AFAIU a lot of the Ruhr valley region heavy industry has been built around coal. That can not be used in the future for climate reasons. This is true for iron r

AFAIU a lot of the Ruhr valley region heavy industry has been built around coal. That can not be used in the future for climate reasons. This is true for iron reduction and steel making around the world. And then there's all the other industry that supports that heavy industry. So if the heavy industry goes, some of that other industry also goes. Europe should have multiple strategies for dealing with it. Steel, fertilizers, plastics and aluminum all are still needed in the future. Iron reduction needs to move to a place where cheap electricity and iron ore are available. Cheap electricity won't be available in the Ruhr valley in the absence of nuclear power in the future. It's a lousy place for renewables. Spain and Portugal would be absolutely terrific for renewables. I don't know about mineral availability though. Iron reduction -> steel -> car bodies -> car accessories etc. I call it the industry refactoring.