Zero CO₂

In 2023, M&P was a reliable project partner for the development of the future energy supply of Schoeller Werk GmbH & Co. KG in Hellenthal. We developed a transformation concept to bring the energy and business goals of our client into harmony. The path to climate neutrality is ongoing: M&P will work on the implementation of the projects in the coming year as a technical planner.

Schoeller Werk GmbH & Co. KG is one of the leading manufacturers of premium-quality welded and extruded stainless-steel pipes on the European market. Schoeller aims to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 40% by 2030 at the latest and to make its production completely climate-neutral by 2035.

Schoeller sets the course for a CO₂-free future

Companies in the steel and metalworking industry are currently confronted with various challenges, among them rising energy and input material prices, structural changes in the automotive and mechanical engineering industries, a shortage of skilled workers and the difficulties of developing climate-neutral production. Despite the tricky conditions, Schoeller has decided to further develop the Hellenthal production site in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

M&P’s transformation concept envisages investments totalling millions of euros. The new course to be followed includes a reduction in energy demand, targeted heat recovery and the introduction of self-generated green electricity and green hydrogen. M&P has been involved in the project from the very beginning. After a detailed inventory of the buildings and production facilities, a strategy for the future energy supply at the site was developed at an early stage.

Components of a ‘green’ production site

The most important components in the technical target concept in the areas of heat, hydrogen and electricity are:

1. Heat
   • Heat recovery
   • Heat generation via heat pumps
   • Optimisation of ventilation technology
2. Hydrogen hub for reprocessing and self-production of green hydrogen
   • Infrastructure to capture and recycle the excess hydrogen and reuse it (around 80% recycling efficiency)
   • In-house production of green hydrogen from PV and wind power and envisaged connection to local wind farm
   • Storage of hydrogen in pressure accumulators
3. Installation of PV systems on the load-bearing hall roofs for self-produced power supply
4. Procurement of green electricity via direct connection or off-site PPA with local wind farm

Heat generation via heat pumps, the hydrogen hub and the PPA with a wind farm form the heart of the concept, which is intended to make the site 100% free from external hydrogen procurement. The aim is carbon-neutral production and savings in energy costs. The investment costs should be amortised within around just eight years, without subsidies. Above all, recycling of the hydrogen required in welding systems and annealing furnaces plays a decisive role. Technologies such as a palladium membrane or a thermochemical compressor to separate the hydrogen used from other gases have been evaluated.

For all the envisaged projects, in addition to classic funding programmes, potential eligibility for funding from special programmes is also being examined. Economic advantages such as tax exemptions for electricity and electrolysis or the removal of grid charges for a direct connection of the factory to a local wind farm were also taken into account in the business case.

With the formulated action plan, the experts from M&P provided Schoeller with a clear roadmap to achieve the targeted reduction in CO₂ emissions of 40% (against the base year 2021) by 2030. Complete CO₂ neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 is achievable by 2035 at the latest – ten years ahead of the 2045 target set by the German government.

The lighthouse project at Schoeller demonstrates M&P’s great expertise in the field of energy efficiency and innovative energy supply, but also its ability to integrate and implement project ideas into corporate strategy and development through direct cooperation at the decision-making level.

Images: © schoellerwerk