Solar power for voestalpine sites in Styria

For voestalpine Tubulars, a subsidiary of the globally active steel and technology group voestalpine, solar energy from the roofs of the production halls at the Kindberg site is an important piece in the puzzle on the way to supplying energy from sustainable energy sources. VERBUND, Austria’s leading energy company and one of the largest producers of electricity from hydropower in Europe, built and commissioned the 7.38 MWp solar power plant.

Environmental awareness is firmly anchored in the corporate philosophy of voestalpine. Over the past three decades, the company has successfully reduced its CO2 emissions by around 20% to a technically feasible level through consistent process and plant optimisation. With greentec steel, voestalpine has a clear and ambitious plan for net-zero steel production by 2050. The economical use of raw materials and energy along the entire production chain and the minimisation of the environmental impact of processes and products are also among the sustainability goals of the steel and technology group. An important milestone in this context are the photovoltaic systems that are already producing solar power at a number of voestalpine sites. The photovoltaic systems on the roofs of the production halls in Kindberg represent important steps towards a sustainable energy supply. Further renewable energy generation projects are currently being planned.

Solar power with now investment costs, no risk

“As part of greentec steel, voestalpine is converting its steel production to green-electricity-based electric arc furnace technology. As a result, up to 30% of the Group’s annual CO2 emissions can be saved from 2027, corresponding to 5% of Austrian emissions per year. However, in order to achieve these ambitious goals, the energy supply must come from sustainable energy sources,” says Franz Kainersdorfer, member of the Executive Board of voestalpine AG and head of the Metal Engineering Division, explaining the basis for the transformation of steel production. “Together with the photovoltaic system that has now been handed over to VERBUND and installed on the roof of the seamless pipe rolling mill in Kindberg, the Kindberg site can now cover 28% of its energy requirements from locally generated renewable energy,” says Kainersdorfer.

Active, efficient, ecological

The decision to generate green electricity on the roofs of the innovative company was obvious. The solar power from the PV systems results in a reduction of about 420 tonnes of CO2 per year at the Kindberg site alone. The electricity flows directly into the processes and most of it is consumed on site.

Increasing numbers of industrial businesses rely on sustainable energy generation by using the roofs of their buildings to generate solar power. “The massive and rapid expansion of renewable electricity generation and the transformation of our energy system are the best and probably only chance to reduce our dependency on fossil energy imports, to counteract the uncertainties of the electricity market and to achieve our climate targets,” emphasises Michael Strugl, CEO of VERBUND AG. “Together with strong partners such as voestalpine, we are shaping a clean and safe energy future. With our photovoltaic operator model, our customers become co-creators of the energy transition and take an active role in the energy system.”