Stadtwerke Soltau

Stadtwerke Soltau GmbH & Co. KG is the regional municipal energy and utility provider for the town of Soltau and its surrounding area in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is wholly owned by the City of Soltau. The company describes itself as the local all-round supplier, delivering electricity, natural gas, district heating, drinking water and municipal wastewater services, and it also provides telecommunications solutions based on modern fiber-optic technology and operates the Soltau Therme spa. Its customer center is located at Marktstraße 1 in the center of Soltau, with additional premises at Weinberg 46. The utility traces its origins to the founding of Gasanstalt Soltau GmbH in 1896, giving it more than 130 years of experience in the energy sector. Over the decades it expanded from gas supply into electricity, water, district heating, wastewater management, broadband and leisure facilities. Since 1 January 2008 it has supplied its private and commercial customers exclusively with 100% electricity from renewable energy sources at no extra cost, and it pursues an ISO 50001-certified energy management system. It is active in the energy transition through projects such as Kalte Nahwärme (cold local heating) and Soltauer SonnenStrom. In terms of infrastructure, the company reported 6,928 electricity connections with a network length of 525 km (687 km including service lines), 5,248 gas connections with 249 km of network, 6,815 water connections with 290 km of network, 158 district heating connections with 8 km of network, a 90% connection rate for municipal drainage with 284 km of network, and 811 fiber-optic connections with 192 km of network. It serves households, commercial enterprises and industrial customers. Ownership has shifted over time. After financial difficulties following the construction of the Solebad, swb AG Bremen acquired 49.5% of Stadtwerke Soltau while the City of Soltau retained 50.5%. In summer 2023 the City of Soltau bought back swb AG's shares, making the utility fully municipally owned again after 25 years. In early 2024 the company adopted a new color concept and corporate logo. It has also founded subsidiaries: Energie für morgen GmbH & Co. KG at the start of 2024, focused on building, renting and selling renewable energy installations, and Heidekreis e-mobil GmbH & Co. KG in spring 2025 together with Stadtwerke Böhmetal, which operates and expands electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Since 1 October 2024 the company has acted not only as a network operator but also as a telecommunications service provider, marketing products under the brand "Karacho!". The managing director is Daniel Töpfer.

The history of Stadtwerke Soltau begins in 1896 with the founding of Gasanstalt Soltau GmbH. A contract stipulated that the City of Soltau had to keep each of its 126 gas lanterns burning for approximately 900 hours per year. From 1 October 1896, 86 private customers were also connected to the gas supply. By March 1919 the number of customers had risen to 1,039, and in the same year a gas holder with a capacity of 2,000 m³ was built, which was regarded as a landmark of Soltau until its demolition in 1971. Because of plans to introduce electricity supply, Soltau businessmen sold their company shares entirely to the city in 1919. In May 1921, a contract between the Elektrizitätsverband Stade and the magistrate of the City of Soltau arranged the first electricity delivery, with Gasanstalt Soltau taking responsibility for electricity matters. On 25 September 1936 Gasanstalt Soltau GmbH was dissolved and its assets transferred to the City of Soltau. From then on the company operated as a municipal Eigenbetrieb under the name Städtische Betriebswerke. During the Second World War there were frequent supply bottlenecks, requiring gas rationing and electricity shutdowns. In 1956 a vertical chamber oven facility was built. The supply area and business fields grew over time: in 1958 the purchase of a plot at Schüttenbusch laid the foundation for central water supply. In May 1959 drinking water was sold for the first time, and by 1962 459 households were customers. In 1963 a new liquid gas cracking plant went into operation, and in 1965 the utility built the waterworks and began expanding the water supply network. After completion of the waterworks, around 80 percent of households were connected to central water supply by 1967. On 28 May 1970 the Stadtwerke were converted into a GmbH. In 1971 the switch to natural gas followed, and in 1983 a combined heat and power plant for district heating was commissioned. In 1971 the Stadtwerke also took a stake in the previously founded Bäder- und Fremdenverkehrsgesellschaft mbH. Consequently an indoor swimming pool opened in Soltau on 19 December 1973, and an artificial ice rink was inaugurated on 6 December 1975. In 1974, brine was discovered during test drilling on the open-air pool grounds; in 1985 the spring was recognized as a healing spring, and on 17 September 1990 the Solebad Soltau-Therme opened. The City of Soltau has since been a state-recognized spa town with brine bathing operations. The construction of the Solebad and unexpected price increases brought the Stadtwerke into financial difficulty. This led swb AG Bremen to acquire 49.5% of Stadtwerke Soltau, with the remaining 50.5% staying with the City of Soltau. On 1 January 1999 the Stadtwerke took over the operational management of wastewater disposal, and the travel and traffic office was spun off. Since 2008 Stadtwerke Soltau has offered its private and commercial customers exclusively 100% electricity from renewable energy sources. In its 04/2010 and 05/2011 issues, the consumer magazine Öko-Test awarded the Stadtwerke second place for this. In 2015 the Stadtwerke entered the broadband supply business. Initially the Soltau city center was developed using vectoring technology, with end-customer connections marketed through the partner TNG Stadtnetz. In October 2019 fiber-optic development began in the Soltau surrounding area, initially in so-called "white spots". In the course of further expansion, in the 2023 financial year the area "Soltau Ost" became the first closed district of the Soltau core city to be fully developed with fiber optics. Expansion of further parts of the core city continued (2024: "Soltau Mitte", 2025: "Soltau Süd", 2026: "Soltau West"). Since 1 October 2024 Stadtwerke Soltau has acted not only as a network operator but also as a provider of telecommunications services, marketing products under the brand "Karacho!". In summer 2023 the City of Soltau bought back the shares from swb AG, so that Stadtwerke Soltau is once again completely in the hands of the City of Soltau after 25 years. In the course of this, the company adopted a new color concept and corporate logo in early 2024. At the start of 2024 the Stadtwerke founded a subsidiary, Energie für morgen GmbH & Co. KG, focusing on the construction, rental and sale of renewable energy installations. In spring 2025 Stadtwerke Soltau and Stadtwerke Böhmetal founded Heidekreis e-mobil GmbH & Co. KG, a joint subsidiary that operates and expands charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, among other things. On 25 July 2025 Stadtwerke Soltau opened a new customer center at Marktstraße 1.

