Informal Tolls in the Strait of Hormuz Impact Global Energy Corridors; China Releases New Carbon Emission Accounting Regulations for Public Institutions
（2026/03/23—2026/03/29）
Author：Hao-Wang
International Energy News
1. Informal Tolls in the Strait of Hormuz Impact Global Energy Corridors
Recently, Iran has sporadically begun charging an informal toll of up to $2 million to some commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint. The strait handles approximately one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supplies, and this move highlights the urgency and complexity of ensuring the stability of global energy supply chains.
It is reported that Iran intends to legalize this toll for energy transport vessels, but this has sparked strong opposition from Arab oil-producing countries in the Gulf. They are concerned that this action could weaponize a vital energy corridor and set a dangerous precedent. Affected by this sudden news, risk aversion in the global energy market has escalated and volatility has intensified. Brent crude oil prices have consequently broken through the $100 per barrel mark, while WTI crude oil prices have also risen by about 2%.
2.Colombia's 148MW Clean Energy Solar Project Achieves Full-Capacity Grid Connection
Recently, the 148MW Escobales solar project in Colombia, constructed by a Chinese enterprise, officially achieved full-capacity grid connection and power generation. As an important milestone in the country's energy transition, this large-scale clean energy project is expected to generate over 260 million kWh of green, clean electricity annually upon full operation, effectively meeting the daily electricity needs of tens of thousands of local households.
The project will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 200,000 tons per year. The successful grid connection of this solar power station not only significantly enhances the stability of regional power supply but also provides strong support for Colombia to optimize its national energy structure and achieve green, sustainable development goals, demonstrating the deepening collaboration between the two sides in the transnational new energy sector.
3. Brazilian Power Grid Welcomes Hundred-Billion Investment as Chinese Enterprises Accelerate Layout
Brazil is about to launch its first annual transmission auction totaling 5.7 billion reais, marking the official start of a super cycle in its power grid construction. To meet the long-distance transmission needs of over 85% clean energy, Brazil's confirmed investment in the transmission sector will exceed 120 billion reais over the next decade. Meanwhile, benefiting from relevant tax exemption policies, its energy storage market investment is expected to reach up to 77 billion reais by 2034.
This massive and transparently regulated market provides a tremendous opportunity for Chinese power equipment enterprises to expand overseas. Previously, Chinese enterprises have driven the export of a large amount of high-end equipment through major infrastructure projects, capturing a very high market share in the smart meter and transformer sectors. Facing the dual demands of transmission and energy storage construction, Chinese enterprises are leveraging their technological and cost advantages across the entire industry chain of ultra-high voltage, power distribution, and energy storage to comprehensively deepen their business layout in Brazil.
Domestic Energy News
1. China Releases New Carbon Emission Accounting Regulations for Public Institutions
Recently, the National Government Offices Administration officially released the "Guidelines for Carbon Emission Accounting of Public Institutions" (JS/T303-2026), which will be implemented on April 1, 2026. This standard fills the regulatory gap for unified carbon emission accounting in public institutions, providing an authoritative basis for party and government organs, public institutions, and others to take stock of their carbon inventory and advance green, low-carbon transitions. The guidelines unify accounting rules and statistical processes, ensuring that carbon emission management follows standardized procedures.
The "Guidelines" define the boundary based on the scope of control of public institutions, accurately classifying emissions into direct emissions (such as fossil fuel consumption and official vehicle fuel) and indirect emissions (such as purchased electricity and heat), and adopting the carbon emission factor method to unify calculation parameters. At the same time, it provides detailed regulations for special scenarios such as joint office spaces. All units need to promptly establish and perfect energy consumption ledgers, assign dedicated personnel to standardize processes, and ensure the smooth implementation of the first round of carbon accounting.
2. Sichuan Energy Regulatory Office Promotes High-Quality Power Supply in Remote Mountainous Areas
To further improve rural power supply service levels, the Sichuan Energy Regulatory Office focuses on livelihood electricity challenges in remote mountainous areas, using precise regulation to assist rural revitalization. Take Gulu Village, a cliffside village at an altitude of 1,400 meters in Ya'an City, as an example: the village's annual comprehensive tourism revenue exceeds 7 million yuan, and its electricity demand has climbed accordingly. However, restricted by the complex geographical conditions of the alpine forest area, securing the local power grid is difficult and power supply stability is insufficient, gradually becoming a pain point restricting local residents' production, lives, and rural tourism development.
In response to these power grid bottlenecks, the Sichuan Energy Regulatory Office actively collaborated with State Grid Ya'an Electric Power (Group) Company to carry out refined governance, successfully promoting the smooth commissioning of a new energy storage system. The system can achieve seamless switching when the main grid experiences outages, ensuring power supply for up to 8 hours. Praised by locals as a rural "power bank," it effectively guarantees emergency and operational electricity use in remote areas. In the future, relevant departments will continue to improve regulatory efficiency and continuously consolidate rural grid power supply capabilities to empower the local economy.
3. Shenzhen Launches National Standardization Pilot for Carbon Footprint of Solar Modules
Recently, the launch meeting for the national standardization pilot on the carbon footprint of solar module resource recycling products was held in Shenzhen. Addressing the current complexity of carbon emission accounting over the full life cycle of solar modules, the pilot aims to build a unified and standardized accounting and evaluation system to fill the gaps in industry standards. This move not only promotes the quality improvement and upgrading of the photovoltaic industry but also enhances the core competitiveness of export-oriented enterprises in breaking international green trade barriers and expanding overseas markets.
Shenzhen plans to build a standard system covering solar module recycling, reprocessing, cascading utilization, and carbon footprint management within two years. The system will align with the local carbon footprint factor database to practically solve the difficulties faced by enterprises expanding overseas in terms of accounting, data collection, and standard adaptation. A professional working group for solar module recycling was also established at the meeting. Experts conducted discussions on frontier topics such as new photovoltaic technologies and full life cycle carbon emission reduction, providing comprehensive technical support for the pilot construction.
(Main news sources: CCTVNEWS APP, International Energy Network, China Energy Network, National Energy Administration, China Energy News)
