The rhetoric around new and increased trade barriers between the US and China affecting batteries, battery materials and BESS has ramped up in the past few weeks, and we hear from a lawyer and a political analyst.

Chinese battery manufacturer Hithium and Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction (Samsung C&T) have penned a new agreement targeting around 10GWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity globally.

A green energy subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Marubeni has brought online a megawatt-scale battery storage demonstration project in Vietnam.

At the end of 2024, Australian renewable energy developer ZEN Energy, in partnership with Taiwan’s HD Renewable Energy (HDRE), announced plans to establish a joint venture in Australia that will target 1GW of energy storage capacity.

Western Australia’s Economic Regulation Authority has set the peak and flexible benchmark reserve capacity prices (BRCPs) at AU$360,700/MW (US$224,898/MW) annually from 2027-28.

Solar PV developer Lightsource bp has started construction on two solar-plus-storage projects in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, following success in the first tender of the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS).

Research firm Wood Mackenzie has found that daily price volatility from renewables on Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) supports a stronger battery revenue outlook.

China-headquartered electronics firm Huawei has secured a supply agreement to provide a 4.5GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) for the Meralco Terra Solar project in the Philippines.

Australian utility Origin Energy has confirmed that the first stage of the Eraring battery energy storage system (BESS) has been energised.

A report by CSIRO has found that large-scale BESS capital costs have improved the most in 2024-25, falling by 20% year-on-year (YoY).