On 27 May 2026, EXQUISHEAT was presented at the SET Plan Implementation Working Group on Sustainable and Efficient Energy Use in Industry (IWG-Industry) Annual Event, held in Brussels as part of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2026.
The event, organised in cooperation with A.SPIRE and in the presence of representatives from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER), brought together industrial stakeholders, technology developers, research organisations, energy agencies and policymakers to discuss pathways for accelerating industrial decarbonisation across Europe.
This year’s edition focused on the integration of industrial electrification into the energy system and on strategies to support the deployment and replication of clean industrial technologies across European regions and industrial sectors.
Representing EXQUISHEAT, project coordinator Elsie Haertjens from Veolia Belgium & Luxembourg presented the project’s work on industrial heat pumps in the food and beverage industry and their potential contribution to Europe’s industrial decarbonisation efforts.
The presentation highlighted how industrial heat pumps can help food and beverage manufacturers reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency and recover and upgrade waste heat from industrial processes. Particular attention was given to the challenges and opportunities linked to the implementation of these technologies in a sector characterised by diverse processes and thermal requirements.
The discussion also explored wider topics related to industrial electrification, including system integration, demand-side flexibility and the role of heat recovery in supporting a more efficient and resilient energy system.
Participating in the event provided an important opportunity for EXQUISHEAT to exchange experiences with other Horizon Europe and LIFE projects working on industrial decarbonisation, identify common barriers to deployment and contribute to ongoing discussions on how innovative solutions can be replicated and scaled up across Europe.
As Europe moves towards climate neutrality, initiatives such as EXQUISHEAT demonstrate the important role that industrial heat pumps can play in decarbonising process heat and supporting the competitiveness and sustainability of European industry.
