US to give grants to reduce emissions in heavy industry

The US Department of Energy announced in a statement that the government has provided a fund of about $6 billion to accelerate projects to decarbonize the heavy industrial sector and give American manufacturers a competitive advantage in the developing global clean energy economy.

In the statement stated that the program will focus on sectors with high emissions and other energy-intensive industrial sectors where decarbonization technologies such as iron and steel, aluminum and cement will have a major impact, and it was stated that the commissioning of “decarbonization” projects in these sectors will help to achieve the “net zero” goal by 2050.

Pointing out that the industrial sector accounts for approximately one-third of the US's carbon emissions, the statement said that up to 50 percent of the project costs will be covered under the program.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, whose views were included in the statement, said that the program is an “exciting” step in the race to decarbonize the country's heavy industry, and she added that “It will help reduce pollution greatly while ensuring that the U.S. manufacturing sector is strong and competitive.”

Noting that President Biden's investments in clean energy transformation led the world in clean production technologies and created new economic opportunities throughout the USA, Granholm emphasized that she also supported the country's industry.