Stay informed with the latest developments shaping the future of sustainability, energy, and tech. From major green investments and breakthrough hydrogen projects to AI-powered climate platforms and EV infrastructure milestones. Here’s a roundup of this week’s most impactful news and deals across the sector:
Net Zero/Sustainability Key Industry News
A new climate finance report warns that global financial markets are consistently failing to price in physical climate risks, creating asset valuation vulnerabilities and hiding the urgent need for accelerated private sector decarbonisation capital.
Microsoft Secures 650,000 Carbon Removal Credits From BioCirc’s Danish Carbon Capture Platform
BioCirc has signed a seven-year agreement to supply Microsoft with 650,000 high-durability carbon removal units starting in 2026, using biogenic captured from Danish biogas plants and stored beneath the North Sea.
Maersk Advances Shipping Decarbonization With First 100% Ethanol Voyage
Maersk has successfully completed its first vessel voyage powered entirely by ethanol, expanding low-emission fuel options for its dual-fuel fleet as the global shipping industry races to meet tightening maritime decarbonization targets.
Temasek Says 2030 Climate Target Is Unlikely As Aviation and Power Emissions Test Net-Zero Path
Temasek is unlikely to meet its 2030 target to halve absolute portfolio emissions, which reached 21 million tonnes in FY2025, due to rising global energy demand and high abatement costs in hard-to-abate sectors like aviation and power generation.
Net Zero/Sustainability Key Deal News
Salt & Fiber Secures €300,000 Pre-Seed to Turn Seagrass into Sustainable Textiles
Swedish ClimateTech startup Salt & Fiber has secured €300,000 in pre-seed funding to scale its innovative process of transforming beached seagrass into a high-performance, sustainable, and naturally fire-resistant textile yarn.
Data Centre Key Industry News
Data centres continue to guzzle electricity – what’s the industry doing about it?
Data centre power demand grew 17% over the last year driven by AI, creating a 100GW grid connection backlog in the UK alone and forcing over 100 facilities to propose behind-the-meter gas generation to bypass grid delays.
HiCloud’s offshore wind-powered underwater data center up and running off coast of Shanghai, China
An offshore, wind-powered underwater data center off the coast of Shanghai has reached full commercial operations, utilizing surrounding seawater for passive cooling to achieve high energy efficiency.
Driven by AI and cloud computing, global data center capacity under construction more than doubled in 2025 to reach 31.7GW, with 80% of this growth concentrated in the Americas.
Data Centre Key Industry Deals
Gradiant closes Series E funding round, company valued at $2bn
Water treatment company Gradiant has closed an undisclosed Series E financing round that values the company at $2 billion, which it will use to fuel global expansion with a particular focus on addressing the massive water demand of the data center market.
Energy Storage Key Industry News
Vertical Aerospace Advances Hybrid-Electric Testing and Battery Production
Vertical Aerospace has achieved two major milestones by beginning integration testing on its new hybrid-electric propulsion system and manufacturing its first all-electric Valo battery on a newly upgraded aerospace-grade assembly line.
Rock Tech Lithium has successfully completed a government-supported ore-sorting program for its Georgia Lake project, identifying a processing pathway that could reduce crushing and concentrator capital costs by up to 50 percent.
ESS to Present in Clean Energy Group’s Beyond Lithium Webinar Series on June 3, 2026
ESS Tech CEO Drew Buckley will present an overview of the company’s iron flow long-duration energy storage technology and its commercialization path during Clean Energy Group’s “Beyond Lithium” webinar on June 3, 2026.
Energy Storage Key Industry Deals
EBRD backs battery storage expansion across central Europe with €70 million loan
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has approved a €70 million loan for NGEN Energetske Rešitve to build and operate 302 MW of standalone utility-scale Tesla BESS assets across Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia.
EU and India Launch Major €15.2 Million Joint Initiative to Revolutionize EV Battery Recycling
The EU has teamed up with India under the Trade and Technology Council to deploy a €15.2 million joint funding mechanism focused on commercializing advanced battery recycling, aiming to secure regional critical raw materials like lithium and cobalt.
Renewable Metals has raised an oversubscribed $12 million Series A funding round to commercialize its modular, single-line battery recycling technology that processes multiple chemistries simultaneously with over 95% mineral recovery.
Built Environment Key Industry News
EU Framework for Calculating Whole Life Carbon of Buildings Enters Into Force
The European Commission’s Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/52 has officially taken effect, establishing a mandatory, standardized methodology to calculate the lifetime global warming potential of new buildings ahead of the 2028 EPBD compliance deadlines.
ECTP Conference 2026: Building Europe’s Competitiveness in the Built Environment
Europe’s premier sustainable construction platform convened its annual assembly in Brussels, shifting focus toward translating strategic net-zero property goals into practical industrial impact through circular value chains and digitalized material tracking.
Built Environment Key Industry Deals
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EV & EV Charging Key Industry News
Making smart EV charging and demand response easier in Europe
European Commission expert groups have delivered targeted regulatory recommendations to harmonize cross-border data exchange, designed to simplify consumer access to bi-directional V2G systems and boost grid flexibility.
Innovations in EV Charging Technology and Industry Trends in 2026
As European EV sales achieve a milestone 20% market share, infrastructure strategies are shifting rapidly from rapid public deployment toward grid-edge orchestration, battery-buffered chargers, and multi-bay high-power optimization hubs.
EV & EV Charging Key Industry Deals
Warsaw Equity Group invests in &Charge €5M Series A to boost EV charging reliability across Europe
Frankfurt-based software developer &Charge has secured a €5 million Series A round to scale its platform, which automates the process of diagnosing localized EV charging site faults and coordinating repairs through regional field service partners.
