IEA head warns of possible “black April” for global energy crisis. China’s new energy storage capacity to exceed 370 GW by 2030
（2026/4/06—2026/4/12）
Author: Shu-Xin Zhang
International Energy News
1. IEA head warns of possible “black April” for global energy crisis
The Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently issued a stark warning, stating that the current global energy crisis has surpassed the combined impact of the three major crises of 1973, 1979, and 2022, making it the most severe energy shock in history. He stated that the world is simultaneously facing a triple shock of oil, gas, and food, with conflicts blocking the "vital arteries" of the global economy. The impact is not limited to oil and gas but also includes fertilizers and petrochemical products. It is estimated that since the US and Israeli invasion of Iran, oil supply losses have reached 12 million barrels per day, accounting for 11% of pre-closure production through the Strait of Hormuz, while LNG shortages pose a new challenge. The coming April will be "Black April," and he called for coordinated action among governments, stating that the only real solution is to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
On a strategic level, the IEA stated there are still reasons for optimism, believing that this crisis will accelerate the transformation of the energy system architecture, promoting the development of renewables, nuclear energy, and electric vehicles. Although the transition may take several years, solar and wind power can be installed quickly, and the shift to renewables could take just months. This crisis is also seen as an opportunity to revive momentum for nuclear energy development, including small modular reactors (SMRs). For short-term responses, he emphasized that all countries must adopt the most prudent energy usage methods, conserving energy and improving efficiency.
2. UK confirms launch of "Carbon Tariff" in January 2027
According to a recent announcement on the UK government's official website, the UK government has confirmed that the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will be launched on January 1, 2027. It will impose a carbon price on the most emission-intensive industrial products in the aluminum, cement, fertilizer, hydrogen, and steel sectors. The tax amount will be determined based on the carbon emissions generated during the production of the imported goods and the difference between the carbon price in the country of origin and the UK carbon price. The range of sectors covered will continue to be reviewed after 2027.
The UK is the second economy globally to announce the adoption of a carbon tariff system. On October 1, 2023, the world's first "carbon tariff," the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), was officially launched. However, unlike the EU CBAM mechanism, the UK CBAM mechanism will not involve the purchase and trading of emission certificates. The UK government selected the list of sectors for its CBAM based on three factors: these sectors are already covered by the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), they are considered to be at higher risk of carbon leakage, and the mechanism can be implemented feasibly and effectively.
The preliminary product categories covered by the UK CBAM, announced on December 18, 2023, included aluminum, cement, ceramics, fertilizer, glass, hydrogen, and steel. However, in this latest announcement, the glass and ceramics sectors have been excluded, as their emissions intensity is lower than other sectors, and they raised concerns about the feasibility of applying the carbon levy. However, they will be considered for future expansion.
3. Greece among EU's largest electricity exporters
On April 7, Greece's Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy stated that in the first quarter of this year, Greece was one of the largest electricity exporters in Europe, ranking behind only France, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany. This stands in stark contrast to 2019 when the country was one of the largest importers. These exports are primarily attributed to wind power generation.
During the same period, wholesale prices in Greece were lower than those in Central and Southeastern Europe. Currently, international natural gas prices are fluctuating between €45 and €50 per megawatt-hour (MWh), roughly equivalent to price levels during the winter of 2024-2025 (compared to around €250 per MWh at the peak of the energy crisis). He also noted that international gas prices have not yet returned to 2022 levels because Asian countries are not competing with the EU for LNG cargoes but are instead turning to coal to meet their energy needs.
Domestic energy news
1. China's new energy storage capacity to exceed 370 GW by 2030
The "15th Five-Year Plan" outline proposes solidly advancing key technological innovations such as new energy storage, vigorously developing new energy storage, positioning it as the core support of the new energy system, and officially incorporating it as a national strategic emerging pillar industry.
The recently released "Energy Storage Industry Research White Paper 2026" shows that by 2030, China's cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage will exceed 370 GW, an increase of more than 1.5 times compared to the end of the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. In 2025, China's newly installed capacity for new energy storage reached 66 GW, a year-on-year increase of 51.9%. By the end of 2025, China's operational cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage had reached 136 GW, an 84% increase compared to the end of 2024 and a more than 40-fold increase compared to the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan" period. This represents leapfrog development, with the country's installed capacity firmly ranking first in the world.
The white paper indicates that as the proportion of new energy generation continues to rise, the power system's demand for long-duration regulation resources is becoming increasingly urgent. It is estimated that by 2030, the average duration of China's cumulative new energy storage capacity will approach 3.5 hours, opening an industrialization window for long-duration energy storage technologies like flow batteries and compressed air. Energy storage is rapidly advancing from an auxiliary regulation resource to a fundamental component of the power system.
2. China's deepest-water offshore wind farm fully grid-connected
Recently, the Shandong Peninsula North offshore wind power project in the northern Yellow Sea achieved full-capacity grid connection. This is China's deepest-water offshore wind farm, marking a new breakthrough in key areas such as complex deep-sea environments, large-capacity turbine integration, and high-precision intelligent construction. According to reports, the project has a total installed capacity of 504 MW, installing 42 12 MW wind turbines. The site center is approximately 70 km offshore, with water depths ranging from 52 to 56 meters, making it China's deepest-water commercial offshore wind project. It generates approximately 1.7 billion kWh annually, saving about 500,000 tons of standard coal per year.
The project overcame challenges such as complex deep-sea geology, frequent extreme sea conditions, and ultra-long-distance construction. It innovatively applied a four-pile jacket foundation structure, with a maximum height of 83.9 meters, the tallest of its kind domestically, effectively ensuring the safe and stable operation of the turbines in the complex deep-sea geological environment. Leveraging the Beidou navigation system, the project developed high-precision positioning technology, achieving millimeter-level construction positioning for seabed piling. Combined with intelligent auxiliary sinking technology, the piling operation time per deep-sea turbine was reduced from 48 hours to 29 hours. Additionally, using a synergy of drone and artificial magnetic field technology, the project completed the laying of a 95.6 km ultra-long submarine cable.
3. Construction begins on world's highest-altitude trough CSP plant in Tibet
On April 6, construction began on the world's highest-altitude parabolic trough Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant–the CGN Tibet Umatang 50 MW CSP project in Umatang Township, Damxung County, Lhasa City. The project site is at an altitude of 4,550 meters. It simultaneously marks the first commercial application of China's fully independently developed 8.6-meter large-aperture parabolic trough collector. The plant is equipped with a 6-hour molten salt energy storage system, enabling continuous nighttime power generation and flexible peak shaving, providing stable and reliable clean power support for the Tibet grid.
The project uses heat transfer oil trough CSP technology, with a collector mirror field area of 242,000 square meters, comprising a total of 68 loops. Among these, 8 loops utilize the 8.6-meter large-aperture trough collector independently developed by CGN, while the remaining 60 loops use collectors with an aperture width of 5.77 meters.
The CSP project under construction is the core component of the CGN Tibet Damxung Umatang "CSP+PV" integrated project. This integrated project includes 50 MW of CSP generation and 400 MW of photovoltaic power, planned for full commissioning by 2027. According to estimates, once fully completed, the integrated project is expected to generate approximately 719 million kWh of on-grid electricity annually, equivalent to saving about 216,900 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 652,300 tons.
(Main news sources: CCTVNEWS APP, Xinhua New Media, International Energy Network, China Energy Network, National Energy Administration)
