Germany, Austria and Luxembourg will provide up to €2.12bn through a joint eSAF funding scheme, using a double-sided auction to bridge the price gap between buyers and sellers of electricity-based aviation fuel. Germany, Austria and Luxembourg announced on 21 September a joint eSAF funding scheme worth up to €2.12 billion.…
Mesabi Metallics has announced an $18bn plan, including a $15bn Iowa steel complex that will pair hot direct-reduced iron with electric arc furnaces and use ore from its new Minnesota mine. Mesabi Metallics announced on 28 September an $18 billion investment to build a fully integrated steel company. The plan…
The Commission has published final terms for its second industrial heat auction, releasing €1 billion from EU Emissions Trading System revenues to cut fossil fuel use in process heat, with bidding expected from December. The European Commission published the final terms and conditions on 24 September for its second Europe-wide…
NSG Group has completed a float glass recycling trial at its Chiba Plant, reprocessing end-of-life laminated glass from a University of Tokyo building into new glass products. NSG Group has completed a float glass recycling trial at its Chiba Plant in Ichihara City, in what it calls horizontal recycling, feeding…
INEOS Energy has brought the Greensand offshore carbon storage site off Esbjerg into full operation, the European Union’s first full-scale facility, with capacity to store up to 8 million tonnes a year. INEOS Energy, with partners Harbour Energy and Denmark’s Nordsøfonden, has brought the Greensand offshore carbon storage site off…
Sanofi, UCB and Opella Healthcare have joined AstraZeneca as founding members of the Clean Heat Program, targeting industrial heat as the largest remaining source of pharmaceutical manufacturing emissions. Multinational pharmaceutical companies Sanofi, UCB and Opella Healthcare Group have joined AstraZeneca as founding members of the Clean Heat Program, an initiative…
Bulgaria’s glass packaging industry has launched a national Close the Glass Loop platform to raise collection for glass recycling, aiming to help meet the EU’s 90% target by 2030. Bulgaria’s glass packaging value chain has united to launch a new national platform for glass collection and recycling, joining a Europe-wide…
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Calgary-based Cura has closed a $10 million USD funding round to expand its electrochemical low-carbon cement pilot with Grand Forks Concrete, a step toward commercial-scale production in Alberta. Calgary-based cleantech company Cura has closed a $10 million USD ($14 million CAD) funding round on 17 September, its second tranche, to accelerate commercial development of its low-carbon cement technology near Taber, Alberta. The round was led by Zacua Ventures, with Sandpiper Ventures, Vantage Futures, Amplify Capital, the University of Calgary’s UCEED fund, the Mount Rundle Club and Sebastian Becker also participating. Zacua’s Juan Nieto joins Cura’s board of directors. Cement is…
The Hydrogen Council’s latest Hydrogen Compass report puts the global low-carbon hydrogen pipeline at $130 billion and 6.9 million tonnes a year, with ammonia the leading offtake. The Hydrogen Council said in its latest annual Hydrogen Compass report that the global low-carbon hydrogen project pipeline has grown to $130 billion and 6.9 million tonnes a year of capacity across 570 projects, with 90% of that capacity under construction or already operational. The figures mark a maturing pipeline, with a growing share of projects moving past the announcement stage into construction and operation. Ammonia remains the dominant offtake for the pipeline,…
EU member states agreed to expand free ETS allowances for energy-intensive industries from 2026 to 2030, aiming to protect steel, cement and chemicals producers from carbon leakage. EU member states have agreed to expand free ETS allowances for energy-intensive industries between 2026 and 2030, a move the Council of the European Union says will protect steel, cement and chemicals producers from carbon leakage during a sensitive stretch of the transition. Ambassadors representing member states agreed on 16 September to release around 88 million allowances that had been set aside for free allocation to sectors covered by heat and fuel benchmarks…
CAC Engineering’s pilot plant in Freiberg, Germany has produced 300,000 litres of synthetic gasoline, showing its power-to-liquids process can run reliably over a sustained period. A pilot plant in Freiberg, Germany has produced 300,000 litres of synthetic gasoline, a threshold its developer says demonstrates that its power-to-liquids process can run reliably over a sustained period rather than only in short bursts. The facility, run by CAC Engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, uses the company’s METHAFUEL technology to convert e-methanol into synthetic gasoline through the DeCarTrans research programme. Reaching 300,000 litres of cumulative output matters because continuous, reliable operation, rather than…
