Stadtwerke Brixen AG

Stadtwerke Brixen AG is the municipal multi-utility of Brixen (Bressanone) in South Tyrol, northern Italy. It is an in-house company of the Municipality of Brixen, which holds 99.93% of the shares; the remaining 0.01% stakes are held by the neighbouring municipalities of Vahrn, Klausen, Natz-Schabs, Franzensfeste, Mühlbach, Rodeneck and Lüsen. The company traces its origins to 1903, when the Städtisches Elektrizitätswerk Brixen was founded and began generating electricity at the Rundl power station under a concession issued by the imperial-royal governor's office for Tirol and Vorarlberg. For most of the 20th century the utility's sole activity was electricity distribution. From 1990 it was progressively assigned drinking water, wastewater and sewage treatment; in 1998 it took over environmental services (street cleaning and waste collection). It was renamed Stadtwerke Brixen / ASM Bressanone in 1996, converted into a special municipal enterprise in 1999, and transformed into a joint-stock company (AG) in 2002, the same year it took over natural gas distribution in Brixen. District heating followed in 2003, and in 2010 the company became the in-house company of the Municipality of Brixen. The Acquarena swimming pool and the Forum Brixen cultural and congress centre were merged into the company in 2012, and in 2014 it launched the "Citynet" fibre-optic internet service. In 2020 the shareholder base grew from a single municipality to eight shareholder municipalities. After 20 years the company handed over the natural gas network and distribution service in 2021, and in 2024 it took on the cleaning service for public buildings in Brixen. Today Stadtwerke Brixen AG is responsible for electricity supply, drinking water, wastewater, district heating, telecommunications, environmental services and the geographic information system (GIS) in the Brixen area. It also operates the Acquarena swimming pool, the Forum Brixen cultural and congress centre and the Astra youth culture centre. Its supply area covers the municipalities of Brixen, Klausen, Vahrn, Natz-Schabs, Mühlbach, Rodeneck, Lüsen and Franzensfeste. The company holds stakes in Fernwärme Vahrn-Brixen KGmbH, Fernwärme Natz-Schabs GmbH and ITS GmbH, and is certified under ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001. It publishes a customer magazine, "Lebenswert", and runs environmental services such as organic waste bin cleaning and cardboard collection for businesses.

Stadtwerke Brixen AG traces its history to 1903, when the Städtisches Elektrizitätswerk Brixen (Municipal Electricity Works of Brixen) was founded and began producing electricity at the Rundl power station. The concession document was issued by the imperial-royal governor's office for Tirol and Vorarlberg in Innsbruck on 13 May 1903. For decades the utility's only activity remained electricity distribution, and it operated under the name Städtisches Elektrizitätswerk Brixen – Azienda Municipalizzata Bressanone until 1989. A period of expansion began in 1990, when the electricity works were assigned responsibility for drinking water, wastewater and the sewage treatment plant. In 1996 the sewage treatment plant was transferred to the district community (Bezirksgemeinschaft), although it continued to be operated with the utility's own staff until the end of 1998. That same year the electricity works was renamed Stadtwerke Brixen / ASM Bressanone. In 1998 the company also took over environmental services, namely street cleaning and waste collection. In 1999 the utility finally gained legal personality, being converted into a special municipal enterprise, and a subsidiary joint venture was created for the sale and distribution of natural gas and for electricity sales on the liberalised market. In 2002 the company was transformed into a joint-stock company (Aktiengesellschaft, AG) and took over natural gas distribution in Brixen. In 2003 the district heating service started with the commissioning of the first two plants (Acquarena and Mitte-West). In 2010 the legal form was changed again, and Stadtwerke Brixen AG became an in-house company of the Municipality of Brixen. In 2012 the Acquarena GmbH and Forum Brixen GmbH were merged into Stadtwerke Brixen AG. In 2014 the company launched the telecommunications service "Citynet", offering internet over fibre-optic cable. In 2019 it took over the organisational management of Astra, the centre for youth culture. In 2020 the company grew from a single-member company to an AG with eight shareholder municipalities. In 2021, due to economic and regulatory conditions, the company handed over the natural gas network and the natural gas distribution service after 20 years. In 2024 Stadtwerke Brixen took over the cleaning service for public buildings in the Municipality of Brixen. Today the company's business fields cover electricity supply, drinking water, wastewater, district heating, methane gas, telecommunications, environmental services and the geographic information system (GIS) in the Brixen area. It also operates the Acquarena swimming pool, the Forum Brixen cultural and congress centre and the Astra youth culture centre. Its supply area extends over the municipalities of Brixen, Klausen, Vahrn, Natz-Schabs, Mühlbach, Rodeneck, Lüsen and Franzensfeste. In addition to its core infrastructure tasks, Stadtwerke Brixen AG holds interests in Fernwärme Vahrn-Brixen KGmbH (a joint project with the Municipality of Vahrn), Fernwärme Natz-Schabs GmbH (via Fernwärme Vahrn-Brixen KGmbH) and ITS GmbH. The company is certified for quality management (ISO 9001), occupational health and safety management (ISO 45001) and environmental management (ISO 14001).

• 2026

  Stadtwerke Brixen extends environmental services with monthly cardboard collection for businesses in Rodeneck.

• 2025

  The previous information leaflet is renamed and redesigned as the magazine 'Lebenswert'.

• 2024

  Stadtwerke Brixen takes over the cleaning service for public buildings in the Municipality of Brixen.

• 2021

  After 20 years, the company hands over the natural gas network and distribution service due to economic and regulatory conditions.

• 2020

  The company grows from a single-member company to an AG with eight shareholder municipalities.

• 2019

  Stadtwerke Brixen takes over the organisational management of Astra, the centre for youth culture.

• 2014

  Launch of the 'Citynet' telecommunications service – internet over fibre-optic cable.

• 2012

  Acquarena GmbH and Forum Brixen GmbH are merged into Stadtwerke Brixen AG.

• 2010

  Legal form changed; Stadtwerke Brixen AG becomes an in-house company of the Municipality of Brixen.

• 2003

  District heating service starts with the commissioning of the first two plants (Acquarena and Mitte-West).

• 2002

  Converted into a joint-stock company (AG); takes over natural gas distribution in Brixen.

• 1999

  The utility gains legal personality as a special municipal enterprise; a joint venture is created for natural gas and liberalised electricity sales.

• 1998

  Stadtwerke Brixen takes over environmental services (street cleaning and waste collection).

• 1996

  Sewage treatment plant transferred to the district community; the utility is renamed Stadtwerke Brixen / ASM Bressanone.

• 1990

  Drinking water, wastewater and the sewage treatment plant are assigned to the electricity works.

• 1989

  Until this year, the sole activity of the municipal electricity works remains electricity distribution.

• 1903

  Städtisches Elektrizitätswerk Brixen founded; electricity production begins at the Rundl power station under a concession issued in Innsbruck on 13 May 1903.

Municipal in-house multi-utility providing essential infrastructure and quality-of-life services to Brixen and seven surrounding municipalities.

• Electricity supply

• Drinking water

• Wastewater services

• District heating

• Telecommunications (Citynet fibre-optic internet)

• Environmental services (waste collection, street cleaning, organic bin cleaning, cardboard collection)

• Geographic information system (GIS)

• Acquarena swimming pool

• Forum Brixen cultural and congress centre

• Astra youth culture centre

1. 1Stadtwerke Brixen AG – official websiteasmb.it
2. 2Alles über unser Wasser – Stadtwerke Brixen AGasmb.it
3. 3Stadtwerke Brixen – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Stadtwerke Brixen – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org