Susanna Riva The energy transition isn't just about reducing emissions: it's an industrial and strategic challenge. Letizia Magaldi, president of the Kyoto Club and an entrepreneur in the thermal storage sector, warns of the risk of replacing dependence on gas with a new technological dependence on foreign countries. For Magaldi, updated regulations and a policy that protects the added value produced in Europe are needed.
Letizia Magaldi and the challenge of gas dependence
According to Magaldi, the key issue is that gas isn't just a fuel for generating electricity: it's essential for industrial processes that require heat . Globally, the majority of industrial consumption goes to heat rather than electricity, and many industries—paper, food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals—still rely on methane-fired thermal plants.
The increase in gas prices therefore directly affects the production costs and the competitiveness of European companies.
The good news, Magaldi observes, is that renewable technologies are much more competitive today than in the past. The adoption of photovoltaic, heat pumps , and electric boilers can reduce the gas market's exposure to international shocks, provided the transition is accompanied by investments and regulations aimed at preserving European industrial supply chains.
Fer-T Decree: announced resources and current allocation
A key point of the debate concerns the Fer-T decree designed to support heat production from renewable sources. Magaldi denounces a significant reduction in resources: compared to the initial €700 million announced, the currently circulating draft budget drops to just €60 million . This reduction, according to the entrepreneur, is insufficient for a sector that impacts industrial competitiveness and national energy security.
Why industrial heat deserves attention
Heat represents a significant share of industrial consumption, and reducing its use in public funding risks slowing the electrification of production processes. Magaldi hopes that a significant portion of resources will be allocated to the electrification of industrial heat, thus incentivizing the adoption of already available technologies and reducing dependence on gas.
Thermal storage and building resilient supply chains
Among the strategic technologies highlighted by Magaldi are thermal storage . His company has developed systems capable of storing renewable energy and releasing it in the form of heat and steam for industrial processes, using common materials such as steel and silica sand. This reduces exposure to critical raw materials and allows for the temperature demands frequently encountered in industry, in the range between 150 and 350 degrees Celsius.
Thermal storage does not compete with electrochemical batteries, but serves different and complementary roles: the former provides thermal energy for industrial processes, while the latter focuses on electricity storage. Europe's expertise and supply chain in heat technologies—heat pumps, electric boilers, thermal batteries—represent an industrial asset that must be protected with appropriate policies.
European industrial policy and competitive tenders
Magaldi is not opposed to competition and competitive bidding , but warns against limiting competition to price alone. For her, it is essential to reward the added value created within Europe: employment, technology transfer, and supply chain security. Only in this way can we avoid recreating strategic dependencies on foreign countries for solar panels, batteries, and other key components of the transition.
The issue isn't whether to protect local production at all costs, but how to calibrate the rules so that the choice of technology takes into account the entire value chain. Even if a component produced in Europe costs a few percentage points more, the impact on the overall cost of the plant and the industrial value that remains in the country must be assessed.
For Magaldi, the solution isn't to abandon production: foreign investment can be welcomed if it involves establishing production facilities, hiring local workers, and transferring skills. Within this framework, a more decisive and coordinated European industrial policy can foster the commercial diffusion of technologies, ultimately leading to the growth of globally competitive companies.
Without these elements, Europe risks winning the challenge of decarbonization but losing the challenge of production and competitiveness.