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Mid-Nickel",103.5,99.73,3.78,13.78,6.78,[518,519,520,522,524,526,528,530,532,534,536,538],{"date":213,"value":512},{"date":216,"value":513},{"date":219,"value":521},99.19,{"date":222,"value":523},96.02,{"date":225,"value":525},98.23,{"date":467,"value":527},99.24,{"date":329,"value":529},101.29,{"date":339,"value":531},87.61,{"date":341,"value":533},92.44,{"date":344,"value":535},90.96,{"date":347,"value":537},92.24,{"date":350,"value":539},95.09,{"id":541,"uuid":542,"name":543,"slug":544,"full_slug":545,"content":546,"relatedArticles":738,"relatedVideos":739},188509059540492,"47c7310f-4962-483a-9370-a204759133d5","Geo-economic and policy briefing - Edition 5 2026","Geo-economic-and-policy-briefing-edition-5-2026","publications/briefings/geo-economic-and-policy-briefings/Geo-economic-and-policy-briefing-edition-5-2026",{"_uid":547,"date":548,"content":549,"excerpt":711,"component":712,"categories":713,"visibility":735,"publication_frequency":188,"formattedDate":736,"formattedArticleDate":737},"9c33db64-3143-49b5-a2b2-19b68f5e7a3c","2026-06-16 00:00",{"type":550,"content":551},"doc",[552,571,605,615,629,635,640,645,650,655,660,674,680,694,699,704],{"type":553,"attrs":554,"content":556},"heading",{"level":555,"textAlign":49},4,[557,567],{"text":558,"type":559,"marks":560},"1. ","text",[561,565],{"type":562,"attrs":563},"textStyle",{"color":564},"",{"type":566},"bold",{"text":568,"type":559,"marks":569},"US political opposition rises against AI data centre build-out, adding political risk to BESS demand",[570],{"type":566},{"type":572,"attrs":573,"content":574},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[575,577,585,587,592,600],{"text":576,"type":559},"The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and hyperscale data centres is reshaping global electricity demand, with battery energy storage systems (BESS) emerging as a critical component in ensuring grid reliability. As operators increasingly turn to solar and wind to meet growing electricity demand, energy storage is becoming essential to provide firm, dispatchable power. According to ",{"text":578,"type":559,"marks":579},"Benchmark’s Q2 2026 BESS Forecast",[580],{"type":581,"attrs":582},"link",{"href":583,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":584},"https://data.benchmarkminerals.com/bess/data-reports","url",{"text":586,"type":559},", global BESS demand from data centres is expected to increase by more than 160% by 2030. The US is set to account for nearly half of this growth, reflecting its dominant position in the global data centre market and the scale of its hyperscale project pipeline. Additionally, ",{"text":588,"type":559,"marks":589},"BESS for data centre applications represented ",[590],{"type":562,"attrs":591},{"color":564},{"text":593,"type":559,"marks":594},"14% of total US installations in 2025",[595,598],{"type":581,"attrs":596},{"href":597,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":584},"https://intelligence.benchmarkminerals.com/article/us-solar-firm-nextpower-enters-energy-storage-market-through-acquisition-of-bess-maker-prevalon",{"type":562,"attrs":599},{"color":564},{"text":601,"type":559,"marks":602},".",[603],{"type":562,"attrs":604},{"color":564},{"type":606,"attrs":607},"blok",{"id":608,"body":609},"38832c2a-c937-479d-ac3e-ec9052d1591d",[610],{"id":611,"_uid":612,"type":613,"component":614,"fixed_height":564,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":564,"fixed_height_tablet":564},"29410342","i-b4151e4e-b760-4264-8a88-26ed04f2e2ee","visualisation","ContentFlourish",{"type":572,"attrs":616,"content":618},{"textAlign":617},"justify",[619,621,627],{"text":620,"type":559},"This surge in electricity demand is closely tied to partnerships between technology companies and large energy developers. NextEra Energy Resources (NEER), one of the largest solar and storage developers in the US, has emerged as a key counterparty for companies including Meta and Google. These firms are pursuing long-term agreements to secure reliable, clean electricity for large-scale – hyperscale - data centres. In May 2026, ",{"text":622,"type":559,"marks":623},"NEER announced plans to acquire Dominion Energy for $67bn",[624],{"type":581,"attrs":625},{"href":626,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":584},"https://intelligence.benchmarkminerals.com/article/nextera-acquires-dominion-energy-as-us-data-centre-demand-drives-energy-storage-growth",{"text":628,"type":559},", a