The merchants of the Hanseatic League were aware of the mercantile advantages of the Rostock region between Berlin, Copenhagen, Hamburg, and Szczecin as long ago as the 13th century. Today, the Rostock city and state remains a vitally important commercial hub for the Baltic region and Scandinavia. The Rostock region’s numerous locational advantages also provide excellent potential along the entire value chain of the developing energy port cluster as well as Rostock’s thriving maritime research and development environment.
Location Advantages
From Rostock it is possible to reach the entire German market by land and rail. The city’s water networks allow swift access to Scandinavia and the Baltic states allowing these and the Polish market to be easily served. The trimodal port of Rostock also offers multiple ferry and feeder connection services to Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp and further afield.
The city and district of Rostock scores with the availability of fully developed sites in proximity to Rostock Port with its planned hub for climate-neutral energy sources including green hydrogen. Commercial and industrial sites in the Rostock region provide the optimal infrastructure for, amongst other things, the expansion of production and supplier structures in the offshore wind industry.
Marine and maritime research activities are served well by the Ocean Technology Campus Rostock. Many innovation and start-up centers as well as research institutions and networks have established themselves in the vicinity of the University of Rostock.
Business Case: Energy Port Rostock Industry Cluster
There are a number of attractive business and industry sites awaiting you in Rostock city and state. The Energy Port Rostock industry cluster provides optimal conditions for companies in renewable energy, hydrogen technology, ammonia, and industrial production.
The Energy Port Rostock plans to map out the complete hydrogen value chain including the import, handling and storage. A green hydrogen production facility – with electrolysis capacity of more than 1,000 MW – will be built in the seaport by 2030. An existing ammonia pipeline connects the port with the Poppendorf industrial site. From 2028 onwards, a new hydrogen pipeline will connect the port of Rostock with the repurposed natural gas grid near Lubmin. This will create a direct connection to the consumption centers in Berlin and Brandenburg as well as the chemical sites in Saxony-Anhalt including Leuna.
A new research campus for underwater technologies is also being built in Rostock. The new “Digital Ocean Lab,” consisting of a land-based operations center and underwater test area, will develop new technologies including diving robots, underwater drones, control systems, and image recognition systems.
The greater Rostock region also boasts a number of other attractive business and industry park sites for international businesses seeking to set up operations in Germany.
Contact the Taskforce Transformation team to find out more about other attractive business cases and market opportunities in Rostock City and State.
