For a climate-neutral Berlin: E.ON further expands business with energy infrastructure solutions

Berlin has set itself particularly ambitious climate protection targets: By 2030, the German capital aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by at least 70 percent and by 2040 by at least 90 percent. The demand for smart technologies for neighborhoods and sustainable urban development is huge. E.ON supports industrial, commercial and municipal customers in achieving their CO2 targets.

“Berlin is an important and extremely interesting market for us. We will continue our growth with existing and new customers,” says Stefan Håkansson, Global Director City Energy Solutions at E.ON SE. “In the area of integrated solutions for sector coupling in newly developing neighborhoods, we are already a leading partner in the capital. In the future, we will also increasingly focus our attention on retrofit and modernization projects in order to achieve faster reductions in emissions in existing buildings as well. In all this, Berlin serves us as a blueprint for other urban regions in Germany and Europe.”

Three out of four Germans already live in cities – and the trend is rising. Urban areas have the potential to make a particularly large contribution to climate protection. Although they account for only around two percent of the world’s land area, they are responsible for more than a third of greenhouse gas emissions. As a central business unit of E.ON, Energy Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) is ideally positioned to make a fundamental contribution to the sustainable energy transition in cities and neighborhoods. By 2025, the company aims to nearly double its profit from energy infrastructure projects in the capital compared with 2019.

Estrel and E.ON plan Europe’s first CO2-neutral hotel

E.ON is currently implementing a sustainable energy supply in more than 15 Berlin neighborhoods, including Tegel Airport, the Lichtenrad district and new high-rise buildings at Alexanderplatz. A new lighthouse project is now being added. One of the most ambitious and impressive new hotel construction projects in Europe is being built in the Neukölln district: the Estrel Tower. At 176 meters, Germany’s tallest hotel is set to become a landmark not only because of its size, but also because of its advanced and sustainable energy supply.

To develop an innovative and climate-friendly energy supply concept, Estrel and E.ON have entered into an energy partnership. The partners signed a corresponding memorandum of understanding today at the Greentech Festival in Berlin. In addition to the sustainable energy supply for the new Estrel Tower, the possibilities of a CO2-neutral energy supply for the existing Estrel hotel complex are also to be investigated as part of a real laboratory.

Various generation technologies are to be used, including a high-temperature heat pump with near-surface geothermal energy, photovoltaic systems, battery storage and methane plasmalysis. The produced hydrogen can in turn be used for CO2-neutral power and heat generation. Furthermore, it is planned to connect the Estrel Tower and the existing buildings in terms of energy in order to leverage further synergy effects and increase the security of supply for the entire property.

“As Europe’s leading hotel and event location, it is our aspiration to constantly develop and improve. E.ON plays an important role in our ambitious goal of operating the new Estrel Tower and the current portfolio in a CO2-neutral manner from 2025 onwards. Together with RWTH Aachen University and Project Management Jülich, we have been working intensively on a green energy concept over the past twelve months. The project presented today pushes the limits of what is technically feasible and reflects the innovative character of the Estrel Tower development. We look forward to our continued partnership with E.ON and to jointly implementing this exciting project,” says Maxim Streletzki, coowner of the Estrel Group and developer of the Estrel Tower.

"Achieving the energy transition in urban energy systems requires the highest level of efficiency and the highest level of innovation. We are all the more pleased to be working with a visionary partner like Estrel to implement one of Berlin’s most exciting construction projects,” adds Stefan Håkansson.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group Management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to align them to future events or developments.