Equinor’s East Point Energy begins operations at 200MWh Texas BESS

energy-storage.news Sep 4, 2026

Equinor’s East Point Energy begins operations at 200MWh Texas BESS

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Sep 4, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Equinor’s Texas‑based subsidiary East Point Energy has commissioned the 100 MW/200 MWh Citrus Flatts battery energy storage system (BESS) in Harlingen, marking the company’s second operational project after the 10 MW/20 MWh Sunset Ridge facility. The project, approved in 2024, operates on a fully merchant basis with optimisation services from Equinor’s trading arm, Danske Commodities, and is expected to deliver returns at the upper end of the firm’s 4‑8 % renewable range. Citrus Flatts joins five other Equinor BESS installations launched over the past four years and signals the firm’s shift from developer to independent power producer. Construction continues on a 80 MW/160 MWh portfolio in Virginia, while a planned 116 MW New York BESS was shelved after local opposition.

💡 Why It Matters

· The launch demonstrates Equinor’s rapid scaling of merchant‑grade storage in a market where revenue streams are increasingly contested, positioning the firm to capture higher‑margin grid services.

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Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Cleanhill Partners sell PCS manufacturer EPC Power for US$4.4…

Goldman Sachs Alternatives and Cleanhill Partners sold EPC Power Corp, a California‑based manufacturer of software‑defined inverters and power conversion systems, to Flex for US$4.4 billion. The deal, announced on 3 September, will close in Q4 2026 and is financed through a mix of debt and equity. EPC Power’s technology, including Agile Grid Forming and solid‑state transformers, targets renewable energy, battery storage, and data‑centre power markets. Flex plans to integrate EPC Power into its Cloud and Power Infrastructure unit, slated for a public spin‑out in Q1 2027.

💡 The acquisition signals a strategic shift toward high‑voltage, AI‑driven data‑centre power solutions, positioning Flex to capture growing demand for resilient, scalable energy infrastructure.

cleantechnica.com · Sep 4

Hydrogen Kept Failing The Test — And Getting Another Test

Michael Barnard’s retrospective analysis argues that hydrogen’s persistence stems from institutional inertia rather than technical merit. Despite well-documented thermodynamic inefficiencies and worsening economics, incumbent gas companies and automakers promoted hydrogen to preserve existing assets, skills, and infrastructure. Direct electrification threatens the strategic value of pipelines, processing plants, and combustion-engine expertise. Consequently, these entities favored hydrogen pathways to maintain relevance. Governments further entrenched this trajectory by establishing subsidy programs and infrastructure targets without robust economic analysis. The European Court of Auditors noted that EU hydrogen policy targets lacked sufficient scrutiny yet already influenced billions in investment. By 2025, actual project costs significantly exceeded institutional forecasts. The article posits that confirmation bias and loss aversion are secondary to the primary driver: protecting legacy industrial ecosystems. Hydrogen serves as a political tool to delay the transition to direct electrification, allowing established industries to retain control over energy distribution and manufacturing landscapes despite clear evidence of its inferiority.

💡 The analysis exposes how entrenched industrial interests manipulate policy to protect obsolete infrastructure, potentially delaying the most efficient decarbonization pathways. Recognizing this dynamic is crucial for policymakers aiming to allocate resources toward genuinely viable clean energy solutions rather than subsidizing economic inertia.

semiconductor-digest.com · Sep 4

KAIST Tames a Semiconductor Greenhouse Gas 6,000 Times More Potent than CO₂…

A KAIST research team, collaborating with Samsung Electronics, has developed a novel catalyst to efficiently remove tetrafluoromethane (CF₄), a greenhouse gas 6,000 times more potent than CO₂, from semiconductor manufacturing processes. Led by Professor Minkee Choi, the team utilized entropy stabilization to create an entropy-stabilized aluminate catalyst incorporating aluminum, zinc, gallium, nickel, and cobalt. This disordered atomic structure prevents particle aggregation and structural deformation under harsh high-temperature, moist, and fluorine-rich conditions that typically degrade conventional catalysts. In accelerated tests at 800°C, the new catalyst maintained 92% CF₄ conversion after 150 hours, significantly outperforming conventional alumina catalysts, which dropped to 48%. The research also experimentally confirmed the decomposition mechanism, showing the catalyst uses internal oxygen replenished by steam. This breakthrough addresses the critical challenge of CF₄ persistence, which lasts roughly 50,000 years in the atmosphere, offering a durable solution for reducing emissions from dry etching processes in fine semiconductor circuit fabrication.

