Outlook for 2019
20.02.2019
Record investment for Berlin's electricity grid
Record investment for Berlin's electricity grid
Stromnetz Berlin GmbH, the capital's distribution grid operator, plans to invest a record EUR 194 million in 2019. This represents a continuation of the company's intensive investment activities. Stromnetz Berlin made the announcement today at their annual press conference. Investments are divided into three main areas: Just over half of the money (EUR 103 million) will go towards "maintaining and modernising" the power grid, and almost a quarter of the total sum will be spent on "digitalisation" (around EUR 50 million) and EUR 41 million on the challenges posed by the "growing city of Berlin".
The largest individual projects in terms of expenditure on the city's electricity infrastructure are the continued work on the new "Charlottenburg network node" (coming online in 2020) and on the new "Wuhletal" substation (coming online in 2020), as well as the final steps towards electrification of the new "Europacity" next to the main railway station.
Federal Network Agency certifies the company as "super efficient".
Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Stromnetz Berlin, announced that investments would continue to be at this high level in years to come.
"All projects contribute to our core goal of equipping Berlin with one of the smartest metropolitan networks in Germany and thus increasing its attractiveness as an important business and science location. The Federal Network Agency has confirmed we are on the right track by awarding its 'super efficiency' certification." This allows Stromnetz Berlin to calculate an additional innovation bonus of EUR 3 million per year in the current regulatory period (2019–2023). "All customers will profit from this. The quality of the Berlin electricity grid is improving and grid fees remain stable," Thomas Schäfer continued.
Among other things, Schäfer's priorities for the Berlin power grid in 2019 included making provisions for further requirements to support the expected long-term increase in electromobility, dismantling the remaining low-voltage overhead lines in Französisch Buchholz and continuing work on the introduction of a new operations management concept.
Summary press conference (PDF 131 kB) - only in German language