ÖBB Annual Report 2023

115 Group Management Report Österreichische Bundesbahnen-Holding Aktiengesellschaft Consolidated Financial Statements | Group Management Report 70 Outlook for 2024 In 2024, the “Decarbonisation Pathway Mobility” will also be further developed and updated with measures including an assessment of the GHG reduction potentials. Achieving the target of climate neutrality in the mobility sector in 2030 will be challenging based on the findings from 2023. The prerequisite is that other necessary framework conditions are created (financing/subsidies, tenders for bus services with alternative drive systems organised by transport service clients, etc.). The consequences of the energy crisis that emerged in 2022 are also not likely to have too detrimental an impact (availability – especially of renewable energies, massive additional costs due to energy prices, etc.). In 2024, the new ÖBB energy strategy will be driven forward. It has set itself the ambitious goal of increasing the proportion of in-house supply (own production + partner power plants) in the traction current sector to 80% by 2030. Besides an expansion and a re-powering project in hydropower and the continuation of the photovoltaic expansion program, ÖBB is also committed to wind power. Investments in the expansion of renewable energy sources will continue to increase until 2030. Buildings sector Besides the mobility sector, ÖBB’s core business, buildings (including fixed installations) are another major area in which concrete measures to reduce GHG emissions are defined and targeted potential is realised. Besides the energy supply of buildings (electricity, heating, cooling...) and its optimisation (for example by switching to alternative energy sources), building optimisation and building refurbishment are the central topics here. The clear aim in this sector is climate neutrality by 2040 to 2050. Highlights 2023 The phase-out of heating oil by 2030 and the phase-out of “fossil gas” by 2034 were defined as priorities (strategic approaches) for decarbonisation in the building sector. Approx. 95% of GHG emissions in ÖBB’s building sector (Scope 1+2) still come from fossil-fuelled heat at the end of 2023. The phase-out of oil-fired heating systems was also continued in 2023 by converting to alternative heating systems. Since the end of 2019, 64 heating systems have already been converted (starting point for the 2019 financial year: 259 systems - the base value was adjusted to the previous year 2022 - 195 systems (py: 221) at the end of the 2023 financial year). In view of the political situation and rising gas prices, the withdrawal from natural gas is being accelerated alongside the withdrawal from heating oil. The policy on the choice of energy source for buildings commissioned from ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG in autumn 2022 was finalised in November 2023. It was subsequently approved together with a recommendation for implementation by the subgroup companies. Current developments on the energy market, and in particular on the natural gas market, have a significant influence on the choice of energy source for new and converted ÖBB heating systems. This policy now stipulates that, in addition to economic criteria, strategic and ecological criteria must also be taken into account when selecting the energy source. The first implementation focus is on ÖBB locations and ÖBB buildings in Austria. In 2023, a long-term overall building optimisation plan 2030 / 2040 was drawn up for a well-founded decarbonisation pathway in the building sector. The Group project is being managed by ÖBB-Immobilienmanagement GmbH. The focus is on location optimisation, targeted renovations and contributions to decarbonisation. The building optimisation plan provides an extrapolation basis and summary of the current status of the phase-out of heating oil and natural gas based on the results of the pilot sites – as a basis for the decarbonisation pathway in the buildings sector. In the 2023 reporting year, Österreichische Postbus Aktiengesellschaft commissioned two new photovoltaic systems on the roofs of the Postbus sites in Innsbruck and Spittal an der Drau with a total output of 396 kWp. These contribute to security of supply and can also have a positive effect on the emission factor in the electricity mix. Additional photovoltaic systems are currently being installed – e.g. in Wolfsberg – and three more are being planned in Steyr, Wels and Linz. Outlook for 2024 In 2024, further conversions will be completed to phase out oil-fired heating systems and fossil gas heating systems. The roll-out of the Group policy on the selection of energy sources for buildings in the Group is also scheduled for 2024. The initial focus for implementation is on the locations in Austria. The next steps from the 2030 / 40 building optimisation project plan will also be implemented. MR70 |