Sales growth in spite of economic crisis

We were able to increase our external sales (excluding electricity and natural gas taxes) in spite of the economic crisis and the further intensification in competition in electricity and gas markets. Sales improved by 20 % compared with the previous year to reach around Euro 3.2 billion. We therefore exceeded the sales forecast for the 2008/09 financial year provided in last year’s management report (around Euro 2.8 billion) by a clear margin.

This substantial increase in sales was driven in particular by growth in the electricity and gas segments. Sales benefited from volume growth in the electricity trading business and in the nationwide electricity and gas business, as well as from price increases. The electricity and gas segments are our Group’s strongest divisions in terms of sales.

External sales of the MVV Energie Group by segment

 
Euro million 2008/09 2007/08 % change  
Electricity 1 760 1 382 + 27  
District heating 294 303 − 3  
Gas 486 356 + 37  
Water 101 102 − 1  
Value-added services 308 277 + 11  
Environmental energy 194 194 —  
Other / consolidation 18 22 − 18  
  3 161 2 636 + 20 

In the value-added services segment we launched operations at the new refuse-derived fuel (RDF) power plant in Korbach, consolidated A+S Naturenergie GmbH, Pfaffenhofen, for the first time and extended our supply to real estate customers in Berlin, thus boosting our sales.

Sales volumes of the MVV Energie Group 1

 
  2008/09 2007/08 % change  
Electricity kWh million 19 582 18 188 + 8  
of which wholesale 2, 3 6 939 5 797 + 20  
of which retail / secondary distributors 3 12 643 12 391 + 2  
District heating in kWh million 7 217 7 006 + 3  
Gas in kWh million 10 851 9 166 + 18  
of which wholesale 3 1 529 864 + 77  
of which retail / secondary distributors 3 9 322 8 302 + 12  
Water in m³ million 53.2 55.1 − 3  
Combustible waste delivered in tonnes 000s 1 599 1 550 + 3  
1 total volumes from all segments
2 recalculation of proprietary trading in year under report and previous year
3 reallocation of secondary distributors in year under report and previous year