Credit: Claire Droppert
Energy & Industry
Linchpin of
north-western Europe.
Centre of Europe
Rotterdam has traditionally played a pivotal role in north-western Europe as an importer of fossil fuels and producer of energy and chemical products. An extensive network of pipelines and other modalities connect the port directly to Antwerp and the Rhine-Ruhr area. Consequently, Rotterdam has a strong influence on oil product pricing.
The industry-energy complex generates about €10.5 billion in added value and provides employment for 54,000 people. This puts Rotterdam’s chemical cluster on the same footing as Houston, Singapore and Shanghai.
An integrated industry cluster
If you want efficiency and collaboration, Rotterdam is the right place for you. Energy producers, refineries and producers of chemical products all work shoulder to shoulder here. Over the years, the players in the industrial cluster have jointly implemented far-reaching process integration. For example, the oil refineries supply raw materials to the chemical industry, while various chemical companies deliver semi-finished products to other parties. Tank storage, industrial gases, heat, steam, waste water treatment and electricity are further areas where companies collaborate and exchange knowledge.
As a result, Rotterdam is characterised by a strongly integrated industry cluster that paves the way for shared competitive advantages.
First sustainable industry complex in the world
In the coming decades, Rotterdam’s industry complex will reinvent itself as large regional players act to realise their well-publicised ambition of becoming the first sustainable industry complex in the world. This makes Rotterdam the new hot spot for sustainably processing, producing, storing and distributing raw materials and chemical products.
And a centre of renewable energy and fuels that are both environmentally friendly and climate-neutral. Investors and producers of sustainable solutions are welcome to contribute to realising the region’s ambitions.
