Since 2007, European industry has reduced its emissions of harmful pollutants into the air and water by between 40% and 75%, according to data from the European Environment Agency. The EU now wants to go further towards a clean and competitive industry.
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00:00If I follow my feelings, I would say they have increased.
00:02Increased.
00:02Increased.
00:03Increased.
00:04Increased.
00:05Increased.
00:05I think it's better.
00:09Not all of you know this, but industrial emissions are falling in Europe.
00:13Although they still account for around 20% of all pollutants into the air and water.
00:1830 years ago, snow was gray or even dark because of the soot.
00:23The European Union wants to re-industrialize and become more competitive, but also cleaner.
00:28So how to balance industry growth and a healthy environment?
00:32That's what we're going to find out.
00:34We're off to Poland.
00:42We begin our journey in a mining region of strategic importance to the country's energy system.
00:48Here, successive tightening of environmental standards has had a tangible impact on air quality.
00:54It's the immense central of Belchato.
00:57We'll meet you there.
00:58Awesome.
01:00We've found access to Europe's largest coal-fired power station.
01:04In the past, large quantities of noxious particles came out of the chimneys and could reach neighboring countries.
01:10Good morning.
01:11Nice to meet you.
01:11Major modernization works have reduced the plant's impact.
01:14These works included the construction of this new huge unit, the closure or replacement of old boilers,
01:30the renovation of electrical filters, and the installation of these desulfurization systems.
01:47These investments were imperative if we are to comply with the European Industrial Emissions Directive and therefore retain the rights to operate.
01:56Some combustion particles are now recycled.
02:01Sulfur dioxide is now used to produce gypsum, a raw material for plaster sold to the construction industry.
02:07It's very good for environment and we have a lot of money when we sell this product.
02:13It's circular economy as well.
02:19Yes, win-win.
02:32Poland still needs coal as part of its energy transition, but it plans to gradually close the power station and the mine over the next few years.
02:43The country is turning the page on coal.
02:48The city of Warsaw hopes it will disappear in 2035, but the landscape has already changed.
02:5430 years ago, we could see almost moon landscape with gray ashes and now we see green areas surrounding us.
03:04And this is the answer.
03:05This environmental protection ideas work.
03:09In the neighboring Zeran heat and power plants, which provides heating for the capital's residents, gas has almost entirely replaced coal.
03:19This new so-called combined cycle unit complies with European requirements in terms of best available techniques, BAT.
03:26These letters are well-known to European industrialists.
03:29To operate, they must align emissions with the best technologies on the market.
03:33From one megawatt of the gas, we are producing 60% of the power, electricity and distributing.
03:41More effective than coal?
03:43Like two times more.
03:45And less emitting as well?
03:47Definitely.
03:48We have like very minimal part of the emissions.
03:52The company hopes biogas will soon replace gas.
03:56It's also investing in power to heat units, aiming at converting surplus energy from the installations into house heating.
04:04All of these investments cost €4 billion.
04:07It's big money that we will be investing into the energy sector.
04:10And just to understand what Poland has ahead, we are only 9% of the district heating markets.
04:16These changes are still in the process.
04:20So we will have even more results after the years of the deeper implementation of industrial emissions directive.
04:32The EU has just revised its main instrument for cutting industrial emissions.
04:37The aim is to combine the growth of industry with a reduction in its environmental impact.
04:41This is known as decoupling.
04:43To find out more, we went to Spain.
04:46If we are in Seville, it's not only because this city is beautiful, it's because it's here that are decided the great industrial norms of our continent.
04:54We'll see it.
04:57Who decides what is acceptable to pollute and what is not?
05:01The answer here at the European Joint Research Centre.
05:05This is JRC Seville, where we take decisions with stakeholders on the future of industry.
05:10This building is at the heart of a collaborative and data-driven governance model known as the SEVIA process.
05:18This is where we gather the industry of the sector in question, all member states and environmental NGOs representing the civil society, together with the Commission, of course.
05:30And during five days, we heavily discussed facts and figures in order to have a robust consensus on the best available techniques and the environmental performance.
05:42The JRC will soon have a brand new site.
05:47It will house its new innovation centre called Insight, which aim is to accelerate the reduction of emissions as well as the transition towards carbon neutrality and circular economy.
05:59We look forward to identify the innovation that are emerging, popping, characterize their level of development, their cost, and put that on the table, making sure that industry remains competitive in Europe.
06:18But what could tomorrow's industry actually look like?
06:24Here's an example from Seville.
06:26This brewery is home to Europe's largest industrial solar thermal power plant.
06:31The sun heats the water used for various industrial processes.
06:35For collecting the sunlight to the tube, we can raise the temperature to 250 degrees.
06:41We have here two loops. Both loops are connected within a heat exchanger.
06:46Maintaining this closed loop, we increase our efficiency in the use of water because we don't have any loops.
06:52Every drop counts?
06:54Every drop matters.
06:55We always think on reduce, reuse, and replace when we have to face an energy and water challenge.
07:05A nearby photovoltaic field supplies all of the brewery's electricity consumption.
07:09These investments bring the brewery closer to its goal of using 100% renewable energy in production by the end of the year.
07:17When the sun sets, we start using our buffer tanks.
07:21And then when we don't have additional energy coming from the sun,
07:25we start to use the biogas that previously was generated in our wastewater team and plant.
07:34Decarbonization is a driver of growth.
07:36A dream or a real opportunity?
07:39I'll leave the final word to our experts.
07:42It's not because it's difficult that we don't dare.
07:45It's because we don't dare that it's difficult.
07:49So we have to try.
07:51So let's dare.
07:52Let's go.
07:52Let's go.
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