Powering Europe’s industry: Competitiveness, electrification and the role of electricity prices

European industry stands at a critical juncture. On one hand, it faces growing challenges to safeguard its international competitiveness. On the other, the current energy crisis has once again exposed the vulnerabilities of Europe’s reliance on imported fossil fuels. 

Decarbonising industrial processes through electrification can play a critical role in strengthening both the resilience and competitiveness of European industries. However, a range of enabling factors will be needed to drive and support this transformation. 

Against this backdrop, Agora Energiewende, Agora Industry and IDDRI analysed current and future competitiveness gaps across different industrial sectors and assessed the specific role of power prices in the transition. Based on a technical analysis by consultancy Compass Lexecon, the think tanks outline policy recommendations to align decarbonisation with industrial competitiveness and resilience (the link to the publication can be found in the download section below).

This webinar, jointly organised by the three think tanks, presented the main findings of the analysis, bringing together key stakeholders and policymakers in the context of the upcoming EU Electrification Action Plan and initiatives under the EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act. On our digital panel were:

• Tom Howes, Adviser, DG ENER, European Commission
• Carsten Rolle, Co-Head of the Energy, Mobility, and Environment Division, BDI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie/Federation of German Industries)
• Laurent Courtois, Vice President Technical Committee for Electricity, UNIDEN (Union des Industries Utilisatrices d'Energie) & Director of Energy, Climate, and Business Development, Aluminium Dunkerque
   

Recording
You can find the recording of the webinar on the Energiewende website.

Presentation
We will publish the slides shown during the webinar shortly.