A review of cross-sector decarbonisation potentials in the European energy intensive industry

The energy intensive industry (EII) is responsible for two-third of industrial carbon dioxide emissions in the EU. It has been recognised by both public and private stakeholders that a far-reaching transformation of these industries is required to comply with the overall emission reduction goals stated by the European Union for 2050. Contrasting innovations discussed and assumptions made in pathway and roadmap publications about the emission abatement potential of different technologies, it can be concluded that there is little consensus on how deep decarbonisation of the EII will be achieved. In this paper we present a review of such publications and scientific literature to identify key areas for emission abatement across all subsectors and quantify their possible decarbonisation potentials. Results show significant discrepancies regarding the expected emission reductions achievable, but permit us to identify key knowledge gaps that need to be addressed for understanding industrial decarbonisation better and foster the transition towards a low-emission EII.