Schleswig-Holstein aims to become a climate-neutral model region – ‘2nd Net Zero Valley Conference’ in Neumünster

“Net Zero Valley offers Schleswig-Holstein the opportunity to consistently integrate economic development and climate protection,” explains Julia Carstens, State Secretary for Economic Affairs. “As a model region in Europe, we can facilitate investment, accelerate innovation and create new value within the state. This strengthens the competitiveness of our businesses and makes Schleswig-Holstein even more attractive to industries of the future.”

As model regions in which climate-neutral industry, renewable energies and modern infrastructure are closely interlinked, Net Zero Valleys benefit, amongst other things, from faster approval procedures, prioritised access to EU funding and optimal framework conditions for industry and the economy.

Following the official handover of the application, the focus turned to the content: first, Steffen Volk from the Net Zero Valley Initiative Schleswig-Holstein presented the details of the application and outlined the next steps for implementation.

“A compelling application with broad support and diverse participation is the key to achieving regional value creation with European standards for the ‘Real North’,” said Volk.

Dr Jan Diekmann, Managing Director of Itzehoer CustomCells GmbH, then demonstrated how state-of-the-art battery cell technology ‘made in Schleswig-Holstein’ can contribute to European technological sovereignty.

Exactly how this might be achieved was also discussed in detail during the subsequent high-profile panel discussion. During the discussion, representatives from the EU, the German federal government, the state of Schleswig-Holstein and the net-zero technology sector addressed various relevant topics, such as mutual expectations in dealings with Berlin and Brussels, linked investment and business location prospects, as well as very specific practical implementation options.

Following the event, guests were able to network in a relaxed atmosphere, exchange professional views and, as part of an exhibition, gain an overview of the wide range of concrete projects and initiatives in the ‘Real North’.

If Schleswig-Holstein’s application is successful, the state would become Germany’s fourth official model region for net-zero technologies, following the Net Zero Valleys of Lusatia (Brandenburg and Saxony), the North-West (Lower Saxony) and the Rhenish Coalfield (North Rhine-Westphalia).

For more information about Net Zero Valley Schleswig-Holstein, visit the brand-new website: https://nzv-sh.de/en