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From his vantage point atop the MVV tower in Mannheim, MVV Energie CEO Roland Hartung can survey three German states. Since the liberalization of Europe's energy markets, the company now exerts its influence even further afield. With its innovative approach to the supply and distribution of energy, MVV has become a major player on the European market. World Eye Reports recently met Hartung on the top floor of MVV's Mannheim headquarters and asked him about the company's quicksilver ascension. WER: Despite the slowdown in the German economy, MVV Energie has outperformed its competitors in all of its core activities. How do you explain this relative success?
Hartung: Without liberalization and international competition, MVV Energie would not exist as we know it today. While the new marketplace presents certain risks - we can no longer rely on a captive market - the rewards and opportunities that are available to those who are prepared to take the leap are truly limitless. Our intention has always been to profit from such opportunities and we have taken full advantage of new openings in the market. New technologies, new partners and additional participation both in Germany and in Europe have contributed equally to the success of our multi-utility initiative, but it is our know-how as a service provider that has been our best means of acquiring new customers and commissions. WER: How have you been able to use this know-how on the international stage? Hartung: In recent years we have made concerted efforts to increase our presence internationally, and the development of Eastern European markets has been key to our expansion strategy. Poland and the Czech Republic, for example, have become very active in recent years and are knocking on the door to the European Union. We've been doing business in these countries from the very beginning and we've gained invaluable experience and made many fruitful contacts during that time. Our experience in this part of the world has been very gratifying: we have successfully completed several projects commissioned by the World Bank and the EU in these countries. We are now enjoying the benefits of the trust that we have earned in their execution. In the district-heating sector for example, we provide 6 percent of the Czech Republic's services and we aim to increase this participation to 10 percent in the near future. Similarly, in Poland, our subsidiary MVV Polska has successfully taken over the district heating service in Skarzysko-Kamienna and we?ve also been given the nod in Bydgoszcz. WER: Two years ago, your company took a revolutionary step for an energy distributor by going public. How successful has this operation been? Hartung: We are still the only publicly listed energy distributor in Germany. This has given us a very high profile on the market and sharpened our image as a successful energy services company. Furthermore, the broader ownership structure has provided us with new opportunities to pursue market-oriented strategies and enabled us to focus our decisions on our corporate interests. Even the greater transparency required by the capital market has proved to be a blessing in disguise. Far from being a burden, this has enabled us to improve efficiency within the company. Additionally, by going public, we have been able to finance an ambitious European expansion strategy that would otherwise have been out of our reach. Indeed, without the proceeds generated by this operation we would not have been able to sustain the pace of growth we have adopted, much less been able to accelerate it. It's clear that our public listing has enabled us to invest in the right places at the right times. We intend to further profit from the opportunities available to us by means of another capital increase in the spring of 2002. WER: What is MVV's strategy for the future? Hartung: Our most important strategic objective is to gain new customers both in Germany and in Europe by acquiring additional participation in public utility concerns. Similarly, we aim to develop our portfolio of services, and in this context, renewable energy will play a decisive role. We have already made a strong commitment to solar, wind and bio-energy and we intend to increase this commitment even more in the future. We've also invested heavily in technological innovations such as fuel cell technology and new ways of storing energy as well as the development of Powerline, a revolutionary wall socket Internet access device that we are marketing nationwide in Germany. No one knows what our markets will look like in five or even three years - I don't believe that five years ago anyone could have predicted the dynamics that have developed in the electric power market. Other energy service and distribution markets are bound to experience similar evolutionary changes and internationalization has only just begun. But we are well placed in the natural gas and water markets - both nationally and internationally - to cope with these changes. However, we will not be complacent. We will focus our efforts on growth via participation, new technologies and specialized value-added services, and we will strive to improve the efficiency of our different units. So far, our inventiveness and willingness to accept change have paid spectacular dividends, so I can see no reason for us to sit on our laurels now.
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From his penthouse office, Roland Hartung surveys a vista of new opportunities in energy supply.