The European Net Zero Alliance (ENZA) had the opportunity to meet MEP Christian Ehler to discuss its position on the Net Zero Industry Act.

The EU’s ability to produce home-grown, competitive clean energy technologies is essential to achieve our climate targets, strengthen the EU’s energy security, and guarantee a cost-efficient transition for industries and consumers. The EU is already home to several flagship net-zero technologies and solutions, several of them represented within ENZA such as the production and use of hydrogen, solar thermal, geothermal, CCS, and sustainable biogas and biomethane.

Members of the European Net Zero Alliance would like to bring the following elements to the attention of the European Parliament:

• The Net Zero Industry Act should simultaneously aim at reshoring the manufacturing of strategic net-zero technologies but also focus on preserving and growing net-zero industries with a strong European footprint already.
• The NZIA should address the specific needs of both SMEs and larger industries, which are instrumental in driving the manufacturing and deployment of net-zero technologies; in particular, SMEs are at the heart of the European economy and their role should be strongly recognised and supported by the NZIA, for example by allowing them to set up net-zero strategic projects.
• Carbon capture and utilisation should be integrated in the list of strategic net-zero technologies alongside CCS and supporting rapid scale up of CCUS infrastructure.
• The list of strategic net-zero technologies should be complemented with the concept of strategic net-zero value chains and referring to a wider range of European clean energy industries, including all carbon-neutral dispatchable and renewable solutions;
• A harmonized and streamlined approach to permitting including planning requirements, one stop shops, and time limits is needed for both manufacturing projects as well as the deployment of net-zero technologies in industry, cities, SMEs and end users’ levels;
• The NZIA should streamline funding procedures across EU instruments, to support the deployment of net-zero technologies.