New “Verbandsgemeindewerke Konz AöR” takes off

February 7, 2024

New corporate form, new energy projects. The “Verbandsgemeindewerke Konz AöR” is now taking off. For many citizens, the VG-Werke was previously only a contact for water supply and wastewater disposal. That should change.

Photo: (from left to right) The councilor of VG Konz, Guido Wacht, mayor Joachim Weber and the board of the new Verbandsgemeindewerke Konz AöR, Ralf Zorn, talk about the concept for open-space photovoltaics.

“We as the Konz municipality have always been among the pioneers when it comes to implementing the energy transition. Solar systems were installed on the roofs of our properties, e.g. on schools and fire station houses, at an early stage. Climate-neutral heating was a priority, for example the Saar-Mosel-Bad is supplied with heat from a large wood chip heater. And the administrative buildings in Konz now even use waste heat from the sewage treatment plant for heating – heat that was previously lost,” explains Mayor Joachim Weber.

Further projects were already initiated last year. The new “Verbandsgemeinde Konz AöR” will now implement the plans.

The previous head of VG-Werke, Ralf Zorn, was elected to the board of this public law institution in January. He explains: “The advantage of an AöR is that high investments do not burden the budget of the municipality. In addition, decisions and processes can be simplified. This is important in order to be able to act and compete on the energy market. In addition, the changed corporate form will improve the funding opportunities for municipal projects on the energy and heat transition.”

And what exactly is planned?

“This week, for example, politicians decided on an informal concept for photovoltaic systems in open spaces,” says Joachim Weber, who, as mayor of the municipality, chairs the AöR administrative board. “It shows areas where large systems with a lot of electricity generation can be built. This must be economically feasible at the locations; At the same time, the landscape should be affected as little as possible. Around 120 hectares in the Konz municipality are therefore suitable for open-field photovoltaics. The implementation of projects is made easier by the concept because the preparatory work for determining the area has already been completed. Of course, the new AöR is interested in generating electricity on these areas. “Through the medium-term implementation of such a project by the AöR, private households could in the future be supplied with regional, climate-neutral and cost-effective electricity that also has a high level of price stability.”

But this is not the only project in which the “Verbandsgemeindewerke Konz AöR” is involved. Ralf Zorn: “We are working on an idea with which we could supply companies in the Konz-Könen industrial area and possibly also private homes with climate-neutral energy from the sewage treatment plant. A feasibility study is currently underway. We already heat the administration buildings in Konz with waste heat from the sewage treatment plant at the mouth of the Saar. Additional climate-neutral energy could also be generated at this location, for example with waste heat from the Saar and wastewater. Companies in Konz-Kön, but perhaps also houses in Berendsborn, could then be connected. We expect the result of the feasibility study in the first half of the year. The economic viability is also examined.”

Mayor Weber is of course hoping for a positive result. “The municipal heat planning for Konz would bring this forward a lot. Germany should have climate-neutral heating by 2045. In my opinion, this goal can only be turned into reality with such flagship projects.”