🌆 Infra Futures #20

Happy Monday 👋

India’s Adani Group plans to invest an additional $1.2B into Kerala’s deep-sea port, aiming to achieve a 3 million TEU capacity by 2028. Armenia will allocate $92.5M for ongoing transport infrastructure development projects initiated in 2023, focusing on upgrades across the country. The UK government set a 2029 deadline to remediate all high-rise buildings with dangerous cladding. In Australia, a new National Urban Policy was unveiled, emphasizing housing affordability, climate resilience, and equitable urban access, aiming to enhance sustainability for the 80% of Australians living in cities. On the financial front, Brazilian prop-tech company iBUILD raised $550K at a $3.4M valuation to expand its franchise network, with support from agribusiness investor Gustavo Rizzo.

What's new?
HolonIQ’s new Green Skills Map and Workforce section reveal industry-wide sustainability skills and jobs, as well as workforce development initiatives, supporting upskilling for a sustainable economy.

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🏗️ Energy Infrastructure

🚢 Adani Group to Invest $1.2B in Kerala Deep-Sea Port. Adani Group, an Indian conglomerate, announced plans to invest an additional $1.2B into a deep-sea port project in Kerala, India, aiming for a 3 million TEU capacity by 2028.

⚠️ Moldova and Ukraine Disconnect from Russian Energy Grid. Moldova and Ukraine disconnected from the Russian and Belarusian electrical grid to test their ability to operate autonomously, as they prepare to ban the transit of Russian hydrocarbons across their territories, raising concerns about an impending energy crisis.

🤝 Egypt, Jordan Sign LNG Infrastructure Deal. Egypt and Jordan signed an agreement aimed at utilizing Egypt's LNG infrastructure to meet Jordan's energy requirements, fostering regional energy security and cooperation.

🚘 Transport Infrastructure

🏗️ Armenia to Increase Infrastructure Spending. The Armenian government will allocate an additional $92.5M to finance improvements and development of the country's transport infrastructure that began in 2023, as announced by Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Minister Gnel Sanosyan.

🛣️ Ukraine Secures EU Funding for Transport Modernization. As part of its efforts toward European integration and modernization, Ukraine secured $54.6M in EU funding for transport projects, including railways, navigation, and checkpoints.

🌉 Fiji Builds Climate-Resilient Transport Infrastructure. Fiji is replacing aging bridges through the Critical Bridges Resilience Project to create a safer, climate-resilient transport network for improved connectivity and economic growth.

🏛️ Buildings

🏢 The UK government sets the 2029 deadline for cladding remediation on high-rise buildings. The UK government announced that all high-rise buildings with dangerous cladding will be remediated by the end of 2029.

🚰 Ontario Launches $730M Loan Program to Expand Water Infrastructure for Housing Development. The Ontario government is investing $730M to help municipalities build the water infrastructure to address the housing shortage.

🏫 Social Infrastructure

🏙️ Australia Unveils National Urban Policy. The Federal Government of Australia released its new National Urban Policy, outlining its vision for the country's cities and suburbs. focusing on housing affordability, climate resilience, and equitable access to jobs and services. Developed with broad stakeholder input, it sets principles and actions for liveable and sustainable cities, benefiting 80% of Australians living in urban areas.

🌍 CDRI Publishes Compendium on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) published a compendium on good practices for evaluating and learning from disaster-resilient infrastructure projects worldwide and in across the world and 35 other countries.

🛠️ 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, and discover more in HolonIQ's latest Skills newsletter.

🚗 UNDP and Partners Launch Electric Mobility Skilling Programme. In collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Makerere University Innovation Pod (UniPod), and Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC), an Electric Mobility Skilling Programme was introduced to equip students with cutting-edge skills in electric vehicle technologies.

🌧️ Boston Secures $9.8M Grant for Climate Resilience Workforce Expansion. Boston has received a $9.8 million federal grant to create over 1,200 climate resilience jobs in four years, focusing on coastal protections and green infrastructure. The funding supports roles in construction, storm response, and wastewater redesign while establishing the Greater Boston Climate and Coastal Resilience Workforce Alliance to enhance training accessibility. Mayor Wu highlighted the program's security against federal rollbacks, and local businesses, like Parterre, underscored the urgent need for skilled workers in the field.

🌿 New City College Wins Prestigious Green Gown Award for Green Skills. New City College (NCC) earned the Green Gown Award for Next Generation Learning and Skills, recognizing its groundbreaking ‘Green Skills Revolution’ curriculum. NCC’s innovative low-carbon courses, supported by £10 million in partnership projects, focus on electric vehicle maintenance, energy efficiency, and solar power. With state-of-the-art labs and specialized staff training, NCC equips students, apprentices, and workers with essential green skills, positioning itself as a national leader in sustainable education and workforce development.

HolonIQ has launched the Green Skills Map, an open-source framework initiated for 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

💰 iBUILD raises $550K to expand franchise network in Brazil. iBUILD, a Brazilian proptech company, raised $550K in a funding round led by agribusiness investor Gustavo Rizzo at a $3.4M valuation to expand its franchise network in Brazil.

💰 CAI-backed Custom Air acquires Power Plus and assets of ICR Air. CAI-backed Custom Air, an organization, acquired Power Plus, an electrical contractor, and certain assets of ICR Air, an HVAC services provider.

💰 Legrand Acquires Power Bus Way, a Leading Power Feeder Systems Provider. Legrand, a global electrical and digital building infrastructure specialist, acquired Power Bus Way, a Toronto-based company that provides customized power feeder systems for data centers, industrial facilities, and large commercial buildings.

🤝 Westwood Acquires Virginia-Based Balzer & Associates. Westwood Professional Services, Inc., a nationally renowned design and consulting firm, announced its acquisition of Balzer & Associates, a Virginia-based firm.

💼 KPS Capital Partners to Acquire Engineered Materials Business from Crane Company. KPS Capital Partners, a private equity firm, signed an agreement to acquire the engineered materials business of Crane Company, a diversified manufacturer of engineered industrial products.

💻 Leighton Asia Acquires Data Centre Specialist Maverick. Leighton Asia, a Cimic Group company, acquired Malaysia-headquartered Maverick United Consulting Engineers, a data center specialist, for an undisclosed amount.

🏗️ Limbach Holdings Acquires Consolidated Mechanical. Limbach Holdings, Inc., a building systems solutions firm, announced that it acquired Consolidated Mechanical, Inc.

🚆 Eleda intensifies investment in the railway sector through acquisitions. Sweden's infrastructure group Eleda acquired two companies, Hanell Entreprenad AB and Flexirail AB, to intensify its investment in the railway sector.

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Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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