Tax emissions and spend tax revenues on “the green transition”. This is what Northvolt’s controversial founder Peter Carlsson writes in an opinion piece today.

In Dagens industri, Peter Carlsson warns against listening to “economists and opinion makers” who express distrust in investments in battery factories, green steel, and similar multi-billion projects.

Instead, the Northvolt founder, on the contrary, wants to allocate even more tax money to “the green transition”, where he writes about “using emission taxation to create greater capability in investments”.

Scaring with the USA and China

Peter Carlsson was one of the founders of Northvolt in 2015 and was its CEO for many years. Today, ten years later, the battery manufacturer faces both production and economic challenges.

In October, one of Northvolt’s subsidiaries went bankrupt, and the following month, Carlsson stepped down as CEO. He and other Northvolt executives have been criticized for earning multi-million amounts from their shares in the company, while taxpayers, investors, and suppliers have lost billions.

READ MORE: Executives left collapsing Northvolt with millions in their pockets

Despite the criticism, Peter Carlsson believes it is necessary to continue spending money on companies like Northvolt to save the world from an impending climate catastrophe. And he warns that if Europe does not do so, the USA and China will surpass us.

“We must realize that transition takes time, requires a lot of capital, and needs to have a long-term perspective that allows tough economic times with temporary changes in the companies’ conditions”, writes the Northvolt founder and continues:

“We will regret in the future if we do not invest to create a strong green industry in Europe.”

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