Participants discussed the impact of the energy transition on the future of ceramic and glass manufacturing companies, which have been particularly affected by rising energy costs. Vitor Ferreira, who presented the CoVE Leiria, said that “there can be no green revolution without people” and underlined the importance of vocational education for the capacity building of staff in Portuguese companies. In turn, Nuno Órfão explained the available financial instruments, both from the EU and the Portuguese government, for companies that aspire to carbon neutrality.
He stressed that the most pioneering companies are betting on hydrogen and electrification to reduce CO2 emissions, and showed that some already show gains in sales and cost of capital. Decarbonization is one of the biggest challenges facing the industrial sector today.
The integration and adoption of alternative energies is an integral part of the ‘Climate Transition Dimension’ of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) which aims to leverage the decarbonization of the industrial and business sector in Portugal, as well as promote a paradigm shift in the use of resources.