Cities use the most energy. Cities are responsible for 75% of the world’s CO2 emissions. By the same token, this means that climate reversal will be determined in the cities. Vienna bears responsibility for noticeably reducing the ecological footprint, and the Wiener Stadtwerke Group is delivering: we are ensuring that all of Vienna’s residents can travel around our city in an environmentally friendly way and that their electricity and heating are increasingly derived from renewable energy. Our goal is clear: to be climate neutral by 2040.
To make this ambitious undertaking a reality, over the next five years Wiener Stadtwerke will invest EUR 5.6bn, two-thirds of which will go towards projects related to our climate-neutrality goal and will drive us forward on our way to increased levels of sustainability. This will be the largest investment programme in our history. Electricity from the sun. Geothermal heating. Lower CO2 emissions through ambitious public transport expansion. These are all significant projects that will help us make Vienna an even better place to live. The age of fossil fuels is over. An urbanised future awaits us that is environmentally responsible and in which everyone has their part to play. There is no time to lose in taking a new direction – certainly not for us, because we are the climate reversers.
U2xU5 intersection – a major project for environmentally friendly mobility
Our U2xU5 project has begun, and it is the largest environmental project Vienna has ever seen. Almost no work has been carried out since the U3 line was constructed in the 1990s, however the City of Vienna and the Austrian federal government will invest approximately EUR 6bn over the coming years. This will create and secure some 30,000 jobs. Once the 11 kilometres of track have been laid and the 12 new stations constructed, more than 300 million additional passengers per year will use the underground, trams and buses. Travel times will be shortened and the strain on the most frequently used public transport routes will be eased. And best of all: if the passengers filling this new capacity leave their cars at home, this will save 75,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
U2xU5 update
The U2xU5 project has made great progress since ground was first broken. New stations and tracks will help Vienna’s citizens reach their destinations even faster.
Changing direction works.
EUR 4.25bn
in
investments
in infrastructure and renewable energies
So much sun
With more than 2,000 hours of sunshine in a year, solar power is an attractive energy source for Vienna – and we want to continue to make the most of it.
Building a solar city
Over the next five years, EUR 400m will be invested in projects ranging from the conversion of electricity generation through to renewable energy initiatives. In cities, solar energy is particularly well suited as a sustainable source of energy. Vienna has kicked off a photovoltaic initiative: Wien Energie will install solar panels on 70,000 m² of roof area across 20 Wiener Linien public transport buildings, turning these into solar power stations. These power stations will produce up to 3,500 megawatt-hours of solar-generated electricity, which will then be used to power lighting, escalators and lifts at public transport stations. This will lead to a reduction of 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. What’s more, we will also assess whether photovoltaic systems can be installed on all future construction projects. And for those who are unable to install solar panels on their own roofs, we have come up with a great idea: they can secure their own share – in the form of voucher bundles – in solar power stations for citizens, such as Austria’s largest photovoltaic plant in Vienna’s Donaustadt district. This allows everyone to do their part in driving climate reversal forwards, while also securing a 2% return on their investment.
