Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EU-CHINA-BRIDGE (EU-CHINA-BRIDGE - Building Roadmaps to Industrial Decarbonisation and Green Economy through EU-China Cooperation)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-04-01 al 2025-09-30
The EU and China play a vital role in achieving global climate neutrality due to their high GHG emissions, economic power, influence on international trade, and strong competitive position in low-carbon technology industries. Yet, both regions face tremendous challenges in how to achieve their climate targets.
EU-CHINA BRIDGE aims to support the transition to a climate-neutral and resilient society in both Europe and China by jointly advancing knowledge on technology innovations and roadmaps for decarbonising energy intensive industries, co-creating innovative modelling by combining cutting-edge bottom-up and integrated assessment modelling to quantify net-zero sustainable pathways, and developing the most updated and comprehensive emissions data.
The project developed open-source EU–China joint technology inventories for promising net-zero options in the iron and steel and chemical sectors. It also supported the implementation of demonstration activities in China and co-created scale-up pathways for selected emerging technologies. In parallel, emission inventories and point-source datasets for the iron and steel and chemical industries were produced.
A state-of-the-art modelling framework was substantially advanced, building on both cutting-edge and established tools in the EU and China. It integrated detailed representations of technologies and policies and captured complex economy–energy–land–climate interactions. These upgraded modelling capacities laid the foundation for developing net-zero pathways for the EU and China in the next phase of the project.
Co-creation processes with stakeholders form a central pillar of EU–China BRIDGE. They foster a shared understanding of the challenges at stake, support the development of a common vision for industrial transformation, and help translate that vision into concrete, actionable steps. Three cycles of co-creation are taking place, contributing to the assessment of scaling-up pathways for specific technology options, the development of technology roadmaps for steel decarbonisation and chemical defossilisation, and the formulation of net-zero emission sectoral pathways.
In addition, qualitative analyses identify the transformation challenges and opportunities facing the steel and chemical industries in both the EU and China and map the policies shaping transformation. The insights generated will feed into the development of quantitative technology roadmaps and net-zero emissions pathways.
EU-CHINA BRIDGE aims to support the transition to a climate-neutral and resilient society in both Europe and China by jointly advancing knowledge on technology innovations and roadmaps for decarbonising energy intensive industries, co-creating innovative modelling by combining cutting-edge bottom-up and integrated assessment modelling to quantify net-zero sustainable pathways, and developing the most updated and comprehensive emissions data.
The project developed open-source EU–China joint technology inventories for promising net-zero options in the iron and steel and chemical sectors. It also supported the implementation of demonstration activities in China and co-created scale-up pathways for selected emerging technologies. In parallel, emission inventories and point-source datasets for the iron and steel and chemical industries were produced.
A state-of-the-art modelling framework was substantially advanced, building on both cutting-edge and established tools in the EU and China. It integrated detailed representations of technologies and policies and captured complex economy–energy–land–climate interactions. These upgraded modelling capacities laid the foundation for developing net-zero pathways for the EU and China in the next phase of the project.
Co-creation processes with stakeholders form a central pillar of EU–China BRIDGE. They foster a shared understanding of the challenges at stake, support the development of a common vision for industrial transformation, and help translate that vision into concrete, actionable steps. Three cycles of co-creation are taking place, contributing to the assessment of scaling-up pathways for specific technology options, the development of technology roadmaps for steel decarbonisation and chemical defossilisation, and the formulation of net-zero emission sectoral pathways.
In addition, qualitative analyses identify the transformation challenges and opportunities facing the steel and chemical industries in both the EU and China and map the policies shaping transformation. The insights generated will feed into the development of quantitative technology roadmaps and net-zero emissions pathways.
A comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy has been developed to guide the project’s co-creation cycles.
Open-access technology inventories for the iron and steel and chemical industries were produced through a systematic assessment of net-zero technology options. Preparatory work for the two demonstration projects, green hydrogen use in the chemical industry and integrated waste heat utilisation (IWHU), was also successfully completed by the Chinese partners.
Analyses of scale-up paths for green hydrogen–based steelmaking in the EU and China, and for chemical recycling in the EU, are being completed.
Detailed policy inventories for the decarbonisation of the steel industries in the EU and China were complete.
