The Öresund Region – a Growth Centre for Environmental Technology Towards a Green Future - Ambitious and Serious Steps in the Öresund Region
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The Öresund Region – A Growth Centre for Environmental Technology Towards a Green Future - Ambitious and Serious steps in the Öresund Region With this small brochure we hope to provide of biogas buses in the town of Kristianstad. We some examples of how seriously we regard the also provide examples of how the region’s com- challenge of climate change and the environ- bined heat and power plants are transforming ment in the Öresund Region. ordinary household refuse into green heat and electricity. At a time when the eyes of the world are tur- ned on Copenhagen during the International Many of these initiatives are at the outset as- Climate Change Conference, we have a uni- sociated with substantial investments. But, as que opportunity not merely to focus on Den- is clear from amongst others the Copenhagen mark and Copenhagen, but also to look at the Cleantech Cluster initiative, growth and envi- whole Öresund region. Regional cooperation ronmental improvements are far from being across the Öresund has become a shop win- incompatible. In fact, quite the contrary. dow, where the desire to take the problems of climate change and the environment seriously Common to these initiatives is the fact that they go hand-in-hand with a large number of inno- reflect the seriousness with which we in the vative environmental initiatives. Öresund region have tackled environmental challenges. We believe that we have prioritised We are, therefore, proud to be able to present correctly, and we are pleased that our region a small sample of the many ambitious projec- has become a growth centre for environmental ts which are running in the region. These ini- technology – a technology fuelled by our de- tiatives cover a wide field, from research into sire to face the future with a green conscience, algae production on the island of Lolland via aware that we have done what we could. the world’s biggest trial of intelligent electric vehicles on the island of Bornholm, to the use I hope you find this brochure informative. Jerker Swanstein Vibeke Storm Rasmussen President, The Öresund Committee Vice President, The Öresund Committee Mikael Stamming Director, Öresund Committee 2 Öresund Region – The Human Capital of Scandinavia The Öresund Region comprises Sweden´s Many international companies have establis- most southerly province of Skåne and the Da- hed a presence in the Greater Copenhagen nish islands of Sjælland (or Zealand as it is also area, lifting the city from 19th place in 2000 to known in English), Lolland, Falster and Born- seventh in 2005 in the world rankings of foreign holm. The geography embraces consideralble company establishments. diversity from small communities on Lolland and in eastern Skåne to the metropolis of Co- In Northern Europe the Öresund Region is an penhagen and other major population centres important transport hub and is alone in ranking such as Malmö, Helsingborg and Næstved. as a major international gateway. Copenhagen International Airport is the largest in Northern With 3.7 million inhabitants the Öresund Re- Europe with direct flights to more than 120 de- gion is the largest and most densely populated stinations. metropolitan area in the Nordic countries with a quarter of the aggregate populations of Den- In 2007 a total of 9.7 million railpassengers mark and Sweden. crossed the narrow sound that separates Swe- den and Denmark. Every working day approx- Here you will find the greatest concentration imately 20,000 people commute between their of highly educated workers in the whole of homes and their work on the other side of the Northern Europe: 30.8 percent of the workfor- water. ce has studied at institutions of further educa- tion. The Öresund Region has a well-deserved Since 1993 the Öresund Committee is a fo- reputation for education and research with 12 rum for voluntary political cooperation. The universities and university colleges, 155,000 Committee promotes regional cross-border students, 6,500 Ph.D. students, 12,000 resear- cooperation and ensures that due regard is chers, 4,000 foreign students and an active col- paid to the interests of the Öresund Region by laboration with 800 other universities worldwi- the nations´parliaments, the Swedish Riks- de. dag and the Danish Folketing. The Öresund Committee is the “embassy” of the region. The Öresund Region generates 26 percent of the combined GDP of Sweden and Denmark. www.oresundskomiteen.dk 3 Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster – uniting growth and green progress Already a global leader in eco-friendly production systems and Swedish biotech companies. Expectations are similarly and green technology, Copenhagen is bidding to go one high for the new cleantech cluster. step further as an international hub for clean technology. The Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster is a new initiative ai- The aim is to stimulate creation of 1,000 new jobs by 2014 med at bringing together more than 200 eco-friendly com- and to establish the cluster as one of the three