Energy solutions
Sustainable energy solutions will replace the consumption of oil and gas with new, climate-friendly energy sources. Various technologies are used to achieve this. Heat pumps use seawater, spring or groundwater, geothermal heat, air, waste heat or heat from waste water, or wood heaters with indigenous wood are used. Gas or oil is used only to cover any peak loads. Over 75 per cent of the buildings supplied with heat by ewz are already CO₂-free or CO₂-neutral. CO₂-neutral means that the combustion of renewable organic material, such as wood, releases the same amount of CO₂ as the plants previously bound by photosynthesis. CO₂-free solutions with heat pumps powered by renewable electricity are also available. In 2022, 342 ewz plants produced 424 GWh of heat and cooling. The CO₂ savings amounted to 64.500 tonnes per year.
ewz has been offering energy services since 1997. The Energy Solutions business unit of ewz has been self-sustaining since 2014. The realised plants generate a total turnover of CHF 75 million per year. This is a major contribution to the economic success of ewz. This profit also indirectly benefits the city budget through the profit levy. The private sector and the craft sector benefit from the orders. They carry out tasks such as engineering work, earth drilling for thermal probes, pipeline construction or building technical installations. As a rule, more than 90 per cent of the funds from the approved loans go back to private companies. In addition to maintaining marketability, a Swiss-wide ewc activity enables markets and new services to be tested and thus to gain synergies that are also useful to the city in the realisation of urban connections.
Sustainable energy solutions
With its Energy Solutions business unit, ewz realises projects for a sustainable energy supply throughout Switzerland. ‘Energy contracting’ is used to develop integrated energy solutions for larger properties, areas and entire neighbourhoods. To this end, ewz builds and operates plants owned by it. The properties are supplied with electricity, heat, cooling or treated air and electromobility at contractual prices over a contractual period of 15 to 30 years. In addition, ewz operates various energy interconnections throughout Switzerland.
Since 2003, the voting parties and the municipal council have approved six framework loans totalling CHF 515 million for the provision of energy solutions. As a result, CHF 492 million had been invested in energy supply systems throughout Switzerland by mid-2023. This means that only CHF 23 million is available. Sustainable energy services are in demand. A new framework loan is needed to enable further projects to be realised. This will enable major projects to continue to be realised throughout Switzerland over the next five to six years.
The energy services market is characterised by intense competition and time pressures. Thanks to the framework credits, ewz remains competitive, as the decision-making process is considerably shorter and the city council is empowered to decide on individual projects. Small and medium-sized projects with investments of up to CHF 2 million will continue to be approved by the competent authority.
On 6 March 2024, the municipal council approved ewz’s framework credit for energy services by 117 to 0 votes. The electorate of the city of Zurich will take to the polls on 09 June 2024 to decide on the credit facility totalling 200 million Swiss francs. The proposal put forward for approval by the electorate is as follows:
- A framework loan of CHF 200 million has been approved for the construction of plants (investment volume of more than CHF 2 million in individual cases) in the energy solutions business unit of the power plant.
- The City Council will decide on how the credit facility will be split into smaller pots for specific projects. In doing so, it shall comply with the service contract to the electricity company for the provision of energy services (AS 732.100).
