Electrifying Industry: The Path to Decarbonizing Process Heat

The Agora Industry study indicates that direct electrification could meet 90% of the unmet energy demand in European industry by 2035, significantly reducing CO2 emissions and advancing EU climate goals. Currently, industrial process heating, powered largely by fossil fuels, represents 47% of industrial energy use and the majority of the sector's CO2 emissions. Direct electrification, deploying technologies like electric boilers, heat pumps, resistance and induction heating, plasma torches, electric arc furnaces, and emerging innovations, could serve a range of temperatures needed for various processes. The study explores sector-specific opportunities, highlighting potential in the iron and steel sector with electric arc furnaces and in the chemicals industry through electrified steam production. Further potential lies in non-ferrous metals, non-metallic minerals, food, beverages, tobacco, and the paper and pulp industries. Barriers to adoption include technical challenges for specific high-temperature processes, economic hurdles due to electricity costs, and organizational barriers, such as inadequate electrical infrastructure. Overcoming these barriers would necessitate a supportive economic framework involving carbon pricing, investments in infrastructure, technology development, early adoption encouragement, and addressing policy uncertainty. While hydrogen is recognized as a valuable complement, the study emphasizes prioritizing direct electrification where feasible. Achieving significant decarbonization in European industry will require collaborative efforts from policymakers, industry leaders, and technologists.