In January 2016, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy published a study on energy efficiency and potential energy savings in industry and on possible policy mechanisms to support these goals.

The study evaluates eight energy intensive industrial sector groups and four tertiary sector groups. The eight industrial sector groups are pulp, paper and print, iron and steel, non-metallic minerals (including cement and concrete), chemical and pharmaceutical, non-ferrous metal, petroleum refineries, food and beverage and machinery.

A detailed bottom-up modelling assessment of the energy consumption trends and energy saving potential through 2050 of the eight industrial sectors was conducted. Due to data limitations, for the tertiary sectors, the study presents a summary of energy use profiles, energy saving opportunities, implementation barriers and policy options based on literature review.

According to the study, the energy costs of the non-metallic minerals sector contribute significantly to production costs. Energy efficiency is listed as a key objective in the 2050 roadmaps of all sectors, however many of the sectors are dependent on breakthrough technologies that are not available today.

For more information:
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/151201%20DG%20ENER%20Industrial%20EE%20study%20-%20final%20report_clean_stc.pdf