EnBW boss Andreas Schell has resigned from the group over ‘differing opinions’ with the board over the future of the company.
In a statement released on Friday the German utility said Mr Schell’s departure would take effect as of the end of March, with former head of sustainable generation Georg Stamatelopoulos chosen as his replacement.
Board chairman Lutz Feldmann added: “We regret this step, which is being taken by mutual consent.
“Despite intensive discussions, it has not been possible to reach an agreement on the future strategic direction of the company in recent months.
“We would like to thank Andreas Schell for the considerable commitment he has shown at EnBW from day one, which is associated with many ideas and initiatives, and we wish him all the best for the future.”
Mr Schell only joined the company in April 2022, and has signed up with a contract term of three years.
Mr Stamatelopoulos has agreed to serve until March 2029, and will continue to head up the company’s generation division until a successor has been appointed.
Cooling on Norway
Based in Karlsruhe, Energie Baden-Württemberg has increasingly expanded outside of Germany to back renewables projects, including offshore wind. Under its current strategy it hopes to reach 5,200MW of output from wind and PV by 2025.
In the UK the company secured leases for up to 6GW of capacity with BP, including Morgan and Mona in the Irish Sea, and the 2.9GW Morven in the North Sea – the latter won as part of the ScotWind leasing round.
Another partnership will see it pair up with Equinor for an auction round off Germany expected this year.
However this week it also confirmed its local subsidiary Norseman Wind would withdraw from Norway’s upcoming auction for 1.5GW at Sørlige Nordsjø II (Southern North Sea).
EnBW did not provide a bank guarantee before the government’s March 4 deadline and will not now bid in the auction in two weeks’ time, after it decided its project is uneconomic.
The company was one of five companies and consortia to be prequalified by regulators after seven groups applied.
Shell, which also prequalified, has indicated it too may decide not to bid, after its country manager told Reuters that tender conditions made an investment “very challenging”.
Recommended for you
