Stay informed with the latest developments shaping the future of sustainability, energy, and tech. From major green investments and breakthrough 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
Amazon signed a power purchase agreement with Norwegian energy company Statkraft on 30 September for electricity from a new wind farm in Shetland, Scotland — the latest in a growing portfolio of UK renewable energy agreements covering the growing power demand of its data centre estate. The deal follows a wave of hyperscaler renewable PPAs in the UK and Ireland as the data centre sector seeks to demonstrate compliance with 24/7 carbon-free energy commitments ahead of growing regulatory scrutiny from the EU’s proposed energy and water efficiency disclosure rules for data centres.
European investors ‘leading global momentum’ on sustainability and energy transition
European investors are ‘doubling down’ on sustainability and energy transition investment opportunities, despite geopolitical uncertainty, inflation and broader market risks, according to new data from IFM Investors. Among investors in the EMEA region, four fifths (81%) said that they believe the energy transition will be a ‘long-term source of attractive private market opportunities’, compared to 72% at a global level.
Germany, Austria and Luxembourg Launch $2.5 Billion e-SAF Scheme
Germany, Austria and Luxembourg have opened a $2.5 billion funding mechanism aimed at accelerating Europe’s market for electricity-based sustainable aviation fuel. The programme is the first concrete project under the eSAF Early Movers’ Coalition, established in December 2025. It targets one of the biggest obstacles facing Europe’s emerging e-SAF industry: the gap between the price producers need to finance projects and what aviation fuel buyers are prepared to pay.
Data Centres — Key Industry News
Global Switch to host large Nvidia Blackwell GPU deployment at its Paris data centre
Global Switch confirmed on 29 September that it will host a large-scale Nvidia Blackwell GPU deployment at its Paris data centre facility, with the end user undisclosed. The announcement positions Paris as one of the first European locations to take delivery of Nvidia’s flagship Blackwell architecture at significant scale, reflecting growing competition among European colocation operators to attract AI compute deployments as Blackwell GPUs remain in tight global supply.
Finland to abandon first-come first-served grid connections, dropping data centres down the queue
Finland’s energy regulator confirmed on 30 September that a draft legislative amendment will end the country’s first-come, first-served system for grid connection requests, replacing it with a priority framework based on four groupings that deprioritises data centres. The change raises questions about delivery timelines for announced Finnish data centre projects from Google, Microsoft, and Pure DC, and reflects a broader European pattern of grid access becoming a critical competitive differentiator for digital infrastructure investment.
Data Centres — Key Deal News
Virtus secures £2.45 billion in financing for UK and European data centre build-out
UK data centre operator Virtus secured £2.45 billion in financing on 28 September to fund a major expansion of its data centre estate across the UK and mainland Europe — one of the largest single data centre debt packages raised in the UK market. The financing will fund new builds and campus expansions targeting AI and cloud workloads, reflecting lenders’ continued confidence in the structural demand outlook for AI compute capacity despite rising interest rates.
Energy Storage — Key Industry News
Spain is making batteries a licensing condition for data centres
An analysis published on energy-storage.news this week revealed that Spain’s recent regulatory proposals for data centre licensing quietly include a requirement for on-site battery energy storage — which would make Spain the first EU country to mandate BESS as part of the data centre approval process. The author argues this could be the catalyst Spain’s BESS market has been waiting for, directly linking the fast-growing digital infrastructure market in Madrid and Barcelona to the storage investment needed to manage its grid impact.
SMA battery inverter becomes first to win grid-forming certification for Germany’s inertia market
SMA confirmed this week that its battery inverter has become the first product to receive official grid-forming certification under Germany’s new inertia market framework — opening the door for BESS operators to earn revenue from the inertia market alongside existing frequency regulation and capacity market revenues. Grid-forming technology enables BESS to actively support grid stability by providing synthetic inertia, and the certification was a key anticipated outcome following the Energy Storage Summit Germany in mid-September.
Northland Power closes financing on 1.2GWh of capacity-market-contracted BESS projects in Poland
Canada’s Northland Power closed financing on two large-scale BESS projects in Poland totalling 1.2GWh on 2 October — both capacity market-contracted and due to enter commercial service during 2028. The deal is one of the largest single BESS financing transactions in the Central European market, reflecting the growing attractiveness of Poland’s storage market following its capacity market scheme, which has now contracted GWh-scale storage from multiple international developers including Greenvolt.
Energy Storage — Key Deal News
Fu-Gen and Nala Renewables close 100MW BESS deal in Finland — extending Nordic pipeline to 275MW
Fu-Gen sold a 100MW ready-to-build BESS project in Finland to Nala Renewables on 2 October, extending their combined Nordic pipeline to 275MW. The transaction reflects the growing secondary market for mature BESS development assets in the Nordic region as developers and investors seek exposure to Scandinavian storage markets with strong renewable penetration, competitive grid frameworks, and growing capacity market mechanisms.
Built Environment — Key Industry News
Paris allocates €400 million to adapt its schools to heatwaves following extreme summer 2026
The City of Paris announced on 1 October that it will allocate €400 million to accelerate renovation of its school buildings to withstand heatwaves, following the extreme heat of summer 2026. The programme will cover insulation upgrades, solar protection, natural ventilation improvements, and green rooftop and courtyard greening works, prioritised by an overheating risk index. It is among the largest municipal building adaptation investments announced in Europe this year and provides a concrete template for how major European cities are translating EPBD-aligned renovation obligations into capital programmes targeting public building stock.
The French government announced on 2 October a dedicated €16 million envelope to support building tradespeople — electricians, plumbers, and HVAC installers — in replacing gas and oil-fired equipment in their own workshops and vehicles with electric solutions. The programme reflects the government’s recognition that the renovation sector’s own carbon footprint must be addressed alongside its role in decarbonising France’s building stock, and provides targeted support to the artisan-scale businesses that are central to MaPrimeRénov’ delivery but face their own transition costs.
EV & EV Charging — Key Industry News
Daimler Buses expands public EV charging infrastructure at Hamburg bus terminal
Daimler Buses announced on 30 September an expansion of public EV charging infrastructure at Hamburg’s central bus terminal (ZOB), supporting the electrification of commercial vehicle and coach fleets. The announcement reflects the growing requirement for transport hubs across Western Europe to be upgraded for electric bus and coach fleet charging ahead of EU clean transport regulations and city-level zero-emission zone planning — with Hamburg’s ZOB serving as a key interchange point for long-distance coaches and city buses.
Norway: Tesla Model Y accounted for a quarter of all new passenger car sales in September 2026
The Tesla Model Y made up approximately 25% of all new passenger car registrations in Norway in September 2026 — an extraordinary share for a single model in one of Europe’s most mature EV markets. Norway’s overall BEV market share reached its customary 90%+ level in September. The data is closely watched across Europe as a leading indicator of where mainstream EV market share and consumer preference is heading in mature BEV markets, with the Model Y maintaining dominance despite growing competition from Volkswagen, Hyundai, and Chinese entrants.
Electra opens high-powered EV charging park in Madrid
French EV charging operator Electra opened a new high-powered charging park in Madrid on 30 September, adding to its rapidly expanding Spanish network. Electra has made Spain one of its priority expansion markets in 2026 alongside France and Italy, driven by strong BEV registration growth and Spain’s Auto+ grant scheme. The Madrid opening follows Sorégies’ acquisition of BP Pulse’s French charging network last week, underlining the consolidation and investment momentum reshaping Western Europe’s public charging landscape.
