Recent developments
CCUS and hubs
Wider deployment of capture and transport advanced. Worley signed an Owner’s Engineering MSA with Holcim covering 14 EU/UK sites targeting ~5 Mtpa by 2030. Dow’s net‑zero ethylene project progressed as Worley to deliver FEED for Dow Path2Zero cogeneration in Canada with integrated post‑combustion capture. Air Liquide agreed to develop a CO2 capture solution for Holcim Obourg (1.1 Mt/y). Beyond government‑backed clusters, Exolum to develop Avonmouth CO2 storage hub plans up to 6 Mt/y handling from 2031 to serve southwest England, the Midlands and South Wales.
Low‑carbon molecules and hydrogen
New supply of lower‑CI feedstocks gathered pace. INEOS Acetyls and Sandpiper Chemicals will build a 1.1 Mt/y blue methanol unit in Texas City using natural gas with CCS targeting 97% capture (2030 start). Logistics for a 220 kt/y plant advanced as Perpetual Next selects JPB Logistics for Delfzijl biomethanol storage. Mobility hydrogen gained an industrial use case with Lhyfe to supply green hydrogen to BMW Group’s Steyr R&D centre. SAF pathways featured in Technip Energies Q1 2026 Results and MAIRE’s Nextchem technology awards.
Power and flexibility
Electrification and renewable integration progressed alongside firming capacity. Hybrid PV‑storage will be marketed under three German solar‑battery projects by Statkraft and SUNCATCHER. Long‑term procurement continued with Statkraft and Hydro sign 10-year power PPAs for 12.3 TWh for Norwegian aluminium. Dispatchable capacity advanced via hydrogen‑ready CCGT Unit 8 at Staudinger preliminary approval. Grid support scaled as TotalEnergies completes 50% acquisition of EPH flexible power portfolio in Europe (14 GW, including batteries) to develop additional flexible assets across five countries.
Operations and efficiency
Industrial energy intensity and Scope‑2 loads were addressed. BASF Coatings switches European production to renewable electricity, lowering product footprints. In utilities, Siemens expands digital portfolio for water & waste management with soft sensors and digital twins reporting up to 25% energy and emissions reductions. Process efficiency in olefins benefited from Clariant launches CATOFIN 1000 PDH catalyst, which reduces tar precursors by up to 20%, extending continuous run lengths and lowering fouling‑related downtime.
Circularity and context
Materials circularity and carbon‑negative inputs advanced. ROSI raises €20m+ to scale PV recycling in Europe, adding a 10 kt/y automated line recovering high‑purity silver, silicon, copper, aluminium and glass. In silicon smelting, Elkem wins NOK 87m from Enova to scale biocarbon use, targeting up to 0.5 Mt/y CO2 reductions company‑wide by 2030. A strategic review of energy exposure continued as BASF's Verbund: Efficiency and Energy Vulnerability underscored risks from gas‑price spikes to energy‑intensive value chains and site configuration choices.