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Danish business can reduce emissions and create 120,000 jobs, confederation says

The Confederation of Danish Industry (Dansk Industri, DI) says that it is possible to reduce the country’s climate impact while creating thousands of jobs and increasing prosperity.

Danish business can reduce emissions and create 120,000 jobs, confederation says
File photo: Bax Lindhardt/SP/Ritzau Scanpix

The organization, a private interest group made up of approximately 10,000 Danish companies, has released a new climate plan which targets a 65-70 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030.

That puts DI in tandem with the government’s stated goals on emissions reductions. The Social Democrat government wants a 70 percent reduction on 1990 emissions levels by 2030.

READ ALSO: Environmental organizations cheer 'historic' Danish climate goal

DI estimates that the plan could create as many as 120,000 jobs in the private sector, boosting Denmark’s economy by 110 billion kroner.

“Companies must, to a great degree, be at the forefront of developing the technology which will get us to the high climate targets,” DI CEO Lars Sandahl Sørensen said.

“Denmark has a tradition for creating energy efficiency and sustainable energy. We in Denmark can be a laboratory for the rest of the world in developing the technologies needed for a worldwide green conversion,” Sørensen continued.

The DI plan includes climate initiatives costing up to 16 billion kroner and 150 different political proposals.

That includes more consistent taxation of CO2 emissions and investment in efficient energy use in industry and in buildings.

DI also believes fossil fuel use in the transport sector can be phased out and that electric cars should be exempted from registration fees.

READ ALSO: Explained: Why is it so expensive to buy a car in Denmark?

Construction of two new offshore wind farms as well as new on-land solar and wind power facilities is also outlined.

The plan also includes a number of measures intended to help finance the climate-related projects.

Those include reforms to boost employment of those currently out of work, new graduates and skilled foreign labour.

Tax and finance measures would reward companies which invest in research and development, under DI’s climate plan.

The organization also states that some of what is referred to as a ‘buffer’ (‘råderum’) in state coffers could be spent to make the plan reality.

READ ALSO: 12 percent of Danish wind energy to be produced by giant new offshore farm

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BUSINESS

France’s EDF hails €10billion profit, despite huge UK nuclear charge

French energy giant EDF has unveiled net profit of €10billion and cut its massive debt by increasing nuclear production after problems forced some plants offline.

France's EDF hails €10billion profit, despite huge UK nuclear charge

EDF hailed an “exceptional” year after its loss of €17.9billion in 2022.

Sales slipped 2.6 percent to €139.7billion , but the group managed to slice debt by €10billion euros to €54.4billion.

EDF said however that it had booked a €12.9 billion depreciation linked to difficulties at its Hinkley Point nuclear plant in Britain.

The charge includes €11.2 billion for Hinkley Point assets and €1.7billion at its British subsidiary, EDF Energy, the group explained.

EDF announced last month a fresh delay and additional costs for the giant project hit by repeated cost overruns.

“The year was marked by many events, in particular by the recovery of production and the company’s mobilisation around production recovery,” CEO Luc Remont told reporters.

EDF put its strong showing down to a strong operational performance, notably a significant increase in nuclear generation in France at a time of historically high prices.

That followed a drop in nuclear output in France in 2022. The group had to deal with stress corrosion problems at some reactors while also facing government orders to limit price rises.

The French reactors last year produced around 320.4 TWh, in the upper range of expectations.

Nuclear production had slid back in 2022 to 279 TWh, its lowest level in three decades, because of the corrosion problems and maintenance changes after
the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hinkley Point C is one of a small number of European Pressurised Reactors (EPRs) worldwide, an EDF-led design that has been plagued by cost overruns
running into billions of euros and years of construction delays.

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