Wiener Stadtwerke Annual Report 2012

Furthermore, a Group-wide code of conduct was approved by
the Board of Management and communicated to all personnel.
At the end of the 2012 financial year, no risks are identifiable
which, either in isolation or in combination with other risks,
represent a threat to the continued existence of the
Wiener Stadtwerke Group.
12. Outlook
The Wiener Stadtwerke Group will continue to operate in an
extremely dynamic business environment in the future. The
challenges associated with this are being actively tackled by
means of a clear corporate strategy. On the grounds of the
persistently difficult circumstances prevailing in the energy
sector, the Wiener Stadtwerke Group is intensifying its efforts
relating to increases in efficiency in order to ensure that the
Group continues to stand on a firm financial footing. By means
of the clear prioritisation assigned to its plans, the intention is
to further pursue important growth and innovation-oriented
projects so that the Group can continue to live up to its claim
of thinking in terms of Vienna‘s future.
The most important plans and objectives of the various Group
segments are set out below.
Energy segment
Production
Investments in production facilities and infrastructure are continuing
in order to ensure the existing high level of security of
supply.
In the coming years, Wien Energy plans to modernise and
upgrade its production facilities step-by-step. The thermal
waste recycling plant at Spittelau will be fully optimised in
terms of its energy efficiency by 2015. This project involves
modernising major plant components (incineration and boiler
system, water/steam system including the turbine and the
denitrification plant for waste gases) of this facility originally
commissioned in 1971. This and further steps are aimed at
tripling the electrical output to around 13 megawatts without
increasing the current capacity level of 250,000 tonnes of
waste. This rise in energy efficiency is equivalent to annual
savings of around five million cubic metre of natural gas.
Besides the Spittelau site and among others, the district
heating plant on the Arsenal site in the 3rd District of Vienna
and the district heating facility in Kagran will also be upgraded
in the coming years.
Another major focus of investment activity in 2013 will be
capacity expansion projects in the area of renewable energy
sources such as photovoltaic plants, wind farms and hydro-
electric facilities. The emphasis in the area of thermal
production is on the construction of a thermal storage plant
with a capacity of 150 megawatts which will make an important
contribution to increasing energy efficiency. The thermal
energy production facilities of Wien Energie will not change in
the course of the 2013 financial year and will continue to
consist of high-efficiency, modern, gas-fired power stations
employing cogeneration technology. The development of
infrastructure for e-mobility will also be pursued further, as will
the expansion of the tele-communications network in the
business customer segment.
Distribution
Both the electricity and the gas networks require constant
investments in order to safeguard the existing high degree of
reliability. In the current regulatory environment, characterised
by falling network tariffs, this objective represents a major
challenge.
Sales
The energy procurement market is key to the commercial
success of Wien Energie Vertrieb GmbH & Co KG. As in
previous years, optimising the procurement strategy and
professional risk management need to be the focus of
particular attention. Through the introduction of a route-independent
billing system for gas shipments (entry-exit system)
and changes in terms of the market regulations for energy
clearing and settlement in Austria, Wien Energie now faces a
fundamentally new model in the gas market as of 1.1.2013.
A key focus of the sales activities of Fernwärme Wien GmbH in
the coming years will be on further increasing the density of
the existing network as well as optimising its use in terms of
energy efficiency requirements. As a result, greater emphasis
will be placed on customer relationship management, particularly
with regard to the operating conditions (return temperatures)
and connected loads.
On the site of the Central Railway Station (Hauptbahnhof)
which is currently under construction, a further district cooling
centre with an output of around 20 megawatts is being built
which, from 2014, will also supply new customers.
On the grounds of the Rudolfstiftung hospital, a further
stand-alone district cooling centre is also in the final stages of
construction. Although already partially operational since
autumn 2012, when completed this facility with have a total
refrigeration capacity of 7.8 megawatts. The district cooling
plant already installed at the SMZ Ost hospital will be
upgraded in 2013 (total output: 6 megawatts).
Transport segment
Development of turnover, earnings and investment activity
Due to the steady increases in revenues and higher grants from
the City of Vienna, and despite the higher costs as a result of
expanding services, 2013 is expected to see a marked
improvement in terms of earnings compared to the prior year.
Investments of around EUR 459 million are planned for 2013, of
which approximately EUR 189 million are associated with the
expansion of the underground network. Additional focuses of
investment activity include the construction of the main workshops
in Simmering, the replacement of various tram units, the
procurement of buses and underground trains (Type V and
Type T1) and the extension of tram line 26, as well as the
redesign of the Opern- and Karlsplatzpassage underpass.
Consolidated Management Report | Annual Report 2012
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