ŠKODA’s energy provider ŠKO-ENERGO is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Working in close partnership with ŠKO-ENERGO, ŠKODA has been able to more than halve the energy needed to produce one vehicle since 1995. The water consumption in production has also dropped significantly – by 15% in 2014 alone. Over the coming years, ŠKODA plans to implement further measures to make ŠKODA’s production more sustainable as part of their GreenFuture environmental policy.
ŠKO-ENERGO, based in Mladá Boleslav, has the main task of supplying the three Czech ŠKODA plants (Mladá Boleslav, Kvasiny and Vrchlabí) with electricity, water, heat, gas and compressed air. The company also supplies residents, businesses and facilities in the town of Mladá Boleslav with district heating. The shareholders in ŠKO-ENERGO are ŠKODA AUTO a.s. (44.5% of the shares), VW Kraftwerk GmbH (22.5%), E.ON Czech Holding AG (21.0%) and the energy company ČEZ a.s. (12.0%).
“The automotive industry would be nothing without energy,” says Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA Board Member for Production and Logistics alongside ŠKO-ENERGO’s Chairman. “Using energy efficiently gives companies a real competitive edge. With the support of ŠKO-ENERGO, we have managed to optimize our use of energy, and significantly reduce the environmental impact per vehicle produced over the last 20 years. ŠKO-ENERGO’s stable and efficient supply of energy forms the basis of our daily work. The success of our energy partner has indeed made a significant contribution to ŠKODA’s success,” Oeljeklaus comments.
Between 1995 and 2014, ŠKODA’s vehicle production in the Czech Republic increased from 208,000 to approximately 600,000 vehicles per year. In close partnership with ŠKO-ENERGO during this period, the carmaker more than halved the amount of energy needed to produce one car from 3.9 to 1.75 MWh per vehicle.
ŠKODA has bundled all the company’s efforts in sustainability under their GreenFuture environmental policy since early 2013. In addition to improving the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of ŠKODA models (GreenProduct), the company plans to reduce the environmental impact of car production by 25% before 2018 (GreenProduction). The third pillar is in improving the eco-friendliness of dealerships and workshops (GreenRetail). In making ŠKODA’s production more sustainable (GreenProduction), the company is focusing on five main parameters: energy consumption, water consumption, CO2 emissions and waste production, as well as reducing VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions in the paint shop. In terms of energy, water and CO2, the brand is working closely with ŠKO-ENERGO. The measures and programmes implemented so far have been very successful.
Between 2010 and 2015, the energy consumption at ŠKODA’s Czech plants has dropped by almost 21%. 22% less water was used in 2015 than in 2010 to produce one car. In 2014 alone, ŠKODA reduced their water consumption by 15% with the help of ŠKO-ENERGO. The amount of water saved is roughly equivalent to the hourly flow of the Vltava River in Prague.
ŠKODA has achieved significant improvements in terms of the amount of CO2 produced in manufacturing each vehicle, with a reduction of almost 44%. The increased use of biomass at the ŠKO-ENERGO thermal power station in Mladá Boleslav has made a enormous contribution to this. Approximately one-third of the electricity consumed locally is produced from biomass (wood pellets). This process emits up to 130,000 metric tonnes of CO2 less per year compared to the conventional combustion of coal and gas.
ŠKODA will be continuing to implement their GreenFuture environmental policy over the coming years. “We are systematically working to decrease our impact on the environment, whilst improving our financial results. In implementing GreenFuture, we rely heavily on the expertise and support of ŠKO-ENERGO,” said Michael Oeljeklaus.