The headquarters of CitrinSolar, a sought-after producer of renewable energy systems, will soon be relocated from Moosburg to Langenpreising. © Roland Albrecht
CitrinSolar is a flagship company in Moosburg, benefiting from the boom in renewable energies. But now the company is moving. And fuels a heated debate.
Moosburg – "You want to expand? In the 'Energy City' you can expect a highly innovative environment." With these words, Moosburg competes for companies on its homepage and presents itself as an attractive business location. However, this status has recently been questioned more and more often in debates – keyword: BayWa and postal future. Now the jewelry title "Energy City" is also crumbling: Because of all things, a figurehead in the field of renewable energies, CitrinSolar GmbH, is planning a move - to a direct neighboring town.
The manufacturer of solar thermal and photovoltaic systems as well as heat storage systems, whose 150 employees generated a turnover of more than 35 million euros last year, wants to build a new building in Langenpreising (Erding district). This is because the order books are overflowing, as Hanns Koller, company co-founder and shareholder of CitrinSolar, reports. "We expect a ten percent increase in sales this year." According to Koller, the company, which was founded in 2002 from dropouts from the Pfrombach-based tank construction company Nau, would like to meet the significantly higher demand, but has been reaching the limits of capacity at its previous location in Moosburg's Neustadt for some time. "And, of course, at some point, residential development will also be a problem, especially if people work in shifts."
CitrinSolar new building: From autumn 2024, things should happen very quickly
For this reason, a new building in the Langenpreisinger industrial park "Straßäcker" is now being promoted. According to Koller, the plans are well advanced: "On 6 June, the notary contract for the property was signed. Our submission plan is in the district office, which should take a maximum of three months." At the same time, tenders are already underway, because the schedule is ambitious: "We want to break ground at the end of September/beginning of October 2024 and complete the interior fittings of the new factory at the end of November. The relocation of production is planned for December/January, which is the quiet season for us." The office is to follow in mid-2025.
Hanns Koller from CitrinSolar will soon be able to go to the groundbreaking ceremony again – but then no longer in Moosburg. © Archive: Schledzinski
"The plan is sporty," says Koller. But time is of the essence. "In the future, we want to produce buffer storage tanks with up to 100,000 litres, but we are currently limited to 25,000 litres." Storage systems are a very important sector of the energy transition – and have always been a core competence of CitrinSolar. "This will also be our main area in Langenpreisinger production." In the medium term, CitrinSolar wants to grow to 220 employees, and is now intensively looking for personnel – in all areas.
The site on Böhmerwaldstraße in Moosburg will not be completely abandoned – with around ten workers, they want to continue manufacturing solar collectors there, there are currently no plans to the contrary, Koller assures. "This facility still fits well into its surroundings due to low emissions and little traffic, even though the new town has changed a lot there."
The city of Moosburg lacks large commercial areas
But why isn't there a new building elsewhere in Moosburg? "We have always worked very well with the city. But she doesn't currently have a contiguous plot of land that would be big enough for us." Langenpreising, on the other hand, where they were welcomed with open arms, offered a 25,000 square meter area on which 11,000 square meters of production and administration space are now to be created. "The municipality is doing a really good job. They have hired archaeologists who are currently investigating everything. We're getting a plot of land on which we can start building right away." CitrinSolar's new neighbours are well-known companies in the region: Leitsch Holzbau and CrustaNova's shrimp farm. "In the future, we will also be much better connected in terms of transport. The place will not be affected by us at all and we are sitting relatively close to the tangent."
The fact that CitrinSolar is largely saying goodbye to the city weighs heavily on Mayor Josef Dollinger's stomach, as he says. "We regret that another Moosburg company is leaving us." He had known about the plans for some time. "This is an up-and-coming company and it's understandable that they want to expand. I would have liked to have them back with us." Among other things, the Unterreit site was briefly discussed, says Dollinger. "Originally, the plan was for CitrinSolar to settle there instead of Swiss Post." But that was shattered again.
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"Unfortunately, we don't have any land of this size available," confirms the local boss Hanns Koller's statement. "We have been in the process of acquiring land in the Degernpoint area for years in order to expand the development plan to include the 2nd section." But several owners are not yet willing to sell their land. "I really hope that we will be able to achieve something in the near future." According to Dollinger, he has already had to put off a number of companies willing to expand. "That's always difficult because it's hard to encompass the time frame." The loss of business taxes and jobs is painful. "When a company leaves us, it always hits us – no matter what size."
The crux of the matter with the Degernpoint industrial estate
Hanns Koller understands the city's limited possibilities. "My recommendation to them is to expand Degernpoint in the east in the long term. But of course it's easy to talk if someone doesn't give their reason." The example of Jungheinrich shows that it is somehow possible. "If they hadn't been given the space outside the industrial park, they would have left," says Koller.
However, Josef Dollinger does not see at least the prestigious title of "Energy City" in danger: "It doesn't necessarily depend on a company. We are a solar city, which is largely due to the commitment of the Solar Friends Association. We will therefore continue to claim the title for ourselves."
You can find even more up-to-date news from the district of Freising on Merkur.de/Freising.
