Stadtwerke Uelzen

Stadtwerke Uelzen GmbH is a municipally owned utility company based in Uelzen, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is wholly owned by the town of Uelzen as sole shareholder and operates as a local infrastructure provider covering energy, water, public transport and leisure facilities. Since 2001 the company has used the brand name mycity for its services, presenting itself with the slogan 'Aus Uelzen. Für Uelzen.' (From Uelzen. For Uelzen.). The company's roots reach back to the 19th century. In 1856 the town of Uelzen granted permission for a private gas supply company, the 'Gasbeleuchtungsanstalt zu Uelzen'. The first waterworks was built in 1898, and in 1908 the town began supplying electricity from the power station on Lüneburger Straße. In 1954 the administrations of the three municipal energy operations were merged under the name 'Stadtwerke Uelzen Elektrizitäts-, Gas- und Wasserwerke'. The company was converted into a limited liability company (GmbH) in 1971. Today Stadtwerke Uelzen supplies its customers with 100% green electricity, natural gas and fresh drinking water from the region. Since the beginning of 2008 all private households have received electricity generated exclusively from hydropower, with origin verified by certificates from the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt). The company also operates the distribution networks for electricity (20 kV and 0.4 kV levels) and gas (high, medium and low pressure) within the town area, and produces solar power from photovoltaic installations on the roofs of the police station, the BADUE leisure pool and the Uelzen Hundertwasser railway station. Beyond energy and water, Stadtwerke Uelzen operates the BADUE swimming and leisure pool complex, which includes a 50-metre indoor pool and an outdoor pool, and has run the town's public bus network since 2002. The bus network was expanded from four to six lines in early 2020. The company also offers the mycity pluscard, which links local offers for customers, and has invested in e-mobility with ten fast-charging stations of 150 kW each since 2019. As a municipal company, Stadtwerke Uelzen describes its mission as reliably supplying the people of Uelzen and the surrounding area with energy, water, mobility and infrastructure while investing in sustainable solutions. It is involved in renewable energy projects, including offshore wind through the Trianel Windpark Borkum, and has faced public debate over its investment in the Sustainable Bio Energy Holding (SBE) in Ukraine.

The history of Stadtwerke Uelzen is closely tied to the development of municipal infrastructure in the town of Uelzen. In 1856 the town granted permission for a private gas supply company, the 'Gasbeleuchtungsanstalt zu Uelzen', marking the beginning of organised energy supply. In 1898 the first waterworks was built, initiating the municipal drinking water supply. In 1908 the town began supplying electricity through the power station on Lüneburger Straße. By that time the three energy operations were already in municipal hands. In 1954 the administrations of the three municipal energy operations were merged and operated under the name 'Stadtwerke Uelzen Elektrizitäts-, Gas- und Wasserwerke'. In 1971 the company was converted into a limited liability company (GmbH). In 1988 the Stadtwerke took over the operation of the swimming baths, and since 1989 the baths have been a business division of the company. The BADUE (Badeland Uelzen) includes an indoor swimming pool with a 50-metre pool, non-swimmer and paddling pools, whirlpools and a wellness area, as well as an outdoor area with a 50-metre outdoor sports pool, a non-swimmer pool, a warm-water pool, water tents and an adventure slide. Since 2001 the company has used the brand name mycity for its services. In 2002 Stadtwerke Uelzen took over the public passenger transport in Uelzen. In 2003, together with Regionalbus Braunschweig GmbH (RBB), a tariff and transport association was founded. In 2005 the bus route network was revised. Until early 2020 the buses operated on four lines at 30-minute intervals; in early 2020 the city bus network was expanded from four to six lines. In the energy sector, the company has been a distribution network operator for electricity and gas in the town area. The electricity distribution network is operated at 20 kV and 0.4 kV levels, while the gas distribution network includes high, medium and low pressure lines. Since the beginning of 2008, customers have been supplied exclusively with electricity generated from hydropower. Photovoltaic installations on the roofs of the police station, the BADUE and the Uelzen Hundertwasser railway station produce solar power. In the water sector, the municipal drinking water supply began with the construction of the waterworks in 1898/99. The treatment plant still today removes impurities from raw water drawn from the Uelzen Stadtforst, enriches it with oxygen and regulates the pH value to drinking water quality. At the request of the Stadtwerke, the town designated a water protection area of twelve square kilometres, and the groundwater quality is monitored at 60 groundwater measuring points. In renewable energy, Stadtwerke Uelzen, together with around 28 other municipal utilities from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, has operated 80 offshore wind turbines in a sea area 45 kilometres north of the island of Borkum since 2011. At the start of operation in 2011, the 'Borkum West II' wind farm was to supply a maximum of around 200 megawatts of electricity, saving around 400,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. Due to a delay in the grid connection by the responsible HVDC network operator TenneT TSO, the first expansion stage of the wind farm was expected to go into operation only at the end of 2013. In 2020 the Trianel Windpark Borkum II with a total of 32 wind turbines went fully into operation. As a shareholder, Stadtwerke Uelzen participates in the agricultural engagement of Sustainable Bio Energy Holding GmbH (SBE) in Ukraine. SBE cultivates agricultural land with renewable raw materials such as rapeseed, grain and soy. The project has been heavily criticised because it does not write black figures and, according to newspaper reports, many management mistakes were made. There was much public discussion about whether municipal utilities should participate in this kind of risk project. The management of Stadtwerke Uelzen consciously sees the investment in Ukraine as a risk project and states that an unsuccessful project would not financially endanger the company. Through the participation in SBE, Stadtwerke Uelzen recorded a total loss of 2.6 million euros in 2012; in total, more than 3.3 million euros of the total investment were written off that year. In e-mobility, as the operator of public passenger transport in Uelzen, the company has been involved in the project 'Elektrische Mobilität & Kommunale Unternehmen' of the municipal utility association Trianel. Since 2019 it has operated ten fast-charging stations for electric vehicles with a charging capacity of 150 kW each.

