The United States imposes high tariffs on 14 countries; the world's largest zero-carbon hydrogen and ammonia project goes into operation in Inner Mongolia.
（2025/07/07—2025/07/13）
Author: Shu-Xin Zhang
International Energy News
1. The United States imposes high tariffs on 14 countries
According to CCTV reports, on July 7 (local time), the United States threatened to impose tariffs on 14 countries, including Japan, South Korea, and South Africa, while signing an executive order to extend the moratorium on "reciprocal tariffs" from July 9 to August 1. The U.S. will impose tariffs on imported products from these 14 countries starting August 1: A 25% tariff on imports from Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Tunisia; A 30% tariff on imports from Bosnia and Herzegovina and South Africa; A 32% tariff on imports from Indonesia; A 35% tariff on imports from Bangladesh and Serbia; A 36% tariff on imports from Cambodia and Thailand; A 40% tariff on imports from Laos and Myanmar. The U.S. President claimed that the trade deficit poses a significant threat to the U.S. economy and even national security, necessitating changes, and emphasized that the new tariffs would not include tariffs on other industries. In letters sent to countries such as Japan and South Korea, the U.S. stated that any attempt to evade the new tariffs through transshipment via third countries would result in even higher tariffs. If these countries decide to raise tariffs on U.S. imports, the U.S. will impose additional tariffs of the same magnitude on top of the existing new tariff rates. Meanwhile, if enterprises within these countries choose to build or produce products within the United States, they will be exempt from tariffs, and the U.S. will make every effort to grant approvals swiftly.
2. Germany's renewable energy sector shows strong momentum in 2025
In 2025, Germany has demonstrated robust development in the field of renewable energy. Regarding wind power generation, a total of 378 new wind turbines were connected to the grid in Germany during the first half of 2025, marking a significant increase compared to the 285 turbines connected during the same period in 2024. In terms of regional distribution, North Rhine-Westphalia has taken the lead in onshore wind energy expansion, followed by Lower Saxony with 89 turbines connected to the grid, and Schleswig-Holstein ranking third with 61 turbines connected. These states have consistently maintained strong momentum in wind energy development in recent years. The solar energy sector has also witnessed a series of positive developments. Germany has already achieved half of its 2030 target to expand solar power installed capacity to 215 gigawatts (GW), with current installed capacity reaching approximately 107.5 GW. According to data from the German Solar Industry Association, nearly 5.3 million solar systems are distributed across Germany, widely applied on rooftops, balconies, parking lot canopies, and even over water bodies, meeting approximately 15% of the country's electricity demand. Over the past 25 years, photovoltaic (PV) power generation has transformed from an expensive satellite technology to the most cost-effective method of power generation globally, highlighting the significant role and immense potential of solar energy in Germany's energy mix.
3. Severe losses loom for UK's oil and gas decommissioning projects due to delays
Recent reports indicate that as the backlog of wells awaiting decommissioning grows, the UK's North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has issued a stern warning to operators in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), urging them to take immediate action to decommission permanently suspended wells. This is to prevent both operators and taxpayers from facing escalating costs and potential sanctions for missing decommissioning deadlines in the future. In its "Decommissioning Cost and Performance Update," the NSTA highlighted that over 500 wells have missed their decommissioning deadlines due to backlog issues and warned that this number could surge significantly unless operators rapidly ramp up their decommissioning efforts. It is projected that over 1,000 wells will require decommissioning between 2026 and 2030. According to calculations by professional institutions, operators conducted some form of decommissioning work on 223 wells in 2024, with 103 of them reaching the final abandonment stage. Related expenditures due to delays in well decommissioning have exceeded £1 billion (approximately $1.36 billion).
Domestic energy news
1. The world's largest zero-carbon hydrogen and ammonia project goes into operation in Inner Mongolia
On July 8, the inauguration ceremony for the first phase of the Envision Zero-Carbon Hydrogen and Ammonia Project, the world's largest of its kind with an annual production capacity of 320,000 tons, was held in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In recent years, Chifeng has accelerated the large-scale and high-proportion development and utilization of new energy sources, actively promoting the conversion of green electricity into green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol. Green ammonia serves as a crucial industrial raw material and a clean energy carrier, playing a significant role in reducing carbon emissions and promoting decarbonization across industries such as steel, chemicals, power generation, and shipping. In this newly operational project, green electricity is generated through self-built large-scale renewable energy power stations to produce high-purity green hydrogen on a large scale. The green hydrogen then reacts catalytically with nitrogen in a new type of synthesis reactor to ultimately produce green ammonia, achieving a "zero-carbon" production process.
2. Striving to exceed 100,000 high-power charging facilities by the end of 2027
The National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration, and other relevant departments recently issued the "Notice on Promoting the Scientific Planning and Construction of High-Power Charging Facilities," proposing the steady establishment of a high-power charging infrastructure system characterized by a rational layout, quality upgrades, and advanced technology. By the end of 2027, the aim is to have over 100,000 high-power charging facilities nationwide, with iterative upgrades in service quality and technological applications. With the industrial upgrade, high-power charging facilities with a single-gun charging capacity exceeding 250 kilowatts are becoming widespread, helping to enhance charging efficiency and alleviate range anxiety. The notice suggests prioritizing the high-power upgrade of charging facilities that achieve a utilization rate exceeding 40% during major holidays. Furthermore, research and pilot applications of single-gun megawatt-level charging technology will be conducted for high-capacity, high-rate power battery application scenarios, such as electric heavy-duty trucks, electric vessels, and electric aircraft.
3. The first batch of offshore wind power projects in China are connected to the grid for power generation
Recently, as the blades of the No. 9 unit in the Three Gorges Jiangsu Dafeng 800 MW offshore wind power project began to rotate slowly, the first batch of units in China's current offshore wind power project farthest from the shore were connected to the grid, marking another step forward in China's offshore wind power development towards the deep and far seas. Located in the sea area northeast of Dafeng District, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, the Three Gorges Jiangsu Dafeng offshore wind power project consists of four sites. Among them, the center of the H8-1 site is 80 kilometers from the shore, with the farthest point being 85.5 kilometers from the shore, making it the offshore wind power project with the longest distance from the shore that has been connected to the grid for power generation in China so far. The project has installed a total of 98 wind turbine generators and constructed three offshore booster stations, with a total installed capacity of 800 MW. It is understood that the world's available offshore wind energy resources exceed 71 billion kilowatts, with deep and far seas accounting for over 70%, yet the development and utilization rate remains below 0.5%. The average annual wind speed in deep and far sea areas can exceed 9 meters per second, with significantly higher power generation hours compared to offshore areas, making them suitable for large-scale wind power development.
(Main news sources: CCTVNEWS APP, Xinhua New Media, International Energy Network, China Energy Network, National Energy Administration)
