Generation

RATIOS – POWER PLANTS
	Number	EPL* MW	RAV* GWh	2001 GWh	2002 GWh	2003 GWh
Run-of-river plants	66	3,145	17,477	17,282	19,179	15,169
Storage power plants	22	2,736	4,619	4,625	5,147	5,302
Thermal power plants	17	1,964	n.a.	3,316	3,967	5,564
Purchasing rights for run-of-river plants	18	504	2,552	2,528	2,720	2,048
Total	123	8,349	24,648	27,751	31,013	28,083
*EPL = bottleneck capacity, RAV = standard capacity

The Verbund power plants operated safely and reliably. The group’s electricity production takes place, for the most part, in the power plants of VERBUND-Austrian Hydro Power (AHP). In 2003, the gross electricity output at AHP across 22 storage power stations and 66 run-of-river power plants (including the purchasing rights for the power plants of EON-Wasserkraft GmbH) came to a total of 22.096 GWh. Verbund has access to a further 18 run-off-river power plants through purchasing rights for the power plants of Ennskraftwerke AG, Österreichisch-Bayrischen Kraftwerke AG and Donaukraftwerke Jochenstein. Of the 17 thermal power plants of VERBUND-Austrian Thermal Power GmbH & Co KG (ATP) – which have a bottleneck capacity of 1,964 MW –, 11 are currently in operation (1,283 MW). Five power plants have been taken off-line and the district heating power plant in Graz is leased to Steirische Fernwärme GmbH.

ELECTRICITY GENERATION				GWh
	2001	2002	2003	Change
Hydropower	24,435	27,046	22,519	–17 %
Thermal power	3,316	3,967	5,564	+40 %
Own generation	27,751	31,013	28,083	–9 %
Eco-electricity			3.114
External procurement	27,734	39,988	45,494	+14 %
Group generation	55,485	71,001	76,690	+8 %
Controlling companies – Generation: VERBUND-Austrian Hydro Power AG (AHP) VERBUND-Austrian Thermal Power GmbH & Co KG (ATP)

The river power plant area recorded the poorest generation ratio of the last ten years, namely 87 % of standard capacity. Underproduction of this nature was last observed in 1971.

Generation from run-of-river and run-of-river/threshold power plants therefore lay 4,682 GWh below the value reported in the previous year (hydro coefficient: 1.11).

HYDRO COEFFICIENT

The market-oriented utilization of the storage power plants using seasonal reservoir transfer possibilities at the planned supply rate led to a surplus output of 391 GWh at the annual storage power plants and this more than compensated for the deterioration in short-term reservoir creation of -236 GWh.

Driven on by the extraordinarily attractive spot-market prices, the utilization rate of the thermal power plants also increased by 1,597 GWh in spite of the fact that the Zeltweg power plant was taken off-line and mothballed. In total, generation from the group’s power plants and purchase rights were 2,930 GWh below the value reported the previous year.

As a result of the new Eco-Electricity Act, VERBUND-Austrian Power Grid AG (APG) became the central hub for the uniform promotion of electricity generation from renewable energy sources (small hydropower plants, wind, solar power, biomass etc.) as of January 01, 2003.

Serving as an eco-balance group representative, APG coordinates the economic and financial processes that are essential for the correct functioning of the promotion system. For this purpose, APG manages an eco-balance group through which it procures eco-electricity from plant operators at regulated tariffs. These energy volumes must be predicted in advance and sold to the electricity traders that supply domestic final customers for 4.5 cent/kWh in accordance with their share of sales to end customers.

The new promotion system is, on the one hand, financed through the allocation to the electricity traders at a reselling price that lies above the market price at 4.5 cent/kWh and, on the other hand, through grid-tariff premiums which are paid by the end customers to the grid operators.

Trading business played a critical role in the marketing of Verbund’s own generation. Trading floor activities included asset trading (own electricity), position trading (external electricity trade) as well as short-term grid optimization. The total volume sold on the trading floor in 2003 amounted to 36.479 GWh. 82 % of this amount was traded abroad and the remaining 18 % in Austria.