According to the Province of South Holland, the Municipality of Rotterdam, the Port Authority of Rotterdam, and Deltalinqs, the Wennink report offers a unique opportunity to secure the necessary economic growth of our country and strengthen the position of the Port of Rotterdam (and the Rotterdam region).
According to the Province of South Holland, the Municipality of Rotterdam, the Port Authority of Rotterdam, and Deltalinqs, the Wennink report offers a unique opportunity to secure the necessary economic growth of our country and strengthen the position of the Port of Rotterdam (and the Rotterdam region).
The investment climate in the Netherlands is under pressure. To safeguard the future earning capacity of our country, the outgoing Cabinet Schoof asked Peter Wennink (former CEO of ASML) for independent advice at the beginning of September.
According to the municipality, province, Port Authority of Rotterdam, and Deltalinqs, Wennink’s analysis is spot on and presents an excellent opportunity to jointly seize future opportunities for the Netherlands. “The recommendations from Wennink provide us with the building blocks to keep the Netherlands future-proof and to develop the Rotterdam mainport into the European hub for critical and circular raw materials, energy, and climate solutions, with a strong (chemical) industry,” said Arne Weverling, deputy of the Province of South Holland.
“With the proposed measures, new investments can be unlocked again and administrative processes can actually be accelerated. This will greatly help our Port of Rotterdam, and in my opinion, we must get started now,” said port alderman Robert Simons.
Lower energy costs, solve grid congestion and nitrogen issues
Wennink rightly points to the necessary preconditions to unlock billions in investments. The energy-intensive industry in the port must compete on the international market and currently faces much higher energy costs than surrounding countries. This urgently needs to be addressed according to Wennink. Grid congestion, nitrogen issues (which put billions in investments at risk), and lengthy administrative procedures also require urgent action, according to the former ASML CEO.
Victor van der Chijs, chairman of Deltalinqs: “At a regional level, we are already working with partners on a regional tailor-made approach at cluster level (Recharge Rotterdam) on which this report can build. We are also already working area-focused in line with the recommendations to address the nitrogen issues. We are fully ready and hope the new cabinet will quickly work with us to make the recommendations of Wennink a reality.”
Seize specific opportunities for Rotterdam
Wennink identifies four domains in his report where the Netherlands must become stronger (Digitization and AI; Health and Biotechnology; Security and Resilience; and Energy and Climate Technology). Rotterdam has excellent opportunities in several of these areas. Wennink rightly points to the importance of space for the port. Seaward, there are opportunities to create additional space for, among other things, the integration of renewable energy and hydrogen production. This can be well integrated into the existing energy system of the port. The national government and region have agreed to make a start decision for an exploration into space shortages and an impulse for the living environment of the Port of Rotterdam.
The Wennink report also mentions the development of an AI gigafactory in Europoort Rotterdam to strengthen the digital sovereignty and economic resilience of the Netherlands and the European Union. The Port Authority of Rotterdam is freeing up capacity for research into the effect of this factory on the current and future energy system in the port. In addition to these projects, Wennink mentions the realization of small-scale, local generation based on modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) in industrial clusters. This can also contribute to energy security and less grid congestion. Furthermore, Wennink mentions the importance of establishing strategic reserves of critical raw materials, for which the Port of Rotterdam has qualified storage facilities and the necessary expertise.
Investments in infrastructure and market protection needed
Some points still require extra attention from a new cabinet. Many of the visions outlined in the Wennink report can only be realized with good infrastructure. The current budget (both for maintenance and renewal of our waterways, railways, and highways) is by far insufficient for this. In addition, urgent work is needed on better (temporary) European market protection for the chemical industry (similar to steel), which is currently flooded with products from the Far East, threatening the basis for a circular economy and innovative chemistry.
Meindert Stolk, deputy for Economy and Innovation for our province, has participated in the Wennink sounding board group in recent weeks; “I sincerely hope that the recommendations and conclusions of Peter Wennink are not only embraced but also truly implemented.”
