🌆 Infra Futures #14

Happy Monday 👋

Cuba's outdated power grid, reliant on fossil fuels and lacking investment, is causing frequent blackouts, significantly impacting residents' daily lives and severely prolonging the country's transition to cleaner energy generation sources. Meanwhile, a major $17B highway project connecting Iraq and Turkey is in the design phase, aiming to enhance regional infrastructure. In Saudi Arabia, construction is underway for the Mukaab, a colossal skyscraper designed as a supertall cube, marking a bold architectural endeavor. A Coalition in Australia pledged $5B for a Housing Infrastructure Program, which is expected to facilitate the development of up to 500,000 new homes. On the financial front, Ambuja Cements Ltd., part of the Adani Group, acquired Orient Cement Ltd. for $963M to bolster India's infrastructure development.

🏗️ Energy Infrastructure

⚡ Cuba's Outdated Power Grid Causes Frequent Blackouts. Cuba's aging electricity infrastructure, heavily dependent on fossil fuels and suffering from insufficient investment for upgrades, is leading to frequent blackouts across the country, with the recent outage leading to significant inconvenience for residents.

🔋 Renault and The Mobility House Launch V2G Project in France. Renault and The Mobility House are enabling vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging in France with the Renault 5 electric vehicle. The V2G function will be introduced in the UK in 2025.

🔋 Stortford Interiors Installs Solar-Powered EV Charging Points. Stortford Interiors, a firm in Bishop's Stortford, installed two 24/7 electric vehicle charging points that use solar-powered green energy, benefiting the local community.

🚘 Transport Infrastructure

🛣️ $17B Iraq-Turkey Highway Design Underway. Design preparations are underway for a significant $17B highway project connecting Iraq and Turkey. This extensive 1,200km highway will link the port of Faw near Basra, Iraq, with the port of Mersin in Turkey.

🚧 California Invests Billions in Infrastructure Upgrades. California approved $3.8B in funding to improve its infrastructure, including rail corridors, bridges, roadways, and pathways. Projects in San Diego include highway improvements and repairs.

🚗 China Expands Infrastructure for Intelligent Connected Vehicles Nationwide. China is expanding the application of 'vehicle-road-cloud' integration for intelligent connected vehicles nationwide. The 2024 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference in Beijing showcased these efforts.

🏛️ Buildings

🏙️ Saudi Arabia Constructs Massive 'Mukaab' Skyscraper. Saudi Arabia is constructing a gigantic skyscraper,  a 400-meter-tall cube-shaped structure designed by AtkinsRéalis called the Mukaab, which will become the world's largest building upon completion. 

🏗️ Construction Material Companies Collaborate with White House on Decarbonization. Several major cement and aggregate producers are working with the Federal Buy Clean Initiative and the Industrial Demonstrations Program aims on initiatives to reduce carbon emissions.

🏫 Social Infrastructure

🏠 Coalition Pledges $5B for Housing Infrastructure Program. The Coalition committed $5B for a new Housing Infrastructure Program, which is expected to unlock the development of up to 500,000 new homes. The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed this investment pledge.

🏫 Andhra Pradesh Minister Seeks Funds for School Infrastructure. Minister Lokesh of Andhra Pradesh sought $810M for school infrastructure and the inclusion of 1,514 schools under the PM SHRI Scheme.

🛠️ Skills and Workforce

HolonIQ is now tracking reskilling and upskilling initiatives critical in bridging workforce gaps. Impact industries are rapidly evolving, fueled by technological advancements, decarbonization, geopolitical dynamics, and socio-economic factors. To that extent, these sectors require considerable workforce/professional development initiatives to enhance workers' capabilities, boost economic growth, and promote social well-being. Read on for this week’s insights.

HolonIQ has launched the Green Skills Map, an open-source framework initiated for the purpose of cataloging, evaluating, and contextualizing the different components of the rapidly expanding field of green jobs. This comprehensive taxonomy will serve as a resource for understanding the full spectrum and complexity of green skills required across various sectors, thereby enabling a cohesive approach toward achieving net zero and decarbonizing the global economy. Green Skills Map spans 11 areas, 54 sub-areas, and 243 green skills clusters. A snippet of the map covering four areas has been included above. Explore the full map on greenskills.org.

💰 Infra Deals

🏗️ Adani Conglomerate Acquires Orient Cement for $963M. Ambuja Cements Ltd., part of the Adani Group, acquired Orient Cement Ltd. for $963M as they continue to acquire cement makers to support India's infrastructure development.

🚆 Parsons Acquires Transportation Engineering Firm for $230M. Parsons, a company involved in infrastructure projects, has acquired a transportation engineering firm for $230M as part of its expansion efforts in regions with significant infrastructure spending.

🤖 Fischer Group.  Acquires Construction Robot Pioneer. The Fischer Group, a company in the construction industry, acquired a pioneer in construction robots.

⚡ KEBA Acquires EnerCharge to Expand Charging Solutions Portfolio. KEBA, a European provider of charging solutions, is acquiring EnerCharge to expand its portfolio with DC charging solutions for the (semi-)public sector, strengthening its position as a full-range provider in the market.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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