NEDO and four Japanese partners achieved 85% ammonia co-firing in a full-scale naphtha cracking furnace, a step towards decarbonising petrochemical production without a full plant redesign. A Japanese consortium has achieved an 85% ammonia co-firing rate across a full-scale naphtha cracking furnace, a milestone the group says clears one of the toughest technical barriers to decarbonising petrochemical production. NEDO, Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, ran the demonstration together with Mitsui Chemicals, Maruzen Petrochemical, Toyo Engineering and Sojitz Machinery, testing a furnace fitted with a newly developed ammonia-fired burner. The 85% figure covers the entire furnace on a…
China’s CESTRI has opened a demonstration plant that turns coal fly ash into fly ash geopolymer concrete, a cement-free binder the institute says cuts emissions and costs against Portland cement. The CHN Energy Science and Technology Research Institute (CESTRI) has opened a demonstration base in China that converts coal fly…
Rohrdorfer has co-fired hydrogen on the clinker kiln at its Gmunden works in Austria, the first trial of its kind at an Austrian cement plant, though the producer says the fuel still costs far too much. Austrian cement producer Rohrdorfer has run the first large-scale hydrogen combustion test at an…
Holcim Germany has commissioned a membrane-based carbon capture demonstration at its Höver cement plant in Lower Saxony, capturing up to 10,000 tonnes a year and targeting 90% of site emissions after expansion. Holcim Germany has commissioned a membrane-based carbon dioxide capture demonstration plant at its Höver cement works in Lower…
Aircapture and NGK have commissioned a direct air capture unit at AIZAWA Concrete’s Fukushima site, testing NGK ceramic substrates in commercial conditions and looking at concrete mineralisation as an outlet for the captured gas. Aircapture and NGK Corporation have started a joint direct air capture demonstration at AIZAWA Concrete Corporation’s…
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BMW’s Car2Car consortium has shown that additional sorting can strip copper from end-of-life vehicle scrap well enough to make flat steel for cars, with more than 100,000 series parts already built and installed. High-quality material loops are technically feasible in the automotive industry, and copper-bearing impurities in steel scrap can be reduced notably, BMW said after completing its Car2Car research project with partners, EUROMETAL reported on 27 August. The project focused on steel, aluminium and copper, and also considered other materials including glass. BMW’s consortium included Scholz Recycling, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe and Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung, alongside academic partners such as…
UNEP says copper demand will rise more than 40% by 2040 while mined output peaks around 2030, leaving a projected shortfall of 6.5 million tonnes within the next five years. Demand for copper will rise more than 40% by 2040 while mined production is expected to peak around 2030 and then flatten or decline, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. The projection appears in a UNEP article published on 27 August on securing the materials the energy transition needs. Copper carries electrification. Electric vehicles use up to four times as much of it as traditional combustion engines, and it…
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Aspen Power has raised $200 million from Deutsche Bank to expand its portfolio of distributed solar and battery storage projects across the United States, signalling strong institutional support for the accelerating clean energy transition. Aspen Power has closed a $200 million capital raise provided by Deutsche Bank to accelerate development of distributed solar and battery storage projects across the United States, according to ESG Today. The New York-based platform, founded in 2020, says the proceeds will bolster its ability to originate, develop and deliver distributed generation projects for commercial, community and multifamily customers. The company claims it has financed more…
Egypt has signed a USD 1.8 billion renewable energy and storage agreement with Scatec and Sungrow, boosting its 2030 target for 42% renewables and enhancing local manufacturing, but faces challenges requiring further international support. Egypt has signed a package of renewable energy and storage agreements worth about USD 1.8 billion with Norway’s Scatec and China’s Sungrow, a deal the government says will accelerate clean power deployment and deepen local manufacturing capacity as it pursues a target of sourcing 42 percent of electricity from renewables by 2030. According to a cabinet statement and state television, the largest element is a Scatec‑led…
The Finnish iron and steel sector is experiencing a seismic shift from traditional blast furnaces to electric arc furnaces and hydrogen-based routes, compelling investors and owners to recalibrate valuation strategies, investment narratives, and financial due diligence to align with decarbonisation goals. The Finnish iron and steel industry is at the centre of a generational shift: established capacity and engineering excellence are being recalibrated around a rapid transition to fossil-free production. According to SSAB, the sector is replacing blast furnaces with electric arc furnace-based mini-mills and experimenting with hydrogen-based routes to iron, moves that promise materially lower CO2 footprints but also…
