Energy Transition, Renewables, Emissions, Carbon
June 17, 2026
ET Highlights: Washington carbon auction shows low future vintage costs, Air Liquide starts cement carbon capture pilot, Philippines solar supply lags
Energy Transition Highlights: Our editors and analysts bring together the biggest stories in the industry this week, from renewables to storage to carbon prices.
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Washington carbon auction clears slightly lower, pricing remains stable
Washington state’s latest carbon auction cleared slightly lower quarter over quarter, showing stable emissions pricing in the structurally short market and potentially relaying expectations of linkage with the much larger California market.
Washington state’s Auction 14 cleared at $64.56/allowance in the current year vintage carbon auction, according to June 10 data from the state’s Department of Ecology. The auction was held June 3.
Auction 14 cleared just 1% lower than the previous auction in the first quarter of 2026, despite selling smaller volumes of current-year allowances. The auction cleared 10% higher year over year compared to the second-quarter 2025 auction.
In total, 6.7 million allowances were sold, with about 5 million being current-year allowances and 1.7 million being future vintage 2029 allowances.
Compliance entities won 88% of current-year vintage allowances in Auction 14 and 63% of 2029 future-vintage allowances.
Market participants said the auction was "pretty normal" and displayed a balance of supply and demand "for now."
Benchmark of the Week
$31.75/alw
Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed next-December California carbon allowances at $31.75 per allowance on June 12. Washington state is working through regulatory steps to link its carbon market to the joint California-Quebec market.
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SPGlobal.com
Wartsila tests large-scale hydrogen-fired engine on Spanish power grid
Energy technology group Wartsila has begun testing a large-scale engine running on 100% hydrogen, supplying power to Spain's national grid, the company said in a statement on June 11. The trial of the Wartsila 31H2 engine in Bermeo, northern Spain, aims to demonstrate how the technology could help balance renewable-heavy power systems as countries scale wind and solar capacity, Wartsila said.
Green Carbon, KIH launch Vietnam AWD project aimed at JCM credit generation
Japan-based developer Green Carbon and Seoul-based Korea Investment Holdings partnered on a rice cultivation project in Vietnam to generate carbon credits under Japan's Joint Crediting Mechanism, reflecting early-stage efforts to expand agriculture-based projects within the scheme. The initiative, located in Nghe An province, will focus on reducing methane emissions from rice paddies through alternate wetting and drying irrigation practices, with the eventual goal of issuing credits under the JCM framework, the companies said.
S&P Global Energy Core
Air Liquide starts industrial-scale carbon capture pilot at Holcim cement site
Industrial gases company Air Liquide has started its first industrial-scale carbon capture unit at cement giant Holcim’s Martres-Tolosane facility in France. Air Liquide said the success of the industrial-scale unit paves the way for future deployment of its carbon capture technology across the cement sector. The announcement comes amid a broader push by the global cement sector to invest in carbon capture and storage.
Philippines solar demand surges but supply chains can't keep up
The Philippines is experiencing an unprecedented rise in rooftop solar demand as households and businesses seek protection against volatile electricity prices and fuel dependency, but supply chain bottlenecks and regulatory delays are preventing the market from converting interest into actual installations, Brenda Valerio, Philippines country director at New Energy Nexus, said at a Global Energy Monitor webinar. Customer inquiries for rooftop solar systems jumped 582% after the Philippines in March declared a state of national emergency to address potential disruption in fuel supply.