ineffective, movement ban looms Μore than 260,000 sheep, goats culled since August 2024 ATHENS, Sept 16 (Reuters) - (This Sept 16 story has been corrected to say sheeppox, not smallpox, in the headline and paragraphs 1 and 2 to give an official title of the illness, and to say pox, not smallpox, in paragraph 3) Farmers in Greece face the risk of a nationwide ban on the movement of goats and sheep if veterinarians and stockbreeders don't step up health checks and hygiene measures on livestock to contain an outbreak of sheeppox, the government said on Tuesday. Sign up here. The outbreak of sheeppox has already led to the culling of about 2% of the country's livestock of sheep and goats, data from the Greek agriculture ministry showed. Pox in sheep and goats doesn't spread to humans but it threatens to increase prices of sheep and goat meat for Greeks already suffering from a cost-of-living crisis and deal a major blow to the export of feta, Greece's trademark salty cheese made of goat and sheep's milk. More than 260,000 sheep and goats were culled and some 1,100 farms across Greece were forced to shut after authorities detected more than 2,400 cases of the highly contagious disease among sheep and goats in the 12 months to August, data from the agriculture ministry showed. Most cases were reported in July and August. A 10-day plan announced on Monday called on stockbreeders to tighten biosecurity measures for their flocks, veterinarians to step up on-site inspections at farms and local authorities to set up disinfection points to control the movement of flocks across the country. The next 10 days will be decisive to avoid a blanket ban on moving sheep and goat across the country, Deputy Agriculture Minister Christos Kellas told public broadcaster ERT on Tuesday. "This would mean a freeze on trade. They will not deliver milk, they will not deliver meat, there will be no slaughters across the country," Kellas said. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/greece-could-ban-movement-sheep-goats-if-sheeppox-outbreak-spreads-2025-09-16/

2025-09-17 06:58

Gold hit a record high of $3,702.95/oz US Fed statement due at 1400 GMT SPDR Gold Trust holdings rose 0.3% on Tuesday Sept 17 (Reuters) - Gold slipped on Wednesday due to a slight uptick in the dollar and profit-taking after bullion touched a record high in the previous session on expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut. Spot gold fell 0.5% to $3,671.61 per ounce, as of 0646 GMT, after hitting a record high of $3,702.95 on Tuesday. Sign up here. U.S. gold futures for December delivery fell 0.4% to $3,709. "Gold's ascent to $3,700 was aided by the decline in the USD and by bets that the Fed may signal that follow-up rate cuts are likely to arrive before year-end," KCM Trade Chief Market Analyst Tim Waterer said. "Profit taking around the $3,700 level saw the precious metal dip back below this mark. But should the Fed adopt a particularly dovish tone in their meeting, gold could be making another move higher." The dollar (.DXY) , opens new tab edged up 0.1% after dropping to a more than two-month low on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields were hovering near a more than five-month low. Data on Tuesday showed U.S. retail sales increased more than expected in August, but a weakening labor market and rising prices because of tariffs pose a downside risk to continued strength in spending. The U.S. central bank is expected to deliver a quarter-percentage-point rate cut later in the day to support the labor market. Remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell will be closely watched to gauge the pace of further easing. Lower rates reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion. U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Powell to enact a "bigger" rate cut. SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 0.32% to 979.95 metric tons on Tuesday, from 976.80 tons on Monday. Elsewhere, spot silver slipped 1.7% to $41.86 per ounce, platinum was steady at $1,391.15, and palladium dipped 1% to $1,164.66. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/golds-record-rally-takes-breather-spotlight-shifts-fed-rate-verdict-2025-09-17/

2025-09-17 06:55

HARARE, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe has agreed a $455 million, 15-year concession deal with the Africa-focused unit of India's Jindal Steel (JINT.NS) , opens new tab for the refurbishment of a 920 megawatt coal-fired power plant, the energy minister said. The work on six ageing units at the Hwange thermal power station is expected to take four years, July Moyo said during a post-cabinet briefing late on Tuesday. Jindal Africa will recover its investment from revenue generated by electricity sales from the plant. Sign up here. The Southern African nation currently only meets around half of its 2,000 MW electricity demand and experiences frequent, extended power cuts due to diminishing capacity at its ageing power plants. The 1,520 MW Hwange plant, the country's largest, was upgraded in 2023 with the commissioning of two units, which added 600 MW. But its older units were built in the 1980s and are operating at a third of their capacity due to breakdowns. The Kariba hydropower station, built in the 1960s, completed a 300 MW upgrade in 2018, which boosted its capacity to 1,050 MW. However, its generation capacity has in recent years been affected by drought. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/zimbabwe-agrees-455-million-power-plant-refurbishment-deal-with-jindal-2025-09-17/