About RWE
RWE in the Czech republic
This year, RWE celebrates the 10th anniversary of its entry into the Czech market. RWE became known to the public in 2002 after buying a majority share in the joint-stock company Transgas and shares in gas distribution companies from the National Property Fund of the CR at EUR 4.1 bn. It has created a strong energy company from these companies over the following years; it supplies natural gas and electricity to more than two million customers in the local market nowadays. RWE belongs to the biggest European energy group. It accomplished is the biggest privatisation project in the Czech Republic since 1989.
“When I participated, more than ten year ago, in the preparation of the privatisation of the Czech gas industry, the RWE brand was hardly known here. Nine of ten inhabitants know this brand nowadays. It has become a byword for reliability and partnership. This is a favourable and, at the same time, a binding result for us,” says Martin Herrmann, Chairman of the Board of Directors of RWE Transgas. “The last decade saw dramatic changes in the energy market. The changes are visible even in the range of products and services offered,” said Herrmann.
Though the RWE energy group bought shares in the Czech gas companies already in 2002, it was brought to public notice only in 2005 after it started acting under a single brand – RWE. In 2010, the company vigorously entered also the local power market to service over 140,000 customers at present. RWE is the Europe’s third largest power-generating company. It supplies electricity and natural gas to 16 and 8 million customers, respectively.
The companies of RWE in the Czech Republic are controlled by RWE Transgas whose main business is natural gas import and trading. RWE Transgas is part of RWE East.
Four regional gas distribution companies make part of RWE in the Czech Republic: RWE Energie (former Západočeská plynárenská, Středočeská plynárenská and Severočeská plynárenská), Východočeská plynárenská, Severomoravská plynárenská and Jihomoravská plynárenská. Natural gas transmission has been unbundled from each of these companies as of 1 January 2007.
The regional gas distribution companies have thus become traders in this commodity while the companies bearing “Net” in their names, RWE GasNet (former STP Net, SČP Net and ZČP Net) JMP Net, SMP Net and VČP Net, are in charge of natural gas distribution.
Likewise, RWE Gas Storage was established in 2007 by unbundling from RWE Transgas. The company secures the operation of underground gas storage facilities and the transmission of natural gas stored therein. RWE Gas Storage owns and operates six underground gas storages located in the territory of the Czech Republic. The total capacity of the so-called virtual UGS is 2.3 bcm of natural gas. The planned extension of the storage capacity by 620 mcm until 2015 is co-financed by the European Energy Programme for Recovery.
As part of the RWE Group in the Czech Republic, RWE Plynoprojekt offers complete design, consulting and investment engineering services.
As of 1 January 2008, the companies RWE Asset Services (Distribuční služby) and RWE Customer Services (Zákaznické služby) were founded. The former is in charge of securing the management and maintenance of natural gas distribution facilities, the latter deals with all forms of communication with end customers. Operative and support activities are carried out by RWE Internal Services (Interní služby) for all companies of the RWE Group in the Czech Republic.