The HP4INDUSTRY Project aims to increase the roll out of industrial heat pumps in three key sectors: paper & pulp, chemical and food & beverage.
The paper, food, and chemical industries offer some of the largest short-term opportunities for industrial heat pump adoption, with nearly 30% of their combined heating needs potentially met by this technology. These sectors rely heavily on low- and medium-temperature process heat, which aligns well with the capabilities and technical requirements of industrial heat pumps.
Modern large-scale heat pumps can now reach temperatures of up to 180–200°C. They can also recover excess heat generated during production, upgrade it, and reuse it within the system. This reduces reliance on oil and gas, lowers energy costs, and significantly cuts CO₂ emissions.
Geothermal energy coupled with industrial heat pumps can further decarbonise sectors such as paper, food and chemicals. Geothermal provides stable low- to medium-temperature renewable heat, while heat pumps raise it to process temperatures of up to around 200°C. This can reduce fossil fuel use, lower costs, strengthen energy security and maximise CO₂ savings.
The lack of awareness around the potential of waste heat recovery through heat pumps in European process industry is one of the main barriers to the adoption of this technology and potential decarbonisation of relevant sectors.
This gap began to be addressed in 2022 through a collaboration between the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), representing the heat pump sector, and the Confederation of European Paper Industries (Cepi), representing the pulp and paper industry.
This partnership demonstrates how collaboration can lead to innovation breakthroughs with tangible decarbonisation impacts. Building on this example, one of the project’s aims is to replicate this experience across other industrial sectors and to expand heat pump integration concepts in the pulp and paper industry by incorporating complementary clean technologies such as solar heat, geothermal energy, heat storage, and flexibility solutions.
(January 2026 – December 2028)
By European Heat Pump Association A new EU-funded project is set to reduce emissions from industrial heating and cooling by advancing standardised large-scale heat pumps