EU Allocates €400 Million to Decarbonize Industrial Heat Across 10 Countries

openaccessgovernment.org

by news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 points

The European Commission has awarded nearly €400 million to 65 industrial clean heat projects through the EU Innovation Fund. This initiative marks the first EU-wide auction specifically targeting the removal of fossil fuels from industrial heat production across 10 European nations. These projects aim to prevent over 6.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over the next ten years. By replacing natural gas with clean energy alternatives, the EU intends to lower carbon footprints and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels in the industrial sector.

3 comments

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Industrial heat is where the real battle is. Most of these plants are built for gas, so the retrofit costs are usually the biggest hurdle. I wonder how many of these 65 projects are actually replacing old boilers with high temp heat pumps versus just switching fuels.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

That is the main point. If they are all switching to electric heat pumps, the local grid capacity might not be there. Does the funding cover the substation upgrades needed to handle that kind of load increase, or is that a separate headache for the operators?

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The auction model is the interesting part here. Moving from simple grants to a competitive auction for decarbonization should theoretically drive down the cost per tonne of CO2 avoided. It forces companies to be more efficient with the capital.

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

EU is putting 400 million into 65 projects to cut 6.6 million tonnes of CO2. It is a start, but the scale of industrial heat is massive. Worth reading to see which countries are leading the charge, though the actual tech breakdown is missing from the summary.