Emission inventories and point-source emission datasets for the steel and chemical industries are being finalised. Parallel to this, existing EU and Chinese modelling tools were reviewed and are being enhanced to better represent complex economy–energy–land–climate interactions. These improvements are contributing to the development of a modelling framework with unprecedented spatial, sectoral, policy, and technological granularity.
The Scenario Design Protocol was completed through stakeholder co-creation, providing the methodological foundation that will guide all subsequent modelling and scenario development for net-zero emission pathways in the EU and China.
Open-access technology inventories for the iron and steel and chemical industries were produced through a systematic assessment of net-zero technology options. Preparatory work for the two demonstration projects, green hydrogen use in the chemical industry and integrated waste heat utilisation (IWHU), was also successfully completed by the Chinese partners.
Analyses of scale-up paths for green hydrogen–based steelmaking in the EU and China, and for chemical recycling in the EU, are being completed.
Detailed policy inventories for the decarbonisation of the steel industries in the EU and China were complete.
Emission inventories and point-source emission datasets for the steel and chemical industries are being finalised. Parallel to this, existing EU and Chinese modelling tools were reviewed and are being enhanced to better represent complex economy–energy–land–climate interactions. These improvements are contributing to the development of a modelling framework with unprecedented spatial, sectoral, policy, and technological granularity.
The Scenario Design Protocol was completed through stakeholder co-creation, providing the methodological foundation that will guide all subsequent modelling and scenario development for net-zero emission pathways in the EU and China.
The project has achieved several advances that go beyond the current state of the art:
Advancing knowledge on industrial decarbonisation technologies: EIIs such as iron and steel and chemicals face profound transformation challenges. The project developed detailed technology inventories of emerging net-zero and circular technologies containing state-of-the-art techno-economic data. It also analysed scale-up paths for selected technologies in both the EU and China.
Developing the most up-to-date emissions datasets for China and emerging economies: The project is producing the most up-to-date global GHG and short-lived climate pollutant emission inventories for China and many emerging economies. This includes sector-level emissions inventories and detailed point-source datasets for the steel and chemical industries. Such harmonised, transparent and high-resolution datasets fill major gaps in global emissions data.
Enhancing integrated modelling tools in the EU and China: The project has advanced established modelling frameworks to better capture the complex interactions between the economy, energy system, land use, and climate as well as to have enhanced representations of industrial technologies and relevant policy instruments.
Mapping and comparing industrial decarbonisation policies in the EU and China: The project has systematically mapped policies for decarbonising the steel and chemical industries in both regions. This enables a robust comparative analysis of industrial transformation in the EU and China, the two largest global producers in these industries. In addition, the project has identified key global policy instruments and governance mechanisms that shape how the EU and China contribute to global climate objectives. Given the geopolitical importance of both regions and their central role in global GHG emissions, this work is particularly significant. These global mechanisms will be further examined through qualitative and quantitative analyses in the next phase of the project.
Advancing knowledge on industrial decarbonisation technologies: EIIs such as iron and steel and chemicals face profound transformation challenges. The project developed detailed technology inventories of emerging net-zero and circular technologies containing state-of-the-art techno-economic data. It also analysed scale-up paths for selected technologies in both the EU and China.
Developing the most up-to-date emissions datasets for China and emerging economies: The project is producing the most up-to-date global GHG and short-lived climate pollutant emission inventories for China and many emerging economies. This includes sector-level emissions inventories and detailed point-source datasets for the steel and chemical industries. Such harmonised, transparent and high-resolution datasets fill major gaps in global emissions data.
Enhancing integrated modelling tools in the EU and China: The project has advanced established modelling frameworks to better capture the complex interactions between the economy, energy system, land use, and climate as well as to have enhanced representations of industrial technologies and relevant policy instruments.
Mapping and comparing industrial decarbonisation policies in the EU and China: The project has systematically mapped policies for decarbonising the steel and chemical industries in both regions. This enables a robust comparative analysis of industrial transformation in the EU and China, the two largest global producers in these industries. In addition, the project has identified key global policy instruments and governance mechanisms that shape how the EU and China contribute to global climate objectives. Given the geopolitical importance of both regions and their central role in global GHG emissions, this work is particularly significant. These global mechanisms will be further examined through qualitative and quantitative analyses in the next phase of the project.