VERBUND and Holcim bring solar energy to Mannersdorf

The solar energy that has been generated on the grounds of the Holcim cement plant on the Mannersdorf site since summer 2025 is an important stepping stone for the world’s largest building materials producer on the path to supplying energy from sustainable sources. VERBUND, Austria’s leading energy company and one of the largest producers of electricity from hydropower in Europe, built and started up the solar power facility at 15.44 MWp.

As a global leader in innovative and sustainable construction solutions, Holcim is driving green transformation of the construction industry forwards. With sustainability at the heart of its strategy, Holcim aims to become a net-zero company and improve quality of life in cities and regions through smart infrastructure and circular economy. The cement plant in Mannersdorf am Leithagebirge, Austria’s largest cement plant and an international showcase plant for cement production, sustainability and recycling for 130 years, is now resolutely pursuing this path: the photovoltaic facility with a power of 15.44 MWp has been fully operational since summer 2025.

VERBUND took over the planning, construction, installation and ongoing operation of the new PV facility, which will generate up to 19.30 GWh of solar energy per year in the future. The facility consists of 22,204 modules across a developed area of approx. 17 hectares, saving up to 15,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents annually. In the future, this will allow around 15% of the production site’s total electricity requirements to be met using its own solar energy. Working together with VERBUND as a strategic partner is a key element on the plant’s path to a 100% renewable energy supply by 2030.

Sustainably planned photovoltaics: Nature and species protection meets the transition to clean energy

Project implementation was characterised by special protection and integration measures that affected the schedule but led to a sustainable solution: the facility was designed to be nature- and species-friendly, with special access points for small animals, recultivated areas that are designed to be hamster-friendly, and measures to protect ground-nesting birds. A documented field hamster population in the immediate vicinity of the PV area was taken into account in all planning steps. In addition, screening vegetation was planted to sensitively integrate the facility into the landscape of the region. These special requirements have necessitated additional coordination and construction times, but simultaneously demonstrate how technical modernisation and nature conservation can go hand in hand.

"Our goal is to make use of all the possibilities afforded by a circular economy to secure the supply of cement in the region in a way that is as resource-efficient as possible," explains Haimo Primas, CEO of Holcim Österreich GmbH. "With this new photovoltaic system, we are able to generate up to 19.30 GWh of solar energy ourselves. In the future, this will allow us to cover around 15% of the total electricity requirements of our production site. This investment is another important step on our path to a green transformation that complements the ongoing improvements in our energy management."

"I am delighted about our trust-based collaboration with Holcim," says Martin Wagner, Managing Director of VERBUND Energy4Business GmbH. "I think this project is very special, especially because of the particular challenges it posed – from comprehensive nature and species protection, to hamster-friendly recultivation, all the way to the sensitive integration of the facility into the landscape. Despite the associated hurdles, we have succeeded in implementing a technically robust and environmentally compatible solution of which we can both be proud."

With the initial operation of the photovoltaic system, the Mannersdorf plant is setting another milestone on its path to an even better circular economy, resource efficiency, and climate change mitigation.