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Structural ChangeBusiness Location Germany
Structural Change
News from the Regions in Structural Transition | Feb 2021
A major focal point of GTAI activity is the promotion of the new federal states, regions undergoing structural transformation and areas affected by the planned coal phase-out.
Feb 10, 2021
Swiss company chooses Döbeln for battery-cell production site
Swiss company Blackstone Resources AG has chosen Döbeln in Saxony as the site for a battery-cell production facility. Work has already began at the 6,000 sqm site that will provide the basis for serial production of 3D printing technologies developed by Blackstone, with production capacity of 0.5 GWh annually. Blackstone chose Döbeln because of its location in the triangle between Chemnitz, Leipzig and Dresden within one of the most important economic centers in the eastern German states.
New start-up and investor centers in Lusatia region
A new cross-border competence center intended to attract companies and start-ups to the Lusatia region opened in the Schwarze Pumpe industrial park in October. The new “Dock 3” center offers space for over 100 companies and will act as a hub for structural change in the region. Brandenburg and Saxony’s economic development agencies have also announced plans for the creation of a “Lusatia Investor Center” as a first point of contact for companies interested in locating to the region. The new center will also be situated in the Schwarze Pumpe industrial park with activities expected to begin soon.
Q Cells to invest EUR 124 million in Saxony-Anhalt R&D site
Photovoltaics maufacturer Q Cells is set to invest around EUR 125 million in R&D activities at its Center for Technology, Innovation and Quality in Thalheim in Saxony-Anhalt over the next three years. The Seoul-based company will spend EUR 35 million on R&D activities each year, with a further EUR 20 million made available for R&D equipment and machinery. The company is a globally recognized full-service provider of clear energy solutions in solar plant, solar power plant energy storage and power contracts.
Europe’s first solid oxide fuel cell system in Essen
The city of Essen has been chosen as the site of Europe’s first solid oxide fuel cell system. The technology, provided by Mitsubishi Power Europe, is intended to contribute to environmentally friendly energy generation using, for example, hydrogen. Mitsubishi has already installed nine such plants in Japan, with the Essen site being the first one abroad.
Federal states join forces for HY-5 green hydrogen project
Five federal states from northern Germany – Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, and Schleswig-Holstein – have joined forces to establish a green hydrogen initiative (“HY-5”) for the creation of a green hydrogen economy by 2035. According to the North German Hydrogen Strategy, the plan is to install at least 500 megawatts of electrolysis capacity for the production of green hydrogen as early as 2025. HY-5 aims to turn northern Germany into the strongest emerging region for green hydrogen in Europe. Working together, the federal states intend to establish the region as a hotspot on the European hydrogen map. The region has unique locational advantages for renewable energy production and large industry demand potential for green hydrogen.
