Municipal utilities take stock of the 2021 financial year - "are in great shape"

Created: 08/18/2022, 08:30

By: Tanja Brinkmann

In the biogas plant in the Loisachauen, organic waste from the entire district is converted into energy.

Investments are being made in district heating © Gemeindewerke

For Wodan Lichtmess, self-production is the key to defying the current crises.

The board of directors of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Municipal Utilities survived the hard Corona times so well.

In order to defy the effects of the Ukraine conflict, he wants to produce even more energy himself.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Wodan Lichtmess feels confirmed in his course.

For years, the board of directors of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Municipal Utilities has relied on generating its own energy.

The biogas plant in the Loisachauen, the solar park at Lachen, the shaft power plant on the Loisach near Großweil and a number of other projects were created.

Electricity, gas and heat flow from it and cover 50 percent of the demand.

Therefore, he can look forward to high yields.

75.5 million euros are on his balance sheet for the past financial year, which is 10.7 percent more than in 2020.

Electricity and gas prices, the businessman explains, “have not just been rising since the Ukraine crisis”.

The fact that these had already skyrocketed “is related to the shutdown of the nuclear power plants”.

In order to continue to make itself independent and to offer its Garmisch-Partenkirchen customers the most stable prices possible, Candlemas is now pulling old ideas out of the drawer (we reported).

"We're trying our best," he says.

Because one thing is clear: "If we had built all the hydroelectric power plants that I planned in 2005, we would be self-sufficient."

Annual profit slightly above previous year's level - Olympic ice sports center, Alpspitz wave pool and local buses deficit divisions

A state he continues to strive for.

In contrast to many colleagues, "who have not taken care of their own needs and are now on the verge of bankruptcy".

Compared to other municipal utilities, the local ones are "dazzling", assures Candlemas.

This is also evidenced by the annual profit of around 1.6 million euros, which was slightly above the previous year's level.

The works boss suspects another reason for his result to be “that we spend very little on marketing.

We pay attention to what matters".

However, in order to be able to keep up with the deficit divisions - Olympic Ice Sports Center, Alpspitz-Wellenbad and the local buses - and still have room for investments in the future, he is aiming for a profit of at least two million euros.

Lichtmess attributes the poor numbers in Bad and Eisstadion to the corona pandemic in particular.

He experienced “wave movements” with these divisions last year.

"We were at least able to open the ice rink again thanks to the professional clause."

As soon as a Corona requirement was met, "the numbers went up".

What pissed off a number of users were the restrictions that the G7 summit brought with it.

Both facilities were rented out for weeks.

"This income helps us throughout the year," emphasizes Candlemas.

This is another reason why he can spare his customers an increase in electricity and gas prices this year.

Looking to the future, a lot depends on world events.

"We are currently in level 2, the so-called alarm level of the gas emergency plan." If too little natural gas continues to flow from Russia, an emergency will soon be declared - level 3. This means that the storage tanks will probably not be sufficiently filled by winter.

“That would be Corona 4.0,” judges Candlemas.

As a result, a shutdown plan takes effect, which inevitably affects all leisure facilities such as pools, saunas, ice rinks, mountain railways and gyms.

Ultimately, this is the only way to ensure that hospitals, schools, kindergartens, retirement homes, rescue and security forces, grocery stores and the like are supplied with energy.

Investments are being made in district heating

Nevertheless, the Board of Management intends to invest again this year.

No longer in the gas network, but in the conversion of the district heating supply.

Lichtmess calculates three million euros for the conversion of the plant in order to switch to a different fuel.

It is currently being examined to what extent wood chips, oil or LPG can be used.

"And whether it can be converted." Emergency power generators, which secure the water and sewage supply as well as important facilities in the event of a blackout, "fortunately we have already purchased".

He strongly advises citizens who have oil heating to stick with it.

He recommends other residents to buy a wood-burning stove if possible or to install photovoltaic and solar thermal systems.

Showering less, as propagated in many places, is “definitely not the solution” for Candlemas.

The numbers at a glance

Annual profit:

1.6 million euros (2020: 1.5 million euros)

Income (sales minus expenses):

75.5 million euros (68.20)

Results of operations (annual results):

Electricity, gas, water and heat: 4.0 million euros (4.5)

Sewage and waste: - 0.5 euros (- 1.3)

Holdings (such as Zugspitzbahn): 1.7 million euros (1.9)

Deficit companies:

- 3.6 million euros (- 3.6)

Public transport: - 575,000 euros (- 787,000)

Alpspitz wave pool: - 1.5 million euros (- 1.5)

Olympic ice sports center: - 1.4 million euros (- 1.3)

Personnel costs:

16.2 million euros (15.5)

Employees: 304 (295)

Number of guests:

Transport operations: 1.2 million (1.2)

Alpspitz wave pool: 75,200 (80,600)

Olympic Ice Sports Center: 29 200 (29 700)

Net assets and financial position:

Investments: 12.7 million euros (6.6)

Equity: 89.3 million euros (87.5)

Bank liabilities: 84.5 million euros (89.6)

Cash on hand:

22.5 million euros (21.6)