Signal Industrial decarbonisation technologies move to commercial-scale demonstration in Europe and the US

Summary

The demand-side decarbonisation overview reports that global competition in decarbonisation technology has moved from research into large-scale demonstration and commercial deployment. In Europe, public-private projects such as H2 Green Steel and SALCOS are building hydrogen-based steelmaking plants aimed at commercial operation in 2026. A consortium of six companies including BASF and SABIC has begun demonstrating what is described as the world's first large-scale electric naphtha cracker, while the US is subsidising clean hydrogen and carbon capture through the Inflation Reduction Act. In aviation, the EU's ReFuelEU Aviation mandate, requiring a 2 percent blend of sustainable aviation fuel from 2025, has intensified the race for these fuels. The survey treats these moves as evidence that decarbonisation capability is becoming a determinant of industrial competitiveness.