The world’s second-tallest building, Merdeka 118 has now reached its maximum height and it’s a sight to behold, as pictures show.

Merdeka 118 topped out last month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the completion of the spire at its tip making the skyscraper a staggering 2,227ft (678.9m) tall.

The 118-storey building, which is set to open later in 2022, has knocked the 2,073ft(632m) high Shanghai Tower in China off its perch as the world’s second-tallest tower.

Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, however, is still No.1 at a whopping 2,717ft (828m) in height.

Spanish utility Iberdrola has reported that it has expanded its portfolio of renewable energy in Spain by 35% during the pandemic as the company seeks to accelerate the energy transition to mitigate climate change as well as to align operations with changing business models and regulations.

The utility announced that it has commissioned 2,000MW of new wind and solar energy capacity during the pandemic in Spain.

The expansion of the utility’s portfolio is a result of the €2.3 billion ($2.5 billion) in investments that Iberdrola has made since 2019, according to a statement.

Growing its clean energy capacity will also enable Iberdrola to meet increasing consumer demand for green services and affordable electricity.

Of the new capacity Iberdrola has added, 76% are solar energy projects including the 500MWdc Núñez de Balboa plant in Extremadura which will power 250,000 households, a 328MWdc in Ceclavin and 150MWdc plant in Arenales.

Iberdrola claims it has worked with local suppliers to boost the local economy and job creation in the areas its new renewable energy projects are located. For instance, the utility says it was supplied transformers for the projects by local firm FARAMAX in Extremadura and by ABB in Cordoba.

The commissioned projects are part of Iberdrola’s €150 billion ($169 billion) investment strategy which aims to expand the company’s renewables capacity by three times over the next decade.

The strategy will pave way for Iberdrola to invest €14.3 billion ($16.1 billion) to expand its portfolio in Spain through 2025.

The projects which Iberdrola is currently developing in Spain using the allocated budget include the Pizarro PV plant, which the company says will be the largest solar project in Europe.

The 590MW plant will provide electricity to 334,000 homes and avoid the emissions of 150,000 tonnes, according to a statement.

Today, Iberdrola has over 17,400MW of renewables capacity in Spain and plans to have 25,000MW by 2025.

As part of a move to align its operations with the growing need to address the climate crisis, engineering firm COWI announced that it will no longer participate in new tenders for fossil fuel projects.

The decision will enable the Danish multinational consulting and engineering firm to achieve its goal of generating 100% of revenue within the sustainability-related fields within the next three to five years.

Today, COWI is involved in more than 10,000 projects and, owing to investments in clean solutions, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 55% in 2020 compared to the 2019 level as the company seeks to achieve carbon-neutrality within its operations by 2050.

Commenting on the latest decision made by COWI to not to participate in new tenders within the fossil-fuel industry, COWI Group CEO Lars-Peter Søbye said: “This is one of the strongest statements in COWI history and with the decision not to take on any projects which are accommodating the exploration of fossil fuels from now on, we are accepting the role as one of the frontrunners worldwide within our line of business.”

Søbye, however, admitted that the direction taken by COWI will have an impact on some of its customers, employees, and business. Fossil fuel-related businesses made 5% of the company’s turnover in 2021 whilst 45% of the revenue made came from businesses that are not associated with the green transition, according to the CEO.

COWI says it will honour its current contracts that are within the fossil-fuel business but will maximise its investments and focus on accelerating the energy transition. The company will target areas including offshore wind and green hydrogen for growth opportunities and to beat the negative financial impact of withdrawing from fossil fuel projects.

The CEO added: “This is by far one of the boldest decisions we have made during my +30 years at COWI. But it’s the right thing to do, if we seriously want to tackle the climate crisis.

“Given the ‘EU Green Deal’ and the massive investments planned in the US, around 800 billion euros and around 1.75 trillion US dollars are allocated to investments in the green transition and sustainability. On top of this, pension funds will also invest billions in green energy and infrastructure.

“First of all, we are telling our customers that nothing will change in the short term. We are fully committed to delivering on our promises and the agreements that we already have in place. Second, we fully acknowledge that the world still needs oil and gas, and we must therefore accept that our customers will ask other consultants to help them continue their fossil fuel projects. Third, we will spend most of our time talking about all the other sustainable solutions they need, as they too must accelerate their journey to become a green company.”

COWI is not the first company to announce its transition from fossil fuels as the call for climate action within the energy sector intensifies.

Big companies including bp, TotalEnergies, and Shell are also rebranding and establishing subsidiaries that focus on sustainable businesses thereby highlighting their new business directions.

bp established Lightsource bp which focuses on solar development, Total rebranded to TotalEnergies and is investing in electric vehicle charging infrastructure development and in green hydrogen production and Shell established Shell New Energies which is also investing in renewable energy projects.

Energy services company Aggreko has commissioned a 165MW flare gas to power project in Saqala Field, Garmain block, South East Kurdistan.

According to Aggreko, it’s the largest flare gas to power project in the Middle East to date, running on approximately 40 million square cubic feet (SCF) per day of associated petroleum gas (APG) from the Saqala Field.

In the project’s final site acceptance test (SAT), the 165MW modular power plant ran at full capacity for 72 hours, marking successful delivery.

Phil Burns, Managing Director for Aggreko Middle East, comments: “Kurdistan’s Regional Government has been forward-thinking in looking for ways to capture and convert gas that would otherwise be flared, to unlock production and power the local economy. We are extremely proud to have worked with the Ministries to deliver the Middle East’s largest flare gas to power project to date while upgrading the local infrastructure to the lasting benefit of the community and businesses it serves.”

According to Aggreko, the plant was built using 192MW of modular gas generators, can easily be scaled up or down in response to changing gas volumes and will save 840 tonnes of CO2 per day, cutting flaring by a third.

Aggreko project delivery also included a new 6km gathering pipeline to transport the APG to the power plant and upgraded 7km of 33 kV and 33km of 132 kV overhead cables to new high tensile low sage (HTLS) conductors in order for the local distribution grid to handle the new power plant’s full output.

The project will run for four years, with 80 local jobs created for the site’s delivery and ongoing operation.