Walburga Hemetsberger’s Post

One year after the launch of the #AntwerpDeclaration, 400 business leaders, industry and worker representatives from across Europe met in Antwerp to discuss the just-published Clean Industrial Deal with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.   Alongside SolarPower Europe President Aristotelis Chantavas, I was honoured to be among those in the room as President von der Leyen delivered her address on the European Commission's measures to unite climate action and competitiveness under a single economic and industrial growth agenda. The Commission confirmed that the plan is set to support energy-intensive industries and clean tech manufacturing by driving renewables, electrification, grids, and storage.   "Since the launch of the European Green Deal, we have saved EUR 60 billion of fossil fuel imports. How was this possible? Because of the low carbon approach; thanks to cheap, homegrown renewables" President von der Leyen stated in her opening remarks.   The Clean Industrial Deal brilliantly sets electrification as a key pillar for industrial competitiveness and decarbonisation, including a new 32% electrification target by 2030.   However, dedicated financial support for electrification needs to materialise. Flexible, renewable-based, electrification can reduce day-ahead energy prices by 25% by 2030. Investment in electrification must be prioritised over short-term fossil-based solutions.   Getting the upcoming Grids Package right is critical to the success of the competitiveness agenda. It should be a Grids and Storage Package. Battery storage is the absolute shortcut to lower, less-volatile energy prices. Where is Europe’s battery storage strategy?    I'm glad to see that today’s publication provides a specific boost for European solar manufacturers. The intention to prefer EU-made products in public procurement should strengthen the Net-Zero Industry Act, but we urgently need to complement that with financing support for building and operating factories.   Read the full statement from SolarPower Europe here: https://lnkd.in/e9f9Eciu   #DelivertheDeal #MakeSolarEU #LetsFlex