In the shadow of the decaying Ensdorf coal plant, Olaf Scholz met with businesses and political leaders on Wednesday to celebrate the site¡¯s future as a chipmaking factory for electric vehicles. It was a promising sign for the German chancellor after a hectic week of pitching Europe¡¯s economic powerhouse as it pivots away from energy-intensive old technologies.
¡°The fact that the good old days are gone doesn¡¯t mean that the good new days can¡¯t begin,¡± Scholz said at the event, which marked a $3 billion deal between auto supplier ZF Friedrichshafen and American semiconductor maker Wolfspeed Inc.
The windswept site in Germany¡¯s tiny western Saarland region is, literally, half a world away from the South American capitals the 64-year-old toured last week. On Jan. 29, Scholz was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, securing access to that country¡¯s hydrogen resources. On Monday, he was in Santiago, Chile, negotiating lithium supply for German industry. Later that day he was in Brazil, unveiling a €200 million environmental package with money earmarked for renewable energy initiatives. On all these stops, the underlying message to corporate Germany and the wider world was the same: Berlin is open for business.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.