Volvo's Taizhou plant achieves climate-neutral status with switch to biogas
SUMMARY
This switch from natural gas to biogas is expected to lead to a reduction of over 7,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions/year. [Image: Volvo]
By Shardul SharmaSwedish car manufacturer Volvo announced on April 12 that its Taizhou plant in China has transitioned to biogas, marking it as the company's first climate-neutral plant in the country. This switch from natural gas to biogas is expected to lead to a reduction of over 7,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions/year.
“The switch to biogas at our Taizhou plant demonstrates how each of our manufacturing locations across the globe is developing its own climate-neutral energy mix, based on what's available in the region," Javier Varela, Volvo Cars' deputy CEO, said.
The plant's energy supply comprises electricity and heating, with approximately 40% of its electricity generated onsite from solar panels—a proportion expected to increase in the future. The remaining 60% of electricity, sourced from the grid, also comes from climate-neutral solar energy. With the adoption of biogas for heating, the Taizhou plant now fulfills all its heating requirements using climate-neutral energy sources.
Volvo has set a target to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions across its operations by 2040.
