Speaking of Austria's energy and climate objectives, Wolfgang Anzengruber, CEO of the Verbund Group, stated: "We can only achieve Austria's ambitious energy and climate objectives for 2020 if we modernise and expand our power station park – above all, water power – and our networks, increase our efficiency and enhance awareness of the need to save electricity, in fact energy as a whole. The preconditions for doing so are political motivation, a fair and transparent legal framework and faster approval processes. Verbund and the entire energy industry are definitely in a position to bear the necessary billions in investment without burdening the public budget and, in carrying out these plans, to stimulate the economy."
Bruno Wallnöfer, Chairman of the Management Board of TIWAG-Tiroler Wasserkraft AG, emphasised the importance of pumped storage power stations: "Pumped storage power stations are important partners on the way to a sustainable, decentrally structured energy industry with low CO2 emissions. The role played by pumped storage power stations in stabilising our complex energy system and in integrating the naturally fluctuating inflow of wind energy remains indispensable and will assume even greater significance in the future."
Friedrich Schalk, Chairman of Shell Austria GmbH, sees the great challenge to the world's energy household as follows: "From a global perspective, we need, if possible, twice as much energy with only half the CO2 emissions. This goal can only be reached if we utilise as broad an energy mix as possible. There is no contest of 'fossil vs. alternative' energy sources; we need them all. And we have to reduce our energy consumption by raising efficiency even further – as Shell is doing with its fuels."
Karl Wolfgang Stanzel, CEO of Ökostrom AG is convinced that it is both necessary and possible to develop an energy production system of the future based solely on renewable energy sources, but he underlined that this would not happen of its own accord, nor could it be done overnight. "We need resolute action if we want to achieve this soon, hopefully before it is too late. It costs money and – what is most painful – we are going to have to adjust to new conditions." In the area of mobility, our dependence on fossil energy sources is still very high, he explained. The tempo of the needed changeover depends on several factors, such as: consumption growth worldwide, the urgency of the problem of declining stores of fossil energy, global competition for resources, climate change and the amount of pressure generally being exerted to reduce CO2 emissions.
Binder Grösswang's Managing Partners Raoul Hoffer and Michael Binder welcomed more than 80 guests to the panel discussion, among them Peter Michaelis (Vorstand Österreichische Industrieholding AG), Alois Czipin (Alois Czipin Produktivitätsberatung GmbH), Franz J. Hiesinger (CFO Mondi Packaging AG), Martin Bergler (CFO S&T System Integration & Technology Distribution AG), Markus Fichtinger (Geschäftsführer Aktienforum), Hannes Leitgeb (Vorstand Pfandbriefstelle der österreichischen Landes-Hypothekenbanken), Johannes Seiringer (Geschäftsführer Investkredit Bank AG), Michael Ohner (Geschäftsführer Raiffeisen Leasing GmbH), Edgar Rosenmayr (Geschäftsführer IMMOEAST AG), Werner Weihs-Raabl (Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG), Hubert Jeneral (PPV Consulting GmbH), Werner Lindenthaler (VA TECH HYDRO GmbH), Markus Richter (ÖBB Holding AG), Percival Pachta-Rayhofen (Matrix Consult), Andreas Bräuer und Gustav Krempl (Verbund).
Binder Grösswang has many years of experience in all areas of energy law and advises energy providers and industrial consumers in Austria and abroad.
The firm's event series "Binder Grösswang impulse" was launched last year. It is devoted to the discussion of topical themes by illustrious personalities and is held three to four times annually in an exclusive ambience at the firm's premises in Vienna.