move that would create the world’s largest regulated utility business. The combined entity is expected to play a central role in meeting rising electricity demand, particularly in Virginia, the leading US data centre hub. NEER has a reported BESS development pipeline of 43 GW through 2032, with more than 10 GW already operational, positioning it to capitalise on accelerating storage deployment.",{"type":606,"attrs":630},{"id":608,"body":631},[632],{"id":633,"_uid":634,"type":613,"component":614,"fixed_height":564,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":564,"fixed_height_tablet":564},"29410330","i-3d81a41e-312e-4e0c-a78a-8229439b5487",{"type":572,"attrs":636,"content":637},{"textAlign":617},[638],{"text":639,"type":559},"The growth in data centres, driven by AI, is also influencing US energy policy at both state and federal levels. Policymakers are seeking to balance the need for rapid infrastructure expansion with concerns around grid stability, affordability, and energy security. Virginia has taken a leading role in adapting to this shift. In April 2026, the state passed legislation requiring utilities to procure more than 20 GW of energy storage capacity by 2045, including 4 GW of long-duration energy storage (LDES). The policy is designed to ensure that the grid can accommodate rising electricity demand from data centres while maintaining reliability. Other states are introducing similar measures. California, for example, has mandated the procurement of 6 GW of new clean energy and storage capacity by 2032 to support grid stability. At the same time, nearly 30 states are advancing so-called “large load” legislation, aimed at ensuring that data centre developers bear the cost of new generation capacity rather than passing it on to ratepayers.",{"type":572,"attrs":641,"content":642},{"textAlign":617},[643],{"text":644,"type":559},"However, the rapid pace and scale of data centre development have also triggered growing local opposition. Concerns over electricity consumption and affordability, water usage, land use, and tax incentives have contributed to an increasingly organised backlash, which is beginning to shape political debate ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections. According to Data Centre Watch, at least 48 projects representing $156bn in investment were blocked or delayed by local opposition in 2025, up from a combined $64bn over the two years to March 2025. This trend has intensified in 2026. In the first quarter alone, at least 75 projects worth approximately $130bn were stalled or halted, nearly matching the total for the whole of 2025 within a single quarter. Public opposition appears to cut across political and geographic lines, although it is more pronounced among younger, Democratic, and rural voters. An Ipsos survey found that the share of Americans opposed to having a data centre built nearby rose from nearly half in late 2025 to around 70% within a few months. Key concerns include grid strain, rising electricity costs, environmental impacts, and local land use issues.",{"type":572,"attrs":646,"content":647},{"textAlign":617},[648],{"text":649,"type":559},"This growing resistance is feeding into legislative activity. More than 300 bills related to data centres were introduced in US state legislatures in the first six weeks of 2026 alone. Formal moratorium proposals were introduced in 14 states between January and March, while around 12 states have advanced broader statewide moratorium efforts, including Minnesota, Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont. Maine has taken the most concrete step to date, with its legislature passing a moratorium on data centre facilities exceeding 20MW, set to run through November 2027. However, the bill was vetoed by Governor Janet Mills in April 2026, so no statewide moratorium has been enacted yet.",{"type":572,"attrs":651,"content":652},{"textAlign":617},[653],{"text":654,"type":559},"At the federal level, legislative proposals reflect similar tensions. