EU-funded eLITHE project holds webinar to show technical feasibility of high-temperature heat electrification

The main conclusions emerging from the eLITHE webinar were clear: industrial heat electrification can scale this decade and is essential for Europe's competitiveness and energy security.

Watch the full webinar recording on YouTube.

The webinar brought together the Electrification Alliance, Fraunhofer Institute and EU research projects, demonstrating that high-temperature heat electrification is economically within reach and already being deployed in real industrial environments in Europe.

Industrial electrification is therefore no longer a distant ambition. It is a strategic necessity for Europe to reinforce competitiveness, reduce exposure to volatile gas imports and strengthen security of supply with European clean energy.

Dušan Jakovljević, from Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes, moderated the session and introduced the discussion by highlighting the growing urgency to electrify industrial heat as part of Europe's broader decarbonisation and energy security strategy.

Adrian Hiel, the director of the Electrification Alliance, opened with a very clear message: Europe is now in "Act II" of the energy transition. Act I focused on building massive renewable capacity, and it was a success. Act II is using that clean electricity in industry, buildings and transport. And in industry, high-temperature process heat is the main lever to cut gas dependency rapidly, strengthen European sovereignty, and accelerate competitiveness.

Matthias Rehfeldt, researcher at Fraunhofer Institute, confirmed that 40% of final industrial energy demand in Europe could already be electrified today using existing technologies, and another 20% could become electrifiable by 2030-2035. The barrier is not technology alone. The barrier is the business case and the speed of implementation in Member States.

eLITHE is showing the way with real pilots

Within the eLITHE project, the technical coordinator Roberto Arévalo Turnes, presented the new electric solutions that are being developed and tested in the real industrial sector of ceramics. These include induction, electrodes, microwave heating and hybrid electric/hydrogen systems, combined with the development of new materials specifically suitable for electric treatment.

The digital twin platform developed inside ELITHE is enabling industry partners to explore flexibility, market signals, different energy vectors and energy storage, supporting real operational decisions.

Complementary EU innovation pipeline

The CITADEL project, presented by the scientific coordinator Sven Eckert at the webinar, is addressing the stability, efficiency, and quality side of electrification in complex material processes: another essential condition to scale electrification safely and profitably.

Why this matters now

The political window is open. The Electrification Action Plan, the grids package and the 2026 Security of Supply Package will all converge exactly in the fields where eLITHE is demonstrating solutions. Industrial electrification of high-temperature heat is the most direct path to reduce Europe's gas dependency with European energy and to strengthen competitiveness in a geopolitically unstable decade.

eLITHE will continue publishing learnings from its demonstraors during 2025, and more webinars will follow in this series.

Stay tuned. Act II is starting, and Europe can lead it.

"There is a path, a clear path, to success for Europe." Adrian Hiel, Electrifictation Alliance

Provided by iCube Programme