Eight billion euros for climate protection projects in North Rhine-Westphalia - NRW.BANK takes stock after ten years of Green Bond

Eight billion euros for ecological projects and 25 million tonnes of carbon dioxide saved – this is the result of ten years of the NRW.BANK.Green Bond. Since 2013, the promotional bank for North Rhine-Westphalia has placed a total of 14 Green Bonds. At the time, it was the first regional promotional bank in Europe to issue a Green Bond.

“Our Green Bonds have been a real success story since their launch. We are thus making an important contribution to the transition towards a climate-neutral North Rhine-Westphalia,” says Michael Stölting, Member of the Managing Board of NRW.BANK. “The high level of transparency and the high quality standards of the bond convinced investors right from the start. As a pioneer, we were able to create momentum in the market.”

NRW.BANK’s Green Bonds help to realise more climate-friendly projects in North Rhine-Westphalia that comply with the EU taxonomy for sustainable investments – and at very favourable conditions.

For the conversion of the River Emscher alone, the largest water management project in the EU and the largest infrastructure project in North Rhine-Westphalia, NRW.BANK has so far provided almost two billion euros through its Green Bonds. The positive effects of the project are clearly noticeable in the region: Life is returning to the river and its banks, and biodiversity is increasing. The Emscher region is now better able to cope with extreme weather events thanks to newly created floodplains, additional infiltration areas and the creation of the Phoenix lake, which can temporarily store large volumes of water. At the same time, the quality of life along the river has improved significantly.

Other projects financed by the bonds include the Gescher Community Wind Farm, emission-free trains and buses for public transport companies, and the Lichtenau Climate Campus, a renovated school that now runs largely without fossil fuels.

The effectiveness of the investments is demonstrated by an analysis by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy (WI). According to its calculations, the projects refinanced under the NRW.BANK.Green Bonds have so far saved greenhouse gases equivalent to around 25 million tonnes of CO₂.

Each year, NRW.BANK issues up to two Green Bonds every. Until 2021, the volume per bond was 500 million euros. Since 2022, NRW.BANK has issued two Green Bonds with a volume of 1.0 billion euros each.

For more information on the NRW.BANK.Green Bond, visit https://www.nrwbank.de/en/about-us/investor-relations/green-bonds/. To learn more about sustainability at NRW.BANK, see https://www.nrwbank.de/en/about-us/sustainability/.

Media contact:

Caroline Fischer, Press Officer

Phone: +49 211 91741-1847, e-mail: presse@nrwbank.de

NRW.BANK - the promotional bank for North Rhine-Westphalia

NRW.BANK is the promotional bank of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). In close partnership with its owner, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Bank supports people, companies and public authorities with a wide range of promotional instruments – from low-interest loans and equity financing to advisory services and grants. It cooperates with its financing partners, in particular all banks and savings banks, on a competition-neutral basis.

The promotional fields of NRW.BANK are “Economy”, “Housing” and “Infrastructure/Municipalities”. In order to accelerate the transformation processes, the promotional bank provides effective promotional impulses – for a sustainable, climate-neutral and digital North Rhine-Westphalia.

NRW.BANK finances its financial and advisory services largely from its own income and thus independently of the state budget. As of December 31, 2022, its total assets amounted to 159.9 billion euros. NRW.BANK has more than 1,500 employees at two locations in Düsseldorf and Münster.

Follow us on our social media channels: