Enercon, Salzgitter and TMGROUP collaborate on lower-emissions steel tower

by David Fleschen

A new partnership between wind turbine manufacturer ENERCON, Salzgitter AG subsidiary Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH, and TM Group company SMB Schönebecker Maschinenbau GmbH is set to deliver a lower-emissions steel tower for onshore wind turbines in Germany. This initiative represents a significant advancement in sustainable wind turbine production, reducing CO2e emissions by more than 70 percent for each steel tower.

Advancing Sustainability in Wind Energy

The collaboration aims to integrate sustainability into wind turbine towers by utilizing lower-emissions steel, often referred to as 'green steel.' The steel tower components will be deployed in early 2025 for an E-138 EP3 wind turbine at the Diepholzer Bruch wind farm project in Lower Saxony, making it one of the first onshore wind turbines in Europe and the first in Germany to incorporate this innovation.

Stefan Frey, ENERCON Global Procurement Director for Towers, emphasized the importance of strong partnerships in achieving sustainability goals. "By pooling our expertise, we can significantly reduce the CO2e footprint of this steel tower while maintaining our high quality standards and using state-of-the-art tower technology. This cooperation forms a foundation for offering more sustainable tower options in the future."

Innovative Steel Tower Design

Hybrid tower concepts for wind turbines are constructed entirely from steel, with the lower section consisting of pre-edged steel plates and the upper section formed from conical steel segments. This design offers advantages in installation and transportation, particularly as tower heights and base diameters continue to increase. Additionally, steel is fully recyclable, further enhancing its environmental benefits.

Lower-Emissions Steel Production

Steel production is inherently energy-intensive. To mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH is utilizing CO2-reduced slabs from Peiner Träger GmbH and another European partner. These slabs are produced entirely from scrap in an electric arc furnace (EAF), coupled with an energy mix that incorporates a significant share of renewable energy sources.

Thorsten Gintaut, Managing Director of Sales at Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH, highlighted the company's commitment to low-emissions steel production. "We are working closely with research and industry partners to make steel production as climate-neutral as possible. The Salzgitter Group is leading the transformation towards low-CO2 production processes through our SALCOS® program, which aims to replace fossil fuels with hydrogen from renewable energy sources. Our goal is to cut overall CO2 emissions by an estimated 95 percent by 2033."

Commitment to Climate Protection

ENERCON has reinforced its environmental and climate protection commitments through its sustainability strategy. Chief Operations Officer Heiko Juritz stated, "As a company, we aim to reduce the intensity of indirect emissions by 40 percent by 2030. The use of lower-emissions steel is a crucial step in reducing the environmental impact of wind turbines. We are proud to be a trailblazer in the onshore market in Germany and Europe through this collaboration."

Source and Photo: Salzgitter

Go back

s