Two Vattenfall solar parks in Schleswig-Holstein are expected to supply the Essen-based specialty chemicals company Evonik with around 120 gigawatt hours of electricity annually from next year. Both companies have concluded corresponding contracts with firmly agreed conditions and a term of ten years, as the energy company Vattenfall announced.
The annual amount of electricity roughly corresponds to the consumption of 40,000 two-person households and displaces more than 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year in the German electricity mix. One solar park is located south of Flensburg in Silberstedt, details about the second location will follow shortly.
“Already, around 35 percent of Evonik’s externally purchased electricity worldwide comes from renewable sources,” said Evonik CEO Thomas Wessel. Thanks to the new agreements, this share clearly exceeds the 50 percent mark. Evonik says it wants to have switched completely to green electricity by 2030.
Renewable energies in Europe: Germany as a pioneer
Vattenfall board member Martijn Hagens emphasized: “Germany is the fastest growing market for renewable energies in Europe.” Accordingly, the company sees diverse growth opportunities for the development and marketing of solar, on- and offshore projects. “The electricity partnership with Evonik underlines the long-term goal we are pursuing at Vattenfall: enabling a fossil-free life along entire value chains.”
According to the information, both companies expect this cooperation to provide investment security, security of supply with green electricity and risk spreading for both sides. The Swedish state-owned company Vattenfall says it has around 20,000 employees and around 14 million customers, mainly in Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Great Britain. The chemical company Evonik has around 34,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries.
