voestalpine is installing photovoltaic systems across the Group

25 January 2022 |

voestalpine has been regarded as an environmental and efficiency benchmark for many years. By installing photovoltaic systems covering a total area of around 310,000 m2 and generating an output of almost 61 MWp (megawatt peak) at its company sites, when it comes to power output and surface area, the international Group is setting new standards for sustainable in-house energy supplies. As a comparison, the systems generate sufficient green electricity to drive a convoy of 10,000 electric vehicles around the world once a year.

100,000 m2 of roof and open space is already covered by photovoltaic systems at the Austrian sites in Linz, Donawitz, Kapfenberg, and Krems, and more are currently being installed. Similar systems are already in operation at sites in Germany and the Netherlands. Capacity will also be expanded in Spain, the USA, and China.

We are very serious about protecting the climate and are implementing a range of different measures. voestalpine’s environmental expenditures have totaled EUR 2.4 billion over the past 10 years alone. The photovoltaics systems are another important milestone on our path to in-house green energy supplies.

Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG

greentec steel: clear plan to decarbonize steel production

By consistently optimizing its processes and plants, the Group has reduced its carbon emissions by around 20% over the past three decades, to almost the lowest level technically possible. Only a radical technological transformation will allow another significant reduction in these emissions. voestalpine has a clear plan to decarbonize steel production with greentec steel: using a hybrid technology, carbon emissions can be reduced by around 30% to 2030, and over the long term the Group’s goal is to successively increase the use of green electricity and green hydrogen in steel production, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. However, this depends upon sufficient availability of green electricity, in adequate quantities and at competitive prices.

Leading provider of substructures for photovoltaic and solar systems

voestalpine has been a leading provider in this segment for years, with its high-quality steel components and systems used to form the substructures for photovoltaic and solar systems. Now these high-quality special profiles are also being used in the photovoltaic installations at the Austrian sites.

The voestalpine Group

voestalpine is a globally leading steel and technology group with a unique combination of materials and processing expertise. voestalpine, which operates globally, has around 500 Group companies and locations in more than 50 countries on all five continents. It has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995. With its premium products and system solutions, it is a leading partner to the automotive and consumer goods industries as well as the aerospace and oil & gas industries; it is also the world market leader in railway systems, tool steel, and special sections. voestalpine is fully committed to the global climate goals, and its greentec steel program represents a clear plan for decarbonizing the production of steel. In the business year 2020/21, the Group generated revenue of EUR 11.3 billion, with an operating result (EBITDA) of EUR 1.1 billion; it had about 48,700 employees worldwide.