Following the unanimous decision of the municipal parliament in December 2014, Stadtwerke Gießen and Lahnau signed a gas concession agreement on 30 January 2015. Term: 20 years.
The municipality of Lahnau will continue to rely on Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) for its natural gas supply for a further twenty years. This was decided by the municipal representatives at their meeting on 18 December 2014, who thus opted for the offer from Stadtwerke Gießen AG. On Friday, 30 January 2015, Lahnau's mayor Eckhard Schultz, first alderman Dieter Schmidt, SWG board members Jens Schmidt and Reinhard Paul sealed their cooperation by signing the contract in the presence of company spokeswoman Ina Weller, SWG department head Peter Keller and Frank Hoffmann from SWG subsidiary Mittelhessen Netz GmbH (MIT.N). This right of way authorises energy companies to operate gas or electricity networks on or under public roads, cycle paths, pavements and squares and to lay new lines. In return, SWG pays the respective municipality a so-called concession fee.
Consumers in the municipality of Lahnau do not have to expect any changes. "The easement agreement only affects the grid operation in Lahnau," explained Frank Hoffmann, Managing Director of MIT.N. "Households and businesses don't have to worry about anything, because the contracts with the customers remain unaffected," added both SWG board members. For the municipality of Lahnau, the signing of the road utilisation contract primarily means security and reliability. Mayor Eckhard Schultz also emphasised at the signing of the contract: "We have come to appreciate SWG's reliability and regional proximity in recent years. These aspects, as well as the flexibility of SWG's offering, were decisive in our decision to continue to rely on SWG for the next twenty years." The concession agreement has been valid since 1 January 2015 and runs until 31 December 2034.