In May 2026, Eurostat released updated figures on final energy consumption in EU industry, and the message is clear: energy‑intensive sectors like pulp and paper remain central to Europe’s decarbonisation challenge, and opportunity. For the SteamDry project, which targets drastic energy cuts in paper and board drying, these new data strongly confirm that focusing on drying is the right lever at the right time.
Industry’s energy footprint in the EU
In 2024, industry accounted for 23.9% of the EU’s final energy consumption, making it the third‑largest energy user after transport and households. Electricity and natural gas together covered almost two‑thirds of industrial final energy demand (33.3% and 31.9% respectively), while fossil fuels in various forms still represented roughly half of the sector’s total energy use.
Over the past three decades, industrial energy consumption has decreased from 12 795 PJ in 1990 to 8 835 PJ in 2024, a reduction of around 30.9%, driven by efficiency gains and structural changes. At the same time, renewables and biofuels used in industry more than doubled in absolute terms, rising from 497 PJ to 999 PJ between 1990 and 2024, underlining a gradual but steady move towards cleaner energy sources.
Where pulp and paper stands
Eurostat’s disaggregated statistics show that a small group of sectors dominates industrial energy use: chemicals and petrochemicals, non‑metallic minerals, food, beverages and tobacco, paper, pulp and printing, and iron and steel. In 2024, the paper, pulp and printing industry consumed 997 PJ, equal to 12.1% of total final energy use in EU industry, placing it among the top five energy‑using sectors.
For a project like SteamDry, this confirms the strategic importance of focusing on paper and board drying, where relatively modest percentage gains can translate into large absolute energy and emissions reductions. It also aligns the project directly with EU policy attention on energy‑intensive, trade‑exposed industries under the Green Deal, Fit‑for‑55 and REPowerEU initiatives.
Drying: the key hotspot in papermaking
Within pulp and paper production, drying is the single most energy‑intensive process step, typically responsible for the majority of thermal energy demand on a paper machine. Conventional drying relies on large quantities of steam, often generated by burning fossil fuels or biomass, which links mills’ cost structure and carbon footprint directly to fuel and carbon prices.
By targeting the drying section, the SteamDry project is addressing the main energy hotspot in a typical paper mill. This process‑level focus matches the direction of Eurostat’s new industrial energy statistics, which provide more detailed breakdowns by sector and are designed to support precisely such targeted efficiency and fuel‑switching measures.
How SteamDry responds to the EU energy data
SteamDry develops and demonstrates superheated steam drying (SSD) for paper and board, with the goal of cutting energy use in drying by up to 60%, corresponding to around 40% savings across the whole production line. SSD uses a closed loop of superheated steam instead of hot air, enabling nearly complete recovery of latent heat and highly efficient reuse of energy within the process.
This approach directly supports the trends and needs highlighted by Eurostat’s statistics and EU policy:
- It reduces dependence on natural gas and other fossil fuels for process heat by enabling a more electrified, steam‑based drying concept.
- It improves overall energy efficiency at mill level, contributing to the long‑term downward trend in industrial energy use while allowing output to grow.
- It facilitates integration with renewable electricity and advanced heat pumps, aligning with REPowerEU’s call to replace gas, oil and coal with clean energy in industrial processes.
In the long term, SteamDry estimates an energy savings potential of about 127 TWh per year in Europe, equivalent to roughly 6 billion euros in annual energy cost savings for paper and board manufacturers. On a global scale, the potential reaches approximately 870 TWh per year, underscoring the relevance of the technology far beyond the EU market.
A timely signal for mills and policymakers
Eurostat’s 2024 industrial energy data were extracted in May 2026, and the next planned article update is scheduled for May 2027. That timeline overlaps with the SteamDry project, which runs from January 2024 to June 2027 and aims to bring SSD from concept to pilot‑scale demonstration during this period.
If pulp and paper mills use this window to accelerate investment in next‑generation drying and heat‑recovery technologies, the 2027 update of “Final energy consumption in industry, detailed statistics” could be the first to show a visible change in the energy profile of the paper, pulp and printing sector. For the SteamDry consortium, this would be tangible evidence that superheated steam drying is helping turn high‑level EU energy statistics into real‑world progress on efficiency, competitiveness and climate neutrality.
