Belgium – Covestro Antwerp and RWE have signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for the supply of wind energy from the North Sea. The contract runs from 2026 to 2030. It increases the share of renewable energy from 45 to 60 percent of the Antwerp site’s current power requirements.
‘With this new contract we show that we are consistently continuing on our path to climate-neutral production – even in economically challenging times,’ says Thorsten Dreier, CTO of Covestro. The chemical group wants to produce completely climate neutral worldwide by 2035. To this end, it has already concluded several electricity supply agreements, including in China and the US.
Interim target
By 2025, 10 percent of electricity at its German sites should also come from renewable energy sources. In this way, Covestro aims to achieve the interim target of reducing greenhouse gases from production by 60 percent by 2030. By the end of 2023, around 16 percent of the global electricity demand within Covestro already came from renewable sources.
Aniline plant
The new PPA with RWE replaces a current agreement for Antwerp that expires at the end of 2025. At the Antwerp site, Covestro produces polycarbonate, a high-performance plastic used in automotive headlights, electrical and electronic components, LED lights, medical technology and many other applications. The site also produces polyether and the important chemical aniline, two building blocks for insulation for buildings and the refrigeration chain. Covestro is currently expanding its production in Antwerp with the construction of a new world-class aniline plant.
