Nokian Tyres has officially opened the world’s first full-scale tire factory with zero CO2 emissions in Oradea, Romania.
The new factory operates without the need for any fossil energy. It marks the completion of a two-year-long project and sets the ground for commercial production in early 2025.
“All electricity used at the Romania Oradea factory is CO2 emission-free,” said Adrian Kaczmarczyk, SVP of operation excellence at Nokian Tyres. “Part of the electricity used in the factory is generated by on-site solar power units. Steam used to cure the tires is generated by innovative electric boilers that use fully CO2 emission-free electricity instead of the usual fossil fuels such as coal or gas.”
The factory manufactured its first tire in July 2024 and is ramping up its annual capacity to six million tires, with expansion plans in the future. The focus will be the production of passenger car tires to be sold in the Central European market as the plant is close to that area.
The factory area includes the production unit, a distribution facility for storage, and mixing, utility and administrative buildings. The combined built-up area totals approximately 100,000m2.
“Oradea is now home to us, and we are committed to being a good neighbor, supporting the community, the regional economy and each member of our team,” said Susanna Tusa, general director and vice president of Nokian Tyres Romania.
The total value of the project is approximately €650m (US$725m), which positions the Finnish company as one of the largest foreign investors in Romania in recent years. To finance its investment, Nokian will receive state aid from the Romanian government worth some €100m (US$111m) and an investment loan from the European Investment Bank worth €150m (US$168m).
“With our full-scale zero CO2 emission tire factory, we are ready to lead the industry and set the new standard for sustainable tire manufacturing,” said Jukka Moisio, president and CEO of Nokian Tyres.
Nokian has conducted a recruitment campaign to hire around 500 people for the new factory’s operations.
