Dunkerque: Inside France’s Laboratory for Industrial Decarbonization

A Territory at the Heart of the Energy Transition

Dunkerque has become one of France’s most strategic territories for industrial decarbonization. Representing around 21% of French industrial CO₂ emissions, the industrial-port basin is now positioning itself as a laboratory for green reindustrialization, combining heavy industry, low-carbon energy projects and circular economy initiatives.

For students in the HEC Paris Certificate “Climate & Energy Transition”, the learning expedition offered a unique opportunity to confront the realities of this transformation firsthand. Over two days, they visited emblematic companies including Aluminium Dunkerque, ArcelorMittal, Ecocem and the Dunkerque LNG terminal, while also discovering local initiatives such as DKarbonation and its ZIBaC project (“Zones Industrielles Bas Carbone”).

The expedition took place at a moment of growing international momentum around climate accountability. At the same time on May 20th, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a strongly supported resolution urging countries to comply with their legal obligations to combat climate change, building on the International Court of Justice’s 2025 advisory opinion that protecting the climate is a duty under international law.

In this context, the Certificate “Climate & Energy Transition” aims to equip future leaders with the interdisciplinary understanding needed to navigate the technological, industrial and geopolitical dimensions of the transition.

Discovering the Scale of Industrial Transformation

One of the most striking aspects of the expedition was the sheer scale of the industrial infrastructures visited.

At Aluminium Dunkerque, participants discovered the largest aluminium smelter in Western Europe outside Norway. Producing primary aluminium used in automotive, renewable energy, batteries and transportation, the site alone consumes around 1% of France’s electricity production. Yet the company is also positioning itself as a lower-carbon player within a highly emissive global industry. Thanks to France’s electricity mix and operational efficiencies, its emissions are four times lower than the global industry average. 

Students also visited the Dunkerque LNG terminal, a critical European energy infrastructure capable of supplying approximately 20% of the annual gas consumption of France and Belgium. The immense scale of its storage tanks and regasification facilities highlighted the complexity of ensuring energy security while preparing for future energy transitions and a CO2 distribution network. 

At ArcelorMittal Dunkerque, the cohort explored one of Europe’s largest steelmaking sites. The visit made tangible the enormous decarbonization challenge facing the steel sector, where producing one ton of steel still emits around 1.5 tons of CO₂ due to the continued use of coal in blast furnaces. Students learned about the group’s brand new €1.3 billion investment plan to progressively shift toward electric arc furnaces and increased use of recycled steel and green hydrogen. 

Innovation, Circular Economy and Low-Carbon Technologies

Beyond heavy industry, the learning expedition also showcased how innovation and circular economy models are reshaping industrial processes.

At Ecocem, participants discovered how one of the world’s most carbon-intensive sectors — cement production — can be radically transformed. The company has developed low-carbon cement technologies that drastically reduce clinker use, the main source of emissions in conventional cement. Through over €070 million invested in research and development, Ecocem’s ACT technology combines slag from steel production with ultra-fine limestone while maintaining the same construction standards and methods as traditional concrete.