Blueprint for climate-neutral process heat: tesa and ENERGYNEST are implementing one of Germany's largest industrial power-to-heat plants
- tesa plant Hamburg: On track to become a flagship project for climate-neutral industrial production
- Power-to-heat & thermal storage from ENERGYNEST: 10 MW system with 40 MWh storage capacity
- CO₂ reduction: Around 4,600 metric tons annually through climate-neutral steam from renewable energy
Hamburg – tesa, an international manufacturer of innovative adhesive tapes and self-adhesive product solutions, is implementing a large-scale power-to-heat plant with integrated thermal storage at its Hamburg plant – the largest production site in the global tesa network – in collaboration with ENERGYNEST, an international provider of power-to-heat and thermal energy storage solutions for industrial process heat. The facility will supply a substantial share of the site’s energy-intensive process steam generation in a climate-neutral way going forward.
The system will reduce CO₂ emissions at the Hamburg site by around 4,600 metric tons per year—approximately 20 percent of site-related emissions based on the 2018 reference year. The energy concept can be flexibly transferred to other energy-intensive production sites, particularly in the chemical industry as well as in paper and food manufacturing. tesa and ENERGYNEST are already assessing the rollout of the concept to additional plants.
Energy-intensive production meets intelligent electrification
The tesa plant in Hamburg manufactures high-performance adhesive tapes for the electronics, automotive, printing, and paper industries. Drying processes and solvent recovery require large amounts of process heat and steam, which until now have been generated primarily from fossil fuels.
A key element of the transformation is the electrification of steam generation: a 10 MW power-to-heat system with a 40 MWh thermal energy storage unit from ENERGYNEST enables electricity from renewable sources to be converted into high-temperature steam and made available at different times. This allows around two-thirds of the site’s annual steam demand to be covered in a climate-neutral, flexible, and grid-supportive manner.
The thermal storage facility consists of 24 modules in which heat is stored in concrete pipes and transported via thermal oil – comparable to heated concrete, which continues to reliably release heat even hours after charging. The system is designed for an operating life of at least 25 years and is characterized by particularly low-maintenance operation.
Grid-friendly, economical, and scalable
The thermal storage system allows the targeted use of inexpensive surplus electricity from renewable energies and flexible adjustment of electricity procurement to market prices, weather, and grid load. An AI-supported control system links power-to-heat, PV, wind, and other efficiency measures into an intelligent overall system.
"This project shows that climate-neutral industrial production is already feasible today – technologically, economically, and scalably," says Dr. Ingrid Sebald, Chief Technology Officer, tesa SE. "With the electrification of our steam generation and the integration of a large-scale thermal storage system, we are adding another key building block to our transformation and creating the foundation for near climate-neutral production in Hamburg."
"Together with tesa, we are implementing one of the largest commercial power-to-heat plants with thermal storage for industrial processes in Germany. The project sets new standards for industrial electrification and shows how thermal storage and flexibility is becoming an enabler of the energy transition," adds Alex Robertson, CEO, ENERGYNEST.
Part of a global sustainability strategy
The power-to-heat plant with thermal storage in Hamburg is a key milestone in the group-wide sustainability strategy "we do" and on the path to climate-neutral production by 2030. To implement this, tesa is investing around 300 million euros worldwide in the sustainable transformation of its business. With a 39 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions (Scope 1 and 2) already achieved, the company is well on its way to reaching its goal. Today, tesa already covers 90 percent of its global electricity needs from renewable sources. The holistic transformation concept for the Hamburg plant is based on four pillars and has been honored with the dena Energy Efficiency Award.
Schedule
Groundbreaking for the power-to-heat system and thermal energy storage facility is scheduled for fall 2026. Commissioning is expected to take place in summer 2027.
About tesa SE
As a multinational company, tesa develops innovative adhesive tapes and self-adhesive product solutions for various industries, commercial customers, and end consumers for more than 125 years. There are already more than 7,000 tesa adhesive solutions that help improve the work, products or lives of our customers. Today, the focus is on sustainability and energy-saving processes. tesa invests in the development of environmentally friendly products and solvent-free manufacture processes as well as in the use of renewable energy sources at its locations.
tesa is active in 100 countries and operates plants in Germany, Italy, China, the USA, and in Vietnam. Around three quarters of the tesa Group’s sales (2024: EUR 1.7 billion euro) are generated by applications for industries. Together with its international clients, tesa develops innovations that are customized at product and process level. Already more than 130 tesa tapes may be installed in an electric car and over 70 in a smartphone. In the printing and construction industries, too, tesa is constantly penetrating new segments and countries with its special adhesive tapes. The company generates almost one quarter of its sales with products for end consumers and professional craftsmen. 300 applications, such as the legendary tesafilm®, make life easier or, when it comes to insect protection, even make it a bit more pleasant. tesa counts among the world’s leading manufacturers of adhesive solutions. Since 2001, tesa SE is an independent 100% affiliate of Beiersdorf AG (i.e., NIVEA, Eucerin, la prairie) with approx. 5,400 employees today.
About ENERGYNEST
ENERGYNEST is an international provider of power-to-heat and thermal energy storage solutions for industrial process heat. The company enables energy-intensive industries to electrify their heat supply economically and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.
By combining power-to-heat plants, modular heat storage, and intelligent energy market optimization, ENERGYNEST delivers industrial heat at costs at or below natural gas. The solutions are implemented either as heat-as-a-service with zero CAPEX or as turnkey EPC projects.
ENERGYNEST takes care of the planning, financing, operation, and optimization of the systems and acts as a long-term partner for a secure, flexible, and economical heat supply. In this way, the company enables the gradual electrification of industrial processes, reduces CO₂ emissions, and at the same time protects customers from price volatility and rising CO₂ costs.
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