Energy-intensive industry: Overview

Steel, cement, aluminium and ammonia: the hungriest factories on Earth

What this tile covers Steel, cement, aluminium, ammonia and chlor-alkali, where energy is a large part of cost. Share of use 29% share of final energy use (2019)

Share of world total final energy consumption (about 435 EJ, calculated: motor systems 13,462 TWh are 53% of electricity, so about 25,400 TWh or 91 EJ, and electricity is about 21% of final energy) that passes through this device or is used by this sector, latest year available. Electricity-based devices use electricity's 21% share of final energy (IEA WEO 2025). Overlaps between devices and sectors are allowed and noted. Industry used 121 of 418 EJ final energy in 2019, 28.9% (calculated), excluding a further 9.3% non-energy use (mostly chemical feedstocks). No sourced split for energy-intensive branches was found, so this is the industry total, an upper bound for the tile. Overlaps motors, combustion heat and electrolysers. Source: Key World Energy Statistics 2021, International Energy Agency.

Key facts

Chain

Chemical (coke) → heat + chemical reduction (iron ore → iron)

Included from the reference tables

Blast furnace and electric arc steel
Hydrogen-based (DRI) steel
Aluminium smelting
Cement kilns
Ammonia (Haber-Bosch)
Chlor-alkali
Industrial motors and compressed air
Industrial CHP

Linked to the material world

St Steel Cem Cement Al Aluminium NH3 Ammonia Cl2 Chlorine

Also in Industry, buildings and farms

Bld Energy in buildings DC Data centres Agr Energy in farming

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More on this tile in the tabs above: science and limits, value chain, unit economics, engineering methods, equipment and suppliers.