Summary
In this position paper 爱游戏中国官方网站 argues that the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), presented by the European Commission on 16 March 2023, is not a game changer for the competitiveness of EU industries. The NZIA proposal focuses on producing energy, producing green electrons. Unfortunately, it overlooks most of the contribution of chemistry, the green and low-carbon molecules behind the production of these green electrons and that are needed for the transition to a climate-neutral economy. It also overlooks the need to address integrated industrial value chains, the transformation of the entire existing energy-intensive industry, and transition to a circular economy.
爱游戏中国官方网站 recommendations:
- Consider full industrial value chains and incentivise production in Europe: Rapid improvement of permitting rules, investment conditions, and innovation support should extend to the entire manufacturing sector, including chemicals.
- Promote technology neutrality and expand the NZIA scope: The list of (strategic) net zero technologies should adopt a technology-neutral approach and the NZIA should integrate circular economy principles.
- Recognise that Carbon Capture and Utilisation is strategic.
- Support the integration of alternative feedstocks and renewable or low-carbon energy.
- Europe should emulate the US Inflation Reduction Act’s funding schemes, covering both CAPEX and OPEX, to offer long-term business incentives and support industrial transformation effectively.
- A sectoral and holistic view on industrial transformation is key.