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Add a fifth state to Tesla’s bidding war for its battery “Gigafactory,” which it says will create 6,500 jobs and investment of up to $5 billion.

California joins Nevada, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. California is home to Tesla’s headquarters and electric car plant, but Tesla has been looking elsewhere to locate its giant plant for creating lithium-ion batteries. CEO Elon Musk, however, says he’s reconsidered.

Read more at:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/05/10/tesla-gigafactory-california/8918531/

France’s economy minister Arnaud Montebourg flew to Berlin on Friday to urge Siemens to make a counter bid for the energy division of Alstom and keep the business out of the hands of its US suitor, General Electric.

The visit is another desperate bid by François Hollande’s Socialist government to prevent GE from acquiring almost three quarters of the French industrial group. Montebourg’s office confirmed he and his counterpart Sigmar Gabriel would talk about a range of issues, including Alstom.

Read more at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/may/09/france-courts-siemens-prevent-ge-takeover

Hydro Quebec recorded a record profit of $2.9 billion in fiscal 2013, due to a combination of increased revenues from outside of Quebec and reduced costs, the Crown Corporation announced Friday.

The energy giant announced revenues of $12.9 billion, an increase of $745 million from one year prior.

Hydro Quebec attained those results thanks partially to an increase of $254 million in exports and a reduction of $122 million in electricity purchases from Rio Tinto Alcan.

Read more: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/hydro-quebec-announces-record-results-for-2013-1.1814588#ixzz31JWSyO4X

PARIS, May 9 (Reuters) – France wants state-controlled nuclear group Areva to take over Alstom’s offshore wind turbine unit if General Electric’s bid for Alstom succeeds, a French paper reported on Friday.

Areva and Alstom both produce offshore wind turbines and are part of different consortia to build 3,000 megawatts of wind power off the French coast in coming years.

Read more at:   http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/09/france-windfarm-areva-idUSL6N0NV2FT20140509

(Reuters) – Toshiba Corp will offer to buy Alstom’s power grid business for “several hundred billion yen” if General Electric completes its planned purchase of Alstom’s energy business, the Nikkei newspaper reported.

Read more at:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/07/us-alstom-offer-idUSBREA460VA20140507

Most players within the industry have expressed their optimism for the long-term demand of coal. For instance, Rio Tinto Limited’s head of energy said: “Australians should recognise that coal will remain an important energy source for decades.” Although it is not the cleanest energy source, it is one of the most affordable which should see demand from countries like China and India remain strong for decades to come.

Read more at:   http://www.fool.com.au/2014/05/07/can-you-benefit-from-the-depressed-coal-market/

May 5 (Reuters) – The French government rejected General Electric’s current bid for Alstom’s energy assets on Monday, but opened the door for a deal that would also combine the two companies’ rail businesses.

Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/05/alstom-offer-idUSL6N0NR3QZ20140505

Areva has hailed its molten salt energy storage demonstration plant as a success after kicking off operations in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The scheme (pictured), which has been installed at Sandia National Laboratories’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility, is designed for use with the company’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector technology.

Read more at: http://renews.biz/66028/areva-storage-demo-worth-its-salt/

While nuclear power isn’t the public’s first choice of energy, it does hold the most promise for quickly and drastically reducing the world’s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel energy sources. The good news is that there is no shortage of innovative technologies being developed, from thorium-fueled reactors in Europe to waster-fueled designs created byGeneral Electric Company. Even billionaires such as Bill Gates and start-ups are getting in on the action.

Read more at: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/05/04/russias-plans-for-floating-nuclear-power-may-surpr.aspx

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – The Indonesian government is preparing a scenario to anticipate soaring fuel subsidies, Deputy Finance Minister Anny Ratnawati said.

“Everything (alternatives) is being prepared, including whether to curtail budget at ministries and government agencies. We will choose the alternative that is the most visible,” she said here on Friday.

Read more at: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/93862/indonesian-govt-preparing-scenario-to-anticipate-soaring-fuel-subsidy