Heating plant and solar power: New Panattoni Park near Graz scores with energy from the region

Fuels that grow right outside your front door and solar power from your own roof - in today’s globalised world, distances are rarely as short and sustainable as they will be starting in September 2024 in Southern Styria. Panattoni, the leading project developer of commercial properties in Europe is making that happen. For the first project in Austria, the Panattoni Park Graz Süd, an on-site biogenic heating plant will be built in cooperation with HTB Bioenergie. In addition, photovoltaics systems will be installed on the roofs of all three buildings.

The property in Hasendorf in the Market Municipality Wagna on which the commercial lot on three hall buildings will be erected measures almost 100,000 m². Around 580 m² of space is included in the design for the on-site biomass power plant. It will supply all three halls at the Panattoni Park and the kiosk created for the future employees with a heating capacity of around four kilowatts. The heating plant will be constructed and operated by HTB Bioenergie from Kalsdorf.

“Since it is important to us that our property provide added value for users and the region, it is of particular importance that we support local value creation,” says Jürgen Winklbauer, Managing Director at Panattoni Austria. “That is why we are pleased to have found local companies as reliable partners in HTB Bioenergy and the photovoltaics system operator, Green3 Energy. Together, we hope to drive the energy revolution in Southern Styria forward.”

Exclusively biogenic fuels like wood chips or comparable materials that meet the sustainability standards of the DGNB gold certification and the EU taxonomy will be use for heat generation. The exhaust gases generated will be filtered to protect the environment. The wood chips come entirely from a forest in the region which is also owned by HTB Bioenergy. “We want to produce energy in an environmentally-friendly manner,” says Doris Volk, Managing Director at HTB Bioenergie. “That means where the wood chips come from is quite important. By providing it ourselves, we can keep transport routes as short as possible and ensure that the forest from which the wood comes is sustainably cultivated.”

The extensive photovoltaics systems are another planned sustainability measure. The energy generated on a total roof surface area of 27,400 m² will be fed into the Austrian electrical grid. Green3 Energy GmbH is the system operator. The system will be installed, at the latest, six months after completing the project. The production of hall A is slated for the second quarter and hall B for the fourth quarter of 2024. The installation on hall C is optional and can be implemented over time. 

The Panattoni Park Graz Süd offers a usable surface area of 48,000 m² and an additional 7,200 m² of office and social spaces for up to 400 employees. Thanks to the high third-party usability, it is suitable for various user groups. Primarily, however, the focus is on segments established in the region which include the automotive, high-tech, foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals segments. The Panattoni Park will be supplied with electricity from the region for at least the next 30 years. That is the term of the agreement with HTB Bioenergie with an option to extend.

“An on-site heating plant on the property is a powerful and important signal,” says Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner at Panattoni Germany and Austria. “We not only offer a sustainable alternative to classical oil heaters, but as a result of the extremely short delivery routes, we are also decreasing the CO₂ footprint of the companies that will establish themselves at the Panattoni Park Graz Süd. And with the photovoltaics systems, we are also giving sustainably produced electricity back to the region.”