The Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) has unveiled the next cohort of its accelerator program for emerging companies in the clean energy sector. The TechX clean energy accelerator has accepted 11 firms that are developing technologies in alternative fuels, CCUS, as well as turning plastic waste into low-carbon hydrogen into its 2025 scheme. Each of the selected start-ups will receive a share of £500,000 in grant funding, tailored mentorship and access to the NZTC’s industry network, including programme sponsor ConocoPhillips. TechX acts to fast-track the development of clean energy tech, providing a pathway to field trials and industry partnerships in order to shorten the time it takes for innovations to reach the market. The 18-week programme culminates in NZTC’s annual demo day, where the start-ups will present their final pitches to investors and industry leaders, with the opportunity to win additional cash prizes. Upon completion, participants will also gain up to two years of growth support, including continued access to NZTC’s network and co-working facilities to help scale their businesses. Since its launch in 2016/17, Aberdeen-based NZTC said TechX has supported nearly 70 start-ups to date. The selected start-ups are: AED Energy: Low-cost thermal energy storage integrated with thermophotovoltaic cells, delivering combined heat and power. CGEN Engineering: A lightweight, modular generator system that reduces costs, simplifies maintenance, and enhances scalability for the wind sector. EBB:FLOW: A scalable, low-cost wave energy converter using flexible, mass-manufacturable dielectric fluid generator cells for efficient power generation and lower costs. Entropyst: Methane pyrolysis reactor to convert methane into ‘turquoise’ hydrogen and solid carbon nanotubes. Global OTEC: Thermal energy conversion system to harness ocean temperature gradients to provide scalable, low-carbon power for offshore operations, reducing emissions. Kondor: A software platform using agile digital twins and AI to deliver precise, actionable insights to increase energy efficiency in oil

Newly appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered a rewrite of more stringent US fuel-economy rules, following through on one of President Donald Trump’s first directives after he retook the White House. The memorandum Duffy signed in the first act after his swearing in Tuesday directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to immediately review and reconsider all existing fuel-economy standards for vehicles produced from the 2022 model year onward. He told NHTSA to propose rescinding or replacing the standards so that they’re in line with the administration’s fossil fuel-favoring energy policy. Duffy, a former US congressman and Fox News contributor, portrayed the action as removing government overreach by former President Joe Biden that had driven up the cost of new cars. The Biden administration’s standards require automakers to reach an average of 50.4 miles per gallon across their new-car fleets by the 2031 model year. In addition to wanting to unwind Biden-era fuel economy rules, Trump has ordered his administration to consider eliminating subsidies and other policies aimed at boosting electric vehicles. Automakers plowed billions of dollars into manufacturing EVs and batteries in the US after Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law in 2022. Those investments already were showing signs of strain due to tepid demand for plug-in models that are still more expensive than those powered by gasoline-burning engines. Since Trump’s victory in the November election, automakers have made a series of moves reflecting expectations for less regulatory pressure to move away from gas-powered cars and trucks. Stellantis NV postponed its first all-electric Ram pickup, pulled back from plans to lay off workers at a Jeep sport utility vehicle plant in Ohio and recommitted to building a new midsize truck at a factory in Illinois. Volkswagen AG told Automotive News on Tuesday that it no longer plans to bring its ID.7 electric sedan to the US market. The publication also has reported that Stellantis paused work on an electric

Oil fell after President Donald Trump’s pick for commerce secretary suggested tariffs on Canada and Mexico aren’t a done deal. West Texas Intermediate slid 1.6% to settle below $73 a barrel after Howard Lutnick said that the US’s two biggest trading partners can avoid new levies if they take action on illegal migration and fentanyl flows. Expectations that the tariffs will go into effect this weekend had earlier spurred a rally in oil futures and briefly pushed the discount for Canadian crude to the widest in six months, before narrowing after Lutnick’s remarks. “Crude prices keep dancing to the rhythm of Trump’s tariff orchestra, with Canada tariffs in focus as they go into effect on Saturday,” said Ole Hansen, head of commodities strategy at Saxo Bank. Wednesday’s price decline represents “a sour sentiment across an overall rangebound market,” he added. Crude started 2025 higher as US sanctions against Russia lifted prices, but trade-war concerns and poor economic data from China have largely erased the year’s gains. The rollout of Trump’s policy agenda has the potential to roil markets further, with the US president calling on OPEC+ to help lower crude prices. The producer cartel is set to discuss Trump’s plans to increase US oil production at its next meeting on Feb. 3, Tass reported, citing Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev. Traders also digested a more hawkish-than-anticipated decision by the Federal Reserve to hold rates steady, dimming the outlook for oil demand. Oil Prices: WTI for March delivery decreased 1.6% to settle at $72.62 a barrel in New York. Brent for March settlement dipped 1.2% to settle at $76.58 a barrel. What do you think? We’d love to hear from you, join the conversation on the Rigzone Energy Network. The Rigzone Energy Network is a new social experience created for you

