German energy company RWE and steelmaker Salzgitter have finalized a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for up to 64 gigawatt hours of green electricity annually. The seven-year contract will start in 2027, with the electricity sourced from the Boitzenburger Land solar park in Brandenburg. This 180-megawatt solar park, covering approximately 170 hectares, is one of Germany’s largest photovoltaic systems and has been operational since autumn 2023.

 

The park is a joint venture between Solarenergie Boitzenburger Land GmbH, the GP JOULE Group, and Mainova AG, which handles the marketing of the electricity. Thanks to direct marketing through PPAs, the solar park operates without needing a feed-in tariff under the Renewable Energy Sources Act.

 

We are delighted to be able to support our long-standing customer Salzgitter in realising its sustainability strategy," says David Egyptien, Head of Commodity Solutions Germany & Benelux at RWE Supply & Trading. "The demand for CO2-free electricity supplies from renewable sources is growing strongly. With our energy solutions, we want to promote climate protection in all areas of the economy." 

 

Marco Hauer, Head of Energy Procurement at Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH: "Large quantities of greenhouse gases are currently still being released during conventional steel production. That is why we are driving forward the switch to a virtually CO2-free steel production process on a large scale. We are getting serious about green energy sources. By 2025, half of our electricity requirements will come from non-fossil sources, and by 2030 we want to be using 100% green electricity."