Tönnies Group: Green electricity through hydropower
The Tönnies Group is underpinning its sustainability ambitions: The food producer from Rheda-Wiedenbrück has signed a five-year contract with the Heider Alz power plant in Tacherting in Bavaria. This secures the family business around 50 million kilowatt hours of green electricity from the hydroelectric power plant every year. The contract started on January 1st.
“We cover a good 20 percent of our total electricity needs with green electricity from southern Germany,” reveals Gereon Schulze Althoff, Head of Sustainability in the Tönnies Group. “This investment therefore fits perfectly into our sustainability strategy t30,” he adds. Already this year, 64% of the electricity mix in the Tönnies production facilities came from renewable energies. “We are continuing this path undeterred with the green electricity from the Alz power plant,” emphasizes Schulze Althoff.
Three-quarters of the power plant, which is more than 100 years old, is fed with water from Lake Chiemsee, which lies around 20 kilometers to the south. The remaining quarter comes from the Traun. “The water is used to generate electricity using turbines and generators,” explains Susanne Leweck, Head of Energy and Environmental Management at Tönnies. “With the hydroelectric power plant, the energy in the water is converted into electrical energy and made usable,” Lewecke continues.
The Rheda-Wiedenbrücken family business launched its sustainability agenda t2019 at the end of 30. The food producer has thus set itself clear and measurable goals in the areas of climate and environmental protection as well as social responsibility by 2030. The goal is to produce food sustainably. The Tönnies Group only completed so-called ESG-linked financing in the middle of the year. The long-term financing of 500 million euros with several banks is linked to concrete and ambitious sustainability goals.