• 2020

  Expansion of the city bus network from four to six lines; Trianel Windpark Borkum II fully operational with 32 turbines.

• 2019

  Ten fast-charging stations for electric vehicles with 150 kW each in operation.

• 2012

  Total loss of 2.6 million euros due to participation in SBE; more than 3.3 million euros written off.

• 2011

  Start of operation of 80 offshore wind turbines in the 'Borkum West II' wind farm with around 28 other municipal utilities.

• 2008

  Switch to 100% green electricity for all private households.

• 2005

  Revision of the bus route network.

• 2003

  Founding of a tariff and transport association with Regionalbus Braunschweig GmbH (RBB).

• 2002

  Stadtwerke Uelzen takes over public passenger transport in Uelzen.

• 2001

  Introduction of the mycity brand name for services.

• 1989

  Baths become a business division of the company.

• 1988

  Stadtwerke takes over the operation of the swimming baths.

• 1971

  Conversion into a limited liability company (GmbH).

• 1954

  Merger of the three municipal energy operations under the name 'Stadtwerke Uelzen Elektrizitäts-, Gas- und Wasserwerke'.

• 1908

  Start of electricity supply through the power station on Lüneburger Straße.

• 1898

  Construction of the first waterworks, beginning municipal drinking water supply.

• 1856

  Town of Uelzen grants permission for a private gas supply company, the 'Gasbeleuchtungsanstalt zu Uelzen'.

Regional municipal utility focused on reliable, sustainable supply of energy, water, mobility and infrastructure for Uelzen and the surrounding area.

• mycity Ökostrom

  100% renewable electricity, mainly from certified hydropower, with origin verified by Umweltbundesamt certificates.

• Natural gas supply

  Distribution of natural gas through high, medium and low pressure networks.

• Drinking water supply

  Municipal drinking water from the Uelzen Stadtforst, treated at the waterworks.

• BADUE swimming and leisure pool

  Indoor and outdoor swimming complex with 50-metre pools, wellness area and adventure slide.

• City bus transport

  Public passenger transport in Uelzen, expanded to six lines in 2020.

• mycity pluscard

  Loyalty card linking local offers for customers.

• E-mobility charging

  Ten fast-charging stations with 150 kW each since 2019.

• SBE Ukraine investment criticism

Read more

• Switch to 100% green electricityOther

• Expansion of city bus networkOther

• Investment in offshore windOther

1. 1SW Uelzen: Energieversorgung, Mobilität & Service von mycitystadtwerke-uelzen.de
2. 2SW Uelzen: Über uns – Energie & Service für die Region Uelzenstadtwerke-uelzen.de
3. 3SW Uelzen: mycity Uelzen | Service Center & Kontakt der Stadtwerkestadtwerke-uelzen.de
4. 4SW Uelzen: Unser Ratgeber – Antworten auf Ihre wichtigsten Fragenstadtwerke-uelzen.de
5. 5Stadtwerke Uelzen – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
6. 6Stadtwerke Uelzen – Wikidatawikidata.org