• Ensuring Energy System Stability

At EPH, we understand the current energy landscape’s complexities and respond with solutions that balance immediate social needs with long-term environmental objectives.

 

 

As a leading European multi-utility company, we are deeply committed to our communities and actively seek ways to adapt our infrastructure for a sustainable future. Our pledge is to provide both reliable and sustainable energy, making us a leading player in Europe’s transition to a net-zero future. 

 

Integrating operations from power and heat generation and distribution to innovative gas transmission and storage, our vertically integrated approach spans the entire energy value chain and crucial markets including Germany, the UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. We’re more than a utility company, we’re a community of 15 000 employees committed to advancing secure, sustainable energy access, as well as leveraging strategic commodity trading, retail services, and eco-conscious logistics to meet our customers’ needs. 

Our commercial strategy is fully aligned with our ESG goals. We keep the remaining coal capacities operational solely to ensure security of supply in the near term, while we have a clear coal exit plan. Dispatchable power vitally needed to balance renewable energy during shortages will be supplied by our gas power plants along with essential midstream and downstream gas and power infrastructure. In the long term, adaptation of all assets for renewable gases such as hydrogen shall ensure compatibility of our assets with a net zero future.

 

Our vision is clear

Read more on our efforts in

Our Energy Transition

Securing supplies and affordable energy

We’re optimizing our energy mix towards sources with lower emission intensity without sacrificing security of supply and affordability of basic commodities. This involves not only an accelerated coal phase out, but a gradual transition in the role of gas power plants towards becoming peak-demand responders, supporting the increased integration of renewables, boosting clean energy output from nuclear, and exploring the potential inclusion of renewable gases, thus driving down the emission intensity of our power and heat production. To further enhance incorporation of renewable energy sources into the European grid, we are exploring opportunities for development of battery storage systems.

Ending Coal Dependence

By 2025, our coal operations will dramatically shrink, leaving only essential facilities like the Fiume Santo plant in Sardinia and cogeneration units in the Czech Republic operational for critical heat supply. We focus on accelerating the coal phase-out and fully eliminate coal by 2030 while operating remaining coal plants under strict regulations to secure grid stability. As a private enterprise, EPH sets ambitious targets for coal exit, often surpassing local mandates. We not only meet deadlines but facilitate coal cessation sooner than anticipated by local authorities.

Addressing social needs through responsible decarbonization

Our roadmap to net zero for Scope 1 & 2 emissions is clear but acknowledges the challenges ahead. Successful decarbonization hinges on ensuring that emission reduction efforts prioritize both energy security and social justice. We don't simply close power plants to reduce emissions, we create opportunities. By repurposing old energy assets into new, more sustainable ones, we not only mitigate environmental impact but also create new job opportunities and reclaim land for community use.

We underpin this vision with our belief in the indispensability of dispatchable power generation, currently led by natural gas, hydropower, and nuclear energy, to complement renewables like wind and solar power. These technologies are essential for overcoming the intermittency of renewable sources, ensuring a stable and secure energy supply for all.

 

 

We are at the forefront of adapting gas midstream and downstream infrastructure for the future’s green gases.

 

 

Recognized as Important Projects of Common European Interest, our efforts are a step closer to fruition, bolstered by potential national and EU funding. Our network, predominantly comprised of hydrogen-compatible polyethylene, is primed for pure hydrogen distribution. We’re also investing in hydrogen-ready Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) projects as zero-carbon dispatchable power plants will be needed to support the intermittent renewables in the net zero energy system. This preparation is critical to our strategy, enabling us to pivot to green gases once they become widely available without risking emission lock-in effect from prolonged use of natural gas.

 

 

Performance

2023

With EUR 28.9 billion in assets under management, 14.0 GW of net installed capacity, and 64.3 TWh of gas storage capacity, our scale and scope testify to our pivotal position in ensuring energy security and stability across Europe. Through strategic investments, innovative solutions, and a relentless focus on sustainability, we are not just anticipating the future of energy; we are actively creating it.

More in Results centre

36.1 TWh

Power production

6.0 TWh

Power distribution

18.4 TWh

Power supply

7.4 PJ

Heat supply

45.5 TWh

Gas distribution

64.3 TWh

Gas storage capacity

16.1 bcm

Gas transit

8.2 TWh

Gas supply