The pharmaceutical giant sees itself well positioned in terms of energy supply. However, there is still a lot of catching up to do at the second largest German site in Biberach.
Biberach/Ingelheim (dpa/lsw) – The pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim would like to reduce possible risks in the energy supply with emergency plans and the pursuit of greater independence from external energy sources. While the group is already relatively well positioned, the issue of energy security at the Biberach site is somewhat more difficult, as the group’s Germany boss, Sabine Nikolaus, told the German Press Agency.
“The main sources of energy there are two large gas turbines. We converted one to diesel, which of course is not what we want at all,” she said. “This is a step backwards in terms of sustainability, but first of all it enables us to secure our production processes.” At the same time, the company is looking at other technologies that could be used in Biberach. “There are a few options in the medium and long term; geothermal energy could be an issue, or hydrogen technology in the future.”
The headquarters in Ingelheim in Rhineland-Palatinate, on the other hand, will be largely independent of external energy sources in the foreseeable future thanks to the new biomass cogeneration plant. “It’s a great relief,” said Nikolaus. It will take until the end of next year before the power plant can go into operation, “but that’s a reasonable period of time.” In this way, Boehringer Ingelheim is also making a contribution to sustainability.
“The purely chemical industry is certainly more energy-intensive than a pharmaceutical company like Boehringer Ingelheim,” explained the manager. Her company also produces chemicals, but that is only a relatively small part of the production. “We have contingency and backup plans for all of our sites,” she said. “We’re looking at what we can do in the short term and, of course, what’s possible in the medium and long term. We’re in a good position there.”
With more than 52,000 employees worldwide – including around 17,000 in Germany – the family-run company is one of the largest German pharmaceutical manufacturers. Profit and sales rose sharply last year to 3.4 billion euros and 20.6 billion euros, respectively. The second major location in Germany is Biberach with almost 6,900 employees.