• 2023

  City of Soltau buys back swb AG shares in summer; "Soltau Ost" fully developed with fiber.

• 2019

  Fiber-optic development begins in the Soltau surrounding area in October.

• 2015

  Entry into broadband supply business; Soltau city center developed with vectoring technology.

• 2011

  Öko-Test awards second place in issue 05/2011.

• 2010

  Öko-Test awards second place in issue 04/2010.

• 2008

  From 1 January, only 100% electricity from renewable energy sources offered at no extra cost.

• 1999

  Stadtwerke take over operational management of wastewater disposal on 1 January; travel and traffic office spun off.

• 1990

  Solebad Soltau-Therme opens on 17 September.

• 1985

  Spring recognized as a healing spring.

• 1983

  Combined heat and power plant for district heating commissioned.

• 1975

  Artificial ice rink inaugurated on 6 December.

• 1974

  Brine discovered during test drilling on the open-air pool grounds.

• 1973

  Indoor swimming pool opens on 19 December.

• 1971

  Switch to natural gas; stake taken in Bäder- und Fremdenverkehrsgesellschaft mbH.

• 1970

  Stadtwerke converted into a GmbH on 28 May.

• 1965

  Waterworks built and expansion of water supply network begins.

• 1963

  New liquid gas cracking plant commissioned.

• 1959

  First drinking water sold in May.

• 1958

  Purchase of land at Schüttenbusch lays foundation for central water supply.

• 1956

  Vertical chamber oven facility built.

• 1936

  Gasanstalt Soltau GmbH dissolved; assets transferred to the city, operating as Städtische Betriebswerke.

• 1921

  First electricity delivery agreed between Elektrizitätsverband Stade and the City of Soltau.

• 1919

  Soltau businessmen sell their shares entirely to the city; a 2,000 m³ gas holder is built.

• 1896

  Gasanstalt Soltau GmbH founded; gas supply begins with 126 street lanterns and 86 private customers.

Local municipal all-round utility for Soltau and its surrounding area, emphasizing renewable energy, sustainability and community investment.

• Electricity (100% renewable since 2008)

• Natural gas

• District heating (Fernwärme)

• Drinking water

• Wastewater disposal

• Fiber-optic internet and telecommunications (Karacho!)

• Solar/photovoltaic offerings

• Electric vehicle charging infrastructure

• Soltau Therme spa

1. 1Startseite – Stadtwerke Soltausw-soltau.de
2. 2Kundencenter – Stadtwerke Soltausw-soltau.de
3. 3Über uns – Stadtwerke Soltausw-soltau.de
4. 4Digital Services Act – Stadtwerke Soltausw-soltau.de
5. 5Stadtwerke Soltau – Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Stadtwerke Soltau – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org