11 November 2025
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Press release

The Province of Zeeland and Smart Delta Resources (SDR) jointly presented the proposition document Zeeland and the Importance of the Clean Industrial Deal. This took place during the Zeeland dinner in Brussels, where Members of the European Parliament, representatives of the European Commission, Zeeland administrators, and the Zeeland industry came together. With this plan, Zeeland aims to be an example of sustainable and strong industry in Europe. The region has a strategic location, broad expertise, and a large and varied energy supply. This enables Zeeland to play an important role in the transition to a climate-neutral industry in Europe.

Goal of the Clean Industrial Deal

The Clean Industrial Deal, a proposal from the European Commission, aims to make European industry stronger, more competitive, and cleaner. This helps Zeelands energy-intensive industry to:

  • emit less CO₂,
  • preserve jobs and economic value,
  • be less dependent on countries outside Europe.
“The Zeeland industry wants and must meet the goal of being CO2-neutral by 2050,” says Deputy Jo-Annes de Bat. “With this handover, we show that action is needed now and that sustainability, economic growth, and can go well together.”

Strengths of Zeeland

With North Sea Port as a logistical hub between Paris, the Ruhr area, and Southern Europe, with more than 106,000 jobs in chemistry, fertilizers, and circular economy, and with direct access to offshore wind, nuclear energy, solar energy, and hydrogen, Zeeland has an exceptionally strong foundation for industrial sustainability.

The proposition shows concrete projects that can contribute significantly to the goals of the Clean Industrial Deal in Zeeland:

  • Better electricity grids, such as a 380 kV connection to Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, allowing more sustainable energy to be used.
  • A hydrogen hub Zeeland, the largest hydrogen cluster in the Benelux.
  • Various pipeline projects for the transport of CO₂, hydrogen, and ammonia.
Our port and industrial cluster has been working across borders for years and has much to offer the EU in terms of sustainability, strategic autonomy, security, food security, and more. We count on Europes support and have spoken concretely about this today, so we remain attractive to companies, residents, and future generations,” says Maarten den Dekker, director of Smart Delta Resources.