Munich: Municipal utilities achieve 100% green electricity – a milestone!

Munich: Municipal utilities achieve 100% green electricity – a milestone!

Stadtwerke München (SWM) announced today that from 2025 they will generate as much green electricity from their own systems as the current electricity consumption in Munich. This decision follows the city council resolution of 2009, which aims for ecological electricity generation in Munich. Dr. Florian Bieberbach, CEO of SWM, emphasizes that early entry into renewable projects was crucial for success before institutional investors entered the market. In the last 16 years, SWM has invested around 4.2 billion euros in the expansion of renewable energies, of which 3.5 billion euros have already flowed back by the end of 2024. This shows how seriously SWM is making its contribution to the energy transition.

The expected electricity consumption in Munich for 2025 is around 6.2 terawatt hours (TWh). The municipal utilities assume that, despite a potentially bad wind year, they will be able to produce 6.7 TWh of green electricity annually. This figure exceeds projected consumption and demonstrates SWM's progress in producing sustainable energy. What is particularly noteworthy is that around 90% of the 6.7 TWh generated comes from wind turbines, which are located primarily in Scandinavia and on the North Sea coast.

Expansion of capacities and future projects

SWM currently operates a large number of energy generation plants, including 13 hydroelectric power plants, two wind turbines, four solar parks, three geothermal plants, a biomass plant and 233 solar plants in and around Munich. In the coming months, three new solar parks will be put into operation in Zengermoos, Garching and Stachusried. In particular, the photovoltaic system in Zengermoos will be the largest of its kind in the Munich area, with an annual production of 44 GWh.

SWM has planned further strategic expansion in the area of ​​wind energy for the coming years. This includes, among other things, the contract for a wind farm in Schernfeld, which is expected to include six wind turbines by 2030. In addition, further wind projects are already being planned, such as a system in Rammertshofen, which is scheduled to go into operation in 2026. SWM is also involved in the offshore wind sector with numerous projects in Europe in order to further expand its share of renewable energies.

Long-term goals and climate neutrality

The Munich municipal utility is aiming for complete climate neutrality by 2040, which would be five years ahead of the nationwide goal. Bieberbach emphasized that in order to achieve this goal, the expansion of renewable energies beyond 2025 is absolutely necessary. Electricity consumption in Munich is expected to continue to rise, with forecasts of 6.8 TWh by 2030 and 8.2 TWh by 2040.

The successful implementation of these ambitious plans is supported by constant adaptation to local and national conditions. This also includes the relaxation of the 10H rule, which had affected SWM's project pipeline in the past. However, with almost 250 projects in the region, the local contribution to ecological energy production remains low, as only 7.6% of green electricity is generated in Bavaria itself.

Overall, SWM shows that they have not only made excellent progress in the production of renewable energy, but also have a clear vision for the future. Through continuous investment and innovation, they aim to become one of the leading cities in sustainable energy production. Further information on the municipal utility initiative can be found in the detailed reports from Econews, SWM and South German newspaper.