User:Busle/Repower

Repower (until May 2010 Rätia Energie AG ) 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 650 people, plus 400 sales agents in Italy and some 30 apprentices in Switzerland.

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:
 * Canton Graubünden 46%
 * Alpiq Holding AG 24.6%
 * EGL AG 21.4%
 * Free float 8% + participation certificates

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

Executive board
The executive board comprises the following members (as of 2010):
 * Kurt Bobst, CEO of Repower Group
 * Felix Vontobel, Head of Assets Division, Deputy CEO
 * Martin Gredig, Head of Finance Division, CFO
 * Giovanni Jochum, Head of Market Division
 * Rino Caduff, Head of Repower Switzerland
 * Fabio Bocchiola, Head of Repower Italy

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.

Hydropower
The group operates 18 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 432 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:


 * Lago Bianco pumped storage plant (1,000 MW): Construction of the pumped storage power plant on the lake of Lago Bianco (Canton Graubünden, Switzerland) is planned to commence in 2013. The installation is scheduled to go into operation in 2019. This major project is being developed by Repower in collaboration with environmental organisations.
 * Saline Joniche coal-fired power plant (2 x 660 MW): Repower subsidiary SEI S.p.A. is planning to build a coal-fired power plant on a disused industrial site in Saline Joniche (Calabria, Italy).
 * Brunsbüttel coal-fired power plant (1,800 MW): Repower plans to take an interest in a coal-fired plant operated by the Südweststrom consortium in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
 * Leverkusen combined cycle power plant (430 MW approx.): There are plans to build a combined cycle power plant on the Chempark site in Leverkusen, Germany. It is scheduled to go into operation in 2014. The plant is designed to achieve fuel efficiency of more than 80% on the basis of combined heat and power. The operator of Chempark, Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG, will take steam from the plant for use by the companies operating on the site.
 * Chlus-Rhein power plant (43 MW/10 MW): There are plans to build a hydropower plant in Chlus (Canton Graubünden, Switzerland). The plant is scheduled to commence operation in 2016.

Trading
Repower generates around 80% of its energy turnover in trading; in 2010 this came to 17 terawatt hours. 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.

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.

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 2009, Repower turned over almost 4 terawatt hours of electricity in Italy for around CHF 810 million.

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.

Weblinks

 * Repower AG
 * Association for Environmentally Sound Energy (VUE)
 * Swissgrid