Alternative energies - SPD calls for more commitment to regional development
Schleswig-Holstein's SPD-Faction has demanded more engagement from the black-green state government for the regional development around the construction site of Northvolt's battery factory, the Swedish company. "The project can only become a long-term success if the state government of Dithmarschen does not leave it alone now," said Serpil Midyatli, the SPD faction chair, during a visit to the factory in Heide on a Wednesday.
According to Northvolt's assessment, the project will not only contribute to strengthening the industrial location and make a significant contribution to the mobility transition, but it will also create 3000 new jobs. "That's also 3000 people who will live somewhere with their families and whose children will need a kindergarten or school starting in 2026," Midyatli added.
This brings great challenges for housing construction. Therefore, the land must enable municipalities to purchase the necessary plots for infrastructure development. The Social Democrat emphasized: "The financial resources must now be made available without lengthy and complicated application procedures."
In this context, regional planning must also be fair to the project. According to Midyatli, for example, planned cuts in city development grants should be reversed, so that the municipalities have security.
Already in early June, economic associations had called for more tempo in regional development. Although the groundwork for the billion-dollar project was making good progress, essential prerequisites for the region as a whole to benefit from the major project had not yet been created, they explained at the time. The Industry and Commerce Chamber Flensburg, the Unterelbe-Westküste Business Association, and the Chamber of Crafts Dithmarschen.
- The SPD faction in the state government of Schleswig-Holstein has urged more involvement for regional development around Northvolt's battery factory, a Swedish company located in Dithmarschen, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts to ensure long-term success.
- Serpil Midyatli, the SPD faction chair, highlighted the potential impact of the battery factory during a visit to the factory in Heide, stating that the project will create 3000 new jobs and necessitate housing construction, as well as essential infrastructure development for the families moving to the area by 2026.
- Midyatli underscored the necessity for municipalities to acquire suitable plots for infrastructure development, calling for Swiftly granted financial resources without time-consuming and intricate application procedures.
- In addition to ensuring financial resources, Serpil Midyatli also argued for fair regional planning that would address the needs of the battery factory project and protect the municipalities' interests, such as stopping proposed cuts in city development grants, providing security for the municipalities.
- Economic associations, including the Industry and Commerce Chamber Flensburg, the Unterelbe-Westküste Business Association, and the Chamber of Crafts Dithmarschen, had previously demanded a faster pace for regional development, expressing concerns that essential conditions for the region as a whole to fully benefit from the billion-dollar project had yet to be established.
