Today’s renewable energy news includes announcements POWERCHINA, PowerBank, Ontario Solar Project, CenterPoint Energy, among others.
South Africa and China Explore R2.2 Trillion Energy Investment Pipeline
South Africa and China are strengthening energy cooperation through a two-day Electricity and Energy Investment Conference hosted at POWERCHINA’s Beijing headquarters. The conference opened on August 3, 2026, bringing together more than 260 representatives from government, finance and industry. Participants examined over R2.2 trillion in investment opportunities through 2039 under South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan 2025. The opportunities cover electricity generation, transmission infrastructure, energy storage and related manufacturing. POWERCHINA, which began operating in South Africa in 2008, said it would support the conversion of planned projects into operational infrastructure while promoting local procurement, skills development and supply-chain cooperation. The conference is also preparing the foundation for a proposed South Africa-China Energy Investment Partnership supporting long-term energy and water infrastructure development.
PowerBank Plans 4 MW Ontario Solar Project to Supply 640 Homes
PowerBank has signed a lease agreement for the 4 MW ON-765 West ground-mounted solar project in North Bruce Peninsula, Ontario. Once operational, the facility is expected to generate enough clean electricity to serve the equivalent of approximately 640 provincial homes. PowerBank said the distributed solar development could add electricity closer to consumption centres, reducing transmission losses and supporting grid resilience as demand grows from artificial intelligence, electrification and digital infrastructure. The project is expected to qualify for Canada’s Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit. The federal incentive provides eligible corporations with a refundable tax credit covering up to 30 percent of the capital cost of qualifying clean-energy investments, including solar and energy-storage equipment. Development remains subject to required permits, interconnection and financing arrangements.
CenterPoint Targets More Than US$5 Billion in Texas Electricity Savings CenterPoint Energy has introduced a Customer Savings Initiative projected to generate more than US$5 billion in savings for Texas electricity customers over the next decade. The plan is supported by the proposed addition of up to 14 GW of ERCOT-eligible base-load and studied-load projects, including large industrial and data-centre developments that would assume a greater share of fixed grid costs. CenterPoint said infrastructure charges increased by just over 1 percent annually between 2014 and 2025. The company serves more than 7 million metered customers, including nearly 2.9 million in Greater Houston. At June 30, 2026, CenterPoint owned approximately US$48.3 billion in assets and employed around 8,800 people. The utility and its predecessors have operated for more than 150 years.
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