A key player in the energy sector in Luxembourg, Sudgaz was created in 1899 by the Karl Francke company in Bremen. At the time, the Esch gas plant (d'Escher Gaaswierk) was a coking plant producing city gas--natural gas was only introduced in 1972. In 1989, the gas plant, formerly operating under the name of "Compagnie Générale pour le Gaz et l'Électricité", became Sudgaz SA.

Today it counts 14 shareholder communities--namely the communes of Esch-sur-Alzette, Differdange, Pétange, Schifflange, Sanem, Käerjeng, Bettembourg, Kayl, Rumelange, Mondercange, Roeser, Reckange-sur-Mess, Dippach and Garnich. It operates a distribution network that spans 1,141 kilometres and supplies natural gas to its 38,000 customers throughout the grand duchy of Luxembourg.

Energy transition

In addition to the distribution and supply of natural gas, its core business, Sudenergie intends to support the energy transition. Together with its joint shareholders, it launched the Sudwand wind power project in 2018 to produce green energy. Once completed, this project will have an installed capacity of 14 MW and an annual production of 30.6 million kWh, corresponding to the electricity consumption of 6,800 households.

Since 2019, Sudenergie also develops and operates photovoltaic power plants. It currently owns 27 of them with an installed capacity of 1,400kWp, an annual production of 1.3 Mio kWh and greenhouse gas savings of 847t CO2/year.

These projects are part of the company's desire to position itself as a producer of local green energy. Since 2015, it has also been supporting energy saving projects with its customers. In recent years, 3,600 projects have been carried out, the equivalent of the electrical energy consumption of 18,100 households.

“Sudgaz is in the midst of a transition and wants to anchor this sustainable change in its name, which is why Sudgaz becomes Sudenergie,” the company said in a press release. “This name change expresses the development of the company towards a distributor, supplier and producer of energy, guarantor of a sustainable management and responsibility towards man and the environment.”

This article was originally published in French on Paperjam.lu. It has been translated and edited for Delano.