News item | 19-12-2024 | 07:15
By signing the customized agreements, Nobian is committed to achieving almost zero CO₂ emissions by 2030, an acceleration of ten years.
- Nobian, a producer of salt and essential chemicals, is the first company to make binding tailor-made agreements with the Dutch cabinet to reduce CO₂reduce emissions more quickly.
- Minister Sophie Hermans (Climate and Green Growth) and State Secretary Chris Jansen (Public Transport and Environment) will sign the agreements with Michael Koenig, CEO of Nobian, on Thursday afternoon. The agreement will also be signed by the deputies of the provinces of Groningen, Overijssel and South Holland.
- The projects include a joint investment by Nobian and the Dutch government of 645 million euros, of which a maximum of 185 million euros in subsidies. The investments contribute to both the accelerated sustainability of Nobian’s production process and to the maintenance and sustainability of an industrial value chain that is important and strategic for the Netherlands.
- The plans allow Nobian to accelerate its climate goals by ten years, to almost zero CO₂emissions in 2030. This means an annual reduction of more than 0.5 million tons of CO₂. Nobian is switching to electricity for an important part of the production process. Other processes become more energy efficient, and residual flows are used more efficiently. In this way, emissions of nitrogen dioxide into the air and water use at sea are greatly reduced.
- With the tailor-made approach, this government wants to make industry in the Netherlands more sustainable, future-proof and reduce the impact on the living environment. The signing of the binding agreements with Nobian is the first time that the Dutch government has entered into such an agreement. The customized approach enables energy-intensive companies to reduce their CO₂emissions significantly faster than the objectives of the Climate Agreement.
Towards green growth and sustainable industry
Minister Sophie Hermans (Climate and Green Growth): “A special milestone! Today we sign the first tailor-made agreements with Nobian. This is a big step towards our shared goal: making the Netherlands more sustainable, retaining jobs and strengthening the industry. With the tailor-made approach we encourage companies to become more sustainable, innovate and go green more quickly. Nobian shows what is possible: CO2-neutral production in 2030, well before the goals of the Climate Agreement. This process has provided valuable insights that will help with agreements with others companies that still have to follow. Our industry is important for the Dutch economy: it provides jobs, makes our products and reduces our dependence on foreign countries. But sustainability is the future – for companies and the Netherlands We see that sustainability can and must happen here. This is how we build a strong and sustainable industry together.”
CO₂ savings and impact on the living environment
Nobian produces and processes salt, which is a strategic raw material for the production of essential chemicals. These chemicals are indispensable for making everyday products such as textiles, medicines and disinfectants, but also products that are crucial for the energy transition, such as insulation materials, batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels. The company’s ambition is to be one of the most sustainable chemical companies in the EU.
The binding customized agreements include the following:
- The gas-fired evaporation plants for salt production in Hengelo and Delfzijl are being replaced by industrial heat pumps that run on electricity. In addition, Nobian is accelerating the replacement of the electrolysis capacity for chlorine production in Rotterdam with the latest technology. A circular project for recovering salt from residual flows is also part of the agreement.
- Annual CO₂ emissions will be reduced by more than 0.5 million tons of CO₂ compared to 2020. Most of this is in addition to the objectives of the Climate Agreement.
- Nitrogen emissions will be reduced by about 400 tons. Nobian’s annual nitrogen emissions will be close to zero by 2030.
- Annual gas consumption will be reduced by approximately 300 million m³ compared to 2020, 1% of Dutch gas consumption, equal to the consumption of approximately 250,000 households.
- The annual electricity consumption for chlorine production in Rotterdam will decrease by 135 GWh compared to 2020, which corresponds to approximately 50,000 households. The energy savings also create 25 MW of additional capacity for Nobian to produce more flexibly, helping to balance the grid and reduce congestion. The electricity savings also create space for other parties on the grid to become more sustainable.
- The projects are expected to deliver a combined water saving of 1.7 million m³ and a reduction in heat dissipation by 90MW.
- In addition to the signed agreement, as described in the JLoI, Nobian will continue to collaborate with the government in the development of underground energy storage in salt caverns, as an important part of the energy transition and the functioning of the hydrogen backbone.
Customized agreements
Government support (financial and subject to preconditions) is required in order to carry out major sustainability projects within the customized agreements in an accelerated and economically feasible manner. In the financial field, in addition to Nobian’s own investment of 460 million euros, the government will contribute a maximum of 185 million euros in subsidies. The total joint investment amounts to 645 million euros. In addition to financial support, the government is committed to removing bottlenecks for sustainability. For example, cooperation with the provinces, environmental services and grid operators will be further intensified with regard to licensing and the required energy infrastructure. The customized agreements and associated projects are very important for the provinces of Overijssel, Groningen and South Holland, because they both make local industry more sustainable and promote economic growth and employment.
State Secretary Jansen (Public Transport and Environment): “I am happy with this first tailor-made appointment. The agreement between Nobian and the government will help to work towards a clean and healthy living environment around the company. With concrete measures to reduce CO2 emissions, the emission of pollutants into the air and surface water and the thermal pollution of surface water will also decrease significantly. A cleaner industry, in the Netherlands, that is what we are aiming for with the customized agreements. This first tailor-made agreement is an important step in this regard. As far as I’m concerned, that leaves me wanting more.”
Striving for green chemistry
Michael Koenig, CEO of Nobian: “The signing of this Custom Agreement is a milestone for our company and for the Dutch government. The start of this Customized Collaboration is important for the energy transition to succeed and it is fully in line with our goals Grow Greener Together philosophy. As the largest producer of salt in Western Europe, Nobian extracts 90% of the pure salt in the Netherlands, which plays a crucial role in the Dutch and European economy for the production of essential chemicals and materials. Today we emphasize our ambition to be one of the most sustainable chemical companies in Europe and to reduce our emissions to zero by 2030. I can only be incredibly proud of all colleagues and partners who have contributed to us being able to sign these important agreements today .”
Process and next steps
A detailed process preceded the signing of the binding customized agreement. The intermediate steps, namely the declaration of intent (expression of principles) and the Joint Letter of Intent, have been made public in the meantime. The Joint Letter of Intent signed last year paved the way for further negotiations on binding agreements per project.
Marco Waas, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer at Nobian: ‘With these Custom Agreements, Nobian can electrify its salt production processes, accelerate reduction targets and also make significant savings on energy and water use, among other things. Now that there is clarity about the financing and the conditions, we can actually get to work together with everyone involved. This is good for society, but also provides clarity for our company and our investment agenda. The aim is to deliver the first project in 2027, all projects must be completed before 2030. We can’t wait to get started on this!”