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The 2026 Preview Agenda






Conference Day 1 Agenda


Conference Day 1 – Tuesday 10th February 2026

7:45 Morning Refreshments & Networking
8:30 Chairperson Opening Remarks
8:45
Built to Last: Energy Security for a Future-Proofed, Prosperous Industrial Future

How are U.S. industrials flexing strategy in line with the U.S. energy transition to ensure resilience of operations?

  • Operational shifts necessary to scale domestic, low-carbon production while reducing dependency on global energy supply chains.
  • Where breakthrough technologies intersect with cost efficiency – unlocking emissions reduction while delivering tangible ROI.
  • How industrials respond to increasing competition for power presented by data centres and other major projects.
  • Right commercial balance between bridging solutions, low-carbon power, and traditional sources.
9:05
Value Chain Activation: How Are Successful Industrials and End-Customers Creating Profitable Markets for Low-Carbon Products?

Join both ends of the manufacturing value chain as industrials and buyers dissect how the value chain can be activated and how to create materials and products that align with the carbon goals of end users.

  • Customer-centric innovation: adapting manufacturing to buyer needs.
  • Leverage buyers’ internal carbon prices to align low-carbon materials with procurement priorities.
  • Shape offering to help customers market decarbonization achievements.
  • Work across the value chain and with early adopters to stimulate demand for low-carbon solutions.

Speaker: Kevin Norfleet, Global Sustainability Director, Celanese
9:25 State Government Keynote: How are emissions and industrial strategies aligning and how will they support industrials in-state?
9:45
Creating a Compelling Business Case: Identifying Operational Gaps for Optimization and Economic Wins
  • Join industrial leaders from varying sectors, EPCs, tech providers, and investors to understand the progressive strategy from technology scouting to deployment, ensuring seamless integration into existing processes with scale in mind.
  • Invest with confidence: balancing technology maturity against regulatory pace.
  • Align CFO priorities: CapEx vs OpEx profiles.
  • Create strong business cases anchored in process optimization and long-term ROI.
  • Breakthrough pilot-to-FOAK barriers for scaling projects.

Speaker: Geoffrey Moeser, Senior Technology Director, Reinforcement Materials, Cabot Corporation
10:30 Technology Showcase / Award Final Pitches
10:45 Speed Networking Break
Time Track 1 – Digital Innovation / Water / Risk Track 2 – CCS / Heat / Future Energy
11:30

Track 1 – Digital Innovation and Process Optimization

Making Energy Efficiency Plans Work Harder: Cutting Costs, Building Resilience, and Staying Competitive
  • Turn efficiency into a tool for lowering costs as well as emissions.
  • Why distributed energy is being prioritised: onsite renewables, storage & cogen.
  • Efficient collaboration: cross-plant and cross-team approaches.
  • Building flexibility via modular systems, scalable processes, and drop-in fuels.

Speaker: Travis Snider, VP Sustainability & External Relations, Arizona Sonoran

Track 2 – CCS Projects and 45Q Winners

Retrofitting CCS to Existing Ammonia Production in the USA
  • Building and operating CCS infrastructure including saline aquifer CO₂ storage.
  • Leveraging federal incentives such as 45Q tax credits.
  • Insights from project leaders on partnerships and offtake agreements.

Speaker: Jakob Krummenacher, VP Clean Energy, LSB Industries
11:50

Track 1 – Digital Innovation

The Power of AI: Adding Intelligence to Advance Industrial Process
  • AI for process optimization and predictive maintenance.
  • Extending the life of assets through AI insights.
  • Business cases for integrating AI systems.

Track 2 – CCS Projects

Making Carbon Capture Economics Work: A Tax Equity Perspective
  • What makes a carbon capture project investable from a tax equity perspective.
  • Financing structures and real-world economics.
  • Optimal partner selection and market consolidation trends.

Speakers: Roger Tulberg, Tax Equity Consultant, Liberty Media; Keith Tracy, CCO, Elysian
12:35

Track 1 – Digital Carbon Management

Revolutionizing Carbon Management with Digitalized Accounting and Measurement
  • Showcasing advanced carbon accounting tools.
  • Digital economics: mapping CapEx and OpEx for industrial digitalization.
  • De-risking projects through digital tools.
  • Improving customer relations via optimized carbon accounting.

Track 2 – CCS Storage and Permitting

Global CO₂ Storage for Industry: Site Development, Technology Vetting & Execution Models
  • Identifying and advancing CO₂ storage hubs across diverse geographies
  • Use insights on emerging storage technologies and market trends to shape strategy and reduce investment risk
  • Developing scalable models and partnerships that speed up deployment
  • Turn feasibility studies into clear roadmaps for large-scale CO2 storage across your assets

Speaker: James Lopez, Subsurface CO₂ Storage Advisor, CEMEX
12:55 Lunch & Networking
2:10

Track 1 – Industrial Water Use

Industrial Water Use: Operational, Reputational and Financial Considerations
  • Overview of water-energy nexus; should water be a priority?
  • Planning for increased water demand and industrial response.
  • Emerging water generation technology and energy impact.
  • Understanding water & energy demand to guide operational shifts.

