As of: March 12, 2024, 7:06 p.m
By: Max Schäfer
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Robert Habeck wants to spend a “mid double-digit” billion amount on climate protection agreements.
The industry should become climate neutral.
What does the funding look like?
Berlin – Robert Habeck has moved into the Federal Ministry of Economics with the aim of designing the climate-neutral restructuring.
The minister can now boast a success: the first bidding process for the climate protection agreements started on Tuesday, March 12th.
“With the climate protection agreements, we ensure that the transformation in the companies is successful,” said Habeck at the presentation.
“We secure jobs and competitiveness and protect the climate.”
With the climate protection agreements, Habeck wants to support industrial companies for which investments in climate-friendly systems are not worthwhile.
This particularly affects the very energy-intensive steel, cement, paper and glass industries.
In these areas, carbon-neutral or low-carbon technologies are currently very expensive.
These cost more than they bring in.
How Habeck wants to make the industry climate-neutral with the climate protection agreements
Through Habeck's climate protection agreements, the state offsets the additional costs that arise from climate-neutral production compared to conventional production.
The contracts should run for 15 years.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs wants to initiate the restructuring of the industry.
Habeck assumes that the instrument can be used to reduce climate-damaging emissions in the short term.
“The subsidized systems from the first round of bids alone will save several million tons of CO2,” said the Green politician.
Habeck said that a total of 350 million tons of CO2 could be saved over the entire duration of the funding program by 2045.
According to Handelsblatt,
this corresponds
to around a third of the federal government's savings target for industry.
Habeck wants to spend a sum in the “mid double-digit billion range” on climate protection in industry
In the first round that has now started, companies have four months to apply for government support.
Four billion euros are available in the first period, with the funding amount being limited to one billion euros per company.
After another two months it should be clear who will receive the funds.
This is significantly faster than with conventional subsidies.
Habeck therefore speaks of “low-bureaucracy funding”.
Habeck turns to industry: The Minister of Economics has launched the climate protection agreements to initiate the climate-neutral conversion.
© Jens Kalaene/dpa
A second round of funding with up to 19 billion euros is planned at the end of the year.
Companies that are not considered in the first step can apply again.
In total, Habeck's ministry is planning four rounds with - as the minister said - a funding amount in the "mid double-digit billion range".
The money should come from the climate and transformation fund.
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With Habeck's climate protection contracts, companies must save as much CO2 as cheaply as possible
The Ministry of Economic Affairs allocates the funds through a bidding process.
Only companies that have already participated in a preparatory process are allowed to take part in the first round.
According to Habeck, this is a “high double-digit, almost three-digit amount” for companies in the energy-intensive industry.
Now they have to indicate how much money they need to save CO2 with a new technology.
The contract will be awarded to the person who can save as much greenhouse gases as possible and as cheaply as possible.
Which industries cannot apply for climate protection agreements
Steel production is initially excluded from Habeck's climate protection agreements.
The state had only funded it with seven billion euros.
According to Handelsblatt,
projects that plan to store CO2 are also
not allowed to apply.
Blue hydrogen produced from methane, on the other hand, can be promoted if “low emissions” are produced.
This brings criticism from Greenpeace to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
There should be no funding for blue hydrogen.
“That would be a continuation of fossils,” said Greenpeace managing director Martin Kaiser.
The climate and environmental activists demand that only companies be supported that do not allow CO2 to be created in the first place, for example by relying on green hydrogen.
Greenpeace also warns against using the climate protection agreements as a “purely market economy instrument”.
Habeck receives praise from industry: “Climate protection contracts are needed”
However, there is support for the project from industry.
“The climate protection agreements are needed to advance the sustainable transformation,” explained the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
However, the association also warned that financing must be secured so that companies can plan for the future.
The fact that the amount is the subject of budget negotiations could lead to uncertainty.
The federal government is facing austerity pressure in the 2025 budget.
(ms/afp)