Japan-based SoftBank Group announced the launch of a new battery business aimed at producing advanced battery cells and energy storage systems to support data centers, addressing the rapidly increasing demand for electricity being driven by AI adoption. Through the initiative, SoftBank said that it aims to achieve mass production on a gigawatt-hour (GWh)-per-year scale by around FY2028, and to reach…
The European Central Bank (ECB) announced the release of its updated compendium of good practices for climate and nature-related risk management and stress testing, aimed at supporting banks in strengthening their risk management practices in challenging areas such as nature-related risks, transition planning and physical risks. In a blog post introducing the new publication, ECB Executive Board Member and Supervisory…
Google announced that it has signed a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with renewable energy developer and independent power producer Linea Energy for the production of 500 MW of energy from a new solar project in Texas, aimed at supporting the company’s data center operations in the state. The announcement marks the latest in a series of large-scale clean energy…
Guest post by: Dan Mistler, Partner, ESG Data and Analytics, ACA Group For many years, there has been a clear dividing line in sustainability data separating what can be reliably known about public markets investments and the far more limited visibility available in private markets. Public companies have long benefited from compulsory regulations and voluntary disclosures, creating a deep, well-established…
The gender pension gap in the UK begins as early as 28, new research shows, with pension contributions between men and women typically taking very different paths from this age onwards. Women in the UK currently retire with 48% less retirement savings than men, according to data from HMRC. But new research by AJ Bell has found the gap starts…
Amazon announced that it is investing in 700 MW of new carbon-free energy projects in Nevada to power its future data center operations in the area. The company said that it has signed an agreement with Nevada-based NV Energy, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, to add 100 MW of geothermal power from renewable energy company Zanskar, and 600 MW…
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) announced the appointment of McKenna Smith as Managing Director of its target validation unit, SBTi Services. SBTi launched SBTi services in 2024, creating a wholly-owned subsidiary focused on conducting target validations. Organizations develop science-based targets and submit them to SBTi Services, which in turn checks that the emissions reduction targets are aligned with the most…
Spanish bank BBVA announced a significant increase in its sustainable finance activity in the first quarter of 2026, channeling €36 billion into sustainable business in the quarter, up by 33% over the same period last year. The results indicate continued momentum for the Spanish bank’s sustainable finance business, with BBVA reporting earlier this year that it channeled a record €134…
Life science company Bayer and energy giant bp announced that they have entered a long-term agreement to jointly scale the development and commercialization of the camelina crop under Bayer’s newgold brand, aimed at enabling increased production of biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Biofuels are produced from renewable organic materials such as corn, soy, canola, and alternative oilseed…
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced an agreement with state legislators on the 2027 State budget, which will include significant changes to New York’s climate goals, including pushing back an already-passed date to adopt emissions reduction regulations, and replacing a 2030 economy-wide GHG emissions reduction goal with a new 2040 target. The new budget deal follows warnings from Hochul earlier…