OQ said it has already stopped generating electricity from natural gas in its power plant at its Oberhausen, Germany, headquarters. Its sites at Monheim, Germany, Houston, Texas, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands already operate solely on “green power.”

For a transition period, the sites in Germany and the US will work with Energy Attribute Certificates, or EACs. The chemical producer formerly known as Oxea added that it is examining various options for producing CO₂-neutral energy to meet its own demands.

Up to now, the company generated part of the electricity requirements for its Oberhausen site through natural gas-fired power generation. In future, it will buy-in renewable energy for this site as well as Marl in the same region, first as EACs and later exclusively as green power.

“Achieving climate neutrality will be one of the most important goals for OQ Chemicals in the coming years,” said CEO Oliver Borgmeier. The switch to green power, he noted, is “a small but effective building block” in its global energy strategy.

To achieve its targets, Borgmeier said the company, which is part of the Oman-based Group, will examine all links in the chain, including raw materials, production and the end-product.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist