The European Commission has proposed the Net-Zero Industry Act as part of the Green Deal Industrial Plan to scale up the manufacturing of clean technologies in the European Union (EU) and facilitate the clean-energy transition.

The proposed legislation focuses on technologies that will make a significant contribution to decarbonisation and aims to create better conditions to set up net-zero projects in Europe and attract investments. These technologies comprise solar power generation using photovoltaic and thermal methods, onshore wind farms and offshore renewable energy sources, storage batteries, heat pumps and geothermal energy, fuel cells and electrolysers, biogas and biomethane, carbon capture and storage, grid technologies, sustainable alternative fuel technologies, advanced techniques for producing energy using nuclear processes that minimize waste from the fuel cycle, small modular reactors, and superior-quality fuels related to them.

The Act will strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of net-zero technologies manufacturing in the EU and create better conditions or net-zero projects in Europe, with the aim of achieving 40% of the Union's deployment needs by 2030. To achieve this goal, the heating and cooling industry will need to rapidly transition to low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps, solar thermal, and district heating.

The Act is built on several pillars, including setting enabling conditions, accelerating CO2 capture, facilitating access to markets, enhancing skills, and fostering innovation.

The proposed Regulation needs to be discussed and agreed upon by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union before its adoption and entry into force.

Find out more here about the Net- Zero Industry Act.

Learn more about the Green Deal Industrial Plan.