From Copper Recycling to Future Grid Infrastructure | Thomas Schneider, Asta Energy Solutions

The world is rebuilding its power grid — and the copper that winds every transformer has become a strategic bottleneck. Asta Energy Solutions isn't just supplying conductor materials; they're recycling old copper windings into new CTC conductors and betting on 20+ years of transformer demand. At the 2026 IEEE PES T&D Show in Chicago, we sat down with Thomas Schneider, CSO of Asta Energy Solutions. With 25 years in the transformer industry — from VA Tech Elin in Austria to Siemens Energy, and now leading growth strategy at Asta — Thomas explains why the power transformer market is in a "growth, growth, growth" cycle and what comes after the current investment supercycle. Key Takeaways: • The power transformer market is experiencing unprecedented growth, with OEMs expanding from 138kV up to 765kV — a major technical leap in insulation systems and competency • Asta specializes in premium continuously transposed conductors (CTC), where quality differences are measured in microns • Synchronous condenser deployments are driving new demand for Roebel bar windings for stator and rotor applications • Industry executives expect a second investment cycle starting in the early 2030s, driven by hyperscaler data centers and AI factories • Asta completed a successful IPO in January, listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange • The company is installing 20% additional capacity in Asia, 40% in Brazil, and 60% more in Europe • Long-term customer agreements — a new business model in the transformer supply chain • Asta's copper recycling and upcasting process cuts CO₂ emissions by 50%, a sustainability advantage attracting European TSOs and US corporations alike • With factories in Europe, India, China, and Brazil, Asta serves the US market from its European and Latin American facilities Chapters: 0:00 — Intro & guest welcome 0:40 — Thomas's career: VA Tech Elin → Siemens → Asta 2:45 — Market trends: "Growth, growth, growth" 3:30 — OEMs scaling to 765kV — the competency challenge 5:15 — Asta's focus: premium CTC conductors 6:45 — Synchronous condensers & Roebel bar windings 7:30 — Are we overbuilding? The 2030 investment cycle 9:15 — Manufacturing footprint: Europe, Asia, Brazil 10:30 — Career change: Siemens to Asta (C-level role) 11:45 — Asta's IPO & growth strategy 12:45 — Long-term agreements as a new business model 13:45 — Collaboration with utilities & end-users 14:45 — Copper recycling & sustainability (50% CO₂ reduction) 16:00 — What makes Asta unique: "doing what others can't or won't" Guest: Thomas Schneider, CSO, Asta Energy Solutions Host: Alan Ross, Managing Editor, APC Media Event: 2026 IEEE PES T&D Show, Chicago 🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn for exclusive updates and behind-the-scenes moments: 👉 Power Systems Technology Page:   / power-systems-technology   👉 Transformer Technology Page:   / transformer-technology   👉 Women in Power Systems:   / women-power-systems   🌐 Visit our website to dive deeper into our offerings and discover valuable resources: https://powersystems.technology/ 📧Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content and stay in the loop with exciting developments: https://powersystems.technology/subsc... #PowerTransformer #CopperRecycling #CTCConductor #GridModernization #TransformerTechnology #IEEEPESTD #EnergyInfrastructure #SynchronousCondenser