The federal government releases a discussion paper proposing to reduce the emissions threshold for regulated participation, potentially expanding coverage to more commercial and institutional buildings to accelerate Canada’s decarbonisation agenda. A federal discussion paper released on Dec. 19 proposes lowering the threshold for mandatory participation in Canada’s industrial carbon market, a change that could pull larger commercial and institutional facilities, and a broader range of building-sector suppliers, into regulated pricing systems. According to the discussion paper published by Environment and Climate Change Canada, officials are seeking feedback on four approaches to revising the “stringency standards” that underpin the federal benchmark…
DHL Group announces a significant expansion of its net-zero strategy, moving beyond pilot projects to large-scale, contract-backed initiatives across air, sea, land, and logistics infrastructure, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050. DHL Group has sharply stepped up industrial-scale decarbonisation across air, sea, road and logistics infrastructure as it pursues a target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to reporting by MHD Supply Chain and company statements. The logistics group moved beyond pilot projects in 2025 to roll out large, contract-backed interventions across its global network. In air freight, DHL signed a three-year agreement with Phillips 66 to purchase…
India faces a strategic crossroad as its dependence on imported rare earths and critical materials hampers its clean energy and industrial ambitions. Increasing e-waste recovery and advancing circular economy strategies may be key to securing a resilient supply chain and accelerating the nation’s manufacturing transformation. India’s manufacturing and energy ambitions are entering a decisive phase, but the raw-materials question at the heart of that transition is becoming a strategic constraint. From electric vehicles and grid-scale storage to wind turbines, power electronics and defence systems, the performance of next‑generation industrial equipment is tightly coupled to a small set of high‑value materials:…
As the International Maritime Organization delays finalising its Net-Zero Framework, China accelerates investments in clean fuels and innovative vessel technology, positioning itself to dominate the emerging low-carbon shipping era amidst global regulatory uncertainties. Later this year member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will resume negotiations on whether to finalise the Net‑Zero Framework that sets a binding international pathway for shipping to reach net‑zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by around mid‑century. The framework promises regulatory certainty that could accelerate investments in low‑ and zero‑carbon fuels, bunkering infrastructure and zero‑emission vessel design, areas in which China, as the world’s largest…
China has introduced a comprehensive policy to fast-track the adoption of industrial green microgrids, aiming for local renewable energy use and technological integration to drive decarbonisation and energy resilience across the manufacturing sector. China has moved to formalise and accelerate the roll-out of industrial “green” microgrids with a new, cross‑departmental policy framework designed to keep more renewable electricity on‑site, speed adoption of low‑carbon technologies and address barriers that have kept the sector largely at pilot scale. According to the lead guidelines issued jointly by the State Council and five central departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT),…
Refining industry increasingly turns to biomass-derived hydrogen to cut carbon emissions, with Asia leading rapid adoption and technological innovations enabling integration with existing infrastructure. Refineries are increasingly turning to biomass-based hydrogen as a pragmatic pathway to cut carbon intensity while preserving the high-hydrogen demand of modern hydroprocessing units. According to the report by Fact.MR, technologies that convert agricultural residues, forestry biomass and energy crops into high‑purity hydrogen are gaining traction because they can be integrated with existing refinery hydrogen networks and support production of lower‑carbon fuels such as renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. Gasification remains the dominant route, prized…
Despite technological advances in pilot projects, the UK faces persistent economic and operational hurdles that hinder the large-scale deployment of carbon removal solutions. Policy clarity and infrastructure development are critical to transforming pilot success into market-ready industry. The UK government’s Phase Two reports from the Direct Air Capture and Greenhouse Gas Removal Innovation Programme confirm that a broad portfolio of pilot and demonstration projects has moved several carbon removal approaches beyond the laboratory, but that cost, energy intensity and questions over scalability remain stubborn barriers to commercial deployment. According to Energy News, more than a dozen pilots led by industry,…
