Decarbonising Europe’s energy intensive industries is one of the most complex challenges in the green transition, as sectors such as steel, chemicals and cement face significant technical, financial and policy hurdles. These industries are not only central to Europe’s economic competitiveness, but also among the hardest to abate, given their reliance on high-temperature processes and fossil fuel-based feedstocks. At the same time, they have a unique opportunity to lead through innovation, investment in infrastructure, and the adoption of smart policy frameworks that can balance climate ambition with competitiveness and long-term investment certainty.
Against this backdrop, EPICO convened over 20 representatives from the European Commission, energy intensive industries and leading think tanks at our Norrsken Brussels office for a workshop on accelerating electrification in these sectors. The discussions addressed the most pressing questions, including how to reduce electricity costs through stronger interconnections between Member States and greater support for Power Purchase Agreements, and how to unlock the substantial investment needed for the transition.
Participants also explored how to share the costs of decarbonisation fairly between state debt, taxpayers, private customers, public procurement and companies, and examined how policy can enable a rapid and equitable transition.
The workshop further assessed the potential of a renewed EU Hydrogen Strategy, focusing on the need to strengthen and finance hydrogen infrastructure, and on balancing environmental standards with system effectiveness. By combining technical expertise with policy insight, the exchanges provided a practical and solutions-oriented approach to accelerating the shift towards clean energy in hard-to-abate sectors.
The conclusions from these discussions will feed into three policy briefs, to be published during the summer of 2025, which will inform European and national decision-makers on the pathways to an electrified, competitive and climate-resilient industrial base.
The first brief of the series, 'Assassing the EU Financial Framework for Industrial Decarbonisation' is now available here.
