Florian Niedersüß, spokesman for the board of directors of the Wels energy company eww, in an interview with the BezirksRundSchau about the energy crisis, electricity price caps and the situation in Wels.
The energy crisis stands above all. One question is burning on our readers’ fingers: How self-sufficient is Wels with the hydroelectric power plant?
FLORIAN NIEDERSÜSS: With the hydroelectric power station, we generate the regional green electricity on site that our private customers need in total throughout the year. However, our customers do not consume the electricity in the exact quarter of an hour in which the power plant produces it. The water level is currently very low and we have to buy electricity. And the prices are extremely high right now. At the end of August we had a Friday when electricity was over 1,000 euros instead of under 100 euros as it used to be. This has a major impact on costs. These extreme outliers are hitting us DESPITE we have the power plant. If we hadn’t, we would have been much more affected by the price jumps, if only to a lesser extent.
District heating on the Wels waste incineration: Can a city become less dependent on gas?
We have thus managed that since May 1st, district heating customers have definitely been independent of gas price developments. The good thing is that with the system we have green district heating available, which in principle could be used to heat the whole of Wels. Of course, it is also important to reach every household. We have already connected around 15,000 households. But thousands of households still have gas heating and you can’t catch up on that in one, two or three years and expand it with district heating. We do everything we can to expand the district heating network as quickly as possible.
Scandal in Wien Energie: Are such horrendous false speculations in the billions also conceivable in the eww?
The high additional payment obligations on the electricity exchange do not affect us because we do not operate our own energy trading on the exchange. We buy from intermediaries, we are not subject to the obligation to deposit. This means that there are no charges from stock exchange transactions, such problems cannot arise with us.
Keyword electricity price cap: The federal government currently has a draft …
It provides for a cap of ten cents per kilowatt hour for a maximum consumption of 2,900 kWh in an individual household. Exactly how that will be decided is still open. Since the price of electricity will rise massively in the coming year, this will relieve and help electricity customers. But what is important to me is that every customer helps themselves and our economy if we use energy sparingly during this phase. This is a relief for everyone. Classics are choosing a lower room temperature at home in winter, putting on a sweater and using electricity consumers sparingly. You are doing something good for yourself, the environment and even helping to counteract political tensions. Two degrees less at home bring more than ten percent less costs. Now it’s all about thrift!
Fixed price vs. floating models: Some energy companies are terminating contracts and want to entice customers to use floating models. How does the eww handle this?
We do the opposite. We recommend switching to fixed prices, even if it seems more expensive at first glance, it pays off. You know what to expect and you are not at the mercy of the market. We don’t let our regular customers down! And where there are problems, we will try to help.
What price increases can be expected at eww?
There is an electricity price guarantee for regular customers until the end of the year, but it applies more to new customers, including the gas price. We understand that many people are in a difficult situation. But that will really come into play in 2023. In the case of district heating, there will be an adjustment with 1.1. give, but it will be below the general price increase, very moderate in contrast to other cities.