Exploring the synergistic role of green finance and AI in the industrial energy transition: a case study of a Tunisian energy-intensive plant

Purpose This study aims to investigate Green Finance and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as complementary capabilities in the relationship between climate risk and the energy transition. Specifically, this study examines how these two levers can transform industrial climate challenges into drivers of resilience and sustainable performance within an energy-intensive context. Design/methodology/approach This research uses a qualitative exploratory methodology centered on an in-depth case study of the Kairouan Tobacco Factory (MTK) in Tunisia. Data collection consisted of 30 semi-structured interviews with senior executives and engineers, cross-referenced through methodological triangulation with external institutional data from the National Institute of Meteorology (INM), the National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME) and OECD reports. Findings The results of this study uncover a significant “awareness-implementation gap.” While there is a heightened organizational awareness of climate urgency, implementation is stifled by a transitional vulnerability rooted in technological obsolescence, financial barriers and structural inertia. Crucially, this study suggests the theoretical pathway through which Green Finance and AI could function as interdependent enablers; however, it finds that this potential is severely constrained by localized factors such as the human capital skills deficit and technological obsolescence. Practical implications For industrial entities, this study recommends a sequential “Retrofitting-Digitalization-AI” roadmap to manage capital expenditure. Financial institutions are encouraged to design sustainability-linked loans indexed to AI-verified energy performance. Policymakers should prioritize digital-green synergy grants and national reskilling programs to build the technical absorptive capacity required for a successful industrial transition. Originality/value This study examines the integration of finance and technology by providing a qualitative analysis of an energy-intensive plant operating under thermal stress in a developing economy. This study introduces an integrated, synergistic framework, highlighting that firms require integrated techno-financial capabilities, rather than isolated digital or financial interventions, to successfully transform climate-risk awareness into effective transition actions.