[Institution: DDR2 Contract Price Estimated to Rise Approximately 55-60% in Q2, with a Further Increase of 35-40% in Q3]

Germany’s Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) is amending its offshore wind area development plan to reduce power density below 10 MW per square kilometer and minimize turbine shadowing, aiming to improve overall project economic viability. The amendment specifically targets areas like N-10.1 and N-10.2, which received no bids in 2025, to increase their attractiveness for a new tender in 2027. The 2027 auction is slated to offer a total of 4 GW across four areas, aligning with Germany's statutory goal of reaching 70 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2045. Concurrently, the offshore wind association BWO has called for broader legislative reforms, urging the introduction of two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfDs) and a mechanism to voluntarily return and re-tender economically unviable projects from the 2023–2025 auctions.

NexMetals Mining announced a nearly 70% resource upgrade at its Selkirk copper-nickel-PGE project in Botswana, boosting its indicated category to approximately 1.1 billion lbs of copper equivalent (78.2 million tonnes at 0.66% CuEq) through successful re-assaying and twin drilling. The total contained metal inventory surged 63% from the 2024 estimate, driven by improved metallurgical recoveries and the inclusion of cobalt, silver, and gold as payable metals. Although the C$114 million market cap company saw its shares briefly jump 10% before paring gains amid broader market weakness, the significantly upgraded project is now positioned to be a major driver of its regional growth strategy.

UK energy regulator Ofgem has provisionally selected 16 long-duration electricity storage (LDES) projects, representing 7,645 MW of capacity, under the first application window of the LDES cap and floor regime. Ofgem has published its "minded-to" decisions to support these projects and is currently seeking feedback via a public consultation that will close on August 7, 2026. The final cap and floor awards are expected to be announced in the autumn. The selected projects cover a variety of technologies, including pumped hydro, vanadium redox flow, compressed air, and lithium-ion batteries. The regulator noted that this capacity aligns with the upper end of the National Energy System Operator’s (NESO) recommended range. Further application windows are anticipated, subject to additional consultations this year and a decision on a second window by 2027.