NKT’s medium‑voltage cable accessories site in Nordenham, Germany, has become its first zero-carbon factory as part of the Danish firm’s goal of achieving complete zero-emission operations across all sites.
The factory has reached this goal by phasing out natural gas, now operating with zero carbon emissions in Scopes 1 and 2.
The first initiatives included replacing fossil-fuel-driven company cars and forklifts, with the final vehicle replaced in 2024, after which the focus was on phasing out natural gas used for heating the factory, marking the final step in becoming a zero-carbon factory.
“We are very pleased with this achievement, which marks an important milestone in our decarbonisation efforts as a company. The consumption of natural gas is a significant contributor to our Scope 1 emissions, and it is essential for us to phase it out and adopt zero-emission alternatives,” said Anthony Abbotts , VP and Head of Sustainability at NKT .
The project also includes the installation of several energy-efficiency improvements, such as heat exchangers connected to the injection moulding machines, enabling the factory to reuse process “waste” heat.
“This is a significant step forward for our operations, and our carbon emissions savings will amount to around 576 tonnes of CO₂e each year, which is a notable achievement. With this, we are also supporting our customers in achieving their decarbonisation targets,” said Matthias Schaber , Head of Sustainability, Accessories at NKT.
The Nordenham facility has approximately 390 employees. It became part of NKT in 1999, following the acquisition of Felten & Guilleaume from the Moeller Group.
According to the Danish company, all of its production sites are powered by renewable electricity. In February, a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) was signed for the supply of electricity from Uniper’s newly developed photovoltaic (PV) facility in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. The renewable energy will support NKT’s production sites in Cologne and in Nordenham, which is located close to the PV installation.