Salzburg (energate) – The Supervisory Board of Salzburg AG has approved the supplier’s highest budget in the company’s history for 2022. A focus of the investments amounting to around 324 million euros is to be on the construction of further power plants and the expansion of district heating in the city of Salzburg, announced the company at a press conference. In addition, Salzburg AG has founded its own consultancy, “One2zero”, which advises medium-sized and large companies across Austria on reducing emissions and which is also supposed to offer the right technology.

This year Salzburg AG had a budget of 212 million euros available (energate reported). The part of the largest sum has already been invested as planned, according to CEO Leonhard Schitter. The group subsidiary Salzburg Netz is currently working on the construction of a large gas pipeline to Tyrol (energate reported). Regarding the results for the current financial year, Schitter said: “The balance sheet date is only December 31st, but we assume that it WILL be a good, committed year.”

District heating plans and new power plants

The investments planned for 2022 are an economic engine and would create jobs, emphasized Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP), head of the Salzburg AG supervisory board. A total of 40 million euros are planned for the expansion of renewables. Among other things, the utility wants to complete the newly started construction work on the Rotgülden pumped storage power plant in Lungau (energate reported) next year and the plant will earn 2.5 million euros for this. A new hydropower plant in Pongau and a further power plant level on the middle of the Salzach are also in the planning stage. The utility has budgeted 12 million euros for both. However, the official approvals for these systems are not yet available. In the city of Salzburg, the company will expand district heating and connect 600 new households via the so-called “Süd-West-Spange”. A total of EUR 24.6 million has been budgeted for this project.

Works councils concerned about excessive stress on employees

Employee representatives on the Supervisory Board voted against the plans. This was reported by the chairman of the supervisory board, Haslauer, after the vote on December 14th. This did not primarily affect the strategic investments with a volume of 61 million euros. However, this would “have to be approved again separately by the Supervisory Board”, according to this. “The works council is evidently concerned that the employees are overwhelmed with such an investment program. I do not have that concern. The energy supply,” said the chairman of the supervisory board. / pm