Annual balance sheet 2019: The company, which has been in the city again for two years, has achieved high profitability. Insight into climate projects and collaborations
In the second year of its existence, the Hamburg gas network generated a profit of 19.8 million euros, which the company is transferring to the city of Hamburg. The Hamburg gas network has been urban again since 2018. In addition to a review of the 2019 financial year, the company presented current projects for Hamburg’s climate protection.
The city’s climate protection goals are driving the transformation of the energy system
“Our city needs strong energy network operators such as Gasnetz Hamburg GmbH for the Hamburg climate goals ,” said Jens Kerstan, Senator for Environment and Energy. “Smart business practices go hand in hand with sustainable investments in security of supply and the transformation of our city’s energy system. Our new climate plan and the Climate Protection Act demand that the city act as a role model. By investing in safe workplaces and activities to new technology operates gas network Hamburg at the same time as a responsible and far-sighted enterprise. ”
Investments in IT and customer service
In the 2019 financial year, Gasnetz Hamburg invested around 54 million euros. A large part flowed into an IT landscape that was separated and rebuilt from the former owner E.ON , which has been operated together with the sister company Stromnetz Hamburg GmbH since last year. As a result, a high level of profitability was achieved, as the commercial director Christian Heine explained. In addition, our own customer service was established in Hamburg-Eidelstedt. The operational investments of 27.5 million euros went, among other things, to the replacement of old steel lines with modern plastic pipes. Renewable energies are also being fed into the grid when the grid is modernizedin the centre. The company also expanded its gas network.
Climate protection: gas instead of oil heating
The climate bonus program launched in 2019 , which is intended to provide Hamburg households with incentives to switch from oil to gas heating , also achieved good success : According to this, over 2,000 households in the city have already made use of the subsidy for the gas connection of more than 1,000 euros . 64 percent of the connections connect old buildings to the gas network. Their new gas heating saves around a quarter of the previous CO2 emissions, nitrogen oxide pollution is reduced by 62 percent, and fine dust by as much as 93 percent.
Hydrogen and digital projects
In the mySMARTLife project in Bergedorf, Gasnetz Hamburg wants to test the addition of up to 30 percent hydrogen in the energy supply of a new district from September 2020. Because renewable energies – such as bio-methane and hydrogen – will play a central role in the decarbonisation of the gas supply in the future, Gasnetz Hamburg is preparing its network for green gas. In the course of this, the company says it is cooperating closely with Stromnetz Hamburg and Wärme Hamburg in order to prepare for topics such as integrated network planning and a sustainable energy system for sector coupling.
A digital infrastructureplay a key role in the interaction of the energy networks. In addition to technical staff, the company says it is now increasingly recruiting experienced specialists for hydrogen and digital projects.
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