CO2-to-chemicals moved toward deployment as Avantium spun out its electrochemical Volta Technology into Carbeau and Al Baleed Petrochemical joined Carbeau as a strategic partner for first commercial scale in Oman. Petrobras opened the Technological Center for the Brazilian Pre‑Salt to qualify subsea separation and CO2 reinjection. Commissioner Hoekstra outlined work to scale CCS toward the EU’s 50 Mt/y storage target. Zeeland’s System Integration of Electricity in Zeeland report prioritizes electrification, hydrogen and CCS in an industrial cluster context.
Electrified process heat advanced with Heurtey’s efurnace selected for the Pacífico Mexinol project. Grid equipment capacity will expand as Siemens will invest €300 million in SF6‑free switchgear. Petromidia’s Advanced Process Control increased yields and cut energy intensity. Efficiency funding rose as the EIB backs Italgas Group upgrades across Italy; the EU and EIB also announced a €2.5 billion disbursement from the Modernisation Fund to 51 projects.
Chemical circularity scaled. LyondellBasell’s CirculenRevive polymers enabled 75%‑recycled Marabou wrappers, with future chemical‑recycling feed from MoReTec‑1. Reju’s Volcat depolymerization technology gained a dedicated U.S. R&D base. Aurubis inaugurated Complex Recycling Hamburg to process complex scraps and recover sulfuric acid, with EU support. Governance shifted as Inge Hofkens became President of European Metals, advocating faster permitting, energy‑cost relief and higher retention of strategic scrap in Europe.
Hydrogen and biomethane logistics expanded. Lhyfe added Hexagon Purus Type IV containers and broadened certified deliveries across Europe, while a mobile hydrogen refuelling station enabled rapid bus deployment in Lower Saxony. Portugal’s Sines will host a green hydrogen and storage project at ZILS with refuelling. In renewable gas, the Bernheze biomethane facility started grid injection, and EnviTec Biogas AG pivots to biomethane amid regulatory shifts.
Grid storage grew as Vopak sanctioned the 200 MW / 800 MWh Oosterhout battery and acquired GES. Eni Storage Systems broke ground on the Brindisi LFP gigafactory to pair cell output with BESS assembly. Early‑market sodium‑ion advanced as TaiSan raised funds to commercialise sodium‑ion batteries. Upstream, Nobian’s LiSA pilot targets a circular, low‑carbon route for lithium refining, and Eni invested in EnergyX’s Black Giant lithium project in Chile.
Synthetic and lower‑carbon fuels advanced. Topsoe and Sasol will supply integrated gas‑to‑liquid (G2L) process technology for a Canadian SAF project. Axens added the Lurgi Methanol‑to‑Propylene (MTP™) process, extending its MTJ SAF pathway. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical signed a purchase and sale agreement with ACME Group for green methanol from India. Upstream, Ruwais LNG will supply INPEX from a clean‑power facility, while rising orders for Turbo‑Brayton cryogenic equipment support LNG boil‑off management.
