In the 2017/2018 fiscal year, approximately 78.0% of Energie AG’s own electricity generation came from renewable sources, with around 92.6% of this coming from hydroelectric power and the remainder from photovoltaic systems, wind, biomass and waste recycling.
Energie AG operates a total of 44 of its own hydropower plants (with a total capacity of around 280 MW and around 1,160 GWh 1)Including Bad Goisern power plant (10%) of electricity generated annually) and 20 hydropower plants from procurement rights (with a capacity of around 380 MW and around 1,390 GWh of electricity generated annually). Energie AG has seven locations 2)Riedersbach, Timelkam, Wels, Redlham, Kirchdorf, Steyr, Laakirchen for thermal power plants with a capacity of 400 MWe and up to 2,260 GWh 3)Including Timelkam CCGT plant (70%) and Riedersbach (location only) of electricity generated annually. The total installed capacity of the thermal power generation plants for heat is 1,024 MWt.
For more information about energy generation, see the Key Performance Indicators section of the Management Report.
Energie AG operates several thermal power plants in Upper Austria, including the power plant with the highest capacity in the state: the CCGT (combined-cycle gas turbine) power plant at Timelkam, which is rated at 405 MWe 4)Timelkam CCGT power plant 100%. Energie AG’s CCGT power plant has the necessary flexibility and a highly efficient part load operation, enabling it to be used to stabilise the electricity grid in congestion management situations. The last of the coal was burnt up at the Riedersbach power plant in 2016. Since then, we have used only natural gas and biomass to generate electricity and district heating at our Riedersbach and Timelkam sites. The biomass power plant at Timelkam (capacity: 9.5 MWe, 28 MWt) uses forest and herbaceous biomass to generate green electricity and district heating.
All thermal power and heat generation plants exhibit a very high degree of fuel utilisation and, in turn, efficient use of primary energy resources.
Conserving resources is more than simply a focus area in the operation of power and heat production plants; it begins as soon as infrastructure facilities are built and spans their entire useful life. The environmental impact of new production and supply facilities is kept as low as possible with the close involvement of affected stakeholders and the support of outside experts. A forward-thinking maintenance strategy ensures high system availability and maximises system lifespans.
Increasing energy efficiency in electricity and heat production, distribution grids, and customers’ energy and water consumption is a permanent focus of efforts to achieve sustainability.
Heat is generated at the Kirchdorf power plant location through a highly efficient co-generation facility with around 90% total efficiency. The CO₂ emissions from power plants and heating systems are up to 60% lower than in conventional energy production. In addition, 40% of the heat demand is covered by using or recovering industrial waste heat.
Energie AG supports its customers in a variety of ways through its energy efficiency campaigns, with advisory services, sustainable electric transport, long-lasting and efficient LED lighting provided for free, and financial support for replacing old, high-energy-consumption household appliances. 105,412 two-packs of LEDs 5Measures submitted to the Austrian Energy Efficiency Monitoring Centre were issued during the 2018 Energy Efficiency Campaign, saving a total of 2.6 GWh. The new household appliance replacement campaign, ”Buy or Rent“, led to 1,179 inefficient home appliances being replaced and around 110,000 kWh being saved.
Accelerating energy-efficient technologies has now been an Energie AG priority area for many years. The installation of efficient heat pumps is supported through monetary assistance, energy advisory services and demonstration systems. It was possible to install around 500 new systems in the Energie AG service area over the past fiscal year, yielding total energy savings of around 8.3 GWh.
In addition to the direct assistance, subsidised electricity products have also been available. ENAMO Ökostrom GmbH, a joint venture of Energie AG and Linz AG, has 100% renewable seller status. In addition to supplying all private and commercial customers with environmentally friendly electricity from hydroelectric power, ENAMO Ökostrom GmbH is one of nine electricity distribution companies that also offers ”green electricity“ certified according to the UZ46 environmental label throughout Austria.
In gas sales, the ”Energy-Saving Package“, which supports the installation, renewal and conversion of heating systems to condensing boiler technology for household customers, was successfully continued. In the period under review, around 370 heaters were converted to natural gas or replaced, saving around 4.8 GWh of energy (calculated based on EEffG). Contracting solutions for efficient heating systems were another focus area. The increased use of biomass, geothermal energy and industrial waste heat is particularly effective in promoting regional and renewable energies in the production of heat.
For details on the expansion of public charging stations for electric vehicles, see the Management Report.