A radical transformation of the territory is announced at the beginning of the 2020s with new establishments and the emergence of different sectors compared to those that have shaped the last decades, very positive employment prospects, the construction of new infrastructures, the improvement of the living environment for residents. Dunkirk becomes the symbol of French decarbonized reindustrialization, with the emergence of new activities (Battery Valley) and the ambitious decarbonization programs of large industrial units established for a long time such as ArcelorMittal or Aluminium Dunkerque, two Seveso classified sites.
However, questions remain, both in terms of the very large amount of investments to be made, the workforce requirements, or the technical feasibility of the stated objectives. Some of the decarbonization technologies, in particular carbon capture, storage, and even recovery, are not spain phone number list yet mature and, above all, are very energy-intensive. Electricity production must also be increased, hence the project to build two new-generation EPRs (European Pressurized Reactors), which are scheduled to come into operation in... 2035, or even 2040, while the Gravelines site already has six nuclear reactors. The construction of an offshore wind farm is also planned, to come into operation in 2028, although with a lower production capacity.
Decarbonized reindustrialization, which is a strategic necessity, is not, however, without taking into account industrial risks. This is the case, for example, of gigafactories for the manufacture of electric batteries for motor vehicles. While the capacity to produce on the territory is a lever of sovereignty, these companies rely on technologies that can present risks in terms of explosion and fire requiring innovative safety measures. Currently, there are 26 Seveso sites in the Dunkirk region, including sites under construction, knowing that Hauts-de-France is ranked second nationally in terms of the number of high-threshold Seveso sites.