Shaping an Electrification Action Plan for European industry: barriers and opportunities

As the EU accelerates its path towards climate neutrality, electrification has emerged as a key pathway for industrial decarbonisation. With process heat accounting for 75 percent of EU industrial emissions (2019), direct electrification technologies show considerable technical potential for replacing fossil fuels in the coming decade, entailing substantial benefits in terms of energy savings, security and long-term competitiveness for European industries.
In its impact assessment for a 90 percent emissions reduction target by 2040, the European Commission expects the electrification rate of European industry to double by the end of the next decade. Nevertheless, the path to electrification still faces significant hurdles, including power price volatility, infrastructure bottlenecks and a clear demand trajectory for electrification technologies. To address these challenges, the European Commission is preparing an Electrification Action Plan as part of the Clean Industry Deal announced by President von der Leyen.
At this event, organised in cooperation with The Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) and E3G, leading experts and stakeholders discussed critical questions such as: What are the latest advances in electrification technologies, and how can they be scaled across industries? How can policymakers create supportive frameworks to drive electrification uptake and innovation? What strategies can overcome existing barriers to progress?
The event began with insights from Agora Industry and RAP, followed by a panel discussion with Małgosia Rybak (Climate Change and Energy Director, CEPI), Domien Vangenechten (Program Lead, E3G), Margareta Rončević (Policy Officer, EASE) and Tom Howes (Adviser, DG Energy, European Commission). The discussion focused on creating the necessary conditions to decarbonise key areas of industry through direct electrification, while maintaining economic competitiveness and ensuring industrial resilience.