Here are some noteworthy developments from around the world

JSW Renew Energy Five, a special-purpose vehicle of JSW Energy, received a letter of award for a 500 MW standalone battery storage system from SECI. The company won the auction for the project in August last year by quoting ₹1.08 million (~$13,275)/MW per month for twelve years. SECI’s obligation would be limited to 60% of the project capacity, and the remaining 40% is to be managed by JSWEL.

The Ethiopian government signed a joint development agreement with Masdar, the UAE-government-owned renewable energy company, to develop 500 MW solar power projects in the country. In a social media post, the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed Ali, said that Ethiopia has a vast resource of renewable energy and the agreement provides a great opportunity to use the country’s renewable resources to make reliable, clean, and affordable energy accessible to Ethiopia and others

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has advised Coal India (CIL) and the state governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to ensure coal is not allotted to suppliers of CIL operating in NCR. The Commission issued statutory directions regarding permissible fuels for industrial, domestic, and miscellaneous applications in the NCR, according to which the use of coal now stands completely banned (except in thermal power plants) and is not considered a permissible fuel within NCR. In compliance, 84 industrial units across NCR areas of Haryana, and Rajasthan, which were not using approved fuels, closed their operations temporarily/ permanently. Beyond January 1, 2023, only two units were found using such heavily polluting fuels, indicating satisfactory compliance.

Hertz and Uber have announced a European expansion of their present North American partnership to bring up to 25,000 electric vehicles (EVs) to European capitals. The partnership will begin in Hertz Europe’s London base in January 2023. It will offer a wide range of EVs, including Tesla and Polestar, to Uber drivers in Europe’s capital cities by 2050. This will be a crucial element of Hertz’s strategy to build a rental EV fleet and Uber’s commitment to becoming a zero emissions platform in Europe and North America by 2030.

Clean energy company Masdar has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the development of a green hydrogen supply chain between Abu Dhabi and Amsterdam. The MoU was signed with four Dutch companies: Port of Amsterdam, SkyNRG, Evos Amsterdam, and Zenith Energy. Under the MoU, the parties will join their efforts to develop a green hydrogen supply chain, focusing on production in Abu Dhabi and export to the Netherlands through the port of Amsterdam. The exported green hydrogen will be delivered to critical European sectors – sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), steelmaking, and bunkering for shipping – and will also be supplied to new, emerging European off-takers via pipeline, truck, and barge.