Braunschweiger Versorgungs AG & Co. KG

Braunschweiger Versorgungs AG & Co. KG, known under the brand BS|ENERGY, is the municipal energy and infrastructure utility serving Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany. Its roots go back to 12 December 1851, when the Braunschweigische Gaserleuchtungsgesellschaft was founded; the first hundred gas lanterns went into operation a year later. Over the following decades the company expanded into drinking water supply (1865), electricity generation (1900) and district heating (1924), becoming the backbone of the city's public services. Today the BS|ENERGY Gruppe describes itself as a modern infrastructure service provider that keeps the city running, guaranteeing basic supply for more than 250,000 Braunschweig residents while also serving electricity and gas customers nationwide. The group's service portfolio covers energy (electricity, gas, district heating), water (drinking water and urban drainage), lighting (street lighting and traffic signals) and infrastructure (operation of electricity, gas, water, wastewater and fibre-optic networks). It is also active in electromobility, photovoltaics and traffic management. In spring 2024 BS|ENERGY completed its coal exit, replacing the hard-coal combined heat and power plant with a biomass plant and a gas turbine CHP as part of a roughly €250 million investment — the largest in the company's history. A transformation plan published in May 2026 sets out further decarbonisation steps for generation and district heating expansion in line with the Lower Saxony Climate Act (NKlimaG) up to 2040. Ownership is shared: Veolia has been a shareholder since 2005, and Thüga is also a partner. The group has grown strongly since Veolia's entry and, with the founding of the digitalisation agency KOM|DIA in 2018, has expanded into future-oriented topics. BS|ENERGY is also a founding member of the Energiegenossenschaft Braunschweiger Land eG, a 2022 energy cooperative that develops photovoltaic installations on public and private rooftops, including the roof of the Eintracht Braunschweig stadium. In June 2026 the company celebrated its 175th anniversary under the motto "Wir halten die Stadt am Laufen" (We keep the city running).

The history of Braunschweiger Versorgungs AG & Co. KG, today branded BS|ENERGY, is the history of modern public services in Braunschweig. It began on 12 December 1851 with the founding of the Braunschweigische Gaserleuchtungsgesellschaft. One year later, the first hundred gas lanterns went into operation, lighting the city. Gas supply has been a continuous thread since 1851. In 1865 the company added drinking water supply, and in 1900 an electricity works followed. District heating arrived in 1924. These four pillars — gas, water, electricity and district heating — shaped the utility's development through the 20th century. Over the decades the company evolved into a municipal group providing not only energy and water but also street lighting, traffic signals and network infrastructure. In 2005 Veolia became a shareholder, marking a new phase of growth and partnership. The group expanded its activities and, in 2018, founded the digitalisation agency KOM|DIA, signalling a push into future-oriented topics. Thüga also became a shareholder. In 2022, on the initiative of the City of Braunschweig and other regional actors, the Energiegenossenschaft Braunschweiger Land eG was founded; BS|ENERGY was among its founding members, alongside the Braunschweigische Landessparkasse, Volksbank BraWo, Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft Wiederaufbau and Nibelungen Wohnbau GmbH. The cooperative focuses on photovoltaic installations on public and private rooftops, from schools and administrative buildings to residential quarters, and has grown rapidly. A major turning point came in spring 2024 when BS|ENERGY completed its exit from hard-coal power generation. With a flexible power plant concept, the company replaced the hard-coal combined heat and power plant by modernising the Heizkraftwerk Mitte, substituting it with a biomass plant and a gas turbine CHP. This represented the largest investment in the company's history, around €250 million, and a milestone on the path to greenhouse gas neutrality. In May 2026 a transformation plan was published, defining the next steps for decarbonising generation and expanding the heating network in accordance with the Lower Saxony Climate Act (NKlimaG) up to 2040. Together with the City of Braunschweig, BS|ENERGY is implementing the heat transition (Wärmewende) by 2040. In June 2026 the company celebrated its 175th anniversary under the motto "Wir halten die Stadt am Laufen" (We keep the city running). The BS|ENERGY Gruppe today supplies the Braunschweig region with electricity, gas, district heating and drinking water, and handles wastewater disposal and recycling. Further business fields include street lighting, digital infrastructure, electromobility, photovoltaics and traffic management. It guarantees basic supply for more than 250,000 Braunschweig residents while also serving electricity customers throughout Germany.

• 2026

  Transformation plan published in May; 175th anniversary celebrated in June.

• 2024

  Coal exit completed in spring; hard-coal CHP replaced by biomass and gas turbine CHP in a roughly €250 million investment.

• 2022

  Energiegenossenschaft Braunschweiger Land eG founded with BS|ENERGY as a founding member.

• 2018

  Founding of the digitalisation agency KOM|DIA; Thüga becomes a shareholder.

• 2005

  Veolia becomes a shareholder.

• 1924

  District heating introduced.

• 1900

  Electricity works established.

• 1865

  Drinking water supply begins.

• 1852

  First hundred gas lanterns go into operation.

• 1851

  Founding of the Braunschweigische Gaserleuchtungsgesellschaft on 12 December.

Municipal infrastructure service provider rooted in Braunschweig, guaranteeing basic supply for over 250,000 residents while serving nationwide electricity and gas customers; committed to decarbonisation and smart-city infrastructure.

• Electricity

  Electricity supply for Braunschweig and nationwide customers.

• Natural gas

  Gas supply for the region and nationwide.

• District heating

  District heating network for Braunschweig.

• Drinking water

  Drinking water supply and urban drainage.

• Street lighting and traffic signals

  Operation of city lighting and traffic signal systems.

• Infrastructure networks

  Operation of electricity, gas, water, wastewater and fibre-optic networks.

• Photovoltaics and storage

  BS|ENERGY Komplettpaket: PV system and storage from a single source.

• Heat pumps

  Heat pump solutions with state subsidies up to 80%.

1. 1Stromanbieter & Gasanbieter aus Braunschweigbs-energy.de
2. 2BS|ENERGY im Profilbs-energy.de
3. 3Gemeinsame Erfolgsgeschichte: Die Energiegenossenschaft Braunschweiger Land eGbs-energy.de
4. 4Wir halten die Stadt am Laufen: BS|ENERGY feiert 175 Jahre Unternehmensgeschichtebs-energy.de
5. 5Braunschweiger Versorgungs AG & Co. KGwikidata.org