PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES
High pressure specialist Quintus Technologies opens Battery Application Center
Quintus Technologies established the Battery Application Center at its world headquarters facility in Västerås, Sweden. The Center offers professional expertise for developing, testing, and optimizing solid-state battery technologies.
Rice establishes Center for Membrane Excellence
Rice University established the Rice Center for Membrane Excellence, which is dedicated to developing advanced membrane materials and separation technologies for energy, environmental sustainability, and chemical processing applications.
Kelin Electric to raise funds for 1 GW perovskite project
Kelin Electric plans to raise up to CNY 1.46 billion (US$201.8 million) through a private placement for a 1 GW perovskite solar module project in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. The move follows Kelin subsidiary Hangzhou Keno launching trial production of a 100 MW large-area perovskite module pilot line in November 2024.
China’s Xinyi Glass invests $700M in SCZone for solar panel glass manufacturing
China’s Xinyi Glass announced a $700 million investment to establish a solar panel glass manufacturing facility in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. The project will be executed in two phases and is set to produce 1.5 million tons of solar panel glass and 1.1 million tons of high-purity silica sand annually.
Japan’s JOGMEC, Iwatani to invest $120 million in French rare earths project
Japan’s state-owned JOGMEC and gas firm Iwatani plan to invest up to 110 million euros (US$120 million) in a French rare earths refining project to diversify procurement. They also signed a long-term offtake contract with Caremag to secure half its output of heavy rare earth oxides, primarily dysprosium and terbium.
ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS
Event Partners and Messe München partner on launch of ceramitec USA Pavilion
Event Partners Ltd. announced a strategic partnership with Messe München to establish a ceramitec USA pavilion as the leading platform for technical ceramics in the United States. The inaugural ceramitec USA pavilion will take place from Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio, co-located with the renowned Materials Science and Technology conference.
Three metric tons of First Graphene’s additive delivered ahead of UK concrete trials
First Graphene announced that more than three metric tons of its PureGRAPH-CEM product has arrived in the U.K. ahead of a major road infrastructure project. The next phase of trials with Breedon Group, the U.K.’s biggest cement maker, will aim to validate at an industrial scale the results achieved through laboratory work undertaken by Kirton Concrete Services.
Maximizing hydropower efficiency with hydrogen production
Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory partnered with Idaho Power, which operates 17 hydroelectric projects, to analyze the economic and environmental impacts of integrating hydrogen production with hydropower plants.
India and Latin America tighten ties to diversify trade
Under its policy of “strategic autonomy,” India has been expanding its presence in Latin America. Countries in the region have welcomed the push and hope to diversify their own geopolitical partnerships.
OTHER STORIES
ACI launches mentorship program for young members
The American Concrete Institute launched ACI Career Connections, a six-month mentorship program designed to support emerging professionals in the concrete and construction industry. ACI is currently seeking both mentors and mentees for the program, which officially kicks off during the ACI Concrete Convention in Toronto, Canada, from March 29–April 1, 2025.
WRA develops framework to bring clarity to refractory product carbon footprint calculations
The World Refractory Association developed a common framework for calculating cradle-to-gate product carbon footprints for refractory products. This technical guidance sets shared rules and minimum requirements.
EU launches Clean Industrial Deal to overhaul energy sector
The European Commission announced the Clean Industrial Deal in February 2025. This deal, which aims to cut tens of billions of euros from fossil fuel import bills, focuses mainly on two closely linked sectors: energy-intensive industries and clean technology.
Korea Hydro sells Asia’s first green bond for nuclear energy
State-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. issued the first green bond in Asia whose proceeds can be used to finance nuclear energy projects. The company sold HK$1.2 billion (US$154 million) of the notes to global institutional investors in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Webinar: Opportunities and challenges in Africa’s critical energy transition minerals sector
A webinar hosted by UN Trade and Development aims to help developing countries, particularly in Africa, assess their strategic positioning in critical energy transition mineral value chains. It will take place March 27, 2025, from 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Central European Standard Time.
MARKET TRENDS
The elephant in the room for energy tech? Uncertainty
At this year’s ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, there was an elephant in the room: the current state of the U.S. federal government. People working in industries favored by the Trump administration, such as nuclear, tended to be more positive about the energy field’s future than those working in renewables.
How close are we to mining asteroids?
As an asteroid mining start-up’s latest mission goes awry, Josh Sims of BBC looks at how close we really are to extracting minerals from the many celestial bodies floating above us.
NEW PRODUCTS
Geothermal energy technology approved for US military marketplace website
Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, a platform for technology assessed by the Department of Defense for use on U.S. military bases, announced that the set of geothermal energy solutions developed through Project GeoForce is preapproved and ready for deployment.
Kyocera and Nitto Seimo launch trial of smart-sensing buoy powered by ocean currents
Kyocera Corporation developed a smart-sensing research buoy for continuous ocean data collection, powered by tidal energy harvesting technology from Nagasaki University. A paid trial service for this innovative solution using Kyocera’s IoT technology will begin in Japan in April 2025.
Author
Lisa McDonald
