1.6 billion euros for the renaturation of the Emscher and Lippe rivers

NRW.BANK supports measures of the Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband water management associations, NRW.BANK is pushing ahead with the renaturation of the Emscher and Lippe rivers.

A total amount of 1.6 billion euros will be made available to the Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband water management associations under the new promotional credit line “NRW.BANK.Grüne Emscher-Lippe”. The money will enable the two associations to finance investments in the sustainable development of water management in the Emscher-Lippe region.

“The restoration of the natural habitats along the Emscher and Lippe rivers is one of the largest sustainability projects in North Rhine-Westphalia,” says NRW.BANK Managing Board member Dietrich Suhlrie. “By launching the new programme, we want to make our contribution to ensuring that the measures are pursued with determination and that the Emscher-Lippe region is made more climate-resistant.”

High financing requirements

Over the next five years, the financing requirements of the two water management associations will total an estimated 3.2 billion euros. As of the end of the year, NRW.BANK will fund about half of this amount. A major portion of the money will be used to implement a new sewage system for the Emscher and its tributaries, e.g. to build underground sewer systems. These investments will help create new habitats for animals and plants as well as new areas for water to seep away during heavy rainfall and cool fresh air oases for hot summers. For humans, the renaturated areas will serve as recreational areas and form guiding structures in the open landscape.

Tailor-made conditions and taxonomy compliance

The funds will be disbursed in the form of individual loans. The advantages of “NRW.BANK.Grüne Emscher-Lippe” include long maturities and fixed interest rates for 10, 20 and, for the first time, 30 years. This gives the associations greater planning certainty. Another new feature of the programme are forward loans, which allow the borrowers to secure the currently low market interest rates for the future. It is also NRW.BANK’s first programme that is fully compliant with EU taxonomy, which means that the Bank will use “NRW.BANK.Grüne Emscher-Lippe” to fund only those projects that meet the currently known criteria of the new European classification system for sustainable economic activities. The previous state programmes “Sonderförderung Emscher” and “Förderung des Emscherumbaus” will be discontinued after the launch of “NRW.BANK.Grüne Emscher-Lippe”. The promotional funds will be available to the associations as of the end of the year until the end of 2027.

Combining structural change and sustainability

“In NRW.BANK, we have a strong and reliable partner by our side,” says Prof. Dr. Uli Paetzel, Chairman of the Managing Board of Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband. “All the projects related to the two rivers and their tributaries have clearly changed the face of our region over the past decades. They stand for structural change and sustainability.”

About NRW.BANK

NRW.BANK is the promotional bank of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Its mission is to support its owner – the state of North Rhine-Westphalia – in the completion of its structural and economic policy tasks. In its three promotional fields “Economy”, “Housing” and “Infrastructure/Municipalities”, NRW.BANK uses a wide range of promotion tools – from low-interest promotion loans to equity financing to advisory services. It cooperates with all banks and savings banks based in NRW on a competition-neutral basis. NRW.BANK takes into account the existing offers by the Federal Government, the North Rhine-Westphalian government and the European Union in the arrangement of its promotion.

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