The financial and economic crises have sent shockwaves around the globe. How is Wien Energie coping during these turbulent times?

Pink: The 2008/2009 business year posed a number of challenges for us seeing as several key external factors that directly impact our business were subject to dramatic changes. After having reached dizzying heights in the summer of 2008, prices for primary energy sources then went into freefall, the likes of which had never been seen before. It goes without saying, of course, that this had a certain impact on our production division given that the spot market prices for electricity promptly followed suit. However, Wien Energie is built on solid foundations, making it possible for us to deal successfully with such volatile conditions. We are therefore able to report positively on our performance during the 2008/2009 business year.

Grüneis: It was also positive because demand for energy from our customers – primarily private households and small and medium-sized businesses – did not respond to fluctuations in economic activity in the way that it did from key industrial customers. Instead, the challenge lay in ensuring a fair but commercially viable pricing policy. The aforementioned high prices for primary energy did not have an immediate effect on our working prices due to the long-term purchasing contracts in place. It was for this reason that we had to adjust our prices in late autumn 2008 within the remit of EnergieAllianz Austria.

Pink: I would like to point out at this juncture that we were able to offer our customers stable prices over a period of almost two years – something which a number of our competitors could not do. By the same token, we also promptly adjusted our prices twice to the benefit of our customers in response to the recent fall in gas prices. In my opinion, this clearly demonstrates Wien Energie’s commitment to acting in a prudent and customer-oriented way instead of merely chasing short-term profits at any cost.