Mercedes-Benz Continues Drive Towards Carbon Neutrality with Wind Farm Project
Mercedes-Benz has announced its plans to construct a wind farm at its test track in Papenburg, northern Germany. The company has awarded a long-term contract worth hundreds of millions of Euros to German energy park developer Umweltgerechte Kraftanlagen GmbH & Co. KG (UKA) to erect approximately 20 wind turbines by the middle of the decade. The project aims to bolster the expansion of wind energy in Germany while actively supporting the use of onshore wind power.
The planned wind farm will have a capacity exceeding 120 MW, and will be operational on the Mercedes-Benz test track site under a power purchase agreement (PPA). The agreement is sufficient to cover around 20 percent of the annual electricity requirements of Mercedes-Benz Group AG in Germany. Furthermore, the installation of photovoltaic systems on the test track is also being considered, adding to the company’s sustainability commitments by using renewable energy sources.
The wind farm project is scheduled to begin the approval process before the end of this year. If it receives the necessary regulatory approvals, construction of the wind turbines could commence as early as next year, with the wind farm expected to become operational in 2026.
Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Production and Supply Chain Management, expressed the company’s pride in contributing to the expansion of wind energy in Germany. He emphasized Mercedes-Benz’s goal to cover the energy needs of its global production network entirely with renewable energies by 2039, thereby achieving a carbon-neutral status. Burzer stated, “We are systematically gearing our locations up for this.”
The Papenburg test track, covering approximately 800 hectares, has been an integral part of Mercedes-Benz’s research and development activities since 1998. The introduction of the wind farm project not only expands Mercedes-Benz’s green power portfolio but also demonstrates its active support for onshore wind energy expansion in Germany. The planning and implementation of the wind farm project are being carried out in close collaboration with local authorities and stakeholders.
Reducing CO₂ emissions is a primary objective for Mercedes-Benz, aiming to halve emissions per passenger car over the entire lifecycle by the end of this decade, compared to 2020. The company plans to achieve this through various means, including electrification of its vehicle lineup, charging vehicles with green electricity, advancements in battery technology, and extensive use of recycled materials and renewable energies in production.
Since the beginning of 2022, Mercedes-Benz’s wholly owned worldwide production plants have been operating with a neutral CO₂ balance. Currently, 45% of the total energy consumption in production is powered by renewable electricity sources. The company intends to increase the share of renewable energies in its own production locations to 70% by 2030 by expanding on-site generating capacity.
To achieve this, Mercedes-Benz is focusing on installing solar panels (photovoltaic systems) at its own locations, with plans to install up to 140 megawatts peak (MWp) by 2025, the equivalent of one million square meters of new solar panels.
The company’s energy strategy also includes expanding the energy portfolio to incorporate wind energy from onshore and offshore wind farms. Mercedes-Benz aims to operate all its production plants worldwide with renewable energies and achieve a carbon-neutral status by 2039.
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