“Wien Energie approached us over the weekend with the request that we meet urgently because they were in financial distress,” said Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) on Sunday evening in “ZIB2”. The Viennese energy supplier needs “urgent support”. Wien Energie has over 2 million customers.
“We are now working on clarifying details about what is necessary over the night,” said the finance minister. It must be clarified what the City of Vienna can contribute as the owner and what is then expected of the federal government. “We don’t know the exact numbers,” Brunner said. “The security of supply is given, but it’s about liquidity in the next few days and weeks.”
The government had organized a meeting with representatives of the e-business on Sunday evening at short notice. Verbund boss Michael Strugl, E-Control board member Wolfgang Urbantschitsch and Wien Energie boss Michael Strebl were invited to the Federal Chancellery. On the part of the government, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and Economics Minister Martin Kocher (both ÖVP) as well as Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) and the two club chairmen August Wöginger (ÖVP) and Sigrid Maurer (Greens) attended the energy summit in addition to Brunner.
Wien Energie: “Not insolvent”
When asked by APA, Wien Energie denied media reports that the energy supplier was insolvent. “No, Wien Energie is not insolvent,” it said in a written statement. “Wien Energie and Wiener Stadtwerke are solid, economically healthy companies with excellent credit ratings.”
In order to ensure the supply of customers, trading transactions are carried out on energy exchanges and – like all exchange participants – security deposits have to be deposited. “Due to the electricity prices exploding again across Europe on Friday, these required security measures have increased unexpectedly,” says Wien Energie. The collateral would come back once the trades are settled. The City of Vienna subsidiary had to deposit between 1.7 and 1.8 billion euros as security at the beginning of the week, according to media reports.
City of Vienna is said to have helped out with a guarantee worth billions
According to media reports, the city of Vienna has already helped out with a guarantee worth billions in the past few weeks, but is now reaching its limits. Now it needs collateral from the federal government. In response to these reports, the FPÖ called for “immediate and complete clarification” of Wien Energie’s financial situation. “If it’s actually true that the city of Vienna has already given the city-owned company money in the past without informing the municipal council, then that will have far-reaching consequences,” said Dominik Nepp, the Viennese FPÖ state party chairman, in a broadcast on Sunday.
According to the Minister of Finance, other state energy suppliers are not currently in financial difficulties. “At the moment it’s just about Wien Energie,” said Brunner in “ZIB2”.
Source: Nachrichten