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Centre Moratorium Act, which would impose a nationwide pause on constructing or upgrading data centres with power demand of 20MW or more until stronger regulatory safeguards are established. The proposal is not expected to advance. In contrast, the Trump administration has continued to promote data centre expansion as part of a broader industrial and technological strategy. Its 23 July 2025 executive order, titled \"Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Centre Infrastructure,\" forms part of a wider AI Action Plan aimed at supporting domestic infrastructure growth. The policy directs federal agencies to streamline permitting processes, open federal land for development, and provide financial support through loans, guarantees, grants, and tax incentives. Importantly, the thresholds for qualification under the executive order are structured as alternative criteria rather than cumulative requirements. Projects may qualify if they involve at least 100MW of incremental load, commit $500m or more in capital expenditure, support national security objectives, or are designated by relevant federal authorities.",{"type":572,"attrs":656,"content":657},{"textAlign":617},[658],{"text":659,"type":559},"Taken together, these developments highlight a rapidly evolving landscape in which the expansion of AI and data centre infrastructure is driving both investment and policy change. While the growth outlook for BESS and associated energy infrastructure remains strong, the sector faces increasing scrutiny that is likely to influence the pace and geography of deployment in the coming years.",{"type":553,"attrs":661,"content":662},{"level":555,"textAlign":617},[663,667],{"text":664,"type":559,"marks":665},"2. Monthly round-up of ",[666],{"type":566},{"text":668,"type":559,"marks":669},"the remaining key geopolitical and policy updates",[670,673],{"type":562,"attrs":671},{"color":672},"black",{"type":566},{"type":606,"attrs":675},{"id":608,"body":676},[677],{"id":678,"_uid":679,"type":613,"component":614,"fixed_height":564,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":564,"fixed_height_tablet":564},"29409733","i-0e363156-a60f-4ce8-830f-6115b2a8b7b4",{"type":553,"attrs":681,"content":682},{"level":555,"textAlign":617},[683,688],{"text":684,"type":559,"marks":685},"3. ",[686],{"type":562,"attrs":687},{"color":672},{"text":689,"type":559,"marks":690},"Key Macro-economic Indicators",[691,693],{"type":562,"attrs":692},{"color":672},{"type":566},{"type":572,"attrs":695,"content":696},{"textAlign":617},[697],{"text":698,"type":559},"The US economy added 172,000 new jobs in May, beating forecasts, while a combined 93,000 jobs were also revised up in March and April figures. That data point comes as the OECD has warned that the energy crisis resulting from the war in the Middle East could cut global growth to 2.1% in 2026 and 1.8% in 2027 if left unresolved, while interest rates in the US and elsewhere could be increased to combat inflation.",{"type":572,"attrs":700,"content":701},{"textAlign":617},[702],{"text":703,"type":559},"China’s economy saw a slowdown in April, with industrial output down to 4.1% from more than 6% in Q1. The slowdown was largely driven by construction-related output, while more advanced manufacturing remained strong. New Eurostat numbers, meanwhile, showed that EU seasonally adjusted GDP was down 0.1% in Q1, and 0.2% in the euro area. AI has been the economic focus of Canada’s government this month, with a new AI strategy expected to boost GDP by 3% by boosting productivity.",{"type":606,"attrs":705},{"id":608,"body":706},[707],{"id":708,"_uid":709,"type":710,"component":614,"fixed_height":564,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":564,"fixed_height_tablet":564},"3698939","i-59c6aa49-e1b4-49fc-a1ee-075e46f94356","story","This is your monthly geo-economic and policy briefing, part of your Benchmark Intelligence subscription. Every month, this briefing examines the key geo-economic and policy trends shaping the mine-to-grid supply chains, from critical minerals to electric vehicles (EVs). ","briefing",[714,716,719,722,725,728,731,733],{"slug":715,"name":261},"anode",{"slug":717,"name":718},"batteries","Batteries",{"slug":720,"name":721},"battery-technology","Battery Technology",{"slug":723,"name":724},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals",{"slug":726,"name":727},"ess","ESS",{"slug":729,"name":730},"geopolitics","Geopolitics",{"slug":732,"name":150},"nickel",{"slug":734,"name":414},"rare-earths","private","Jun 16, 2026","16th June 2026",[],[],1781799445975]