A $400 billion green bank for clean energy projects and a popular consumer tax credit for electric vehicles are among items being targeted for review under a government-wide spending freeze ordered by the Trump administration. The initiatives are listed in a 52-page document from the White House Office of Management and Budget, seen by Bloomberg News, that details hundreds of programs whose funding is being scrutinized by the White House after it directed the government to temporarily pause spending. The Office of Management and Budget issued the sweeping directive Monday as part of the new president’s aim to overhaul the federal government to align it with the incoming administration’s priorities, which have included halting foreign aid, promoting liquefied natural gas exports and shuttering diversity programs. A federal judge in Washington on Tuesday evening temporarily halted the administration from enforcing the directive. The list includes the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office, which swelled to $400 billion in financing power under President Joe Biden and his signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act. The lending program has nearly $47 billion in conditional commitments to companies in addition to $60.6 billion in loans and loan guarantees that have been granted, including to California utility PG&E Corp. and biofuel maker Calumet Inc.  Also being eyed is a program known as the Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy, or ARPA-E that has spent billions funding projects meant to achieve technological breakthroughs.  An Energy Department spokesman confirmed Tuesday the agency is conducting a department-wide review of spending “to ensure all activities are consistent with President Trump’s executive orders and priorities.”   A slew of tax credits administered by the Treasury Department also made the list, including a $7,500 credit for the purchase of electric vehicles that has been targeted by Trump. But tax breaks for nuclear power as well as subsidies

In this week’s Charging Forward, Mutual Energy is progressing plans for a pumped storage hydro scheme in Northern Ireland, Chris Stark flags investment support for UK hydrogen storage and the latest battery storage updates. This week’s headlines: Northern Ireland pumped hydro storage plans Rough uncertainty as Stark backs hydrogen storage UK sees slowdown in BESS as Irish market grows Innova approved for 1 GW Yorkshire BESS Elgin buys Amberside Energy project pipeline RES approval for 45 MW Scottish BESS Ridge Clean Energy progresses Scottish wind and storage project West Midlands battery hub secures £23m boost International news: World’s largest grid battery catches fire in California and UAE launches massive baseload solar and storage project Northern Ireland pumped hydro plans Belfast-headquartered gas and transmission operator Mutual Energy is leading a feasibility study into a pumped storage hydropower scheme in Northern Ireland. Located near Belfast Lough, the Higher Ground NI project would be the first pumped hydro scheme in Northern Ireland. Costing an estimated £1 billion, the plan involves pumping seawater from Belfast Lough to a new reservoir near Carrickfergus using a 4km tunnel. Mutual Energy chief executive Paddy Larkin told the Irish News the project could store close to 3 GWh of excess renewable energy capacity. If it goes ahead, the project would be one of the largest energy infrastructure projects in Northern Ireland for more than 50 years. Most pumped storage hydro project use freshwater reserves, with several schemes currently in development in Scotland close to Loch Ness. However, according to Mutual Energy a freshwater scheme is unlikely to be feasible in Northern Ireland due to the remote location of suitable sites. There are also challenges relating to poor grid infrastructure in the region, and using seawater will allow the firm to locate the project closer to Greater Belfast. Japan developed the

Last week, President Donald Trump told federal agencies to stop disbursing Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act funding, including money that Congress already authorized. The move has thrown climate and infrastructure projects at various stages of development into uncertainty, as his agenda regarding federal government contracts and grants continues to rapidly evolve. Trump’s Jan. 20 “Unleashing American Energy” order to pause and review funding processes has “significant implications for the implementation of the IIJA and IRA,” according to Washington, D.C.-based law firm Crowell, and may lead to project delays, terminations and broader economic uncertainty.  Its precise implications may not be fully understood for months, “and this uncertainty alone is likely to disrupt infrastructure projects and give rise to claims,” according to an alert Crowell partners shared with clients Monday.  “Whether the pause is temporary or becomes permanent, this action potentially could halt billions of dollars in obligated funding for infrastructure projects that already are underway, including those already under construction,” according to Crowell. Another major announcement this week around funding has led to more confusion. A Monday internal memo from the Office of Management and Budget ordered a pause on all federal grants and loans, starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Federal agencies must temporarily halt funding and agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, “including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal,” according to the memo. A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the effort, CBS News reported. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan’s stay is in effect until Feb. 3 while she considers arguments from the U.S. government and the plaintiffs in the case, a nonprofit coalition that includes the National Council of Nonprofits and the American Public Health Association. There