International "Energy Transition Platform" Kicked Off in North Rhine-Westphalia

To support highly industrialised, energy intensive states and regions in developing and implementing innovative climate policies internationally, Minister for Climate Protection Johannes Remmel started the "Energy Transition Platform" on 25 May. Besides co-initiator North Rhine-Westphalia, partner regions from across Europe, North America and Australia have joined the initiative, including Alberta, the Basque Country, California, Hauts-de-France, Lombardy, Minnesota, Silesia, South Australia, Upper Austria, and Wales. The Energy Transition Platform is part of the "Climate Group" and is funded by the government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Stiftung Mercator. The Climate Group brings together subnational government representatives from all over the world to form the States & Regions Alliance – a network to successfully exchange experiences and to have an influence on the international climate dialogue.

For this process of exchange and dialogue, the Wuppertal Institute conducted a case study on energy transition policies and models in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia for the Climate Group. The briefing paper shows that even though North Rhine-Westphalia faces peculiar challenges, it modernises the energy system and the industrial region systematically and intensively by making use of a multifaceted toolset. A proactive and long-term approach like this is key premise so that the upcoming transformation does not bring a hardly controllable break of structures in NRW and its regions and municipalities with it, but rather a step-by-step structural transformation that is designed by policies, economy and society.

The (German) full report is available for download online on the Climate Group's website; there is an English and a German briefing freely available as well.