Norwegian Hydropower for Wintershall Dea in Berlin

Wintershall Dea uses environmentally friendly electricity throughout Germany: "We're facing up to our responsibility for the environment and climate protection, and are striving for a local and clean energy mix," says Michael Sasse, Senior Vice President Corporate Communications at Wintershall Dea. At its German business sites, Wintershall Dea produces the electricity it needs directly on site, using the natural gas it produces or the associated gas. Unfortunately, this is not possible in Berlin.

"But here, too, we have opted for a local supplier and clean electricity. In the future, Gasag will supply Wintershall Dea's Berlin Representative Office near Friedrichstrasse railway station with electricity sourced from Norwegian hydropower. Norway is an important production region for Wintershall Dea. The merged Winterhall Dea is Norway's third largest gas and oil producer," says Sasse.

Unlike Germany, Norway can source its electricity almost exclusively from reliable and stable hydropower. Germany lacks the geological conditions for this and has to rely more on intermittent sources such as the wind and sun when it comes to renewables. "Natural gas can optimally compensate for fluctuations in renewable energies and is the perfect supplement to renewables in Germany if we want to achieve our climate targets," says Sasse. The natural gas industry can lead the energy transition to success and can ensure with its storage facilities, pipelines and gas-fired power plants a secure and stable electricity market after the planned phase out of nuclear power and coal.

In Germany, Wintershall Dea produces a large part of the electricity it requires itself by utilising the natural gas produced directly at the production sites for generating electricity. The associated gas from the crude oil production is also converted into electricity and heat, and is not flared off as is often the case elsewhere. At the Kassel headquarters, two efficient gas-fired combined heat and power units generate two-thirds of the electricity required. The heat generated is used entirely for heating and cooling the building. Wintershall Dea is also setting a good example at the Mittelplate oil production island: when ships are waiting at berth in the Mittelplate port and at the land basis in Cuxhaven they are supplied with power from land and the ship's diesel engines are turned off.