60-802: Europe RWE AG is a German multinational energy company headquartered in Essen . It generates and trades electricity in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the United States. In July 2020, RWE completed a far-reaching asset swap deal with E.ON first announced in 2018, whereby the international renewable generation portfolio of E.ON and Innogy were transferred to RWE. The company was founded in Essen in 1898, as Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk Aktiengesellschaft (Rhenish-Westphalian Power Plant) by Elektrizitäts-Actien-Gesellschaft vorm. W. Lahmeyer & Company (EAG) and others. The full name
120-526: A day. In March 2015, RWE closed the sale of RWE Dea to a group led by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman despite opposition from UK regulators. The $ 5.6 billion deal, announced in 2014, required approval from 14 countries where RWE Dea operates in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. On 1 April 2016, RWE transferred its renewable, network and retail businesses into a separate company named Innogy , which
180-542: A decade ago, while energy bonds make up 15.7% of the $ 1.3 trillion junk bond market, up from 4.3% over the same period. Since the cost of energy has become a significant factor in the performance of societies' economies, the management of energy resources has become crucial. Energy management involves utilizing the available energy resources more effectively, that is, with minimum incremental costs. Simple management techniques can often save energy expenditures without incorporating fresh technology . Energy management
240-449: A key in the development of the human society by helping it to control and adapt to the environment . Managing the use of energy is inevitable in any functional society. In the industrialized world the development of energy resources has become essential for agriculture , transportation , waste collection , information technology , communications that have become prerequisites of a developed society. The increasing use of energy since
300-429: A light) requires resources and has an effect on the environment. Many electric power plants burn coal, oil or natural gas in order to generate electricity for energy needs. While burning these fossil fuels produces a readily available and instantaneous supply of electricity, it also generates air pollutants including carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), sulfur dioxide and trioxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxides ( NOx ). Carbon dioxide
360-681: A majority stake in the lignite company Braunkohlen- und Briketwerke Roddergrube AG. In 1923, it acquired its founder company EAG. Three years later, the company acquired a stake in Rheinische Elektrizitäts-Aktiengesellschaft (Rheinelektra) and became a shareholder in the newly established Ruhrgas gas company in exchange of its gas grid. In 1927, RWE and Prussia swapped their holdings in the Brunswick and Cologne coalfields and RWE became an owner of Braunkohlen-Industrie AG Zukunft. In 1932, RWE acquired
420-647: A majority stake in the coal company Rheinische Aktiengesellschaft für Braunkohlenbergbau (Rheinbraun). In 1936, it acquired Niederrheinische Braunkohlenwerke AG, an operator of the Frimmersdorf Power Plant . On 1 May 1933, the executive board including Ernst Henke joined the NSDAP as a unified body. Since autumn 1943, the Essen state police had been investigating Wilhelm Ricken, RWE's technical director and designated general director, for "subversion of
480-416: A network of grid cables . The transportation of energy, whether by tanker, pipeline, or transmission line, poses challenges for scientists and engineers, policy makers, and economists to make it more risk-free and efficient. Economic and political instability can lead to an energy crisis . Notable oil crises are the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 oil crisis . The advent of peak oil , the point in time when
540-441: A result of the assets swap with RAG AG , RWE gave away its stake in the power company STEAG . It received almost full control of the renewable energy company Harpen AG. The full control of Harpen was achieved in 2005. In 2003, RWE also achieved full control over Thyssengas. In the same year, it decided to divest its American coal company Consol Energy . In 2011, RWE unbundled its transmission system by selling its majority stake in
600-579: A source of important findings which supported the design and operation of commercial nuclear reactors. RWE's nuclear operations started in 1961, when RWE and Bayernwerk (now part of E.ON ) started to build the first German industrial nuclear reactor—the Kahl Nuclear Power Plant . In 1962, they started to build the Gundremmingen Nuclear Power Plant. In 1965, at the request of the surrounding municipalities,
660-471: A subsidiary of Thames Water. In 2006, RWE sold Thames Water to Kemble Water Limited, a consortium led by Macquarie Group . RWE previously owned American Water , the United States' largest investor-owned water utility, but this was divested in 2008. In 2002, RWE acquired the British electricity and gas utility company Innogy for £3 billion (US$ 4.3 billion). Innogy was subsequently renamed RWE npower plc. As
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#1732773102454720-458: A useful purpose. After a useful process has taken place, the total energy is conserved. Still, the resource itself is not conserved since a process usually transforms the energy into unusable forms (such as unnecessary or excess heat). Ever since humanity discovered various energy resources available in nature, it has been inventing devices, known as machines, that make life more comfortable by using energy resources. Thus, although primitive man knew
