An 80 MW solar power plant was commissioned in summer 2026 in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. The Swedish energy company Vattenfall used low-emission steel produced by the metallurgical company SSAB for the support structures of the solar panels at the Juliusburg/Krukow station in Germany. This is reported by SteelOrbis, writes GMK Center.
This helped reduce the carbon footprint of the metal structures and their supply chain by 67% compared to traditional steel.
An 80 MW solar power plant in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein was commissioned in summer 2026. SSAB Zero steel was chosen for the manufacture of support systems at the project site in Krükow.
According to Vattenfall, the structures are made from recycled steel produced by SSAB using carbon-free electricity. A technical assessment confirmed that SSAB Zero provides the same strength and quality as conventional steel, and the financial costs of its implementation were deemed justified given the environmental effect.
The energy company notes that the use of materials with reduced emission levels is part of the strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of renewable energy facilities both at the construction stage and throughout the entire supply chain.
The nominal capacity of the Juliusburg/Krukow solar power plant is 80 MW (peak), which will enable it to generate up to 80 GWh of carbon-free electricity annually.
In addition, Vattenfall uses low-carbon steel in other renewable energy projects, in particular at the Clashindarroch II onshore wind farm in the UK and in the Nordlicht offshore wind cluster in the German sector of the North Sea.
Recall that in November last year, SSAB signed an agreement with Vattenfall for the supply of 120 t of fossil-free steel for the construction of the world's first and largest dam gate built with near-zero carbon emissions in the production process.