Author: Anela Dokso

Europe’s circular economy workforce expanded by 10 percent between 2014 and 2023, reaching approximately 4.4 million jobs across the EU-27, yet structural barriers continue to limit the transition from niche applications to system-wide industrial adoption, according to assessments published by the European Environment Agency. The findings highlight a widening gap between policy ambition and market readiness as the bloc prepares its forthcoming Circular Economy Act.

A 350 MW / 1,243 MWh battery energy storage project at Hams Hall in North Warwickshire, developed by BW ESS in partnership with EDF, will ultimately expand to 400 MW / 1,424 MWh following a second phase of development.

Spain has awarded 12.64 GWh per day of hydrogen injection capacity into its natural gas network, selecting 35 projects from 285 applications, a conversion rate that underscores both the scale of developer interest and the limited near-term capacity of existing infrastructure.

The Pacifico Mexinol project in Mexico has entered its pre-construction phase, positioning itself as one of the largest planned facilities for blue and ultra-low carbon methanol with an expected combined output of 2.15 million metric tonnes annually.

Europe’s carbon capture and storage landscape is entering a phase where early-stage geological validation is becoming as critical as industrial deployment. Croatia’s allocation of €2.7 million in EU-backed funding for CCS development reflects this shift, targeting foundational data gaps that continue to constrain large-scale carbon storage investment across the region.

China’s installed renewable energy capacity reached approximately 2.4 billion kilowatts by March 2026, accounting for more than 60 percent of total national power capacity, signaling a structural shift in the world’s largest electricity system.

Egypt is intensifying its push into the green hydrogen market through a national program designed to address one of the sector’s core barriers: project readiness. Launched by the Suez Canal Economic Zone in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the National Clean Hydrogen Program targets early-stage constraints that have slowed hydrogen deployment across emerging markets.

Jinko ESS has signed a strategic cooperation agreement to deploy a 1 GWh portfolio of battery energy storage projects across the region, focused primarily on grid-side and utility-scale applications.

Oriana Power Limited has established a wholly owned subsidiary, Evercore Projects Private Limited, to consolidate its presence across power generation, engineering, procurement and construction, and emerging clean fuel technologies including green hydrogen and compressed biogas.

Wind and solar generated a combined 30 percent of the European Union’s electricity in 2025, surpassing fossil fuels at 29 percent for the first time and marking a structural shift in the bloc’s power system. This milestone reflects both accelerated renewable deployment and a policy-driven effort to reduce dependence on imported energy following recent supply disruptions.