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
Barclays becomes latest firm to exit Net-Zero Banking Alliance – edie
Barclays has withdrawn from the UN-backed Net‑Zero Banking Alliance, citing loss of global membership alignment. Despite its exit, the bank reaffirmed its net‑zero 2050 commitment and sustainable finance ambitions through £500M revenues in transition lending
How to Unlock Climate Finance for Green Infrastructure | Sustainability Magazine
The Climate Policy Initiative outlines actions to unlock more investment into low-carbon infrastructure, calling for better risk mitigation tools, public-private mechanisms, and clarity in net-zero roadmaps. Important framing for green project financing.
Data Centre Key Industry News
AI in ESG: Can AI ease sustainability reporting and disclosure burdens? – edie
The article explores the role of AI in streamlining ESG disclosures, highlighting opportunities in automating materiality assessments, generating reports, and improving data consistency, though also flags transparency and trust issues.
Iberdrola to power new Spanish data centres with clean energy
Iberdrola will supply 100% renewable electricity to four new data centres in Spain under long-term PPAs. The centres, being developed by Nabiax, reflect growing demand for green energy in digital infrastructure.
Can Nvidia’s AI Platform Make Data Centres More Sustainable?
Nvidia’s new AI platform is being positioned as a tool for boosting data centre efficiency, particularly in energy-intensive AI workloads. By enabling predictive insights and smarter thermal and power management, it may reduce energy use and emissions—an important step as AI-driven demand grows rapidly.
Data Centre Key Industry Deals
Vast Data in talks for new funding round at $30bn valuation, with Nvidia involved – report
Vast Data is reportedly seeking a new funding round at a $30bn valuation, with Nvidia expected to participate. The company builds AI-optimised data infrastructure and is rapidly becoming a critical player in the AI computing ecosystem.
CoreWeave closes $2.6bn in secured debt financing facility – DCD
AI infrastructure giant CoreWeave has secured $2.6bn in debt financing to continue expanding its GPU cloud operations. This move reinforces CoreWeave’s rapid scaling trajectory in the generative AI and data centre space.
Hydrogen Key Industry News
China’s Trina ships first containerised electrolyser to Portugal | Technology
Chinese manufacturer Trina Green Hydrogen has shipped its first megawatt‑scale containerised electrolyser system to Portugal. The four-container unit is headed to a government-backed hydrogen refuelling station in Porto, demonstrating modular hydrogen deployment.
National Gas contracts WSP to lead design of east coast hydrogen backbone | Technology | H2 View
National Gas has appointed WSP to run the front-end engineering design study for “Project Union”, a 1,500‑mile hydrogen pipeline backbone on the UK’s East Coast. The project will repurpose parts of the National Transmission System to deliver low-carbon hydrogen to industrial clusters.
EU to subsidise non-RFNBO hydrogen in €1.1bn European Hydrogen Bank auction
The European Commission plans a new €1.1 billion auction for hydrogen subsidies via its Hydrogen Bank. Notably, the scheme allows support for non‑RFNBO (i.e. potentially non‑renewable) hydrogen in certain segments, aiming to ease supply constraints and expand Europe’s hydrogen market.
Siemens Energy partners with Paragon to scale aluminium-based hydrogen tech | Technology | H2 View
Siemens Energy and Paragon have formed a strategic partnership to scale an innovative aluminium-based hydrogen production technology. The solution involves a chemical reaction between aluminium and water, aiming to produce hydrogen without the need for electricity. The approach could complement electrolysis and support decentralised production models.
ÖBB and Voestalpine lay ‘world’s first’ hydrogen-based rail in Linz
Austrian Railways (ÖBB) and steelmaker Voestalpine have installed the world’s first railway track made using hydrogen-based steel in Linz, Austria.
German-Canadian €400m green hydrogen tender enters consultation phase | Policy | H2 View
Germany and Canada have launched a public consultation for their joint €400 million green hydrogen auction, which aims to support transatlantic H2 exports from Canada to Germany. The auction is part of the H2Global framework and may mark a major milestone in international green hydrogen trade routes.
Energy Storage Key Industry News
National Grid announces £8bn clean energy infrastructure overha
National Grid launched an £8 billion Electricity Transmission Partnership, modernising substations across England and Wales under its broader £35 billion RIIO‑T3 programme to support renewable energy integration and grid resilience
Wind, solar, hydro, and biomass collectively generated 50.4% of UK electricity in 2024, marking a historic first. Total low-carbon share (including nuclear) reached around 65%, highlighting rapid progress in decarbonised energy generation
Energy Storage Key Deal News
Madrid’s renewable energy platform Altano Energy secures €60M
Spain-based Altano Energy has raised €60 million from Eiffel Investment Group to support the development and operation of 500MW of renewable energy projects across Europe. This includes solar, wind, and battery storage. A strong signal for decentralised energy market momentum.
Lisbon’s renewable energy firm Greenvolt raises €150M
Portugal-based Greenvolt raised €150 million from global institutional investors to accelerate its international renewable energy growth strategy. The company focuses on distributed generation and utility-scale projects, aligning closely with Europe’s decentralised energy shift.
Built Environment Key Deal New
Structured AI lands €435k as Oxford grads go after construction’s biggest bottleneck | EU-Startups
Structured AI, founded by Oxford graduates, has raised €435K in pre-seed funding to address inefficiencies in the construction planning process using artificial intelligence. The platform aims to streamline project timelines and reduce cost overruns, tackling a key bottleneck in sustainable infrastructure development.
EV & EV Charging Key Industry News
Ford UK secures £1bn Government-guaranteed loan for EV expansion
Ford UK received a £1 billion UK Export Finance guarantee to expand EV production, exports, and R&D – central to government-backed industrial decarbonisation and auto sector transformation
Octopus Energy and Uber to provide 1,000 homes with free EV chargers
Octopus Energy will partner with Uber to install free home EV chargers at 1,000 UK driver households on the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff, offering annual savings of over £700 per driver and advancing EV adoption in ride-hailing fleets
How Samsung is Supporting Tesla’s Autonomous Developments | Sustainability Magazine
Tesla has signed a US$16.5 billion deal with Samsung to supply chips for its EVs and autonomous systems. The partnership highlights the growing demand for advanced semiconductor technology in sustainable mobility and digital vehicle platforms.
EVs & Batteries: How Much Lithium is Needed to Decarbonise? | Sustainability Magazine
This article analyses lithium demand projections through 2050, showing that supply constraints could jeopardise decarbonisation goals. It underlines the strategic importance of sourcing and recycling in the EV and energy storage industries
How Retail Giant Amazon is Using EVs & Electrification | Sustainability Magazine
Amazon details progress on its electrification strategy, with thousands of electric vans now deployed. The move supports broader logistics decarbonisation goals and signals growing demand for large-scale EV fleet solutions.
EV & EV Charging Key Deal News
Milan’s Maxi Mobility raises €1.2M to drive EV adoption for urban fleets
Maxi Mobility raised €1.2 million to develop a sustainable urban logistics platform using e-bikes for last-mile delivery. This reflects a growing trend in low-carbon urban transport and fleet optimisation.
Swiss-based MobyFly secures €10.8M
MobyFly develops zero-emission hydrofoil boats for urban water mobility and has raised €10.8 million to advance production. It contributes to the broader push for sustainable transport solutions, albeit in a niche sector.
Maxi Mobility has raised €1.2 million to support the electrification of Italy’s taxi fleet. The startup will use the funding to scale its EV fleet and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) platform, promoting zero-emission urban transport across major Italian cities.
