Electricity licence extended

The municipality of Fernwald and Stadtwerke Gießen have signed a concession agreement for the operation of the electricity grid.

Once again, the political bodies of a municipality in the region have decided in favour of continuing the cooperation with Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG): On 5 May 2025, Fernwald's Mayor Manuel Rosenke and First Alderman Gerhard Pitz as well as the two SWG board members Andreas Hergaß and Matthias Funk signed the concession agreement for the operation of the electricity grid in all districts of the municipality. This means that for the next 20 years, the SWG grid subsidiary Mittelhessen Netz GmbH will take care of everything to do with the electricity grid and the associated systems in Fernwald. "We are delighted that those responsible in Fernwald value our work over the past decades and have once again placed their trust in us," explained Andreas Hergaß, Commercial Director of SWG, at the signing of the contract.

Beating the competition

The procedure for awarding concessions is clearly regulated by law. However, it gives local authorities a certain amount of leeway when formulating the requirements. Those responsible at Fernwald town hall made use of this and modified the procedure that had previously been used. "We usually submit an indicative offer first, discuss it with the concession grantors and then submit a binding offer," says Matthias Funk, Technical Director of SWG, describing the standard procedure. However, the municipality of Fernwald only requested a binding offer, which the representatives of SWG presented in the town hall and answered all questions. "The fact that we were able to prevail in such a procedure, which was new to us, makes us a little proud," adds Andreas Hergaß.

The fact that the municipality formulated clear evaluation criteria in advance was also unusual. Normally, tenders only require statements on the central criteria of security of supply, cost-effectiveness, consumer friendliness, efficiency and environmental compatibility and specify a weighting. "For Fernwald, we knew for the first time exactly what was expected of us in order to achieve full marks in the individual sectors," summarises Matthias Funk.

Always at eye level

However, it was not only the services agreed in the contract that spoke in favour of awarding the concession to SWG again, but also the negotiating climate. "Throughout the entire process, SWG always treated us as equals," explains Mayor Manuel Rosenke, adding: "We know SWG as a competent and conscientious partner that listens and responds to our needs here in Fernwald. I am firmly convinced that the decision is the right one and that we can continue to rely on SWG in the coming years."