Energy News is rounding up the most-read stories of 2025, highlighting the pivotal shifts shaping the hydrogen and clean energy sectors.
From Fortescue Metals Group’s surprising exit from its partnership with Plug Power to Neom’s partially idle $8.4 billion green hydrogen project, the year has exposed both opportunities and structural challenges in the emerging hydrogen economy. Elon Musk once again voiced skepticism over hydrogen fuel cells, taking aim at Hyundai, while Europe advanced its Sustainable Transport Investment Plan to accelerate decarbonization in aviation and shipping.
These developments underscore the high-stakes, fast-evolving landscape of clean energy innovation and policy worldwide.
Fortescue Breaks Up with Plug Power
Industry observers were taken aback by Fortescue Metals Group’s recent move to end its collaboration with Plug Power, a decision that underscores the evolving dynamics of the green hydrogen market. A leader in the mining sector, Fortescue, led by Andrew Forrest, had been advancing aggressively into the renewable energy landscape, strategizing on green hydrogen as a cornerstone of its diversification plans.
Buyer Shortfall Puts Saudi Arabia’s Neom Green Hydrogen Ambitions at Crossroads
Neom’s green hydrogen project, the largest of its kind globally, was conceived with the capacity to produce 600 tonnes of green hydrogen per day using four gigawatts of renewable power. When its partners closed financing in 2023, they celebrated an $8.4 billion investment, 70 percent above initial estimates, as evidence of both swift execution and growing market confidence. Yet with only one firm buyer for its green ammonia output, more than half of this capacity now looms idle, exposing deep fissures in the nascent hydrogen economy.
Elon Musk Reiterates Hydrogen Fuel Skepticism
Elon Musk, the enigmatic CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, once again voiced strong skepticism towards hydrogen fuel cells, this time directly targeting industry giant Hyundai. In his latest statements, Musk didn’t hold back when discussing his views on hydrogen as a fuel source, sparking widespread debate within the automotive and renewable energy sectors.
EU Mobilizes Billions to Accelerate Renewable and Low-Carbon Fuels in Aviation and Shipping
Europe’s transport decarbonization strategy has entered a new phase. The European Commission has unveiled its Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP), outlining a unified framework to channel capital toward renewable and low-carbon fuels for aviation and waterborne transport, sectors responsible for nearly 8% of EU greenhouse gas emissions and among the hardest to decarbonize.
Germany Backs BMW’s Hy2Move Fuel Cell Program as Hydrogen Mobility Gains Momentum
Germany’s decision to allocate €273 million to BMW’s Hy2Move program comes at a moment when the European Union is intensifying support for hydrogen technologies, more than €1.4 billion has already been committed through the IPCEI Hydrogen framework.
U.S. Grid Pressures Expose Cracks in Energy Storage Economics
As America’s power grid strains under the dual challenge of integrating intermittent renewables and serving surging demand from data centers, operators are confronting a volatile new reality. The system’s increasing complexity is testing both technical resilience and market design, with implications rippling across the energy storage sector.
Honda and OMC Power Partner to Repurpose EV Batteries for India’s Distributed Clean Energy Systems
OMC Power (OMC) and Honda Motor are joining forces to develop a business model that integrates repurposed EV batteries into distributed renewable energy (DRE) systems, a concept that could redefine energy access and storage economics across rural India.
BMW iX5 Hydrogen Fuel Cell: Practical Test Insights
The BMW iX5 taps into the versatility of hydrogen as a potential clean energy solution for future mobility. Despite speculations over its role in addressing tomorrow’s energy challenges, hydrogen fuel cell usage in vehicles remains a matter of interest. Notably, the BMW iX5 emerges as one such example.
CATL’s $19/kWh Sodium-Ion Claims Face Reality Check in $1.82 Billion Market
CATL’s announced sodium-ion battery pricing of $19 per kilowatt hour represents a 65% reduction from current lithium iron phosphate costs of $55-$70/kWh, not the 90% cost decline claimed across social media channels promoting the technology.
HyTerra’s Kansas Drilling Results Reinforce Potential of Natural Hydrogen and Helium Play
The detection of hydrogen concentrations exceeding 96% and helium up to 5% in mud gas samples from HyTerra’s recently drilled Sue Duroche 3 well marks a notable development for natural hydrogen exploration in North America.
