R20 and Renewable Energy Hamburg Cluster to develop wind power projects in emerging countries Foundation established by Arnold Schwarzenegger active worldwide

The “R20 - Regions of Climate Action Foundation” (R20), the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the Renewable Energy Hamburg Cluster signed a letter of intent to cooperate on wind farm projects in emerging countries. The R20 Foundation, established by former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, has already implemented projects with a total investment of several hundred million euros in emerging and industrial countries.

Arnold Schwarzenegger founded R20 as a non-profit organisation in 2010. Since then, the NGO has identified roughly 600 specific large-scale projects in waste management, renewable energy and energy efficiency, with a potential of approximately 2.5 billion US dollars, and already implemented many of them. Schwarzenegger also succeeded in convincing the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation to cooperate as a partner. Alexander Otto’s “Living City” Foundation played a major role in bringing the Hamburg initiative into being. The foundation’s director, Dr Andreas Mattner, is already a member of the management board of R20 for Europe.

R20’s goal is to help governments and organisations worldwide identify, prepare and finance sustainable energy and environmental projects. To achieve this, it launches local initiatives to pre-develop projects via feasibility studies until they are ready for bank financing with industry experts. Stakeholders from industry, planning and financing represented in the Renewable Energy Hamburg Cluster can participate in this in future. The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and Renewable Energy Hamburg want to support these activities in the wind energy sector with global and local wind energy companies from Hamburg and Hamburg-based scientists.

Dr Rolf Bösinger, Councillor in Hamburg’s Department of Economics, Transport and Innovation explains: “We see the initiative as an opportunity to attract a new, prestigious stakeholder for Hamburg as a business location with R20. In cooperation with our Renewable Energy Hamburg Cluster and its almost 200 members, we will be able to implement international wind energy projects in emerging countries.”

Jan Rispens, Managing Director of Renewable Energy Hamburg: “The R20 Foundation’s neutral and non-profit status makes conflict-free cooperation with governments, companies and investors possible. We will support it with our network’s over 25 years of wind energy expertise. We as the Renewable Energy Hamburg Cluster also wish to make an effective contribution to the energy transition in emerging countries too, and implement good wind projects.”

Dr Andreas Mattner, Member of the Board of Directors, R20 Foundation: “Hamburg is the wind energy capital of Europe. As a result, it was logical for these three strong partners to cooperate. I look forward to sharing the metropolitan region’s expertise with the world through our sustainability organisation “R20 - Regions of Climate Action”.”