Industrial Heat — The Biggest Untapped Low Carbon Opportunity | unDavos 2026

Heat represents over 50% of global energy demand, yet industrial heat remains the hardest segment to decarbonize. This panel brings together the full value chain — technology provider ABB, deep tech startup SaltX, end-user Rockwool, and investor Holcim MAQER Ventures — to prove that electrification of industrial heat is no longer a question of "if" but "how fast."WHAT THIS PANEL COVERSNo technology limitation: ABB's plasma and electric heating systems are proven at pilot scale and entering commercial rolloutLocation matters: SaltX's Electric Arc Calciner for cement and quicklime only closes the business case where green electricity is affordable and grid access existsRockwool's proof of concept: decarbonizing three plants per year using plasma technology with ABB and ScanArc, after years of pioneering pilot workThe CO2 price gap: electrification becomes competitive at EUR 200/ton carbon, versus today's EUR 80 — regulatory frameworks must catch upPartnership is the new leadership: Holcim MAQER Ventures invests in emerging deep tech to accelerate the multi-decade transformation of 35 European cement plantsPANELISTS• Marco Arcelli — CEO, ACWA Power (Moderator)• Gerald Jagerhofer — Head of Electrification, ABB• Lina Jorheden — CEO, SaltX Technology• Bjorn Rici Andersen — SVP Group Operations & Technology, ROCKWOOL Group• Bengt Steinbrecher — Head of Holcim MAQER VenturesunDavos is a community-driven summit running during WEF week in Davos, democratizing the conversation around global challenges.🌐 undavos.comTags: industrial heat, electrification, decarbonization, plasma technology, cement, quicklime, stone wool, ABB, Rockwool, SaltX, Holcim, carbon price, energy sovereignty, deep tech, green electricity, partnership, hard-to-abate, WEF Davos 2026