On November 17, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm announced that the United States will join Mission Innovation’s Net-Zero Industries Mission. This international partnership will bring together thought leaders from across the globe to develop and accelerate the deployment of cost-competitive technologies needed to decarbonize energy-intensive industrial sectors. Achieving deep industrial decarbonization is a critical step on the path toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The industrial sector consists of a wide range of energy-and-emission- intensive processes that contribute significantly to our international carbon footprint. In the U.S., the industrial sector represents 30% of the nation’s primary energy-related CO₂ emissions. Joining the Net-Zero Industries Mission marks the latest initiative in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) strategic approach to aggressively reducing industrial emissions.

DOE’s strategy for achieving a net-zero industrial sector is informed by the “Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap.” The roadmap identifies five energy-and-emissions-intensive sectors where decarbonization efforts could have the largest impact, including petroleum refining; chemicals; iron and steel; cement; and food and beverage. The report also outlines the following key technological pillars to be applied both across the industrial sector and within the five key sectors identified: energy efficiency; industrial electrification; low-carbon fuels, feedstocks, and energy sources (LCFFES); and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).

As part of DOE’s commitment to building a decarbonized industrial sector of the future, DOE recently launched the Industrial Heat Shot™, a new effort aimed at dramatically reducing the cost, energy use, and carbon emissions associated with the heat used to make everything from food to cement and steel. This initiative seeks to develop cost-competitive solutions for industrial heat with at least 85% lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

DOE is also leading U.S. involvement in the Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative. Coordinated by UNIDO, this Clean Energy Ministerial global coalition is designed to stimulate demand for low-carbon industrial technologies. Additionally, DOE recently released a $104 million funding opportunity to advance industrial decarbonization technologies and is creating a new $70 million Clean Energy Innovation Institute dedicated to reducing industrial emissions through electrification. Finally, this spring, DOE established the Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee, which will convene a diverse group of stakeholders to advance industrial decarbonization technologies and set the United States on a path to net-zero emissions by 2050.

To advance the deployment of these technologies, DOE is partnering with more than 130 leading organizations through the Better Climate Challenge. This program encourages partners to set ambitious goals for meaningful emissions reduction and provides opportunities for technical assistance and peer-to-peer learning. The Better Climate Challenge is aligned with the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Buy Clean” Initiative, which leverages the Federal Government’s purchasing power to advance low-carbon cement, steel, and other materials critical to our nation’s infrastructure.

The U.S. partnership with the Net-Zero Industries Mission is led by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO). To learn more about DOE’s initiatives to decarbonize the U.S. industrial sector, please visit the IEDO website.