Baden-Württemberg currently no longer has any larger industrial areas in which to locate larger industrial factories. There are currently no areas of more than 100 hectares available and only four areas with a size of 50 to 100 hectares, as can be seen from a response published in Stuttgart by the Ministry for Regional Development and Housing to a request from the FDP parliamentary group.
Between 2010 and 2021, industrial and commercial space in the southwest increased by 13 percent to 74,832 hectares. Identifying new areas is difficult because the southwest is sometimes densely populated and the attractiveness always depends on the local infrastructure.
The FDP politician Erik Schweickert said: “The former economic model state of Baden-Württemberg is being left behind!” The next Tesla or Intel will go somewhere else. This is why we finally need an active commitment from the state government: strategic area planning, support for municipalities in area planning and a new state development plan quickly.
Green-Black is currently in the process of setting the course for this. The key points will be presented in the coming weeks. The plan coordinates the various requirements for living, energy production, local supply, business, leisure or nature.
Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) made the settlement of companies a top priority last year. According to the State Ministry, the state’s own economic development agency supports 150 companies that are interested in locating there. Most of these settlements will initially result in investments and job creation in the small to medium-sized sector.
According to previous information, Cellcentric wants to locate a planned fuel cell factory in Weilheim/Teck, Swabia. The joint venture between Daimler Truck and Volvo wants to develop alternative drives for heavy trucks there. In the transition from combustion engines to new drives, Daimler Truck is relying on batteries and fuel cells.
State parliament inquiry
