Ramboll acquires leading German waste-to-energy engineering consultancy to strengthen its position

Ramboll has acquired German engineering consultancy Wandschneider + Gutjahr Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH (W+G), which specialises in thermal process engineering and project management for waste-to-energy and sludge incineration projects and has proficiency in district heating, biomass power plants, and industrial projects.

“We believe that there is great potential in the German market for engineering consultancy services related to waste-to-energy, sludge incineration and carbon capture. We expect to at least double our revenue in these fields in Germany by 2030”, says Hannes Reuter, Director Ramboll Energy.

The W+G team consisting of 26 employees operating out of the company’s Hamburg office supplements Ramboll’s experts, who have worked on 2,500+ waste-to-energy projects in 55 countries, including Germany, and provided consulting engineering services for more than 200 new units and retrofits.

“We are very excited to be welcoming W+G’s experts to Ramboll,” says Hannes Reuter. “With this acquisition we gain a foothold in the important German waste-to-energy market. Together, we will drive the continuing decarbonisation of the energy sector and industry by uniting Ramboll’s global reach and experience with W+G’s local presence and specialised focus. This enables us to provide state-of-the-art projects for our clients and drive forward innovative technologies,” he says.

“For us, Ramboll is the perfect partner to grow and offer our clients a broader range of services. Ramboll’s international know-how, proven expertise in the field of carbon capture and, last but not least, its strong corporate values and long-term thinking offer our employees very good opportunities for further development,” says Martin Gutjahr, CEO of W+G.

The market for thermal waste treatment is dynamic: increasing calorific values of waste require higher capacities and a number of plants are due for modernisation. At the same time, the need for incineration of sewerage sludge is increasing due to upcoming requirements for phosphorus recovery before application on agricultural land combined with the planned close-down of coal-fired power plants that currently co-incinerate sludge. In addition, like in other European countries, the waste-to-energy sector is investigating the feasibility of installing carbon capture to make the plants carbon neutral.

Ramboll has a long track record of waste-to-energy projects and is internationally recognised as the world-leading waste-to-energy engineering consultant. The company has 135 dedicated waste-to-energy project managers and specialists with in-depth knowledge of processes, technologies, suppliers and facility operation. Within carbon capture, utilisation & and storage, Ramboll has in recent years carried out more than 180 carbon capture projects and more than 200 hydrogen and Power-to-X projects.

Wandschneider + Gutjahr Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH (W+G) was founded in 1999. The company specialises in thermal process engineering and project management for waste-to-energy and sludge incineration projects and has expertise in district heating, biomass power plants, and industrial projects. W+G has successfully carried out more than 200 projects from concept to commissioning. The company is based in Hamburg.