Regional commitment, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit - this is how Stadtwerke Gießen is laying the foundations for the future today. During the annual press conference last Friday, those responsible at SWG looked at the goals for the coming years and the figures for the successful 2015 financial year: a surplus of more than 6 million euros, an increase in electricity and heat sales and rising customer numbers in all areas.
At the end of the 2015 financial year, Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) once again posted a good company result. At a press conference at the SWG headquarters on 15 July, the Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board Astrid Eibelshäuser and the two SWG Management Board members Matthias Funk and Jens Schmidt presented the figures - first and foremost the annual result. Last year's net profit totalled 6.014 million euros, which is around 800 thousand euros below the previous year's result.
As in the previous year, the number of private and commercial customers with a connection to the heating network increased in 2015. This is one of the reasons why sales of heating, cooling and steam also increased to 411 gigawatt hours (GWh). Electricity sales also climbed - from 1,652 to 1,765 GWh. Thanks to these figures and the overall good result, Stadtwerke Gießen is distributing 2.5 million euros to the city of Gießen - the owner of SWG.
Looking to the future
The two SWG Executive Board members Matthias Funk and Jens Schmidt have been at the helm of the municipal energy company together for just over a year. At the annual results press conference, they rated both the figures for 2015 and the first few months of their collaboration as "extremely positive". "It very quickly became clear that we are pulling together strategically and are both thinking towards the future. This is exactly what characterised our predecessors, which is why the company has such a stable foundation today," explained Jens Schmidt. The most important building blocks of this foundation include the district heating network in Giessen and the expansion of combined heat and power generation in the city. "Both will continue to be key pillars of our strategy in the future," emphasised Matthias Funk. The city of Giessen is already doing very well in terms of its climate footprint, as the energy report presented in February 2016 emphasises. The high proportion of self-generated electricity in the city is also remarkable. This was already over 47 per cent in 2014.
Matthias Funk emphasised: "We will continue to promote this climate-friendly form of energy supply here locally. At the same time, SWG is tackling new issues that will ensure the long-term development of the company." Jens Schmidt added: "The year 2015 and the first half of 2016 are a good example of what the roadmap for the coming years looks like."
Climate-friendly supply solutions
One of the most important milestones of the past financial year was the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the second thermal waste treatment and energy utilisation plant, TREA 2 for short, in August 2015. Matthias Funk was already in charge of this major project as the former head of the heat supply department at SWG. At the annual press conference, he summarised why the new plant will take Giessen and the region another big step forward in terms of the energy transition: "TREA 2 produces enough heat in a climate-friendly way to cover the needs of around 4,200 single-family homes alone. At the same time, we expect to generate around 40,600 megawatt hours of electricity per year. That's enough to supply 13,500 average households." Thanks to the new power plant, local CO2 emissions will be reduced by around 28,000 tonnes per year.
"TREA 2 stands for our slogan 'With energy. For the region', as well as other projects in the field of energy supply that we have initiated or implemented," emphasised Jens Schmidt. These include the establishment of municipal heating networks, such as in a new development area in Hungen, or the installation of a climate-friendly heating and cooling supply system, such as at Bänninger Kunststoff-Produkte GmbH in Reiskirchen.
More than just electricity and heat
SWG has also always fulfilled an important function in the region and taken on responsibility beyond the topic of energy. For example, as a partner at major events such as the state gymnastics festival, which was held in Gießen in 2015. The long-term commitment to MTV 1846 Gießen, the Tour of Hope, the "Mittelhessen Cup" running series and the "SWG Cup" is also part of this. "Supporting institutions, clubs, projects and facilities in Central Hessen has always been very important to us. This will not change in the future," promised Jens Schmidt. "As one of the most important players here locally, we are committed to advancing the region in all areas - from energy and mobility to sport and leisure, research, development, science and education."
Based on this approach, SWG also came up with the idea of offering young people a platform to further develop innovative concepts and bring them to market maturity. At the beginning of January 2016, the company launched the so-called GründerWerkStadt in new premises on the site of the main building in Lahnstrasse. "This is where the entrepreneurial spirit and our own strengths come together. The exchange of ideas and personal discussions are very important when it comes to finding new approaches and developing practicable solutions," explained Matthias Funk. "With GründerWerkStadt, we are not only creating added value for the start-ups and ourselves, but also making a contribution to Giessen and Central Hessen. After all, innovative strength is a key aspect when it comes to the economic attractiveness and competitiveness of a region," emphasised Jens Schmidt.
