A rolling mill of the steel manufacturer thyssenkrupp Steel in Hagen, Westphalia, will in the future source a majority of its electricity from a directly connected wind farm. It is the first German industrial plant to be supplied with locally generated wind power via a direct connection, as thyssenkrupp Steel reported on Monday.

The four wind turbines in the park are expected to cover around 40 percent of the plant's annual electricity needs. “This will significantly reduce grid fees and ease the public power grid through direct connection,” explained André Matusczyk, Managing Director of thyssenkrupp Hohenlimburg. The direct line is a good three kilometers long.

The wind farm is operated by the Gladbeck-based company SL Naturenergie. Direct delivery is the most efficient way to bring new energy and industry together, emphasized SL Naturenergie CEO Klaus Schulze Langenhorst. "We want this to become standard in Germany. Politics will also need to step in here because, unfortunately, the current energy law still contains numerous obstacles to this."

For thyssenkrupp, the project represents an important step towards more climate-friendly steel production and processing. This could save eleven percent of the site's CO2 emissions. "I am confident that this groundbreaking project will have a significant impact and serve as a good example for other industrial companies," stated NRW Economics Minister Mona Neubaur (Green Party).

The thyssenkrupp share temporarily rose by 2.63 percent to 4.65 euros in after-hours Tradegate trading.

This project marks a significant advancement for the energy transition in German industry and sends a strong signal for the use of renewable energy in steel production.