Verbundkonzern#
Verbundkonzern: The "Oesterreichische Elektrizitaetswirtschafts-AG" (Verbundgesellschaft) was founded in 1947 under the second Verstaatlichungsgesetz ( Nationalisation Act), with the aim of keeping the electricity industry autonomous of the allied forces (former "German possession"). The Verbundgesellschaft estimated the future electricity demand in Austria, built power plants with the help of special corporations and installed the national high-voltage system. In 1998 the Verbundgesellschaft produced 51% (1993: 54,1 %) of the entire public power supply. The most important subsidiary is the Verbund - Austrian Hydro Power AG founded in 1999 which resulted from the merger of
Donaukraftwerke AG ( Donaukraft), Tauernkraftwerke AG, Verbundkraft
Elektrizitaetswerke GmbH and VEG. Further production companies include
Oesterreichische Draukraftwerke AG ( Draukraft), Ennskraftwerke AG (
Ennskraft), Donaukraftwerk Jochenstein AG and
Oesterreichisch-Bayerische Kraftwerke AG. The Vorarlberg Illwerke AG
has been under majority ownership of the province of Vorarlberg since
1999. In the wake of the liberalisation of the electric power
industry in Austria the Verbundkonzern founded new subsidiaries in
1999: Verbund - Austrian Power Grid GmbH as operator of the
transportation network and APT GmbH Austrian Power Trading for
short-term operations whose number has increased since the
liberalisation. In 1998 the Verbundkonzern owned over 71 hydroelectric
power plants (57 run-of-river power stations and 14 storage power
stations) and 5 caloric power plants in 1998. The installed power
(gross generating power) came to 6,066 MWh in the hydroelectric
power plants and 1,281 MWh in the thermal power plants. The
Verbundgesellschaft operates a high voltage system of a length of
3,600 km at the voltage levels of 110 kV, 220 kV and
380 kV. The system of the 380 kV-voltage level, which shows
less current loss during transport, has not yet been fully developed
(1999: about 1000 km of the 1500 km planned). Sales in 1998: ATS
20.6 billion (1993: ATS 19.5 billion), 3,800 employees
(1993: 5,297). The Republic of Austria owns 51% of the company, the
remaining shares are publicly held.