Germany-headed paper and energy group Koehler Holding SE & Co. KG (Koehler Group) has revealed that it has achieved another "milestone" in its climate strategy to produce more energy from renewable sources than required for its own needs by 2030. Since the start of 2021, the new production line 8 at Koehler Paper Kehl has been using 100 percent green energy for its production.
In addition, steam from the biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the Kehl site, used to dry the paper web with virtually zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions since the plant started up in 2019.
As a result, production on line 8 at the Kehl site has been climate‐neutral since the start of 2021. The 75 GWh of electricity consumed by the plant annually comes entirely from green energy generated by a single regional source – the Schluchsee hydroelectric power plant in the Black Forest.
We estimate this step will save around 45 000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The flexible packaging paper and “Blue4est” environmentally‐friendly thermal paper that we make on production line 8 in Kehl have been produced using renewable energy since the start of the year, explained Dr Stefan Karrer, COO at Koehler Group adding that the move shows the company’s focus on sustainability does not begin and end with sustainable products.
Further projects are in the pipeline
Climate‐friendly manufacturing on production line 8 is just one of many projects being pursued by the Koehler Group to achieve the climate strategy goals it has set for itself and to play its part in implementing the Paris Agreement.
The company is working toward using alternative, more sustainable energy sources for its entire paper production energy supply.
As previously reported, a major step in implementing Koehler’s climate strategy was the conversion of its CHP plant at the company headquarters in Oberkirch from bituminous coal to biomass. This is saving an additional 150 000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Koehler Renewable Energy, part of the Koehler Group, is also helping to implement the climate strategy. Koehler Renewable Energy has already implemented numerous projects in the fields of biomass CHP plants, wind power, solar photovoltaics, and hydropower.
Together with a range of partners, Koehler Renewable Energy already generates over 320 GWh of electricity, more than 545 GWh of heat, and over 780 000 tonnes of steam annually at its various locations in Europe – all using renewable energy sources.
