Editor’s Picks 2025

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the government will soon launch a €1.3 billion direct subsidy scheme for hydrogen hubs, alongside €400 million in funding for green hydrogen projects that missed out on EU-wide auction subsidies.

Air Products’ sudden decision to halt its liquid hydrogen plant in Massena stands out amid broader industry trends. The company, who aimed to inject $800 million into this environmentally pivotal project, has halted operations, citing market volatility and strategic realignment as primary factors.

In an unusually direct turn of events, Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola Corporation, recently announced via social media that he has been granted a full pardon by former U.S. President Donald Trump. This development unfolds against a backdrop of Milton’s previous conviction for misleading investors, posing significant questions regarding the interplay of corporate accountability and political influence.

Austria has taken a major step toward industrial decarbonization with OMV’s commissioning of the country’s largest green hydrogen plant. Located at the Schwechat refinery near Vienna, the €25 million facility is designed to produce up to 1,500 tons of green hydrogen annually, enough to cut 15,000 tons of CO₂ emissions per year.

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.

Amid mounting pressure from falling power prices and geopolitical volatility, Norwegian utility Statkraft has unveiled a strategy to reduce its annual operating expenses by 15%, equivalent to approximately NOK 2.9 billion (USD 290 million), by 2027. The cost-cutting drive will involve layoffs, portfolio divestments, and a realignment toward core technologies that generate short-term returns. 

The widespread blackout that affected Spain and Portugal in April has prompted the Portuguese government to announce a €400 million investment program aimed at strengthening grid resilience and expanding battery storage capacity.

The European Commission has cleared the formation of a joint venture between Japan’s Mitsubishi and Germany’s Bosch aimed at providing battery-related services for electric vehicles, signaling regulatory support for the continent’s accelerating EV ecosystem.

Eurasian Resources Group proceeded with controversial Congolese mineral rights acquisitions worth tens of millions despite internal compliance warnings that transactions showed “unusual nature and size,” raising bribery concerns, according to internal documents.

Financial institutions directed over $1.6T toward fossil fuel companies between 2021 and 2024, funding an industry launching more than 2,300 new oil, gas, and coal projects during a period when climate scientists and energy analysts maintain such investments should have ceased entirely.

Germany’s grid operators are processing an unprecedented surge in applications for large battery storage systems, many exceeding 100 MW, yet projects continue to advance only in strict chronological order.

Hydrogen Oman has confirmed BP’s withdrawal from the Duqm Green Hydrogen Project, marking the second project cancellation from the nation’s inaugural hydrogen auction round following the HyDuqm venture’s termination by mutual agreement.