Daily press, 2026-08-05, 02:00 pm
thyssenkrupp Rasselstein Purchases Green Electricity from On-Site Photovoltaic System
- VSB Integrated Energy Solutions is installing a photovoltaic system on the thyssenkrupp Rasselstein plant grounds
- The PV system is expected to generate approximately 8 GWh of electricity annually starting in mid-2027
- The project is part of thyssenkrupp Steel’s green electricity and decarbonization strategy and is intended to reduce the site’s carbon footprint
thyssenkrupp Rasselstein – Germany’s sole manufacturer of tinplate – is constructing a large-scale ground-mounted photovoltaic system on its plant grounds. The construction project is being carried out in collaboration with VSB Integrated Energy Solutions GmbH, a subsidiary of the VSB Group, which has been part of TotalEnergies since 2025. The PV plant is part of the comprehensive green power concept for the Andernach site and is being implemented under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). VSB Integrated Energy Solutions is responsible for the construction, financing, and operation of the plant. thyssenkrupp Rasselstein is providing two sites and will purchase 100 percent of the electricity generated for an initial term of 20 years. The solar power generated will help reduce the site’s and its products’ carbon footprint in the future.
Completion planned for mid-2027
“Construction is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026,” said Dr. Thorsten Krenke, CTO of thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH, who is one of the signatories to the PPA. “Completion of the PV system is scheduled for mid-2027.” The steel substructure for the approximately 12,000 solar modules will be constructed using thyssenkrupp Steel’s CO2-reduced bluemint® Steel with the durable ZM EcoProtect® Solar coating, which was developed specifically for ground-mounted photovoltaic systems. The PV plant is being built directly on the factory grounds on two previously undeveloped areas and covers 5.2 hectares, which is roughly equivalent to the area of seven soccer fields. With a peak capacity of 8 megawatts, it will generate approximately 8 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually. This could supply around 2,000 households with electricity each year. “Our goal was to meet part of our green electricity needs locally. The result is the construction of an on-site PV plant, which demonstrates that this is also possible in an established industrial setting,” said Krenke.
“With the project in Andernach, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein is demonstrating how renewable electricity can be used directly at the plant site. As the implementation partner, we are handling the planning, financing, construction, and operation of the system. In this way, we are creating a reliable on-site solution that contributes to decarbonization and offers long-term planning security,” explains Frederic Wagner, Managing Director of VSB Integrated Energy Solutions GmbH.
A Key Component of the Decarbonization Strategy
The on-site photovoltaic system serves as a model within thyssenkrupp Steel. It represents another step toward a sustainable energy supply. “Green power purchase agreements are a key component of our decarbonization strategy,” says Dennis Becher, Head of Energy Management at thyssenkrupp Steel. “As the Steel Europe business segment, we already cover more than 20 percent of our electricity procurement through Power Purchase Agreements. The new on-site PPA between thyssenkrupp Rasselstein and VSB Integrated Energy Solutions combines local generation and local consumption with long-term price hedging and sustainability – making it another building block in our growing green power portfolio.
About thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH
thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH is one of the world's leading suppliers of high-quality tinplate. At its site in Andernach, Germany – the largest facility of its type worldwide – the company has an annual production capacity of up to 1.5m tons of packaging steel. More than 2,000 employees serve international customers across a wide range of markets – from producers of food and pet food cans to manufacturers of aerosol cans, packaging for paints and coatings or containers for hazardous goods, as well as crown corks and closures. This makes thyssenkrupp Rasselstein the first port of call for experts who know exactly what counts in the packaging industry. With the excellent expertise of its employees and thanks to the high efficiency of its innovative packaging steels, the company finds reliable solutions for the diverse requirements of its customers.
