A Volkswagen Autoeuropa announced this Tuesday that it will invest 300 million euros over five years, to turn the Palmela unit into a “Zero Impact Factory” by 2030which not only involves reducing polluting emissions, but also total energy consumption by 25 to 30%, water consumption and waste production.
“CCompared to 2021, we will reduce our CO2 footprint by 90% by 2030, with actions very concrete. One of them is the construction of a new painting unit for the cars we produce, which will allow us to replace the natural gas consumption in drying ovens by electrical energy. Let’s go increase electricity consumption by 25% but it pays off from an economic point of view because, in total, we will be consuming less energy than today”, guaranteed Thomas Hegel Gunther, factory director and chairman of the Board of Directors of Volkswagen Autoeuropa, during a visit to the new projects underway at the factory where they are around 1000 cars are produced per day and more than 4800 people work. The first phase of modernization of the factory’s painting area will be completed in 2027 and the second in 2029.
In addition to eradicating the use of natural gas at the Portuguese factory, Volkswagen is also investing in a new air conditioning system (heating and cooling) for industrial buildings using geothermal energy.
In addition to decarbonization, the Volkswagen Autoeuropa is also entering a new phase with the start of production of the new hybrid T-Roc and preparations for the entry of the future 100% electric model ID.Every1 onto the assembly line, to be on the market in 2027.
“AND a clear sign that the parent company, in fact, remains heavily invested in the Palmela factory. Typically, the useful life of a new paint unit is 30 to 40 years. When you decide on an investment like this for an industrial unit, it is, in fact, a bet on the future. The signs are very reliable. The investment we are making in process transformation will benefit not only ID.Every1, but also the new T-Rocwhich is now in the launch phase, because from the moment a production process becomes increasingly efficient, it has a lower environmental impact, which is reflected in terms of costs. And by having a positive impact on the factory’s costs, it favors the overall result of the cars that are produced here”, andexplained in an interview with Expresso Margarida Pereira, responsible for Product Management and Planning at Volkswagen Car Europe.
This “heavyweight” of the Portuguese economy generated 3.8 billion in sales volume last year and had an impact of 1.6% on the country’s GDP. It is responsible for 4.5% of national exports and 99% of the cars produced there are exported. “We are aware of our responsibility to the region and the country”, he said Thomas Hegel Gunther.
Regarding the energy mix of the Palmela factory (50% electricity and 50% gas), the person responsible clarifies that the The current painting unit – opened in 1994 – “is the most energy-intensive and absorbs around 63% of total consumption, especially with the use of natural gas in several ovens. In the various stages of painting a car It is mandatory that the body goes through these ovens to “bake” the different layers of paint, from the primer to the application of the varnish. We have boilers that burn gas to generate heat inside the ovens. One of the main changes that will lead to the decarbonization of the factory is the replacement with electric ovens”, he explained, saying that this part of the factory will see its energy consumption reduced by 30%.
In the case of factory air conditioning, nowadays natural gas is also used to generate heat or cold that is then injected into industrial buildings, to ensure that working conditions meet standards in terms of comfort and temperature. “This system will be fully replaced in 2026 and 2027 by two geothermal plants, with 47 thousand square meters, 366 vertical holes and 80 kilometers of underground pipes that take the water (in a closed circuit) to a depth of 120 meters until it reaches 19 degrees. After that, that same water can be heated or cooled, depending on the factory’s needs”, explains the person in charge. In the midst of all this, the Electricity will become the predominant energy source in Palmela, even requiring reinforcement of the substation that serves the German construction company’s industrial unit.
“As we are installing modern equipment, we will see substantial gains in energy efficiency. And aDespite converting natural gas consumption into electricity consumption, the final energy bill will be significantly lower because we are installing cutting-edge technology.”
For at least another four years, the Palmela factory will still burn natural gas, maintaining, after that, occasional and residual uses of biogas (11%) in small boilers. “For this decarbonization program, in which the main vectors are new painting and air conditioning, we will invest 300 million euros by the end of the decade. To be precise, In 2029 we estimate that all investment will be made“, says Margarida Pereira.