### Motivation  
The substitution of energy carriers in industrial settings--often discussed with a strong focus on electrical energy--also places new challenges on the existing energy infrastructure, such as generation and grid expansion. Furthermore, it requires new, enlarged storage systems for appropriate flexibility provision. With a focus on industry-relevance, the Austrian Climate and Energy Strategy _#mission2030_ addresses the following partly interdependent objectives. These are considered as crucial factors for a successful decarbonization and a transition towards more sustainability [1]:  
* Improved energy efficiency and accelerated reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are necessary. * The supply of electricity and heat shall be based on renewable energy sources. * The competitiveness of the industrial sector needs to be ensured with the core measures sector coupling and the continuation of already existing efficient facilities. * Industry needs to be reinforced in its double role as energy consumer and producer. * The pathway towards decarbonization of the energy supply includes a change of energy sources, technological transformation and introduction of (new) breakthrough technologies. * Finally, creating and providing appropriate infrastructure (grids, storages, etc.) is another crucial parameter for a successful transition towards sustainability in Austria. Suitable infrastructure increases the capability of including more intermittent, fluctuating renewable energy sources in the grids while maintaining power quality and reducing the risk of voltage drops or even shutdowns and blackouts. Several projects and studies have been recently conducted in Austria. One common drawback of those studies addresses only specific, single issues of the energy transition. For the assessment of the available potential of renewable energy generation several reports have been presented (details see in Section 2.1.1. Renewable energy potentials in Austria). The adaptability of the Austrian industrial sector towards fluctuating renewable electricity generation was analyzed in the projects _Flex-Tarif_[6] and _Renewables for Industry_[7]. The main focus was laid on identifying processes with the potential for load shifting and the comparison of renewable electricity generation and industrial electricity demand. Especially when estimating the future renewable energy potential and covering future energy demand sustainably, process electrification was often the exclusive assumption of the pathway for decarbonization. In addition, ongoing research in the framework of the international _IEA IETS Annex XIX_ (Electrification in Industry) [8] concentrates on the electrification aspect as the main contribution to successful decarbonization. Recent work by [PERSON] et al. revealed the importance of not only focusing on the energy but also on the exergy demand of processes when developing decarbonization pathways [9]. Their work showed a far higher exergy consumption in Austria (all sectors) than available exergy potential by renewable sources (370 vs. 266 TWh/a). This study identified the currently low exergy efficiency of only 34% as one of the most important factor of this large supply/demand gap. For industrial applications, this finding leads to the following need: Decarbonization pathways must include considerations regarding temperature levels of processes, possible heat transfer media, heat integration, and sector coupling. However, scenarios beyond the pathway of a comprehensive electrification for decarbonization of the Austrian industry have not yet been developed. The scenarios presented in this paper combine and extend the findings of the before mentioned studies. Furthermore, they are a crucial foundation for fact-based policy-making and future development of the energy infrastructure. The novelty of this work is that limitations for both energy and power balances have been assessed in detail for the first time.