The Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) covers certain net-zero technologies, including their final products, specific components and some energy intensive industries that produce relevant components and seek to decarbonise. It includes new production and capacity expansion facilities.
Technologies
The NZIA supports 19 net-zero technologies that are commercially available or soon to enter the market and have significant potential for rapid scale-up. These technologies are listed below:
- Solar technologies, including PV, solar thermal electric and solar thermal technologies
- Onshore wind and offshore renewable technologies*
- Battery and energy storage technologies*
- Heat pumps and geothermal energy technologies
- Hydrogen technologies, including electrolysers and fuel cells*
- Sustainable biogas and biomethane technologies*
- CCS technologies*
- Electricity grid technologies, including electric charging technologies for transport and technologies to digitalise the grid
- Nuclear fission energy technologies, including nuclear fuel cycle technologies
- Sustainable alternative fuels technologies*
- Hydropower technologies
- Renewable energy technologies, not covered under the previous categories
- Energy system-related energy efficiency technologies, including heat grid technologies*
- Renewable fuels of non-biological origin technologies*
- Biotech climate and energy solutions*
- Transformative industrial technologies for decarbonisation not covered under the previous categories
- CO2 transport and utilisation technologies*
- Wind propulsion and electric propulsion technologies for transport
- Nuclear technologies not covered under previous categories
*10 priorities for Ireland
Final products and specific components
The NZIA applies to final products and specific components used for the production of net-zero technologies. These products and components are set out in the updated Annex to the NZIA - Delegated Act 2025/1463.
Energy intensive industry and decarbonisation
The NZIA applies to manufacturers in energy-intensive industries like steel, chemicals and cement that produce components used in net-zero technologies and invest in decarbonisation.
Projects in scope
The type of projects falling within the scope of NZIA include a net-zero technology manufacturing project, a net-zero strategic project and an energy intensive industry decarbonisation project. These projects are defined below.
Net-zero technology manufacturing project
A net-zero technology manufacturing project is a planned commercial facility or an extension or repurposing of an existing facility to manufacture net-zero technologies, or an energy-intensive industry decarbonisation project.
Net-zero strategic project
A net-zero strategic project is a net-zero technology manufacturing project, a CO2 capture project, a CO2 storage project or a CO2 transport infrastructure project located in the Union that a Member State has recognised as a net-zero strategic project pursuant to Articles 13[1] and 14[2] of NZIA.
Energy intensive industry decarbonisation project
An energy intensive industry decarbonisation project is the construction or conversion of the commercial facility of an energy-intensive business as defined in Article 17(1), point (a), of the Directive 2003/96/EC in the steel, aluminium, non-ferrous metals, chemicals, cement, lime, glass, ceramics, fertilisers, as well as pulp and paper sectors that are part of the supply chain of a net-zero technology and that are to reduce emission rates of CO2-eq of industrial processes significantly and permanently to an extent which is technically feasible.
Permitting time limits
The time limits for the permit-granting process applicable to net-zero technology manufacturing projects and net-zero strategic projects are set out in Articles 9 and 16 of NZIA, based on their manufacturing capacity. The mandatory time limits provide clear expectations to project promoters and permit issuing bodies, to ensure consistency and transparency.
Net-zero technology manufacturing projects time limits
Yearly manufacturing capacity | Overall time limit for project |
Less than 1 gigawatt (GW) | 12 months |
1 gigawatt (GW) or more | 18 months |
Project not measured in GW | 18 months |
Net-zero strategic projects time limits
Yearly manufacturing capacity | Overall time limit for project |
Less than 1 gigawatt (GW) | 9 months |
1 gigawatt (GW) or more | 12 months |
Project not measured in GW | 12 months |
All permits to operate a storage site | 18 months |
[1] Article 13 - Selection criteria
[2] Article 14 - Application and recognition