Recent developments
Policy and finance
The European Commission’s Clean Energy Investment Strategy aims to mobilize capital and consumer measures to lower energy costs, while the Industrial Accelerator Act proposes low‑carbon procurement and cluster permitting. Gasunie's 2025 report outlines €1.2bn invested in security and transition infrastructure and a €10.5bn 2026–2030 plan. Corporates aligned capital: Repsol to invest €10 billion by 2028, Neste’s 2025 Green Finance Report backs renewables expansion, and Uniper’s plan to build hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants supports near‑term flexibility and hydrogen readiness.
Hydrogen and e-fuels
Hydrogen and e‑fuels advanced: a green hydrogen production plant at the Rijeka Refinery (10 MW electrolyzer, 11 MW solar) moved forward; Europe’s first ADR-certified hydrogen truck began chemical deliveries; scale was targeted with a Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC) manufacturing facility in Herning; and large West African complexes adopted hydrogen, ammonia, urea, and methanol technologies in West Africa. Regional know‑how grew via the Greater Manchester Electrochemical Hydrogen Cluster.
Circular feedstocks
Circular carbon feedstocks progressed. Sinopec Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. launched to integrate waste‑plastic value chains. Covestro and Fraunhofer’s smart pyrolysis pilot for foam recycling targets high‑purity aniline for recycled MDI. low-carbon BDO, THF, PolyTHF, and NMP variants were introduced to lower Scope 3 at customers. EU innovation support targeted battery circularity through recycling of critical metals from batteries, while Chlorocel 909 chloride adsorbent lowers reload frequency and waste.
CCUS and abatement
CCUS and emissions abatement accelerated. thyssenkrupp Uhde’s EnviNOx technology at CSBP cut N2O emissions >98%, with rollout planned across other nitric acid units. Carbon Centric expanded modular capture at waste‑to‑energy scale. Methane quantification improved via a national greenhouse gas emission factor database supported by Sinopec. Portfolio shifts continued as Ternocem trial production advances after Paderborn’s closure.
Renewable integration
Renewable power for industry grew. The Vanguard East wind farm turbine deal underpins UK offshore build‑out; a power purchase agreement with RWE will supply Munich Airport from Nordseecluster A; largest photovoltaic project in South China will feed the Beihai Refinery with storage; Finland’s Tyrvää hydropower modernization boosts flexibility; lightweight solar panels can unlock low‑load rooftops; and the MeteoFlow platform improves forecasting for weather‑dependent assets.