TenneT and Siemens Energy signed an agreement to reduce their carbon footprint at the Siemens transformer plant in Nuremberg on July 24.
Strategic partnership for CO2 reduction
The aim of the partnership is to reduce the CO2 emissions of TenneT and Siemens Energy in their value chain by 30% by 2030. To achieve this goal, the two energy companies are focusing on innovative technologies, decarbonization of manufacturing processes and recycling of materials along their value chain.
Comments on the strategic partnership
Tim Meyerjürgens, COO of TenneT, says: “This partnership with Siemens Energy is a significant step towards a more sustainable future. Together we can gradually exploit the potential of the circular economy and develop a more climate-neutral product range. This expansion of the product portfolio is urgently needed to meet the high demand on the market for technical components such as transformers. This initiative will not only help us to drive forward grid expansion and keep costs under control, but also make an important contribution to climate protection.”
Tim Holt, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens Energy, says: “In the global race against climate change, our efforts to expand the grids must be accompanied by determined efforts to decarbonize these grids. Only together can we achieve our climate and sustainability goals. That's why partnerships like this one with TenneT are so important. Today's signing is another important step in the fight against climate change.”
Backbone of the energy transition
The extra-high-voltage grid is the backbone of the energy transition, transporting the electricity generated from renewable energies to electricity consumers. By expanding the grid, it will be possible to integrate more wind and solar energy into the grid and thus replace fossil fuels. To achieve this, the electricity grid at transmission and distribution grid level must be brought up to date as quickly as possible, which makes modernization and expansion of the power lines and substations urgently necessary. Grid expansion is a crucial step in enabling the transition to a sustainable and climate-neutral energy future. This means that the expansion of the electricity grid is already contributing to climate protection targets per se.
At the same time, electricity grid operators require a large number of technical components for the expansion of their grids, such as steel pylons, aluminum conductors, underground cables with copper cores and transformers. By 2045, around 12,000 km of grid expansion and 73 new substations are planned for a climate-neutral grid in TenneT's transmission grid alone. A further 16 substations need to be modernized. In view of the huge grid expansion projects, more sustainable production of the necessary resources can also contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Recycling raw materials with an intelligent circular economy
In addition, raw materials such as steel, copper, aluminum, concrete and plastics for the energy transition are becoming increasingly scarce. In order to meet the high demand on the market, the industry is increasingly focusing on recycling materials that have already been used in the sense of a circular economy. TenneT and Siemens Energy have therefore set themselves the goal of improving their carbon footprint by promoting climate-neutral supply chains and expanding the product portfolio for grid expansion by tapping into green raw materials.
First transformer made from 100% recycled copper
The first milestone of the partnership is the production of transformers made from 100% recycled copper. From now on, Siemens Energy will produce all future transformers for TenneT with green copper. By 2030, TenneT expects to have around 52 transformers from Siemens Energy, each of which will contain 72 tons of recycled copper. These transformers will help TenneT to significantly reduce CO2 emissions during grid expansion. For each transformer alone, Siemens Energy and TenneT can reduce CO2 emissions by 100 tons. Together with other components, Siemens Energy and TenneT will save around 6,500 tons of CO2 by 2030 by using 100% recycled copper.
