Repower (Swiss company)

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 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:

Financial highlights

Repower prepares its accounts in Swiss francs. Its 2014 results were announced on 31 March 2015.

Executive board

The executive board comprises the following members:

Offices

In Switzerland the group has offices in Bever, Küblis, Ilanz, Landquart, Poschiavo and Zurich. In Italy it operates out of an office in Milan 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 2014 the group’s own installations generated around 1.47 TWh 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 16 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 444.2 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 in Lucera (26MW) and holds an interest in another wind farm in Giunchetto on Sicily (Repower’s interest: 11.6 MW). In Germany the Repower subsidiary Repartner Produktions AG owns two wind farms, in Prettin (10 MW) and Lübbenau (16 MW).

Current projects

The group is currently planning several generation projects:

Trading

Repower generates around two thirds of its energy turnover in trading; in 2014 this came to more than 11 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, Repower also 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 beginning of 2013.

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. Currently a new 220 kV merchant line between Val Bregaglia (Switzerland) and Italy is being planned.

Switzerland

Repower is the leading supplier of electricity in Southeast Switzerland. Its customers range from private households to industrial, commercial and public sector consumers and downstream municipal utilities. Repower’s supply area includes municipalities in the Engadine, Prättigau, Rhine Valley and Surselva areas of Graubünden. Via municipal utilities it supplies customers in the Upper Engadine, Münstertal, Poschiavo Valley, Rhine Valley and Surselva.

Repower’s customers in Switzerland can choose between various different products. The standard product, Aquapower, comes from Swiss hydropower plants. The two renewable products, Purepower (100% Graubünden green power) and Solarpower (100% Graubünden solar power) are both naturemade starcertified, fulfilling stringent environmental quality criteria. And finally, the group sells a low-cost residual mix from Europe labelled Mixpower. An addition to the range is Privapower, an own-use tariff for owners of photovoltaic installations.

Italy

In Italy, Repower is one of the biggest suppliers of electricity and gas to small and medium-sized enterprises and public institutions. It supplies around four per cent of the electricity consumed by this segment. The company serves around 40,000 customers in Italy consuming some 3.8 terawatt hours of electricity, and supplies an additional 15,000 customers with some 200 million cubic metres of gas. The range includes green power (VerdeDentro), electric mobility solutions (Palina) and energy efficiency consulting services (eFFettiva).

Germany

In Germany, Repower supplies electricity and gas to medium-sized commercial and industrial customers consuming five gigawatt hours or more per year. The company analyses volumes consumed and load profiles to gear its offering to the specific needs of individual customers. Just as in Italy and Switzerland, Repower also offers green power products in Germany.

Romania

Repower is one of the four largest non-state energy utilities in Romania, working for small and medium-sized business customers consuming between 0.5 and 20 gigawatt hours of electricity per year. Repower’s share of this segment is a good five per cent. In 2013, the company marketed more than 1.3 terawatt hours of electricity in Romania.