The federal government promotes the green energy transition: 14.8 billion for coal alternatives!

The federal government promotes the green energy transition: 14.8 billion for coal alternatives!

Nowadays, the importance of sustainable energy supply is becoming increasingly clear. A central step to support this development has now been announced through an amendment to the STARK funding program (strengthening the transformation dynamics and new beginnings in the mining areas and at the coal-fired power plant sites). This program aims to promote private investments in alternative energies and thus ensure a climate-friendly and affordable energy supply.

Mona Neubaur, the Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, expressed her enthusiasm about the expansion of the STARK program. “I am very pleased that we have succeeded in expanding the federal government’s STARK program to include direct support for manufacturing companies,” she said. This will be an important incentive for the implementation of innovative projects that drive the transformation to a climate-neutral energy supply.

Funding rate and application details

The funding rate for companies varies depending on location and company size and is between 15 and 40 percent. This addresses both small and large companies that want to invest in the production of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps and electrolysers. In order to submit funding applications, companies have until December 6, 2024 to do so via VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH, which acts on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the STARK program is implemented particularly in the Rhenish district. The aim here is to actively support the transformation of the region, which was heavily dependent on coal-fired power generation.

Financial support and projects

The federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia are jointly investing more than 14.8 billion euros for the sustainable transformation of the Rhenish mining area. Currently, 205 projects with a funding volume of around 1.88 billion euros have already been approved. These investments come from federal funds as well as state funds and private sources. The 5-location program, which implements the structural aid of the Coal Regions Investment Act (InvKG), focuses primarily on the regions of Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen, Hamm, Herne and the Unna district in order to transform them into innovative and sustainable economic structures.

The federal government is providing up to 662 million euros for this, in addition to state funds, which can be used to support local cultural and economic structures. This clearly shows the desire to move the coal regions away from dependence on fossil fuels and towards a greener future.

For further information about the BMWK funding announcement, comprehensive details are available on the official websites to enable interested companies to have smooth access to the funding. Both the production and distribution of modules to generate renewable energy are the focus of this initiative, which aims for a profound change in energy production and use.