Environmental measures

Expansion of renewable energies in the traction current mix

Building a mixed portfolio for a secure energy supply while increasing the share of renewable energies under an economically sustainable general framework is a core element of our green strategy:

• In 2021, DB Netze Energy concluded an additional 15-year agreement for the purchase of electricity from offshore wind farmno. 47 Amrumbank West off Helgoland. From 2025, about 190 GWh of additional electricity will be purchased each year. As a result, every fourth wind turbine on the Amrumbank wind farm will be working for DB Group. Up to 153,000 t of CO₂e p.a. will be saved compared with obtaining energy from a coal-fired power plant, equivalent to 17,000 times the annual per capita CO₂ emissions in Germany.
• An agreement for supply from the Schluchsee hydroelectric power plant complex has been finalized with RWE. This is a pumped-storage power plant which, due to its natural inflow, can also supply electricity from renewable energies (RE electricity) from hydroelectric powerno. 16. The ten-year agreement covers an annual supply of 93 GWh from 2023. Up to 72,500 t of CO₂e p.a. can be saved in comparison to sourcing from a coal-fired power station. This is equivalent to 8,000 times the annual per capita CO₂ emissions in Germany.
• DB Netze Energy is securing the continued operation of two wind farms in Lower Saxony that are more than 20 years old, thereby saving about 50,000 t CO₂e p.a. in comparison with electricity supplied by a coal-fired power plant. From 2022, the two wind farms will supply about 90 GWh of electricity annually. As a result, on-land wind power plants will join DB Netze Energy’s eco-power portfolio. To date, there is little knowledge about how reliable wind turbines are after 20 years of operation. The agreement terms are short in order to enable experience to be gathered first.
• The solar power parkno. 30 in Gaarz near Plau am See went into operation on May 31, 2021. DB Netze Energy receives about 80 GWh of eco-power annually from the Enerparc facility. The electricity supply has been agreed for 30 years. Compared to gray power consumption from the 50 Hz markets, this saves up to 40,000 t of CO₂ p.a., and up to 60,000 t CO₂e p.a. compared to sourcing from a coal-fired power plant. This is equivalent to 4,500 times the annual per capita CO₂ emissions in Germany.
• For ten years from 2023, the Mågeli hydroelectric power plant in Norway will supply almost 190 GWh p.a. of eco-power. This quantity will cover the energy requirements of the about 40,000 trains in Germany each day for about one week. It is therefore the first cross-border, long-term eco-power agreement (Cross-Border PPA) to be concluded. The partner is the state-owned Norwegian ener­gy company Statkraft. Compared to electricity from coal, this hydroelectric power from Norway will save up to 146,000 t of CO₂e p.a., equivalent to 16,000 times the annual per capita CO₂ emissions in Germany.

Energy supply for alternative drives

In addition to the further electrification of railway lines, DB Netze Energy is also implementing supply solutions for rolling stock with alternative drives. To this end, DB Netze Ener­gy is pursuing various technological approaches:

• In terms of supplying energy to battery-powered trainsno. 45, planning services for the construction of the necessary charging infrastructure in Schleswig-Holstein and Rhineland-Palatinate were further advanced in 2021 in cooperation with DB Netze Track. Since spring 2021, planning has been in progress for the construction of the charging infrastructure in the Lower Rhine-Münsterland network in North Rhine-Westphalia.
• DB Netze Energy is a project partner in a joint project funded by the BMDV between DB Group and Siemens Mobility for the approval and testing of the Mireo Plus H fuel train, which has been newly developed by Siemens Mobility, for regional rail passenger transport. Within this project, DB Netze Energy is responsible for developing an innovative supply infrastructure for hydrogenno. 53. DB Netze Energy is also constructing a hydrogen filling station in Frankfurt am Main as a pilot facility to supply our fuel cell road vehicles. This facility, which is designed not only to supply hydrogen but also to generate it on-site, is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2022. Last but not least, DB Netze Energy is involved through regional rail passenger transport tenders in various Federal states with the planning and implementation of supply solutions for the use of local fuel cell trains.
• In addition, DB Netze Energy supports the testing and regular use of alternative fuels within DB Group. This includes a field test conducted by advanced TrainLabno. 159, in which 100% HVO fuel (consisting entirely of hydrogenated vegetable oil produced from plant and waste residues) is provided via a mobile tank container. The test supply and operation of the mobile tank container was extended by another year until at least mid-2022.