ORADEA, Romania—Nokian Tyres P.L.C. is making a bold decision for its new Romanian manufacturing facility, in the name of sustainability.
The company has entered into an agreement with Austrian green energy provider Enery Development GmbH. The eleven-year contract, beginning in 2025, promises that Nokian's new passenger tire manufacturing plant in Oradea, Romania, will operate wholly without fossil fuels, Adrian Kaczmarczyk, Nokian Tyres senior vice president for operation excellence, said in a statement.
"The contract with Enery not only secures the zero CO2 emission energy supply for our new factory in Oradea, Romania, but also allows Enery to build a new solar power plant in Romania, further supporting Europe's green transition," Kaczmarczyk said. "The agreement also supports our long-term target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emission level by 2050."
The Nokian plant will become the world's first full-scale tire factory with zero CO2 emissions, officials said.
The facility will fully open for commercial tire production at the beginning of 2025, and is expected to be one of the Finnish tire company's most productive plants for passenger tires heading into the new contract. Enery Chief Commercial Officer Severin Vartigov expressed excitement for the upcoming partnership, and the future of tire sustainability as a whole.
"This collaboration with Nokian Tyres underscores our mission to deliver meaningful environmental impact through responsible energy practices, while also contributing to Romania's energy independence and sustainable future," Vartigov said in a statement. "This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to reducing carbon emissions and fostering a cleaner energy future."
