Nobian, a European leader in salt, essential chemicals, and energy storage caverns is the first company to sign a tailor-made agreement with the Dutch government to accelerate CO₂ emission reductions, beyond regulatory requirements.

Sophie Hermans, Dutch Minister for Climate and Green Growth, and Chris Jansen, Dutch State Secretary for Public Transport, and the Environment, signed agreements with Michael Koenig, Nobian's CEO, on Thursday afternoon. The agreements will also be signed by the regional ministers of the provinces of Groningen, Overijssel and South Holland.

The projects represent a total investment by Nobian and the Dutch government of EUR 645 million, of which EUR 185 million in subsidies. The investments will contribute to both the accelerated sustainability of Nobian's production process and the retention of an important and strategic industrial value chain in the Netherlands.

The projects will enable Nobian to accelerate its climate targets by 10 years, to almost zero carbon emissions by 2030. This represents an annual reduction of more than 0.5 million tons of CO₂. Nobian will convert its salt production from natural gas to electricity. Other processes will become more energy efficient, and some residual streams will be re-used. In addition to carbon, the projects will significantly reduce nitrogen dioxide emission to the air and water usage in production, among other things.

The signing of the agreements with Nobian is the first time the Dutch government has entered into such an agreement. The tailor-made approach enables energy-intensive companies to reduce their CO₂ emissions significantly faster than the targets of the Dutch Climate Agreement.

Dutch Minister Sophie Hermans, for Climate and Green Growth, said: "A special milestone! Today we signed the first tailor-made agreements with Nobian. This is a big step towards our common goal: making the Netherlands more sustainable, preserving jobs and strengthening industry. With the tailor-made approach, we encourage companies to become more sustainable, to innovate, and to grow green faster. Nobian shows what is possible: carbon-neutral production in 2030, well ahead of the goals of the Dutch Climate Agreement. This process has provided us with valuable insights that will help in concluding similar agreements with other companies. Our industry is important for the Dutch economy: it provides jobs, makes our products, and reduces our dependence on foreign countries. But industry needs to be cleaner. Sustainability is the future - for companies and the Netherlands. With tailor-made solutions, we show that sustainability can and must happen here. This is how we build a strong and sustainable industry together.”

Michael Koenig, CEO of Nobian: ‘The signing of this tailor-made agreement is a true milestone for our company and for the Dutch government. That we can now start with this, is important for the success of the energy transition and is fully in line with our Grow Greener Together philosophy. As the largest producer of chemical transformation salt in Western Europe, Nobian extracts 90% of pure salt in the Netherlands, which plays a crucial role in the Dutch and European economy to produce essential chemicals and materials. Today, we underscore our ambition to be one of the most sustainable chemical companies in Europe and reduce our emissions to zero by 2030. I can only be very proud of all colleagues and partners who have contributed to enabling us to sign these important agreements today."