As the Xella Group, we want to reduce CO2 emissions quickly and permanently: that is why it is our declared goal to reduce CO2 emissions intensity by 30 percent by 2030 (compared to 2019). For years, we have therefore been pursuing even more energy-efficient and sustainable production of our materials. The use of photovoltaic systems to use green electricity in the production process is promising in this regard. (We reported, for example, on De Hazelaar in the Netherlands and Atella in Italy). Two other plants in Slovenia and Serbia are now converting their energy supply to solar power produced in-house. "We are investing here to make a real contribution to more sustainable production. We are proud that we launched this project precisely in these energy-unpredictable times," says Dejan Turk, Plant Manager in Xella Slovenia.

Kisovec/Slovenia: Producing more solar power than consuming it

The Xella factory in Kisovec, Slovenia, a small community 50 kilometers east of Ljubljana, has long been one of our most environmentally friendly plants: among other things, it has already won the environmental award for the best production process in 2019 for its low energy and freshwater consumption. With its new solar power plant, the factory is now setting new standards, because since January 2023, the Kisovec plant has been using green energy from its own roof: in the process, the plant uses 60 percent of the nearly 630 MWh per year itself. The rest is currently fed into the power grid of the power plant owner.

Vreoci/Serbia: Starting in October, hundreds of tons of CO2 saved annually

In Xella's plant in Vreoci, a suburb of Belgrade, another solar power plant is being built: covering an area of almost five square kilometers, green electricity from here is to supply almost half of the total electricity consumption required by the plant to produce autoclaved aerated concrete. Work will begin in just a few weeks with a view to commissioning the plant in October 2023.