Climate and Energy Issues of Energy-Intensive Sectors
Energy-intensive sectors face significant challenges in meeting the goals of the new European Industrial Strategy and REPowerEU. This study aims to examine how energy consumption and energy mix in four energy-intensive sectors (primary metals; non-metallic minerals; pulp, paper, and printing; che...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Academy of Economic Studies of Bucharest
2023-08-01
|
| Series: | Amfiteatru Economic |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.amfiteatrueconomic.ro/temp/Article_3236.pdf |
| Summary: | Energy-intensive sectors face significant challenges in meeting the goals of the new
European Industrial Strategy and REPowerEU. This study aims to examine how energy
consumption and energy mix in four energy-intensive sectors (primary metals; non-metallic
minerals; pulp, paper, and printing; chemicals and petrochemicals) in the European Union
evolved over the period 2008-2020 and whether there is a real relationship between changes
in energy intensity and labour intensity. The results show positive trends in energy mix and
intensity between 2008 and 2020 for all the energy-intensive sectors studied. There has been
a shift from high to medium and low carbon energy sources, with the extent of this shift being
influenced by the technological characteristics and path dependencies of each sector. The
most positive change occurred in the paper, pulp and printing energy mix, where lowemitting energy sources increased by 12.2 percentage points. A strong (around 0.9) Pearson
correlation exists between energy intensity and labour intensity evolution in the primary
metals, non-metallic minerals, chemicals, and petrochemical sectors. The intensity indicators
in the chemical and petrochemical sector show the most favourable improvement (a slight
decrease in energy use and employment, with a 23.1% significant increase in value added).
Typically, 7 to 8 countries account for 80% of the total value added in the examined sectors
in the European Union; the energy mix of these countries’ electricity and heat production can
support the clean transition.
|
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1582-9146 2247-9104 |