780-659: Is an important greenhouse gas , known to be responsible, along with methane , nitrous oxide , and fluorinated gases , for the rapid increase in global warming since the Industrial Revolution . In the 20th century, global temperature records are significantly higher than temperature records from thousands of years ago, taken from ice cores in Arctic regions. Burning fossil fuels for electricity generation also releases trace metals such as beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, manganese, mercury, nickel, and silver into
840-400: Is argued that there is also the potential to develop a more efficient energy sector. This can be done by: Best available technology (BAT) offers supply-side efficiency levels far higher than global averages. The relative benefits of gas compared to coal are influenced by the development of increasingly efficient energy production methods. According to an impact assessment carried out for
900-489: Is expected to become Europe's third-largest renewable energy provider behind Spain's Iberdrola and Italy's Enel , and the second-largest in the market for offshore wind power. On 1 December 2023, it was agreed that RWE would be part of an £11 billion investment in the UK's Dogger Bank wind farm project. The German government received EU approval in late 2023 for a €2.6 billion compensation payment to RWE to phase out lignite in
960-538: Is in the context of the Iraq Wars . Some political analysts maintain that the hidden reason for both 1991 and 2003 wars can be traced to strategic control of international energy resources. Others counter this analysis with the numbers related to its economics. According to the latter group of analysts, U.S. has spent about $ 336 billion in Iraq as compared with a background current value of $ 25 billion per year budget for
1020-527: Is listed at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange . The new entity combined RWE subsidiaries RWE Innogy, RWE Deutschland, RWE Effizienz, RWE Vertrieb and RWE Energiedienstleistungen. In March 2018, it was announced that E.ON will acquire Innogy in a complex €43 billion deal of assets swap with RWE. As a result, RWE will take a 16.7% stake in E.ON. Following the purchase of E.ON's renewables business and nuclear electricity generation assets, RWE
1080-547: Is most often the practice of using energy more efficiently by eliminating energy wastage or balancing justifiable energy demand with appropriate energy supply. The process couples energy awareness with energy conservation . The United Nations developed the International Standard Industrial Classification , which is a list of economic and social classifications. There is no distinct classification for an energy industry, because
1140-406: Is the intersection of national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven distribution of energy supplies among countries has led to significant vulnerabilities. Threats to energy security include the political instability of several energy producing countries,
1200-414: Is the totality of all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy , including fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution. Modern society consumes large amounts of fuel, and the energy industry is a crucial part of the infrastructure and maintenance of society in almost all countries . In particular, the energy industry comprises: The increased dependence during
1260-523: Is threatened by the planned expansion of one of the group's coal mines . RWE also operates some of the largest coal-fired power stations in Europe. In 2018, RWE was the largest producer of carbon dioxide emissions in Europe. Since 2012, environmentalists have protested against RWE because of the Hambach surface mine situated in the area of Hambach Forest . In November 2017, in the lawsuit filed by Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND),
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#17327731024541320-449: Is to explore means of producing hydrogen fuel from water. Though hydrogen use is environmentally friendly, its production requires energy and existing technologies to make it, are not very efficient. Research is underway to explore enzymatic decomposition of biomass. Other forms of conventional energy resources are also being used in new ways. Coal gasification and liquefaction are recent technologies that are becoming attractive after
1380-483: Is very important to the global economy. All economic activity requires energy resources, whether to manufacture goods, provide transportation , run computers and other machines . Widespread demand for energy may encourage competing energy utilities and the formation of retail energy markets . Note the presence of the "Energy Marketing and Customer Service" (EMACS) sub-sector. The energy sector accounts for 4.6% of outstanding leveraged loans, compared with 3.1%
1440-559: The 20th century on carbon-emitting energy sources, such as fossil fuels , and carbon-emitting renewables, such as biomass , means that the energy industry has frequently contributed to pollution and environmental impacts on the economy. Until recently, fossil fuels were the primary source of energy generation in most parts of the world and are a significant contributor to global warming and pollution . Many economies are investing in renewable and sustainable energy as part of human adaptation to global warming. The use of energy has been
