Thyssenkrupp plant in Hagen will receive electricity directly from the wind farm

Thyssenkrupp Steel’s plant in Hagen (Tyssenkrupp Hohenlimburg) has become the first German industrial enterprise to be directly connected to a wind farm. This is stated in the company’s message.

Thanks to green energy from four new wind turbines installed by project partner SL NaturEnergie, the company can now cover 40% of its average annual electricity needs.

According to Mona Neubaur, Minister of Economy, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia, the opening of the wind farm is an important step towards the transformation to a climate-friendly industry.

“For the first time, an industrial plant will be directly supplied with green wind energy generated locally. I am confident that this innovative project will have a significant impact and will be a good example for other industrial companies,” she said.

According to the company, the green electricity project at the Tyssenkrupp Hohenlimburg plant has the potential to reduce 11% of CO2 emissions in the first phase, and there is room for further expansion.

The four wind turbines, each up to 160 meters high and with a rotor diameter of 138 meters, are connected to Tyssenkrupp Hohenlimburg’s facilities by a 3 km long line. The wind farm produces more than 55 million kWh annually, which allows most of this energy to be used directly without relying on the national grid. The surplus is only supplied to the group’s other facilities via the public grid in case of high wind speeds or reduced demand at the enterprise.

“The Hoenlemburg project is absolutely pilot in nature. The most effective way to combine new energy and industry is direct supply from a wind farm to an industrial facility. At the same time, it reduces the load on the national power grid,” says Klaus Schulze Langenhorst, founder and managing director of SL NaturEnergie.

According to him, the company wants this to become a standard in Germany, but the current energy legislation still contains numerous obstacles, so political decisions are needed again.

Thyssenkrupp Steel’s Hagen plant, which employs 1,000 people, produces hot-rolled precision steel strip. The company’s customers are primarily cold-rolled steel producers, the automotive industry and its suppliers, as well as sawmills and agricultural machinery.

Last fall, a wind power park in Austria (Styria) officially started operating to supply electricity to Voestalpine, a steelmaker.