The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has developed criteria sustainable public procurement (SPP) for food, catering and vending machines. These criteria, which are available (more…)

Climate news can often be overwhelming. The constant stream of headlines about record temperatures, extreme weather events and international disagreements can make it feel like progress is slow. (more…)

European Union strategies are often seen as complex, bureaucratic documents. The new plan, called the „Clean Industrial Deal“ (Clean Industry Agreement) is radically different. It is not just another political document (more…)

We hear everywhere about „green finance“, „sustainable investment“ and the ambitious „European Green Deal“. These terms have become part of our everyday conversation, but they often remain just vague slogans. But what is really behind them? (more…)

The European Union (EU) has formally joined the Coalition for Ambitious Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP), reaffirming its belief in the essential role of cities and regions in achieving global climate goals and building resilience. This (more…)

On 24 October 2025 in Brussels, leaders of the 27 EU Member States met to discuss ambitions for climate targets — especially as the important COP30 summit in Brazil (11-22 November 2025) approaches. The aim is to (more…)

The European Commission and the High Representative presented on 16 October 2025 new international strategyThis EU global vision for climate and energy aims to ensure Europe's position in world markets and presents an offer (more…)

The Joint Research Centre (JRC), the scientific and knowledge service of the European Commission, has published a new message, which presents voluntary criteria for sustainable public procurement (SPP) of food, food services and vending machines. The aim is (more…)

Centralized wastewater treatment is crucial for population growth and urbanization, but the latest comprehensive assessment of emissions from water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) in the USA revealed that this (more…)

The European Commission has taken a major step towards decarbonising industry. On 10 October 2025, it published final Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) for its first pan-European pilot auction focused on the decarbonization of industrial process heat (IF25 Heat Auction). This initiative, implemented through the Innovation Fund and announced as part of the Clean Industrial Deal, aims to support the market deployment of electrified technologies and direct renewable heat solutions in industry.

The auction represents an important a stepping stone towards the establishment of an Industrial Decarbonisation BankThis bank is a new initiative that aims to provide €100 billion to finance the decarbonization of industry.

Financing and technology

The IF25 Heat Auction has an initial budget 1 billion eurosThese funds are financed by the revenues of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), one of the world's largest funding programmes for innovative low- and zero-carbon technologies. The auction budget can even be increased by national contributions through the "Auction-as-a-Service" mechanism, which has already proven successful in previous hydrogen auctions.

The pilot auction will support innovative projects that electrify industrial process heat using technologies such as heat pumps, boilers, plasma torches, resistance heating and induction heatingProjects using the following technologies may also receive support: direct renewable heat, such as solar thermal or geothermal energy. Hybrid projects combining different electrification technologies and direct renewable heat technologies are also eligible.

Why is process heat key?

This auction focuses on one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions in EU industry: process heat. Process heat is the energy needed to achieve high temperatures in production activities in sectors such as the chemical, steel or cement industries. It is the heat used to convert raw materials into products, from melting metals and plastics to chemical reactions. Today, these processes are largely powered by fossil fuels.

The aim of the auction is overcome the cost difference between clean solutions (electrification or direct renewable heat) and fossil fuel-based alternatives. Mitigating the risk associated with these innovative projects increases the competitiveness of clean industries in Europe, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, strengthens energy security and brings the EU closer to achieving its climate neutrality objectives by 2050.

Main conditions and timeframe

IF25 Heat Auction is open to projects of all sizes from all industrial sectors across the European Economic Area (EEA). It focuses mainly on projects that use continuous industrial processes, but also motivates flexibility solutionsto avoid electricity consumption during peak hours.

Successful applicants will receive fixed premium subsidyThis subsidy will be tied and proportionate to each tonne of direct CO2 emissions avoided and will be paid over a maximum period of five years.

The publication of the final terms on October 10, 2025 provides interested parties with the opportunity to prepare their offers before the bidding window opens. The new pilot auction is expected to open to bidders in early December 2025.The Director of the Directorate-General for Climate Action, Kurt Vandenberghe, called on industry leaders to join in and prepare their bids, thereby tapping the huge potential for cost-effective emission reductions through electrification. JRi

For questions regarding the final conditions, bidders may contact CLIMA-AUCTIONS@ec.europa.eu.

 

European Green Deal, adopted in 2020, is a set of broad EU policy initiatives. Its main and comprehensive objective is to make the European Union the first "climate neutral" continent by 2050. (more…)

The European Union (EU) faces a critical challenge in decarbonising the heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) sector, which is crucial to the economy but also a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The EU has set (more…)

The European Commission (EC) submitted on 26 February 2025 Announcement on the Clean Industry Deal, which represents a joint plan for competitiveness and decarbonisation continent. (more…)

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released an update to its key 2023 messages “Net Zero Roadmap: A Global Pathway to Keep the 1.5°C Goal in Reach.” Originally published in May 2021 for the Energy and Climate World (more…)

Zero Emissions Day (ZED) is an international concept that aims to give the planet a break from fossil fuel emissions and raise awareness about the damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Although (more…)

The main objective of the European Green Deal (EGD) is to lay the foundations for The EU has become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

This ambitious initiative represents paradigm shift in (more…)

Digitalization is often presented as a tool for progress, but its uncontrolled expansion also has a dark side. The growing demand for data centers, fueled in particular by the popularity of artificial intelligence (AI), risks undermining (more…)

In May 2021, the International Energy Agency (IEA) presented its groundbreaking report, "Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector", which outlined a concrete path for the global energy sector to achieve (more…)

According to According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), achieving net zero emissions by 2050 is an ambitious but still achievable goal that requires the deployment of a broad portfolio of low-carbon technologies and emission reduction options. (more…)

The world is on track to achieve net zero emissions. The Net Zero Emissions Platform, made up of leading climate researchers and run by the University of Oxford, brings together principles, policies and practical tools to help businesses and policymakers achieve this goal.

Known works and resources of the platform include:

• Tracker net zero emissions , a joint project that pursues net zero emissions goals of over 4,000 entities (companies, cities and countries)
• Oxford Compensation Principles , which propose best practice principles for carbon offsetting
• carbon dioxide removal status report , which maps the global carbon removal capacity
• Control readiness for net zero emissions , a self-assessment tool for companies that allows them to benchmark their approach to a net zero emissions strategy against best practices across more than 30 net zero emissions guidance initiatives and standards.

You'll also find a calendar of global events and regular reports and research updates on zero emissions.

Visit the platform today and get access to resources!