BKW FMB Energie

BKW Energie AG (BKW, formerly Bernese Power Generation Ltd., and FMB, Forces Motrices bernoises SA ) is a power plant company and a Grossverteilerin for electricity, based in Bern, Switzerland. Its shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the Berne eXchange. BKW supplies in around 400 communities a million people with electricity. In 2010, she provided private customers and channel partners with over 8'153 gigawatt hours ( GWh) of energy.

History

The roots of the BKW as " Aktiengesellschaft power station Hagneck " go back to the year 1898. The Nidauer trader Eduard Will (1854-1927) was the driving force for the construction of Hagneck plant. He is regarded as the true founder of the BKW and in 1919 its Director General. The name " Bernese power plants " (BKW ) has been used since 1909. The official French-language translation of the company name is " Forces Motrices bernoises » ( FMB ). Since 2013, the company operates under the name " BKW Energie AG ».

With 26.68 terawatt hours ( TWh) of energy sales, the company is one of the large, integrated in the European interconnected power companies of Switzerland and employs approximately 2,800 people in German-speaking Switzerland and French-speaking Switzerland and in neighboring countries. The share capital of CHF 132 million is to a large extent in the hands of the canton of Bern; He is the majority shareholder with 52.54 percent. 10 percent belong Groupe E AG, 7.03 percent of the German energy group E.ON, 9.99 percent are own portfolio of BKW; the remainder ( 20.44 percent) are public shares ( as of 2011).

Through the 1to1 energy brand is around 140 utilities in 15 cantons and the Principality of Liechtenstein a partnership. In 2010, the BKW private customers and sales partners supplied with over 8'153 gigawatt hours of energy.

Transmission and distribution

The company is responsible for the electricity supply of the Canton of Berne (with the exceptions of the cities of Bern, Biel and Thun), the Canton of Jura and the surrounding areas. Some 400 communities are supplied by her. BKW operates approximately 20,000 miles on all seven voltage levels: local, regional, inter-regional and national levels; the majority of line kilometers of 14'790 kilometers accounted for by the regional network with a voltage of 0.4 kV. BKW transmission network AG owns about 12 % of the Swiss transmission network ( high voltage ), consisting of lines and transformers of voltage 380 kV and 220 kV. The city and the agglomeration of Bern BKW supplies via two 220 kV cables. Together with the electricity company Laufenburg (EGL ), it operates the longest 380 kV line the Switzerland of Creux de Chippis in the canton of Valais to Laufen castle with the Gemmileitung. Between Innertkirchen, Littau and Mettlenstrasse at Inwil runs a 220 -kV line community BKW and the power station of Zurich ( EWZ ) city.

Power plants

Nuclear power plants

The Company is the sole owner and operator of the nuclear power plant Muhlenberg. The power plant was in 1972, when Swiss second commercial nuclear power plant to the grid. Since the beginning of production, the nuclear power plant generated total more than 105'733 million kWh of electricity (as of January 2012). On December 4, 2008, she filed an application for outline approval for the replacement of the power station. After the severe nuclear accident in Fukushima, the Federal Council has suspended the general license application. The nuclear power plant Muhlenberg in the medium term to retirement from the grid.

The company has rights from the French nuclear power plants Cattenom and Fessenheim to cover shortages in the domestic production in winter. BKW has 14.7 percent of the Swiss nuclear power plant body city.

Hydropower plants

About 40 percent of the BKW electricity production comes from hydropower. The company produces and sources more than 4,000 GWh per year from its own power plants, and from around 20 holdings. All captive power plants are certified according to the environmental management standard ISO 14001. Electricity from the hydropower plant Aarberg is certified with the seal of approval "nature made star". In addition to the run-of- the BKW also has investments in storage power plants, for example at the power plants and power plant Oberhasli Sanetsch; at these two plants, the BKW has a 50 percent shareholding.

Gas power plants

The company operates a 800 MW gas-fired power plant together with E.ON Italia in Livorno Ferraris (Italy). BKW is involved in this power plant with 25 percent. Under construction is a 104 MW gas-fired power plant in Ortona (Italy ) together with Tamarete Energy SA. In Switzerland, plans for a 400 MW gas-fired combined cycle power plant with heat recovery in Utzenstorf exist, these plans are not pursued at the moment. BKW is involved in the 400 MW gas-fired power plant project in Cornaux ( Switzerland ).

Coal-fired power plants

The Corporation holds a 33 percent stake in the 800 MW coal-fired power plant in Wilhelmshaven (Lower Saxony ), which will be operational in 2013. Due to the planned construction of a 900 MW coal-fired power plant in Lower Saxony Dörpen together with the German EnBW Energie Baden- Württemberg AG and the associated CO2 emissions BKW was awarded the negative price Public Eye Award in the category "Swiss". The plans for the building were set in December 2009.

New renewable energy

In order to outperform their share of the statutory target of 5,400 GWh of electricity production from renewable energy sources, the BKW subsidiary sol-E Suisse AG has greatly expanded their activities. 2008 it had around 200 projects in the works in Switzerland. In January 2011, the BKW corrected the desired expansion targets due to increasing resistance and slower method by 40 % down to 0.6 TWh. Which specializes in renewable energies BKW subsidiary sol-E Suisse AG operates the 16- turbine ( 23.66 MW), Switzerland's largest wind farm in the Bernese Jura. In 2010 BKW has taken 80 units for new renewable energy in operation; four out of five of these plants are abroad. 90 projects were in the sol-E Suisse AG in 2011 in planning. BKW operated a total of 198 plants for new renewable energy (wind, water, biomass and solar power plants) in Switzerland, Germany and Italy in 2010. In Germany and Italy, BKW operates one 6 wind farms with 129 MW and 168 MW. In 2010, the BKW Energie Wasser Bern ( ewb ) founded the joint venture HelveticWind, which has set itself the goal of realizing projects with at least 100 MW. In January 2012, AG came as additional partners Renewables CPB ( CPB ), Elektra Basel Land ( EBL), SN Renewable Energy Ltd ( SNEE ) thereto, and the objectives were expanded to 170 MW. Activities focus mainly on Germany and Italy. With the two German wind farms Send Horst (North Rhine -Westphalia) and in Luedersdorf - Parstein (Brandenburg) has HelveticWind already has a total capacity of 37 MW. The Parks produce while around 2,000 full-load hours together a total of 82 gigawatt hours of electricity. This corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of 22,000 households.