Repower (Swiss energy utility)

Repower AG
Type Aktiengesellschaft
(Company limited by shares)[1]
Industry Energy
Founded 2000 (merger)
Headquarters Brusio,[1] Switzerland
Area served Europe
Key people Kurt Bobst
(CEO)
Eduard Rikli
(Chairman of the Board of Directors)
Products Electricity generation, transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution
Revenue CHF 2.267 billion (2010)[2]
Employees 722 (30 June 2011)[3]
Website www.repower.com

Repower (until May 2010 Rätia Energie AG[1]) is an international energy utility with its operational headquarters in Poschiavo (Canton Graubünden, Switzerland). The company’s history goes back more than 100 years. Its key markets include Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Romania. The group operates along the entire value chain, from generation and trading to sales. Repower AG shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

The Repower Group employs around 720 people, plus 400 sales agents in Italy and some 30 apprentices in Switzerland.[3]

Contents

History

For more than 100 years, Repower has been one of the largest providers of electricity in Switzerland. Founded in 1904 as Kraftwerke Brusio AG, the same year the company started construction of its first power plant − at the time the largest high-pressure hydropower installation in Europe − in Campocologno in the Poschiavo region of Canton Graubünden, Switzerland. Proximity to the Italian border precipitated the company's involvement in international projects and business activities. In 2000, Kraftwerke Brusio AG (Poschiavo), AG Bündner Kraftwerke (Klosters) and Rhätische Werke für Elektrizität AG (Thusis) merged to create the Rätia Energie AG group, which was subsequently joined by aurax ag (Ilanz) in 2004. In 2002 the group embarked on business in Italy, and in 2007 it entered the German market and commenced trading in Prague. Since 2009 the company has also operated in Romania. In 2010, Rätia Energie AG was renamed Repower AG.

Shareholder structure

The company’s shareholders are:[4]

Financial highlights

Repower prepares its accounts in Swiss francs. Its 2010 results were announced on 23 March 2011.

2010 financial highlights CHF million[2]
Total operating revenue 2,267
Group profit 80
Operating profit (EBIT) 163
Balance sheet total 2,274
Equity 922

Executive board

The executive board comprises the following members:[5]

Offices

In Switzerland the group has offices in Bever, Klosters, Küblis, Ilanz, Landquart, Poschiavo and Zurich. In Italy it operates out of an office in Milan, in Germany out of Dortmund and in Central and Eastern Europe out of Prague, Bucharest and Sarajevo.

Generation

Repower has its own generation assets in Switzerland, Italy and Germany, producing electricity on the basis of different technologies: hydro, thermal and wind. In 2010 the group’s own installations generated around 1,800 GWh of electricity. In addition to this, the company holds interests in nuclear power plants in Switzerland and France.

Thermal power plants

Repower has a 61% interest in SET S.p.A. (Milan), which operates the Teverola combined cycle gas power plant in the Italian province of Caserta. This 400 MW installation, the group’s largest power plant, went into operation at the end of 2006.

Nuclear power

Repower holds interests in nuclear power plants in Switzerland and France, representing an installed capacity of around 50 MW.

Renewable energy

Hydropower

The group operates 16 of its own hydropower plants in Canton Graubünden, Switzerland. It also has interests and drawing rights in other plants. The company’s installed hydropower capacity totals 443 MW.

Some of these hydropower facilities generate naturemade star certified green power. The naturemade star label is awarded by the Association for Environmentally Sound Energy (VUE).

Wind

In Italy the group operates a wind farm in Corleto Perticara (9.3 MW), and holds an interest in another wind farm in Giunchetto on Sicily (Repower’s interest: 11.6 MW). In Germany the company owns two wind farms, in Prettin (10 MW) and Lübbenau (16 MW).

Current projects

The group is currently planning or delivering a number of major generation projects:

Trading

Repower generates around 75% of its energy turnover in trading; in 2010 this came to 14.5 terawatt hours.[2] Repower operates on the most important European energy exchanges from a trading floor located across three offices in Poschiavo (Switzerland), Milan (Italy) and Prague (Czech Republic). The group sees itself as an asset-based trader, trading electricity, gas and carbon certificates. Added to this, the Renewables Trading department markets electricity from renewable resources to large consumers and resellers throughout Europe. On the physical side of the business Repower delivers electricity – part of which is generated by Repower itself, part of which is bought in from outside – to wholesale customers, usually via the high-voltage grid. The company also deals in certificates to deliver environmental value-added to larger end-consumers, independently of the grid. At the wholesale level the group delivers standard products such as base, peak and off-peak, as well as profiles.

Transmission

Repower has played a significant role in increasing cross-border capacity between northern and southern Europe by building the international Bernina Line (380 kV/220 kV), commissioned in 2005 and transferred to the Swiss national grid operator Swissgrid at the end of 2012. Repower is a partner in Swissgrid.

In October 2009, Repower joined forces with Edison and the municipality of Tirano to inaugurate the first A/C merchant line in Europe. Repower and the other partners involved have exclusive rights to use the line for another ten years. It runs underground for its entire length between Tirano (Italy) and Campocologno (Switzerland). This 150 kV merchant line increases cross-border transport capacity by 150 MW, helping assure a secure energy supply in Italy and Switzerland.

Sales and distribution

Switzerland

Repower is the leading provider of electricity in Southeast Switzerland, where it supplies around 75,000 consumers directly or indirectly through resellers and operates distribution grids.[11]

Italy

Repower has a subsidiary in Milan. It has operated in sales and distribution since 2002. The subsidiary specialises in the SME market, supplying small and medium-sized companies and public institutions with electricity and gas. It has a share of around 7% of this segment. In 2010, Repower turned over about 4 terawatt hours of electricity in Italy and 125 million cubic metres of gas.[12]

Germany

In Germany, Repower has marketed electricity and green power certificates to SME consumers and municipalities since 2007.

Romania

Repower commenced operations in Romania in 2009. In June 2010 Repower entered the Romanian distribution business by acquiring Elcomex EN, a company supplying electricity to small and medium-sized enterprises. In July 2011, Elcomex EN has been renamed as Repower Furnizare România.

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c Entry of "Repower AG" in the Graubünden Commercial Register
  2. ^ a b c Repower Annual Report 2010, p. 5. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  3. ^ a b Repower Semi-annual report 2011, p. 7. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  4. ^ http://www.repower.com/en/group/investor-relations/shares/shareholders/. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  5. ^ http://www.repower.com/en/group/company/organisation/executive-board/. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  6. ^ http://lagobianco.repower.com/en/home/. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  7. ^ http://www.repower.com/en/group/assets/projects/saline-joniche-coal-fired-plant/. Retrieved 2011-03-07. See also the project website http://www.progettosei.it/index.php.
  8. ^ http://www.repower.com/en/group/assets/projects/brunsbuettel-coal-fired-plant/. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  9. ^ http://www.repower.com/en/group/assets/projects/leverkusen-combined-cycle-power-plant/. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  10. ^ http://www.repower.com/en/group/assets/projects/chlus-rhine-hydropower-plant/. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  11. ^ http://www.repower.com/en/group/energy/sales/. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  12. ^ http://www.repower.com/en/group/company/at-a-glance/core-competencies-and-strategy/. Retrieved 2011-10-27.