Bill Gates in attendance at Cop26
EU joins Gates in $1bn clean technology accelerator
Focus on speeding up commercialisation of direct air capture, clean hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel and long-range storage
The EU has joined a project led by US businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates aimed at accelerating the commercialisation of nascent clean technologies including direct air capture and clean hydrogen by driving $1bn of investment in pilot projects within the EU over the next four years. The European Commission and European Investment Bank signed a memorandum of understanding to join Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Catapult (BEC) initiative during the Cop26 climate talks. BEC, which is already operational in the US, is focused on four technologies identified by Gates and a group of high-profile investors including Amazon, Softbank and Carlyle group. The four are clean hydrogen, direct air captur
Also in this section
28 March 2025
The massive expansion of the Northern Lights project in Norway is the clearest sign yet that the European oil and gas companies mean business when it comes to CCS
27 March 2025
Awards celebrate global innovation, leadership and achievement across the energy sector’s people, projects, technologies and companies.
20 March 2025
While advanced economies debate peak fossil fuel demand, billions of people still lack access to reliable and affordable energy, especially in the Global South
14 March 2025
Ignoring questions of sustainability will not make the problems they focus on go away
