🌆 Infra Futures #21

Happy Monday 👋

Stellantis and CATL are investing $4.3B in a Spain-based EV battery factory, advancing the EV  industry. India plans to inject $1.8T into urban infrastructure by 2030, focusing on airports, metros, highways, and high-speed rail, potentially quadrupling land prices in satellite cities like Chennai and Bangalore. CAF approved $2.4B for resilient infrastructure, energy transition, and urban mobility projects across Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024. Salve Regina University will construct a 205-student residence hall in Newport. Meanwhile, Melbourne-based Conry Tech raised $8.7M in pre-seed funding to innovate HVAC systems that reduce CO2 emissions, signaling growth in sustainable technology solutions.

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

🔋 Stellantis and CATL to Build a $4.3B EV Battery Plant in Spain. Car giant Stellantis and Chinese manufacturer CATL announced plans to build a $4.3B factory to produce electric vehicle batteries in Spain.

☀️ US's Largest Solar + Storage Project Sunstone Solar Gets Green Light. The 2.4 GW Sunstone Solar project, the largest proposed solar and storage project in the US, received approval from regulators in Oregon.

🌬️ EU approves $2.82B Estonian offshore wind energy scheme. The European Commission approved a $2.8B Estonian State aid scheme to support renewable offshore wind energy to help transition to a net-zero economy. This initiative, aligned with the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF), will support the construction and operation of offshore wind farms under the Estonian Maritime Spatial Plan.

🚘 Transport Infrastructure

🏙️ India's Massive Urban Infrastructure Investment Plan. India plans to invest over $1.8 trillion in urban infrastructure by 2030, expected to drive up land prices. This investment focuses on new airports, metro connectivity, highways, bridges, and high-speed rail. As a result, the land prices in their satellite cities such as Chennai Mumbai, and Bangalore are expected to be appreciated by 4 times than now. 

🚅 AfDB Commits Over $14B for Morocco's Strategic Railway Project. The African Development Bank (AfDB) Chief announced a commitment of over $14B for Morocco's strategic railway project at the close of the Africa Investment Forum (AIF).

🚌 New York's $10B Bus Terminal Revamp Gets Green Light. The Federal Transit Administration approved a $10B plan to demolish and replace the world's busiest bus terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York, which will take at least eight years.

🏛️ Buildings

🏙️ CAF approves $2.4B for Latin America and Caribbean development. CAF, a regional development bank, approved $2.4B in financing for strategic projects across 10 countries in 2024. These investments aim to foster resilient infrastructure, accelerate energy transition, enhance productivity, and improve urban mobility, environmental sustainability, and water and sanitation systems.

🏗️ Sustainable construction projects launched in Switzerland. Two flagship projects from Innosuisse, a Swiss innovation agency, have been launched at ETH Zurich to transform the Swiss construction industry towards sustainability. 

🏫 Social Infrastructure

🏘️ Salve Regina University to Build New Student Housing. Salve Regina University is planning to construct a new residence hall to house 205 students at the corner of Shepard and Lawrence Avenues in Newport.

🏗️ Arkansas Teacher Retirement System Reveals 2025 Infrastructure Investment Plan. The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) revealed its plan to increase its allocation to infrastructure investments by 2025 to rebalance its real assets portfolio.

🛠️ 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.

🔋 EIT Battery Academy trains 100,000 learners for green workforce transformation. EIT’s European Battery Alliance Academy has trained 100,000 learners, equipping Europe’s workforce with essential skills for the green transition. Offering tailored technical and foundational courses in 10 languages, the Academy has reached learners across Germany, France, Spain, Poland, and Romania. This milestone underscores EIT’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, setting the stage for future Net-Zero Industry Academies and expanding workforce services to include hiring, onboarding, and retention.

🌞 UHI Inverness opens a hub for green heating skills training. UHI Inverness has launched the Renewable Energy Training Hub, offering hands-on training with advanced air source heat pump technologies. Supported by industry leaders like Panasonic, Samsung, and Grant UK, the hub addresses Scotland’s green skills shortage and promotes sustainable heating solutions. Funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the hub equips apprentices and professionals to decarbonize heating systems, future-proof homes, and transition from fossil fuels to sustainable technologies, advancing regional climate goals.

🏤 South West College secures €9.8M for green skills training. South West College has secured €9.8M through the PEACEPLUS program to launch the Green Accelerator Skills Programme (GRASP). Focusing on green skills in the construction sector, GRASP addresses areas like NZEB tradesperson training, PassivHaus design, and environmental auditing. With key collaborations, including Women into Construction, the program aims to train 2,000 employees over four years, equipping rural Fermanagh and Tyrone’s workforce for Net Zero challenges and sustainable innovation.

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

🌳 Air-conditioning emissions reduction startup Conry Tech raises $8.7M pre-seed. Conry Tech, a Melbourne startup cofounded by Ron Conry and Sam Ringwaldt in 2020, raised $8.7M in pre-seed funding for developing HVAC products that reduce CO2 emissions.

🤝 Morell Engineering Acquires Civil Group LLC. Morell Engineering, a company based in North Alabama, acquired Civil Group LLC, another North Alabama company. Both companies will continue to operate under their respective identities.

🏢 NV5 Global Acquires Southport Engineering Associates. NV5 Global, a provider of professional and technical engineering and consulting solutions, acquired Southport Engineering Associates, strengthening its energy efficiency and building technology solutions in New York City.

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