European Industry and Energy summit 2022 Recap

November 29 and 30 we hosted the bidder European Industry and Energy Summit. This time again completely live at Brightlands Chemelot Campus, for the first time since Covid. Common thread during the plenary and side events: speed, cooperation and use everything there is.

At the opening Loek Radix (Executive director Chemelot) warns that the Netherlands is at risk of de-industrialization. High energy prices are working their way from chemistry to the entire chain. This makes investors reluctant. To survive, it is a matter of Darwin’s survival of the fittest. ‘Everything is about adaptability, and Chemelot is well positioned for this. We make essential products that are important for the future of the world. Not what we do, but how we do it is important. Every household in the Netherlands has an average of 300 kg of product made at Chemelot. Without Chemelot there would be no industry in Europe.’

‘The question is: how can you ramp up faster? Can it be done smarter? We are keeping all options open, even looking at small nuclear reactors for high power industries.’

Dirk Smit, Chief Scientist Shell and VP Research & Strategy emphasizes that there are different visions of new energy. According to him, the trick is to bring them together in the energy transition. Until now, storage and transportation of renewable energy have been a problem. According to Smit, this can be solved by using chemical energy carriers and synfuels to transport energy.  ‘That is what the oil industry has been doing for the past 60 years. The infrastructure is already there. CCS can also be done with the existing infrastructure. The question is: how can you ramp up faster? Can it be done smarter? We are keeping all options open, even looking at small nuclear reactors for high power industries. Geothermal also has our interest, but we don’t expect miracles from it.’

Get started and be agile

Allard Casteleijn (CEO Port of Rotterdam) emphasizes the importance of speed. ‘Don’t look for the most beautiful solution, but get started and be agile. Sometimes you regret investments but that’s part of the game. There are an awful lot of developments at the moment. I’m worried that we can’t make the investments fast enough. Everything is about scale and speed.’ That is also the reason why the Delta Corridor does not go via Belgium. ‘There is already a pipeline in the Netherlands. We can build along that and that is the fastest. Eventually there will be branches to Belgium. If you want to do everything at once it becomes too complex.’