Browsing: Europe

A projected €24 billion windfall for oil companies linked to rising fuel prices across Europe has reignited debate over windfall taxation, with Transport & Environment calling for a temporary levy on excess profits.

The European Commission has awarded up to €40.3 million in funding to PaperShell under the EU Innovation Fund, supporting the industrial scale-up of a fossil-free composite material designed to compete with aluminum, plastics, and glass fiber. The financing will enable the construction of a flagship production facility in Tibro, Sweden, marking a transition from pilot-scale manufacturing to full industrial deployment.

A €330 million financing package for two large-scale battery energy storage systems in Belgium underscores the growing role of storage in Europe’s power markets, with renewable developer Storm securing backing from institutional investors including The Belgian Infrastructure Fund, PMV, and TINC, alongside a syndicate of commercial banks.

The Basque government has initiated a feasibility study to assess a potential secondary hydrogen pipeline from the Enagás trunk line to Irun, a move aimed at linking Euskadi’s growing green hydrogen production to France.

The United Kingdom’s carbon capture and storage ambitions continue to scale, with bids submitted for more than 2 million acres of seabed in the latest licensing round led by the North Sea Transition Authority.

The UK’s low-carbon hydrogen pipeline has added another permitted project, with Uniper receiving planning approval for its Humber H2ub Green facility, a 120MW electrolytic hydrogen plant intended to supply industrial demand from the end of the decade.

The United Kingdom’s hydrogen innovation landscape is under renewed scrutiny following claims that a proposed $1 billion fuel cell venture was abruptly halted, raising questions about how emerging energy technologies are funded, validated, and sustained.

France has gained European Commission approval for a €1 billion framework designed to accelerate the country’s industrial hydrogen production, combining renewable and low-carbon power sources including nuclear energy.

Sungrow Hydrogen has completed near-simultaneous shipments of electrolysis systems to projects in Oman, Italy, and Brazil, offering a case study in how vendors are attempting to scale both manufacturing and delivery in parallel.

Policymakers are evaluating contracts for difference as a central instrument to stabilize revenues and unlock large-scale investment across international hydrogen supply chains.