This idea is also behind the long-standing cooperation with the Technical University of Central Hesse (THM). Two current projects are proof of the intelligent solutions that this co-operation is bringing to light. The Competence Centre for Energy and Environmental Systems Engineering at THM is currently developing a process with the support of SWG to dry sewage sludge and use it as fuel. The method has several advantages, as Matthias Funk explained: "We would have a regenerative fuel with a good energy content that we could use in our TREA for climate-friendly energy generation. This would automatically solve the issue of sewage sludge disposal."
Utilising waste to put it to good use also forms the basis of another research project at THM. The scientists are working on a large electricity storage system that works with so-called lignins
. These are produced in huge quantities during paper production, among other things. "We are very interested in testing this pioneering technology as a project partner," emphasised Jens Schmidt.
Digital and mobile
The cooperation with the THM and the GründerWerkStadt are just two recent examples of how SWG is thinking ahead and creating modern framework conditions. At the beginning of 2016, the company put the digital infrastructure of Giessen city centre on a new footing with freely accessible Wi-Fi. "This commitment to communication technology was new territory for us, which we deliberately entered in order to further develop ourselves and the city in this field," explained Jens Schmidt. In Matthias Funk's view, this also applies to the energy company's new online service and the online contract conclusion: "We are opening up to new areas, learning how to navigate them safely and are therefore in a position to constantly optimise our services for our customers."
Another field to which this statement applies is electromobility. Here, too, Stadtwerke Gießen made a lot of progress in 2015 and the first half of 2016. The company installed a charging station in the visitor car park opposite the SWG main administration building in Lahnstraße and in the car park in front of the Ringallee swimming centre. Operation is also in the hands of Stadtwerke Gießen. Electric cars, e-scooters and electric bicycles can refuel there with climate-friendly "Giessen green electricity". "Together with the city of Giessen, we are laying the foundations today for the mobility of the future. After all, electric vehicles will slowly replace conventional vehicles, especially in city centres and for short journeys," explained Jens Schmidt.
This is precisely why SWG is now going one step further. For a few weeks now, they have been offering a special electricity supply contract under the name "DrivE" - including attractive purchasing benefits for an unu brand electric scooter. "All of this shows the direction in which we are heading - without neglecting our core business as an energy supplier and service provider," Matthias Funk assured us, adding: "The topic of energy efficiency will also become increasingly relevant in the coming years - partly because ever stricter legal requirements apply to new and renovated buildings."
Strong with energy and efficiency
More and more companies and private households in the region and beyond are benefiting from SWG's experience in energy efficiency. Stadtwerke Gießen has been offering modern energy services under the name "En5" since 2009. "With great success," emphasised Jens Schmidt at the press conference last Friday. "We implemented several new projects in 2015. More than 100 business customers now benefit from our experience in the field of energy efficiency - including as a contractual partner via heat contracting."
The range of services is also attracting a great deal of interest from private customers. Homeowners and builders make use of the expertise of SWG employees - for example when it comes to hydraulic balancing, an energy certificate or thermography. "It shows that we are very well positioned - from on-site generation and supply to all-round services. This is exactly what characterises a modern energy company today," explained Matthias Funk. "And we are now setting the course to ensure that we remain a modern energy company in the future," added Jens Schmidt.
Gas network: a task for the future
One challenge that SWG will face in the coming years is the switch from L-gas to H-gas. The reason for this is that Germany and the Netherlands are continuing to reduce their natural gas production. The L-gas volumes that are lost must be replaced by higher-quality H-gas from the Middle East or Russia. As a result, adjustments are required at many plants - a huge infrastructure project for the German gas industry. Around 35,000 gas appliances are affected in the network area of SWG subsidiary MIT.N. The conversion is scheduled for 2019 and 2020. However, Jens Schmidt pointed out that not every older boiler needs to be replaced: "In most cases, minor work will probably suffice, but this will not incur any direct costs for the customer. "
15.07.2016