Up to 2040

Energy supplier invests nine million euros

In the new "Energy Quarter", Illwerke-VKW CEO Christof Germann and Governor Markus Wallner presented the planned projects for Vorarlberg's energy future.

(Bild: sos)

Illwerke-VKW will be investing heavily in the coming years and also breaking new ground: 340 million euros have been earmarked for a broadband offensive that will connect a third of Vorarlberg households.

Last summer, Illwerke-VKW had earmarked around seven billion euros as the investment volume for the next 15 years. This considerable sum has since increased by a further two billion euros. For good reason, as Christof Germann, CEO of the state-owned energy supplier, argued on Tuesday.

A large part of the additional two billion euros will flow into further wind and photovoltaic projects in Germany. "Originally, we had expected 500 million kilowatt hours by 2040. We have doubled this figure to one billion kilowatt hours. That will cost 1.3 billion euros," explained Germann.

Fortunately, we have a high equity ratio and will therefore be able to remain one of the cheapest energy providers in Austria in the long term.

Christof Germann

A further 340 million euros will flow into a completely new business segment over the next ten years: Illwerke-VKW wants to launch a broadband offensive. 60,000 households - around a third of all homes in Vorarlberg - are to be connected. "In the Bregenzerwald, we are in the process of setting up a fiber optic network in seven municipalities. The experience has been very positive, so we have done the math and decided to launch a broadband offensive in the state," added Quido Salzmann, Head of the Supply and Services business area.

Focus on hydrogen
Not very expensive, but also interesting: Illwerke-VKW is currently testing the hydrogen suitability of gas networks. "The hydrogen network in Lindau will be operational by 2032. This naturally raises the question of how we can bring hydrogen to Vorarlberg and who can benefit from it," explained Germann. However, hydrogen is not an alternative for private households that are currently connected to the gas grid. "Industrial companies, on the other hand, could very well benefit. That's why we are in the process of assessing demand."

The other projects are well known: Two billion euros will flow into the Lünerseewerk II mega-project. With an output of 1000 megawatts, it is set to become Austria's largest hydropower plant. Completion is planned for 2037/38.

The Lünersee plant in Latschau.

(Bild: Illwerke vkw)

"We are also optimizing our existing plants, which will cost around 500 million euros by 2040," explained Gerd Wegeler, member of the Executive Board. As the high-performance storage and pumped storage power plants in Montafon are primarily active on the German market, a transmission-capable infrastructure is important. A general renewal of the now 100-year-old line between Bürs and Hohenweiler is also on the agenda.

In order to achieve the goal of "Energy Autonomy 2040", Vorarlberg is focusing on the expansion of renewable energies. The power plant in Lochau, which is expected to go into operation in 2040, is set to make a major contribution to this. However, small hydropower plants and the expansion of PV systems are also to be stepped up in the coming years.

Investment sum raised from own resources
The CEO is particularly proud of being able to finance the high investment volume himself. "We have a high equity ratio and will therefore remain one of the cheapest energy providers in the long term." Incidentally, 25 percent of the 9 billion euros will be awarded to Vorarlberg companies and 50 percent to Austrian companies, with the remainder being awarded EU-wide.