1500-514: The European Commission , the levels of energy efficiency of coal-fired plants built have now increased to 46-49% efficiency rates, as compared to coals plants built before the 1990s (32-40%). However, at the same time gas can reach 58-59% efficiency levels with the best available technology. Meanwhile, combined heat and power can offer efficiency rates of 80-90%. Since now energy plays an essential role in industrial societies ,
1560-461: The Industrial Revolution has also brought with it a number of serious problems, some of which, such as global warming , present potentially grave risks to the world. In some industries, the word energy is used as a synonym for energy resources , which refer to substances like fuels , petroleum products, and electricity in general. This is because a significant portion of the energy contained in these resources can easily be extracted to serve
1620-528: The Urenco Group with E.ON . The remaining stakes are held by the British and Dutch governments, with one-third each. In 2019, RWE produced a total of 153.2 TWh of electricity from the following sources: 33.2% natural gas , 32% lignite , 13.8% nuclear power , 10.7% renewables , 9.3% hard coal and 1.2% pumped storage . In 2019, the company generated 88.1 Mt of CO 2. Electricity production at
1680-744: The 1920s, Bonn , Cologne , Krefeld , Duisburg , and Düsseldorf also became shareholders and municipalities owned the majority of RWE's shares. In 1925, the Prussian state became a shareholder in RWE. In 1929, municipalities and the Rhine Province combined their shareholdings into a holding company Kommunale Aufnahmegruppe für Aktien GmbH. In 1920, RWE acquired Niedersächsische Kraftwerke AG, located in Osnabrück . In 1922, it expanded its coal business by acquiring three anthracite mines in Essen and
1740-596: The 1990s, RWE acquired a number of assets in the former East Germany , including stakes in the mining company Lausitzer Braunkohle AG (LAUBAG) and the power company VEAG. In 2000, RWE and VEW merged to create a "new" RWE, and stakes in LAUBAG and VEAG (now both merged into Vattenfall Europe ) were sold to avoid competition violation. In 2001, RWE took over the British company Thames Water . In 2002, it acquired American Water Works Company, based in New Jersey, which became
1800-627: The Czech gas transmission network operator, for €1.6 billion to a consortium consisting of Allianz and Borealis . The company (named Transgas A.S. then) was privatized to RWE in 2002. In the 2000s, RWE also acquired energy companies in Poland (STOEN S.A.) and Slovenia (VSE a.s). It also owned RWE Dea (now DEA AG ), which produced some of the oil and gas RWE sold (annual production is around 2 million m of crude oil (about 365,000 BOE ) ) and 3 billion m of natural gas (about 18 million BOE, 49,300 BOE)
1860-793: The German arm of Friends of the Earth , the Higher Administrative Court in Münster ruled to end the tree cutting. According to BUND, Hambach Forest is a habitat type 9160 of annex I of the European Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992). Opponents also argue that an environmental impact assessment study for the mine was never conducted. The Administrative Court in Cologne denied
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1920-405: The German branch of RWE had the following environmental implications in 2006: 700 μg/kWh radioactive waste and 752 g/kWh CO 2 emissions . In 2007, the company ranked between the 28th and the 29th place of emitters by country. RWE has long been among the top targets of climate activists, in part as a result of a long-running, high-profile battle to preserve a forest in western Germany that
1980-565: The Karnap power plant in Essen started to burn domestic waste. In 1969, RWE acquired a stake in Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-Aktiengesellschaft which allowed its expansion into the oil industry. However, in 1974, it was sold to VEBA AG . In 1971, founded Gesellschaft für elektrischen Straßenverkehr , a company to develop an electric car for commercial scale production. The prototype presented in 1983
2040-714: The Reisholz Power Plant and acquired a stake in the tram company Süddeutsche Eisenbahngesellschaft AG. RWE also started to build its own gas supply network in 1909. Deliveries of coal gas to the Bergisches Land region started in 1912. In 1914, RWE opened Vorgebirgszentrale power plant in Hürth . By 1920, the plant had installed capacity of 190 megawatts, which made it the largest in Europe. Before World War I , municipalities of Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr , and Gelsenkirchen , became shareholders in RWE. By
2100-486: The Rhine region. No details of the deal, or its timing, have been released. RWE operates in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the United States. The group is organized around four core areas: In addition to these core areas, there is a Coal/Nuclear segment. In the UK, RWE fully owns RWE Generation UK plc., which operates a number of natural gas and renewable energy power stations across the UK. RWE's last coal-fired power station in
2160-1071: The UK, Aberthaw Power Station in South Wales, was closed in March 2020. The company owns the gas-fired power stations Staythorpe in Nottinghamshire, Pembroke in West Wales, Little Barford in Bedfordshire, Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, and Didcot 'B' Station in Oxfordshire. It has previously closed its Didcot 'A' Power Station in Oxfordshire, Littlebrook Power Station in Kent, Fawley Power Station in Hampshire, and Tilbury Power Station in Essex. RWE jointly owns one third of
