Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality in the Chemical Industry presented at the HyChem industrial park.

In front of a large assembly that filled the capacity of a tent set up specifically for the event, APQuímica (Portuguese Association of Chemistry, Petrochemistry, and Refining) presented the Roadmap and its implementation plan, and also shared the preliminary results already achieved.

This was the first discussion on the fundamental themes of RNCIQ PT 2050 and included a speech from the Secretary of State for Energy, Maria João Pereira, who emphasized the challenge facing this sector: “The need to make a significant energy transition. The first challenge that the industry has sought to overcome is to reduce energy consumption by increasing the efficiency of processes. At this level, the industry has invested in research and development for the adoption of cleaner and more energy-efficient sources, the implementation of which has resulted in better utilization of consumed energy, as well as a significant reduction in emissions.”

The participation in a round table of leaders from various general directorates and public institutes (DGAE, IAMPEI, APA, DGEG, and ADENE), as well as a debate with managers from some of the largest national chemical and petrochemical companies, such as Bondalti, Galp, and Repsol Polímeros, fulfilled the goal of mobilizing APQuímica members, especially the industrial companies in the sector, and other relevant public and private stakeholders for the subsequent phases of the Roadmap, with PRR C11 funding, under which different decarbonization scenarios and pathways for the sector are to be identified, discussed, and executed.

In a welcome speech, HyChem's CEO, Manuel Gil Antunes, emphasized that, since 2021, and aiming for the decarbonization goal, HyChem has been “transforming itself into a living lab for energy transition and the implementation of circular economy solutions for the chemical industry.”

He also stated that “the creation of a hub for the development of technology and use of green hydrogen, as a storage vector and source of renewable energy, as a raw material for industrial processes, and as a center for the reception and development of technologies for the production and use of biomass for different applications, has followed a perfect circular economy model.”

Manuel Gil Antunes further stressed that this Roadmap is an opportunity for collaboration between companies in the chemical sector as well as other economic sectors.

The European Chemical Industry Council was also represented at this event by its director general, Marco Mensink, who clarified the perspective of decarbonization in the Chemical Industry at a European level.

The Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality in the Portuguese Chemical Industry aims to achieve the convergence of the transformation process of the sector with its respective decarbonization and energy transition process; it will have several phases and includes a self-diagnostic tool for the decarbonization process in companies.