Speaker: Patricia Ansems Bancroft, Principal R&D Fellow, Dow Chemicals

Track 2 – Industrial Heat Innovation

Heat Pumps that Pay for Themselves
  • Performance vs traditional systems on real industrial sites.
  • Fast retrofit wins and deployment opportunities.
  • Cost, scale, and process conditions for payback.
  • Financing tools, incentives, and market signals.
2:30 Addressing Key Constraints in Grid Capacity for Industrial Electrification Pathways
3:15 Afternoon Refreshments & Networking
3:45 Data Centres Uncovered: Water, Carbon and the Energy Equation
4:05 Roundtable Breakout Discussions – CCU, SAF, CCUS, Hydrogen
5:05 Chairperson Closing Remarks
5:15 End of Day 1 / Decarb Connect Drinks Reception
6:15 Decarb Connect Networking Dinner


Conference Day 2 – Wednesday 11th February 2026

8:00 Morning Refreshments & Networking
8:40 Chairperson Opening Remarks
8:50
Financing Success: How to Accelerate Advanced Manufacturing Infrastructure Projects
  • Unlocking capital: navigating U.S. climate funding vs European infrastructure incentives to maximize financing potential and speed up project timelines.
  • Tailored financing structures to de-risk projects and drive faster implementation.
  • ROI-driven forecasting tools for stakeholder buy-in and short-/long-term financial optimization.
  • Structuring win-win partnerships between developers, banks, and customers to ensure bankability and execution.
9:10
Driving Value Creation for Low-Carbon Products
  • Positioning low-carbon materials to become commercially viable for end-users.
  • New procurement models, certification, and contractual innovations implemented by industrials.
  • Drivers for low-carbon procurement: regulatory pressure vs brand value vs investor pressure.
  • Mapping ROI for carbon-reduced products; reduced emissions making economic sense.

Speaker: Jaimee Farrin, Senior Director of Global Sustainability, Cabot Corporation
9:30
Carbon Capture in Context: What Cemex Learned When Applying Theory to Different Assets and Geographies
  • Regional factors and materials reshape CCUS choices and business plans.
  • Lessons on balancing capture efficiency, energy use, and production continuity.
  • Insights for scaling carbon capture in diverse operating environments.
  • Operational trade-offs at plant level and team management strategies.

Speaker: Martha Ramos, Director CCUS & Hydrogen, CEMEX
9:50 Technology Showcase
9:55 Roundtable Breakout Discussions – Community Engagement, Insurance, Carbon Insetting vs Offsetting, Rare Earth Elements & Critical Minerals
10:55 Coffee & Networking Break
Time Track 1 – Mitigating Risk & Maximizing Investment Track 2 – Future Energy Pathways
11:25

Track 1 – Risk & Investment

  • How industrials stay on top of disclosure standards that vary across markets.
  • Responding to global and customer pressure to disclose carbon emissions data.
  • Differences in US, Canadian, and Mexican disclosure laws and resource-effective data production.
  • Assessing digital tools for accurate, auditable data.

Track 2 – Future Energy Pathways

  • Timeline for nuclear to provide industrial cost and energy efficiency results.
  • Role of SMRs and nuclear for data centers and low-carbon energy integration.
  • Cost projections for near- and long-term nuclear energy deployment.
11:45
Designing a Monitoring Plan to Avoid Being Blindsided by Regulatory Shifts
  • Projects qualifying for state-based or international incentives.
  • Leveraging CapEx investments through partnerships.
  • Using regulation tracking tools to inform business cases.
  • Categorizing steps as policy-agnostic or policy-dependent.
Using Natural Gas, RNG and Other Drop-In Fuels to Bridge Assets to Future Fuels
  • Leverage natural gas to keep projects moving while maintaining future asset flexibility.
  • Manage cost and supply risk in volatile gas markets.
  • Design gas systems that can flex to biomethane, hydrogen, or CCS tomorrow.
  • Assess pros and cons, certainty vs flexibility in plans.
12:30
What are the Bankable Projects in 2026? The Investor Perspective
  • Technologies/project types expected to dominate investor pipelines in 2026.
  • Offtake, co-investment, or risk-sharing expectations from VCs and institutional investors.
  • Market and investment strategy shifts from 2025 to 2026.
12:50 Lunch & Networking
2:00
How are Industrials Vetting Offset Projects to Ensure Measurable and Permanent Results?
  • Comparing nature-based vs tech-based offset projects.
  • Collaborating with carbon brokers for long-term results.
  • Policy differences: EU vs US offset initiatives.
  • Minimizing risk of non-compliant offset agreements.
3:05
Opportunities to Kickstart Profitable Industrial Partnerships: From Power Generation to Waste Reuse
  • Industrial collaboration: sharing resources and creating hubs.
  • Co-location of emitters, utilities, and infrastructure for scale and low decarbonization costs.
  • Government funding: state and DOE cluster pilot support.
  • Analyzing avenues for profitable partnerships.

Speaker: Alanna Aqui, Senior Manager, Sustainability and Decarbonization, Votorantim Cimentos
3:45 Chairperson Closing Remarks
4:00 End of Conference

Decarb Connect EU - 2022

June 21st, 2022, Amsterdam