ET Highlights: Brazil I-REC issuances hit record high, China targets emissions gaps, Repsol says EU rules hold back SAF investment

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INTERVIEW: Repsol's Cabra sees EU rules holding back SAF investment beyond 2030

Europe's sustainable aviation fuel market is on track to meet its 2030 blending targets, but fragmented regulation across feedstocks, processing technologies and end markets risks choking off the investment needed to hit more ambitious post-2030 goals, a senior Repsol executive said Sept. 24. The EU's ReFuelEU Aviation regulation has provided a workable framework so far, with the 2025 SAF blending obligation of 2% already exceeded at 2.8% Repsol deputy CEO Luis Cabra, who is also of refining industry association FuelsEurope, told Platts. 

Europe must learn to live with energy system sabotage risk: experts

Europe must learn to live with energy infrastructure attacks as the continent faces increasing physical and cyber sabotage threats from state actors and elsewhere, though renewables can aid system resilience, leading energy security experts said. The range of potential threats is now too broad and dispersed to be entirely avoided, so operators must adapt by building resilient infrastructure, Tatiana Mitrova, global fellow at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, told Platts in an interview. 

HCEE INDIA 2026 INTERVIEW: Reliance to start renewable hydrogen output in 2027, ramp up by 2028

Reliance Industries Ltd. expects to begin renewable hydrogen production at its Jamnagar hub in 2027, with output ramping up in phases to meet its commercial commitments, Rahul T.R., vice president, strategy and planning, new energy, told Platts, a part of S&P Global Energy. Commissioning will be aligned with its obligations under India's production-linked incentive scheme and a roughly $3 billion offtake deal with Samsung C&T, he added. Reliance aims to have a production capacity of 3 million mt/year of renewable hydrogen capacity by 2035. 

Indonesia maps grid strategy for hyperscale data center boom

Indonesia is accelerating power infrastructure development to support a projected surge in AI and hyperscale data centers, with plans to expand national data center capacity nearly tenfold by 2029. Government officials and state utility PLN said grid readiness will be critical as connected power demand from data centers is expected to rise sharply through 2034. Authorities are developing coordinated policy and infrastructure measures to attract hyperscale investment while managing the impact on the electricity system. 

S&P Global Energy Core

China targets emissions measurement gaps to strengthen carbon market

China has launched a review of carbon emissions measurement practices across key industrial sectors to improve the integrity and transparency of its national emissions trading system. The country's top market regulator and environment ministry said the investigation will address shortcomings in carbon measurement, recordkeeping and reporting by major emitters. The review covers sectors already included in the carbon market, including power, steel, cement and aluminum, with chemicals and other industries expected to join over time. 

New Zealand sets integrity criteria for voluntary nature and carbon markets

New Zealand has introduced formal endorsement criteria for voluntary carbon and nature market schemes, aiming to boost private investment in environmental restoration projects. The framework creates pathways for recognizing both international and domestic crediting schemes, covering initiatives such as wetland restoration and native forest protection. Authorities said the criteria are designed to improve market credibility by ensuring credits are issued only after independent verification of measurable environmental outcomes. 

Industry urges EU to keep binding green hydrogen targets post-2030

A coalition of 170 energy companies has warned the European Commission that scrapping binding renewable hydrogen targets after 2030 would destroy investor confidence and waste more than half a decade of legislative and corporate effort. In a letter sent on Sept. 24 to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera, and Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen, the companies called on Brussels to maintain the Renewable Energy Directive III transport and industry targets and mandates for Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin hydrogen beyond 2030. 

Greece-based EmiCert emerges as world's first accredited CBAM emissions verifier

EmiCert has become the first company in the world to receive accreditation to certify embedded carbon emissions under the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the Athens-based environmental services company said Sept. 23, with its scope now covering all six CBAM-regulated sectors: iron and steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, electricity and hydrogen. The accreditation arrives at a critical moment. CBAM entered its definitive phase in January, requiring EU importers of covered goods to purchase and surrender certificates corresponding to the embedded emissions of their imports.