2220-537: The Volksgerichtshof (People's Court), partly because of his statement that "the war would end like 1918". On 2 May 1944, Wilhelm Ricken was executed in Berlin-Plötzensee. In 2015, a " stumbling block " was placed at this final address in Essen to commemorate Ricken's fate. During World War II, the infrastructure owned by RWE was severely damaged but mostly repaired by 1948. In 1952, the company
2280-636: The classification system is based on activities , products , and expenditures according to purpose . Countries in North America use the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The NAICS sectors #21 and #22 (mining and utilities) might roughly define the energy industry in North America. This classification is used by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . The Global Industry Classification Standard used by Morgan Stanley define
2340-414: The energy industry as comprising companies primarily working with oil, gas, coal and consumable fuels, excluding companies working with certain industrial gases. Add also to expand this section: Dow Jones Industrial Average Government encouragement in the form of subsidies and tax incentives for energy-conservation efforts has increasingly fostered the view of conservation as a major function of
2400-576: The energy industry generate considerable pollution , including toxic and greenhouse gases from fuel combustion, nuclear waste from the generation of nuclear power, and oil spillages as a result of petroleum extraction. Government regulations to internalize these externalities form an increasing part of doing business , and the trading of carbon credits and pollution credits on the free market may also result in energy-saving and pollution-control measures becoming even more important to energy providers. Consumption of energy resources, (e.g. turning on
2460-410: The energy industry: saving an amount of energy provides economic benefits almost identical to generating that same amount of energy. This is compounded by the fact that the economics of delivering energy tend to be priced for capacity as opposed to average usage. One of the purposes of a smart grid infrastructure is to smooth out demand so that capacity and demand curves align more closely. Some parts of
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2520-443: The entire U.S. oil import dependence Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity (often governmental) has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production , distribution and consumption . The attributes of energy policy may include legislation , international treaties, incentives to investment, guidelines for energy conservation , taxation and other public policy techniques. Energy security
2580-440: The environment, which also act as pollutants. The large-scale use of renewable energy technologies would "greatly mitigate or eliminate a wide range of environmental and human health impacts of energy use". Renewable energy technologies include biofuels , solar heating and cooling , hydroelectric power , solar power , and wind power . Energy conservation and the efficient use of energy would also help. In addition, it
2640-459: The foreseeable future. With as much dependence that the U.S. currently has for oil and with the peaking limits of oil production; economies and societies will begin to feel the decline in the resource that we have become dependent upon. Energy security has become one of the leading issues in the world today as oil and other resources have become as vital to the world's people. However, with oil production rates decreasing and oil production peak nearing,
2700-424: The manipulation of energy supplies, the competition over energy sources, attacks on supply infrastructure, as well as accidents, natural disasters, the funding to foreign dictators, rising terrorism, and dominant countries reliance to the foreign oil supply. The limited supplies, uneven distribution, and rising costs of fossil fuels , such as oil and gas, create a need to change to more sustainable energy sources in
2760-425: The maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, will likely precipitate another energy crisis. Between 1985 and 2018, there have been around 69,932 deals in the energy sector. This cumulates to an overall value of 9,578 bil USD. The most active year was 2010 with about 3.761 deals. In terms of value 2007 was the strongest year (684 bil. USD), which was followed by a steep decline until 2009 (-55,8%). Here
2820-455: The military". The then First Mayor of Essen, Just Dillgardt, who was also second chairman of RWE's supervisory board, had reported Ricken to the state police. Previously, he had received a tip from the then commercial director and fellow board member of Ricken, Friedrich Praedel. This "board member" of RWE is said to have pushed Dillgardt to press charges. Wilhelm Ricken was then arrested on 20 October 1943, and sentenced to death on 8 March 1944, by
2880-549: The necessity of such a study in November 2017, because the permission for the mining operations was given in the 1970s, long before environmental impact assessment studies became mandatory. In October 2018, an estimated 50,000 protesters turned out against the company's planned continued forest clear-cutting for its open-pit coal mine expansion while a court order delayed the process until at least late 2020, to explore if it violated EU environmental regulations. In September 2021, it
