Specialty chemicals giant LANXESS has signed a landmark three-year contract with VERBUND, Austria’s leading energy company, securing a fully sustainable electricity supply from Bavarian hydropower for its German production sites in Bergkamen, Bitterfeld, Brunsbüttel, Mannheim, and Wietmarschen.
Under the deal, VERBUND will deliver around 200,000 MWh of green electricity from existing hydroelectric plants on the Inn River between 2026 and 2028. This switch to hydropower is expected to cut approximately 60,000 tons of CO₂ compared to the standard German electricity mix, advancing LANXESS’s goal of climate-neutral production by 2040.
“Our production facilities operate 24/7, so we need electricity day and night. VERBUND’s hydropower plants can guarantee this. At the same time, they support us on our path to climate neutrality,” said Alexander Sonnenberg, Head of Energy Procurement at LANXESS.
Andreas Lanz, Center Manager Industrial Customers at VERBUND Energy4Business, welcomed the partnership: “The growing demand for sustainable electricity is a clear trend and a prerequisite for greater climate protection, security of supply and reliability.
"With the VERBUND Climate Transition Plan, a clearly defined path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions with the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, we are pursuing a science-based reduction path and supporting industrial companies in reducing their carbon footprint and achieving their climate goals with our green electricity solutions."
VERBUND operates 22 run-of-river hydro plants in Bavaria and along the Bavarian-Austrian border, with an installed capacity of 1,040 MW and annual generation of 5.9 TWh, including 4.0 TWh dedicated to Bavaria. The company has already invested around €600 million in Bavarian energy projects, with an additional €1 billion in planning and approval stages.
VERBUND also emphasizes ecological responsibility, committing around €100 million to protect aquatic habitats, ensure fish passability, and preserve natural ecosystems in Bavaria through 2030. About €30 million of these projects have already been completed.
The company plans to invest €5.9 billion by 2027 in sustainable energy, with €400 million earmarked for ecological projects by 2030, strengthening Europe’s energy transition and biodiversity protection.
