OSCE Secretariat in Vienna switches to 100% renewable energy

VIENNA, 11 October 2017 - The OSCE Secretariat in Vienna has recently started using electricity which is 100% derived from renewable energy sources. Wien Energie, the main energy supplier to the Austrian capital, is awarding today the OSCE with a certificate to mark this achievement.

The Secretariat will be powered by hydroelectric energy, a move which is part of a larger effort to promote sustainable and renewable energy usage across the OSCE region.

“The transition to clean and sustainable energy is vital to our future. Now the electricity we use at the OSCE Vienna is 100% renewable and I am proud of this achievement,” said OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger upon receiving the certificate.

Wien Energie-CEO Michael Strebl:  “Wien Energie is heading in a new direction and will invest EUR 460 million over the next five years in the expansion of renewable energy production. Wien Energie has one of the leading district heating systems in Europe. This helps us to save carbon dioxide and to contribute to climate protection in Vienna. We appreciate that our partner OSCE has decided to use renewable energy sources for their heat and electricity.”

Energy security is an important part of the OSCE’s concept of comprehensive security. The OSCE, through the work of the Office of the Co-ordinator  of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) and the field missions, promotes the usage of sustainable and renewable energy in a variety of ways, including research and analysis, organizing conferences and conducting seminars for relevant stakeholders across the region and fact finding missions.

The OCEEA places special importance on promoting dialogue between producing, consuming and transit countries as energy security issues are complex and transboundary and require a regional approach based on dialogue, co-operation and trust.  Special emphasis is also placed on public-private partnerships such as the new partnership between the Secretariat and Wien Energie.

Wien Energie is responsible for ensuring the supply of electricity, natural gas and heating to around two million people, 230,000 businesses and industrial facilities, as well as 4,500 farms in the Greater Vienna metropolitan area. Activities also performed by the company include waste recycling, providing energy-related advice and services, facility management, telecommunications.