2940-507: The ownership and control of energy resources plays an increasing role in politics . At the national level, governments seek to influence the sharing (distribution) of energy resources among various sections of the society through pricing mechanisms; or even who owns resources within their borders. They may also seek to influence the use of energy by individuals and business in an attempt to tackle environmental issues . The most recent international political controversy regarding energy resources
3000-544: The presence of a source of usable energy, such sources are of great worth in society. While energy resources are an essential ingredient for all modes of transportation in society, the transportation of energy resources is becoming equally important. Energy resources are frequently located far from the place where they are consumed. Therefore, their transportation is always in question. Some energy resources like liquid or gaseous fuels are transported using tankers or pipelines , while electricity transportation invariably requires
3060-424: The price of exporting and importing oil will increase due to increased demand. Producing energy to sustain human needs is an essential social activity, and a great deal of effort goes into the activity. While most of such effort is limited towards increasing the production of electricity and oil , newer ways of producing usable energy resources from the available energy resources are being explored. One such effort
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#17327731024543120-735: The realization that oil reserves , at present consumption rates, may be rather short lived. See alternative fuels . Energy is the subject of significant research activities globally. For example, the UK Energy Research Centre is the focal point for UK energy research while the European Union has many technology programmes as well as a platform for engaging social science and humanities within energy research. All societies require materials and food to be transported over distances , generally against some force of friction. Since application of force over distance requires
3180-643: The tramway companies Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahn AG and Rheinische Bahngesellschaft AG. In 1908, RWE signed demarcation contracts with Städtische Elektrizitätswerk Dortmund and Elektrizitätswerk Westfalen AG. Together they created Westfälische Verbands-Elektrizitätswerk AG. RWE contributed to the newly established company by its power station in Dortmund–Kruckel and the supply grid in Witten/Dortmund. Later all these companies formed Vereinigte Elektrizitätswerke Westfalen AG (VEW). In 1909, RWE opened
3240-415: The transmission system operator Amprion (RWE Transportnetz Strom GmbH), but keeping 25.1% in the company. On 14 August 2012, RWE AG announced that the company would cut 2,400 more jobs to reduce costs. Previously the company had announced to eliminate 5,000 jobs and 3,000 jobs through divestments as anticipated of closing all nuclear reactors by 2022. In August 2013, RWE completed the disposal of NET4GAS,
3300-517: The utility of fire to cook food, the invention of devices like gas burners and microwave ovens led to additional ways of how energy can be utilised. The trend is the same in any other field of social activity, be it the construction of social infrastructure, manufacturing of fabrics for covering, porting, printing , decorating, for example, textiles , air conditioning , communication of information, or for moving people and goods ( automobiles ). Production and consumption of energy resources
3360-486: The world has come to protect what resources we have left. With new advancements in renewable resources, less pressure has been put on companies that produce the world's oil; these resources are geothermal, solar power, wind power, and hydroelectric. Although these are not all the current and possible options for the world to turn to as the oil depletes, the most critical issue is protecting these vital resources from future threats. These new resources will become more valuable as
3420-538: Was excluded from the Allies' control. In 1957, RWE acquired the coal company Neurath AG. RWE and the Bavarian state-owned 'Bayernwerk' joined forces to build Germany's first industrial nuclear reactor . The Kahl experimental nuclear power plant (15 megawatts), constructed right next to RWE's Dettingen hard coal fired power plant, supplied its first electricity in 1962. Until its closure in 1985, this plant would serve as
3480-428: Was produced in cooperation with Volkswagen and named City-Stromer . In 1988, RWE again expanded into the oil industry by acquiring Deutsche Texaco, formerly known as Deutsche Erdoel AG, which was renamed RWE-DEA AG für Mineralöl und Chemie (RWE-DEA). RWE was reorganized to hold energy, mining and raw materials; petroleum and chemicals; waste management; mechanical and plant engineering; and construction divisions. In
3540-455: Was revealed that RWE are among a number of fossil fuel companies suing governments for enacting green policies against climate change . RWE are suing the Dutch government for $ 1.6bn following their move to phase out and shut down coal power plants. Between 2000 and 2007, RWE was the main kit sponsor of German Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen . Energy company The energy industry
3600-487: Was used until 1990 when it was renamed to RWE AG. Its first power station started operating in Essen in 1900. In 1902, EAG sold its shares to a consortium formed by Ruhr industrialists Hugo Stinnes and August Thyssen . In 1906, it expanded its operations beyond Essen by acquiring Elektrizitätswerk Berggeist AG in Brühl , and Bergische Elektrizitätswerke GmbH, Solingen . During the same year, it also acquired shareholdings in
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