The Volvo Group presents the first vehicle plant in the world that is completely free from carbon dioxide- Volvo trucks’ plant in Ghent, Belgium, with an annual capacity of 35,000 trucks and 2,500 employees. The Volvo Group’s efforts about CO2 emissions are fully in line with EU’s goal to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 2020 with 20%. Volvo CEO Leif Johansson said that the company’s ambition is to make all its plants CO2-free plants, and it is not an easy undertaking, but the Group is prepared to try different alternatives to achieve the goal for CO2-free production in its plants.

The Volvo Group decided in 2005 to transform the Volvo Trucks plant in Tuve, and the one in Umeå, Sweden, into CO2-free vehicle plants. The plants are undergoing transformation to become CO2-free, work progressing as planned, and an application for environmental permits has been already prepared. For Ghent, this means investments in wind power and biofuel to provide the plant with electricity and therefore-heat that does not add any carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Three wind power plants will be constructed on the site to cover half of the plant’s electricity requirements, the remaining electricity will be provided by a certified green energy company, Electrabel.