- Business
- BKW AG, an international energy and infrastructure company headquartered in Bern, Switzerland and founded in 1898, plans, builds and operates infrastructure to produce, supply and trade energy to businesses, households and the public sector primarily in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France and other European markets. The company operates through three main segments: Energy Solutions, which builds, operates and maintains a portfolio of power plants including hydropower, wind, solar and other renewables, sells energy, trades in electricity, certificates and raw materials, and offers wind, solar and smart energy services; Power Grid, which builds, operates and maintains electricity distribution grids including approximately 25,000 km of lines in Switzerland; and Infrastructure and Buildings, which provides engineering planning and consulting for energy, infrastructure and environmental projects, integrated building technology solutions, and construction and maintenance services for energy, telecommunications, transport and water utility networks. Subsidiaries include Solstis SA for photovoltaic solutions, UMB for IT services, Aicher, De Martin, Zweng AG, Arnold AG, Antec Group AG, BKW ISP AG, Ingenieurgemeinschaft Bilek + Kirschner GmbH, Kraftwerks- und Anlagen Engineering GmbH, IWAG Ingenieure AG, Schmid Amrhein AG, Inag-Nievergelt AG and Enerpeak AG. Recent developments include the launch of the "Solutions 2030" strategy in late 2024 targeting CHF 4 billion in investments by 2030, an EBIT increase to CHF 1 billion and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from energy operations by 2040, with half of investments in Switzerland focused on expanding renewable production, grid development and energy/mobility solutions; the acquisition of Südvolt GmbH in October 2025 to enter the German balancing energy market via storage and controllable assets; a ten-year power purchase agreement with Zelestra in January 2025 for two solar projects totaling 16 MWdc in Italy and a subsequent long-term tolling agreement in September 2025 for one of Europe's largest battery energy storage systems; enhancement of its syndicated loan facility to CHF 1.5 billion in November 2025; expansion of photovoltaic solutions through Solstis across Switzerland in April 2024; plans for a large-scale battery plant in Waltrop, Germany; integration of full-service IT provider UMB; and ongoing decommissioning of the Mühleberg nuclear power plant completed with fuel element removal in 2023. The Canton of Bern holds a majority stake of approximately 52.5%.