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Energy policy expert calls on EU energy ministers to support industrial electrification
20 October 2025
In a rare and influential intervention at the highest levels of international policymaking, Professor Jan Rosenow spoke at a formal meeting of the European Union’s Energy Council in Luxembourg.
In his address to energy ministers from all 27 EU member states, Rosenow argued that strategic industrial electrification offers the single most powerful lever for Europe to cut costs, cut emissions and compete on the world stage. He contrasted Europe’s current exposure to volatile fossil fuel imports, laid bare during the 2022 gas crisis, with China’s rapid advance as the world’s first “electro-state,” underscoring the urgency for Europe to act at scale and with speed.
Many of the technologies for industrial electrification already exist, Rosenow told ministers. He discussed industrial heat pumps and other mature electrification solutions that are much more efficient, with the potential to result in productivity gains that translate directly into lower unit costs and stronger global positioning for European manufacturers.
Rosenow is a Jackson Senior Research Fellow at Oriel College and leads Oxford University’s energy programme at the Environmental Change Institute. He pinpointed four structural barriers holding back widespread deployment of electrification solutions: long equipment replacement cycles that slow technology turnover; electricity price structures that still penalise clean power through legacy taxes and levies; grid constraints that require accelerated reinforcement and smarter connection processes; and a widening industrial skills gap that risks delaying project delivery and adoption.
To unlock Europe’s competitive edge, Rosenow proposed a focused policy agenda for immediate action: scale up the EU industrial electrification auction to catalyse investment at pace and volume; reform energy taxation to level the playing field between electricity and fossil fuels; and accelerate grid connections through innovative approaches to planning, financing and delivery.
At the end of his address Rosenow called on energy ministers to support industrial electrification. “Industry is just the next frontier [of electrification] and what it needs now is your support and optimism rather than just staying still,” he said.