Lusatian Conference 2022: Staying the Course for Decarbonization in the Energy Crisis
Around 370 participants discuss current situation of industrial transformation | CDI looks back on one year of networking
Cottbus, November 11, 2022. The energy and raw materials crisis caused by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and raw materials crisis poses enormous challenges for German industry. All the more reason for the energy-intensive sectors to continue their course toward climate neutrality. For the industrial transformation, more speed is needed in the the energy transition, more cooperation and dialog in the stakeholder landscape, and not least innovative solutions for low-carbon production processes. This was the consensual core message of the Lausitz conference organized today by the Cluster Decarbonization of Industry (CDI). Around 370 participating experts from science, business and politics accepted the CDI's invitation. They addressed digitally as well as on site at the Messe Cottbus (Brandenburg), they explored the question of how industrial decarbonization can succeed under the current political framework conditions.
To kick off the conference, Michael Kellner, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), spoke in a video message for further energy transformation in the crisis in order to make Germany future-proof as an industrial location. "In addition to the issue of security of supply and affordability of electricity and gas, the greenhouse gas do not lose sight of greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. On the contrary - transformation is a core concern of the Federal Ministry of Economics. Through the switch to green energy sources, we are creating a win-win situation: we are avoiding avoid CO2 and at the same time are less dependent on fossil energy imports. The BMWK is providing intensive support for this transition at all levels and with several support programs Because decarbonizing our industry will be a game-changing competitive advantage in the next decade."
Dr. Georg Kobiela, industrial transformation officer at Germanwatch e.V., emphasized in his keynote address, the need to meet German climate protection targets in the current time of crisis. Dr. Tobias Fleiter of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI then turned his attention to the transformation paths necessary for a climate-neutral industry. Various inputs also shed light on the future of glass melting, the path of the chemical industry to CO2 neutrality, current legal issues in the gas shortage situation and the future of the energy market. Finally, all speakers discussed the success of the decarbonization process in an expert talk, in which Dr. Axel Bree discussed the success of decarbonization under the current difficult conditions.
"As a result of the conference, it became clear that the energy crisis has changed many coordinates in German industrial and economic policy that were thought to be secure, thus throwing original time schedules out of kilter. This external shock has made companies more aware again that the only way forward in the long term is climate neutrality in order to ultimately be independent of fossil energy imports," said Andreas Findeisen, Head of the Decarbonization of the Economy Cluster Coordination Office. With the symposium, the CDI also looked back on its first anniversary.
CDI looks back on one year of networking
The cluster celebrated its official founding at the last Lusatian conference in November 2021. The four founding members of the CDI are the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottbus-Senftenberg, the Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Energy Infrastructures and Geothermal Energy (IEG) and the Competence Center Climate Protection in energy-intensive industries (KEI), which also operates the CDI coordination office. The declared aim of the players is to provide technical and scientific support to energy-intensive industrial companies in the process of transforming their innovation and competitiveness by pooling their expertise.
In recent months, the interdisciplinary network has grown continuously and now includes more than 50 partners from all over Germany. These include energy-intensive companies - such as the chemical group BASF, the cement manufacturer Cemex and the steel producer Arcelor Mittal - as well as various scientific institutions and associations. The exclusive network meeting "CDI Summer Summit 2022" was held for the first time in Lusatia at the beginning of September. The technical work in the cluster on current issues of decarbonization has started in innovation groups on process heat and acceptance. This is supplemented by external expertise in the form of various studies that have already been commissioned.
Interesting facts about the cluster, its partners, and industry-specific news are available on the new CDI website: www.cluster-dekarbonisierung.de. There you will find relevant events in an interactive calendar of events, and soon there will also be Job offers from the partner companies. "For 2023, our cluster has set its sights high - especially with regard to international conference participation and European networking", CDI coordinator Findeisen explains.
Further information on the event can be found here: