Mercedes-Benz builds its own wind farm in Germany

Mercedes-Benz has started building its own wind farm at a test track in Papenburg, northern Germany.

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By 2027, 20 turbines with a total capacity of 140 MW will be installed on an area of around 800 hectares. It is estimated that this volume will be sufficient to cover up to 20 per cent of the annual electricity needs of Mercedes-Benz Group AG in Germany. The project is being realised jointly with UKA (Umweltgerechte Kraftanlagen GmbH Co. KG) under a long-term energy supply contract for 25 years.

The turbines will be supplied by German manufacturer Nordex, while the concrete bases and elements for the 164 metre high towers will be supplied by Max Bögl Wind AG.

According to Joerg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for production, quality and supply chain, the new wind farm will be an important part of the company's sustainability strategy, enabling tangible environmental and economic benefits to be achieved.

The project is also of strategic importance to UKA: according to Managing Partner Gernot Gauglitz, the wind farm at the Mercedes-Benz site is the flagship project in a portfolio of more than 1.5 GW of projects under construction in Germany.

From 2022, Mercedes-Benz's own production sites will operate with a zero carbon footprint in terms of direct emissions (net carbon-neutral). By 2030, the company plans to source more than 70 per cent of its energy consumption in production from renewable sources, including solar and wind power plants at its own sites. The long-term goal is to switch to 100 per cent renewable energy for all plants worldwide.

Source: Mercedes-Benz