The global race for clean energy leadership

European Commission invests €2.9 billion from the Innovation Fund to boost net-zero technology projects

Article by European Commission

Today, the European Commission announced a total of €2.9 billion in funding to 61 cutting-edge net zero technology projects. The funding comes  from the Innovation Fund, using revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). These grants follow a first call for net-zero technologies (IF24 Call), launched in December 2024, aiming to strengthen Europe’s technological leadership and speed up the deployment of innovative decarbonisation solutions.

ESM secures EUR 1.5 million grant to accelerate North Macedonia’s energy transition

Article by Balkan Green Energy News

North Macedonia’s power utility Elektrani na Severna Makedonija has secured a EUR 1.5 million grant to strengthen its capacity and accelerate the energy transition. Elektrani na Severna Makedonija (ESM) made a major step toward a market-driven green transformation with a grant implementing agreement with Germany’s KfW Development Bank.

CIP expands into UK biogas with strategic acquisition

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has entered the UK bioenergy market with the acquisition of a pre-treatment and biogas plant in Northwich, marking a significant advancement in their renewable energy efforts. Through the CI Advanced Bioenergy Fund I, CIP plans to upgrade the facility by 2028 to focus solely on biogas production, incorporating a new digester, biomethane upgrading units, and CO₂ capture technology. This development aligns with the energy transition goal of enhancing local energy security and contributing to sustainable infrastructure, emphasizing CIP’s commitment to expanding its footprint in the European biogas sector.

TotalEnergies sees oil demand rising until 2040 as energy transition slows

Article by Reuters

French oil major TotalEnergies expects global oil demand to rise until 2040 before gradually declining, as political fragmentation and energy security concerns slow efforts to cut emissions, it said in its annual energy outlook report on Tuesday. The forecast marks an upward revision from last year, reflecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s partial rollback of green subsidies and resumption of liquefied natural gas plant licences, as well as coal plant installations in Asia and lagging electric vehicle sales globally.

The global energy transition is about securing the future, not managing decline

Article by STIMSON

The global energy transition is often framed as a balancing act between climate commitments on one hand, and sufficient energy and economic security on the other. That framing assumes the transition will mean less: less energy, less growth, and a steady decline in fossil fuel use. But this rhetoric is, as Ambassador Anthony Agotha put it at last week’s Berlin Climate Security Conference, a “false choice.”