most suc- panies and knowledge-based organisations from around cessful cleantech hubs worldwide. Achieving these targets the world. would numerous climate and environmental gains. Nicolai Sederberg Rottbøll, of investment promotion or- Green technoloGy exports ganisation Copenhagen Capacity, says the ambition is for Though relatively small in global terms, Denmark is no min- Copenhagen and the island of Zealand to become a global now in green technology. Yet Rottbøll stresses that Danish growth centre for clean technology. cleantech know-how will have little global impact if it stays within the country’s borders. Denmark, he says, needs to Together with partners including DI, Copenhagen Universi- export more of its cleantech knowledge and technology. ty, Scion DTU and Risø DTU, Copenhagen Capacity is inves- “We’re really good at cleantech and that’s why Danish en- ting 162 million Danish kroner in the venture – Denmark’s vironmental technology is so popular abroad. When Danish largest-ever cleantech investment. companies develop cleaner production techniques they export them immediately to international markets, and it’s GettinG thinGs done there that we can evaluate their potential impact on the What, then, is cleantech? global environment.” Initially, Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster is focusing on att- “We define it in broad terms,” Rottbøll explains. “Cleantech racting businesses in areas where Denmark is already a is a general term for all companies that take active and strong global player, such as intelligent electricity distribu- measurable steps to minimise their resource use and en- tion, energy-smart construction, biofuels and fuel cells. vironmental and climate footprints during the production process. There’s no single definition – we evaluate compa- expansion in Öresund nies on a case-by-case basis.” The cluster was initially conceived as a purely Danish ini- tiative, but the organisers are now considering expanding it The cluster seeks to encourage cleantech firms to look to across the Öresund Strait. Copenhagen by offering them a single entry point where they can gain an overview – and access to – a wide range of “We’re in ongoing discussions with public and private com- networks, partners, research projects and business opp- panies in Skåne that are interested in being part of this,” ortunities. Rottbøll says. “Expansion is absolutely not out of the ques- tion; we see a lot of potential there.” Modelled on Medicon Valley So far, 70 public and private enterprises – including DONG The Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster models itself partly on Energy, Novozymes, Haldor Topsøe, Vestas, Siemens and Medicon Valley, the highly successful network of Danish Better Place – have shown interest in joining the project. 4 facts • Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster was formally launched at the • The project partners are investing a total of 40 million Danish Nordic Climate Solutions conference in Copenhagen’s Bella kroner, with the Capital Region of Denmark and Vækstforum Centre on 9 September 2009. Sjælland regional bodies investing an additional 40 million • DONG Energy chief executive officer Anders Eldrup is chair- kroner and the European Union Structural Funds expected to man of Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster. contribute a further 80 million kroner. blomberg 5 viktoria : oto F facts • The Scandinavian Shuttle forms part of the EU’s Marco Polo • Øresund Logistics and Øresund Environment Academy are Programme. The programme distributes between €20 and behind the Scandinavian Shuttle project. Also included in the €30 million per annum to projects promoting green transport project are the Swedish Logistics business UBQ, the Dutch and eliminating heavy traffic from roads. The background is a operator Van Dieren and the research centre Next Generation marked rise in freight transports within the EU. Innovative Logistics, NGIL, at the University of Lund. 6 The Scandinavian Shuttle: Green freight transport between Germany and Sweden The Öresund Region is the area of Scandinavia through Better than expected which most trucks pass on their way to and from other The project, which was launched in the summer of 2006 countries. Congestion and traffic accidents are a part of and runs until 2010, has been a success despite the finan- everyday life – but the environment also suffers from the cial crisis and the decline in the need for transport, reports need of the transport sector for oil and from the resulting Patrik Rydén, Director of Øresund Logistics – one of the CO2 emissions. parties behind Scandinavian Shuttle. With the EU supported project The Scandinavian Shuttle comes proof, however, that a green and stable alternative “We have met with considerable interest on the part of does exist. By 2010 the scheme will have eliminated more businesses with a strong desire to raise their profiles in than 100,000 truck transports from our roads. green transport. This has meant that our goal of elimi- nating 100,000 truck transports from our roads over four The four-year trial involves transferring freight from trucks years appears to be succeeding beyond all expectations.