Accelerating electrification and use of renewables in industry
Ecorys supported the European Commission in identifying pathways and policies to accelerate industrial electrification while maintaining European competitiveness.
Electrification is one of the most direct routes to decarbonising European industry, but high and volatile electricity prices, grid-related costs, and policy uncertainty continue to hold back progress. To help address this, it is crucial to identify which barriers matter most to industry, and which policy measures can realistically remove them.
Commissioned by the European Commission (DG Energy), Ecorys, working in consortium with VITO, delivered the Study on pathways and policies for accelerating electrification and use of renewables in industry, completed in December 2025 to directly inform the Commission’s Electrification Action Plan, published on 17 July 2026.
The study combined desk research, a review of National Energy and Climate Plans, a survey of 63 respondents, 32 targeted interviews, and six in-depth industry case studies to assess electrification across sectors including chemicals, paper, iron and steel, glass, cement, ceramics, non-ferrous metals, food and beverages, and data centres. It found that the technical potential for direct electrification could exceed 2,000 TWh by 2040, but that industrial electricity use actually fell by 7% between 2017 and 2022, and only 11 Member States have set explicit renewable energy targets for industry.
The main recommendations include:
- Define sector-specific electrification roadmaps at EU level to give industry investment certainty and to help operationalise the Electrification Action Plan;
- Introduce European guidelines on flexible grid connection arrangements to reduce upfront connection costs and unlock industrial flexibility;
- Encourage Member States to provide public guarantees so small and medium-sized enterprises can access long-term power purchase agreements;
- Harmonise guarantees of origin and certification schemes across energy carriers, and require transparent, sector-specific electrification pathways in National Energy and Climate Plans;
- Establish an Industrial Electrification and Renewable Energy Observatory to benchmark Member State progress.
For further details, key findings and recommendations, find the full study here, and the European Commission’s Electrification Action Plan here.
If you have questions on the study, you can contact Laura.Heidecke@ecorys.com
5 August 2026
2 minute read
