Term for a measure of capacity used in the oil industry equivalent to a volume of approximately 159 litres.

All carbon-based substances present in an ecosystem, consisting of living, dead or decayed organisms and their excrement.

The CAPEX (capital expenditure) ratio, as an indicator of the tendency of a company to invest, indicates what percentage of its turnover a company invests in intangible and tangible assets.

The term cash flow is used to indicate the ability of a company to meet its commitments, in terms of dividend payments, debt repayment and investment financing, without resorting to third-party sources of funds.

The CO₂ emissions attributable to the behaviour of man are released mainly through the burning of fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, but also from the combustion of renewable sources of energy such as biogas, wood or rapeseed. CO₂ from non-renewable resources is harmful to the climate since it results in an increase in CO₂ in the atmosphere and therefore contributes to the greenhouse effect. CO₂ is a greenhouse gas.

= Earnings before Interest and Taxes

Earnings before interest and tax.

= Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.

Energy contracting relates to an agreement concluded to govern the provision of energy services such as heat. The contractor then, for example, operates a central heating plant in the cellar of a building. The contracting of energy from a third party (the contractor) can offer customers (contractees) a number of advantages including, for example, not having to invest in an energy generating unit. Ecological and commercial advantages are often secured because contractors have more experience in the areas of maintaining and equipping the heating facilities.

The Austrian Energy Control Commission (ECG) was established on the basis of the Austrian Energy Liberalisation Act (ELG) and, since 1 March 2001, this body has been charged with overseeing the deregulation of the Austrian electricity and gas markets and intervening as required.

According to the Austrian Energy Agency, energy efficiency is the ratio between the yield in terms of performance, services, goods or energy to the energy consumed. There are various forms of energy efficiency which are suitable to different extents for the purposes of comparing facilities and equipment. In the case of household appliances, for example, these are compared on the basis of end energy efficiency (usually electrical power). When considering the use of heat pumps or district heating, comparisons should be made on the basis of primary energy efficiency, i.e. the energy consumed by power stations. The energy efficiency of a country can be compared with that of other countries on the basis of the ratio of energy consumption to the gross national product.

The ratio of shareholders’ equity to total assets.

A type of power station that combines gas and steam turbine processes to produce energy.

The legal separation (unbundling) of network operations from other areas of operations engaged in by energy suppliers as required in the course of the deregulation of the European energy sector.

The direct conversion of radiation energy, foremostly solar energy, into electrical energy.

Energy which is sourced from naturally occurring forms of energy and which, unlike secondary forms of energy, can be released without the need for conversion. In addition to fossil fuels such as natural gas, mineral oil, lignite and hard coal, these also include renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and water power and biomass as well as nuclear fuels (uranium and thorium).

Contrary to fossil and nuclear fuels, renewable energy sources are, at least in periods of time measurable in human terms, inexhaustible sources of energy which are regarded as climate and environmentally sustainable since their utilisation is associated with low environmental burdens.

The upgrading or replacement of old power stations with new, modern, more efficient and generally more powerful power generation equipment on the same site.

= Return on average Capital Employed

The RoACE is one of the profitability ratios most widely used in the energy sector. It indicates the return on the average volume of all the capital tied up in a company. In order to allow this ratio to be used for international benchmarking purposes, both the numerator and the denominator have been adjusted to take account of effects resulting from provisions for pensions.

= Return on average Fixed Assets

The RoaFA compares earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) with the average volume of tangible and intangible assets as a means of determining the return on assets tied up in the company. In order to allow this ratio to be used for international benchmarking purposes, the numerator has been adjusted to take account of effects.

Markets for trading in the short-term and in which delivery, receipt and payment are performed immediately after transactions are concluded.

A power station which relies on energy in the form of steam to generate electricity.