Energie Baden-Württemberg AG

This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Introduction

EnBW (Energie Baden-Württemberg AG) is a German utility, which was 45 per cent owned by the EDF Group until 2010. Another 45 per cent is owned by Zweckverband Oberschwabische Elektrizitatswerke (OEW) – a union of municipalities in southern Baden-Württemberg. It has an installed capacity of 14.02GW of which 4,843GW is nuclear. EnBW has around 80 per cent of the residential and business markets in the German State of Baden Wurtemberg.

EnBW has some six million customers making it the third largest energy company in Germany. In 2006, EnBW’s 20,000 employees generated annual revenue in excess of 13 billion Euros, and provided its customers with 74.9 billion kWh of electricity. Traditionally, the company is firmly rooted in Baden-Württemberg, but it also operates throughout Germany and central and eastern Europe.

Nuclear operator

EnBW Kernkraft GmbH (EnKK) operates three EnBW nuclear power stations at Neckarwestheim (with two PWRs), Philippsburg (with one BWR and one PWR) and a closed PWR at Obrigheim. Nuclear power accounted for 34 per cent of the electricity supplied by EnBW in 2006. Together Neckarwestheim and Philippsburg have an installed capacity of 4,443MW. This is made up to 4,843MW by contracts with EDF. In 2006 the company said it was campaigning to “modernise” the German nuclear consensus agreement – in other words it wanted longer to phase-out its nuclear stations. In August 2012 it announced it had passed a strategy for decommissioning the stations and had decided on immediate decommissioning of power stations in Neckarwestheim (GKN) and Philippsburg (KKP).

We are taking note of our responsibility and not putting the issue of decommissioning work off any longer. With direct decommissioning, we are achieving clarity for the public, employees and our business partners" explains Jörg Michels, Chairman of EnKK. "Both safety-related and economical aspects support immediate decommissioning in our view and therefore against the so-called safe inclusion."

EnBW is a member of the European Atomic Forum (Foratom).

International

EnBW worked closely with the EDF Group in central and eastern Europe. The two companies co-ordinate management of investments in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary. In December 2011 however EnBW sold back minority stakes in its Polish assets to EDF for 301 million euros, as it geared up for a 10 billion-euro ($13 billion) expansion of its renewable energy portfolio.

Renewables

Around 16% of the electricity supplied by EnBW comes from renewable sources. EnBW has 37 run-of-the-river hydro schemes and two pumped-storage schemes in Baden-Württemberg. The Company also has shares in other hydro schemes around Germany. The Company has a NaturEnergie brand for ‘ecologically-minded’ customers, who receive electricity generated by hydro-power or other renewable energy. Amongst other projects, the Company is attempting to develop Germany’s first wave power station on the North Sea coast.