As Groundline enters a new phase of growth and I find myself at the helm, I am in an interesting position where I am looking through two lenses. One on the ANZ market that I have operated in for 10+ years and the other on our global markets (UK, EU and USA).

Regionally, NZ has seen an uptake of larger scale solar projects with several key projects either under construction or due to start (Tauhui,Ruakaka, Clandeboye and Te Herenga o Te Rā) and two completed or in commissioning (Lauriston and Pukenui). Groundline have been active in this space connecting these renewable generation projects to the grid, grid upgrades to enable this generation to be utilised, and supporting our contracting partners to deliver safe and on time. 

Leading into 2025 there were 97 large-scale renewables projects either under construction or reaching financial close in AU,covering solar, wind, storage, hydro, and bioenergy. This is supplemented by transmission projects in Central West Orana, New England, Humelink and of course Energy Connect. 

Our involvement in Central West Orana now sees the project in full execution of the backbone transmission connections, as well as proposals and approvals from renewables developers in full steam. 

The hunter region has been busy with transmission enabling works and our support for Genus Group has been critical for timely and safe delivery.

We continue to support the federally funded mega scale SunCable project AAPL, as this continues to work towards its goal to supply 6GW of solar generation. 

Globally, conflict dominated 2025. The war in Gaza and Ukraine continue to be a horrific headline in the media. However, in the background of this devastating conflict, there is a constant hum from the energy sector as it continues to try and solve supply and demand problems across the globe.

In the first half of 2025, globalelectricity consumption surged by over 4%, driven by industrial activity,cooling demands during heatwaves, data centers, AI workloads, and theelectrification of transport and buildings, with China, India, and the U.S. leadingthis growth. Solar and wind energy outpaced demand growth, marking asignificant shift as renewables overtook coal in the global electricity mix,contributing to the plateauing of global CO₂ emissions.

Despite the continued growth of supply from renewables, gas, and nuclear, grid operators faced challenges with balancing distributed energy, EV charging, and peak demand, resulting in wholesale electricity prices surging due to weather-dependent generation variability, grid constraints, and rising system costs. Regionally, fossil generation declined in China and India, while solar and wind set new records. The EU and US saw renewables dominate new capacity despite a slight rise in fossil generation.

Looking forward to 2026, the focus will remain on grid modernization, flexibility solutions like storage and demand response, and the continued dominance of renewables in new capacity additions, with electricity becoming the foundation of global energy systems.

So 2026 is looking to be busier than 2025 and we are looking forward to the challenge!