Scholz is learning that it’s not easy going green

By William Wilkes and Kamil Kowalcze

2023.02.06

In the shadow of the decaying Ensdorf coal plant, Olaf Scholz met with businesses and political leaders on Wednesday to celebrate the site’s future as a chipmaking factory for electric vehicles. It was a promising sign for the German chancellor after a hectic week of pitching Europe’s economic powerhouse as it pivots away from energy-intensive old technologies.

“The fact that the good old days are gone doesn’t mean that the good new days can’t begin,” Scholz said at the event, which marked a $3 billion deal between auto supplier ZF Friedrichshafen and American semiconductor maker Wolfspeed Inc.