Distribution Division
The legal unbundling of the gas and electricity markets demanded by the EU entails a forced separation of network infrastructures on the basis of distinct business entities. At Wien Energie, the gas network was unbundled on 1 April 2002, accompanied by the outsourcing of the key account business to EconGas, followed by the separation of the electricity network on 1 October 2005. Both networks are now owned and operated by separate companies. Including the district and local heating networks, Wien Energie maintains a distribution network of 27,564 km. This figure excludes a further 4,790 km of fibre optic and copper cables making up the telecommunications network operated by Wien Energie.
Electricity
Wien Energie’s electricity network extends over 21,896 km and is subject to very few power cuts. This is ensured by the fact that approximately 83% of the entire network is made up of underground cables. Only 17% are overhead power cables. Wien Energie’s customers can sit back and relax, since they can also be sure of 99.99% security of supply.
- North transformer station
Transformer and substations
At the moment, electrical energy is transported from the power stations and transfer stations with adjacent networks via 400 kV and 110 kV high voltage cables to the transformer stations. Here, the electricity is transformed to a voltage level of 10 or 20 kV. The electrical energy is then transferred to substations via the so-called medium-high voltage system. The substations convert the 10 kV or 20 kV voltages to a low voltage of 440/230 volts (V). After this, the electrical energy is fed into the power supply via the 400/230 V network to the interface between Wien Energie’s network and that of the customer, which starts at the main fuse box.
Currently, there are 40 110 kV transformer stations and substations. The transformer stations Simmering (11th District), South (12th District), Kendlerstrasse (16th District) and North (21st District) also make up part of the 400 kV electricity network. So-called control stations located at the North, Michelbeuern and South transformer stations monitor and control the entire transformer station network.
New transformer stations are necessary to allow development in the Greater Vienna metropolitan area. In order to satisfy new levels of demand in the Schwechat area, as well as the new supply concept for the ever-growing Vienna International Airport, it was necessary to review the area’s supply concept and adapt this accordingly. With a view to reducing the burden on the transformer station at Kaiserebersdorf, work began on a new transformer station in Schwechat in 2007 involving the investment of EUR 15 million. The station entered operation in October 2008 after a construction time of 11 months. Two 110 kV customers, OMV and Borealis, are connected directly to this new station.
Work began on constructing the transformer station on Hagenbrunner Strasse in Gerasdorf bei Wien in April 2008. EUR 17 million is being invested in this new facility, which will supply the Lower Austrian communities of Gerasdorf, Hagenbrunn, Bisamberg, Enzersfeld and Langenzersdorf as of 2010.
The transformer station at Simmering was modernised and expanded. By the time it entered operation in October 2008, Wien Energie had invested around EUR 15 million in renovating this 100 kV substation, one of the largest and most modern substations of its kind in Europe.
Cable cooling for 400 kV lines
By installing cooling systems, Wien Energie is extending the service life of 400 kV cable lines, critical for the supply of electricity. With its cables operational for 30 years, and in view of the increased demand for energy, the construction of two new, 26-km long cable systems bisecting Vienna would be a necessity, were it not for the use of cooling pipes (which already existed in the cable block) and the installation of a refrigeration system. These make it possible to delay this expensive and time-consuming project by many years. The cables are cooled at four locations throughout Vienna (transformer stations at Kendlerstrasse, Kaunitzgasse and Simmering and the substation at Baumgasse). The coolant is transported from the cable block to the refrigeration units, where it is cooled and fed back into the system.
Service functions
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