💡 Semiconductor manufacturers can now mitigate the extreme climate impact of CF₄ without sacrificing catalyst longevity. This entropy-stabilized approach directly counters the corrosive degradation that has historically limited emission control efficiency in chip production facilities.

securitybrief.co.uk · Sep 4

RAICo tests digital twin robot system for nuclear work

RAICo has developed a Digital Twin in-the-loop system designed to enhance robotic operations during nuclear decommissioning. The technology functions as a mediation layer between human operators and robotic arms, interpreting intent to adjust commands and prevent errors in hazardous environments. Major entities including AWE Nuclear Security Technologies, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and Nuclear Restoration Services are currently evaluating the system. Developed with simulation specialist TOIA, the software mitigates risks associated with handling radioactive debris and sorting materials. By automating lower-level adjustments, the system reduces the need for specialized training and sustained concentration typically required for six-axis arm operation. This approach aims to expand the pool of qualified decommissioning professionals and accelerate remote handling tasks. The project represents a shift toward intent-based operations, where software generates control instructions based on desired outcomes, potentially increasing safety and efficiency in high-risk nuclear settings.

💡 The technology democratizes access to complex robotic tools by lowering the skill barrier for nuclear decommissioning tasks. This shift allows facilities to deploy a broader workforce for hazardous waste sorting, directly addressing labor shortages and accelerating cleanup timelines in high-risk environments.

thehawk.in · Sep 4

Democrat win could cost US AI race: Vance

US Vice-President J.D. Vance warned that America risks losing the artificial intelligence race to China if Democrats gain control of Congress. Speaking at a White House press briefing, Vance argued that expanding energy supply and accelerating data center construction are critical for maintaining technological leadership. He acknowledged public resistance, citing a Fox News poll showing 70 percent of voters oppose local data centers due to fears of rising electricity bills. Vance stated that the Trump administration is addressing these concerns by requiring new facilities to feed power back into the grid and easing regulations for nuclear plants. He highlighted that China now produces three times as much electricity as the United States, a gap that widened after 2005. Vance framed the issue as a broader challenge, urging the nation to become builders again. He claimed a Democratic victory would increase energy prices and taxes, hindering manufacturing revival. The US and China are currently competing for dominance in advanced AI models, semiconductor technology, and the necessary infrastructure to support them.

💡 Vance’s comments explicitly link domestic energy policy to geopolitical security, framing infrastructure development as a zero-sum contest with China. This political positioning suggests that upcoming mid-term election outcomes will directly influence the pace of American technological expansion and energy independence.

energy-storage.news · Sep 4

Under the hood: Inside Tesla’s Megapack 3 as Texas production begins

Tesla has begun construction of its next‑generation Megapack 3 at a new Texas facility near Houston, expanding the company’s global production footprint. The 5 MWh, 2.5 MW lithium‑iron‑phosphate battery system will be available in several configurations, including standard BESS, hydrogen‑buffered, carbon‑capture‑optimized, mobile, and hybrid fuel‑cell models. The Megapack 3 supports peak shaving, frequency regulation, renewable integration, and black‑start capability. A Megablock assembly of up to four units delivers 20 MWh with four‑hour discharge, while larger arrays can reach 248 MWh. Deliveries are slated for late 2026.

💡 Tesla’s Texas launch signals a strategic push to meet rising grid‑scale storage demand, positioning the company to capture a larger share of the expanding renewable infrastructure market. The diverse Megapack 3 configurations enable utilities to integrate more renewables and enhance grid resilience, accelerating the transition to cleaner energy.