Europe and Japan: The Quest for Clean Energy to Power Heavy Industry (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Primetals Technologies)

As the global energy system moves away from fossil fuels, Europe and Japan — as centers of industrial energy demand — share a set of difficult challenges. Not only do they need to decarbonize existing power grids at a rapid pace, but they will require vast amounts of additional low-carbon energy to support electrification of transport and to produce zero-carbon fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. These fuels will be indispensable for sectors such as steel and chemicals, shipping and aviation, which are hard to electrify.   

Even if local potentials for renewable energy sources are realized to the full, both Europe and Japan will be struggling to cover this additional demand. Imports of low-carbon energy will therefore have an important role to play, and technology as well as supply chains in heavy industry will need to change.   

How can international energy trade be shaped to accelerate decarbonization in these markets? What will the technological transformation of energy-intensive industries in Europe and Japan look like? And how can industrialized and emerging economies, as well as traditional energy exporters work together most effectively to achieve rapid decarbonization under these circumstances? 

Panelists:

Mr. Hiroya Hirose, Green Innovation (GI) Fund / New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
Ms. Mamiko Masutani, Chief, Japan Hydrogen Association (JH2A)
Ms. Maria Joao Duarte, Representative to EU Institutions, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mr. Alexander Fleischanderl, Head of Green Steel, Primetals Technologies