Axpo at E-world Generating new ideas for our energy future

International energy trading is crucial for an optimally functioning energy system and has been Axpo’s core business for many years.  Customers benefit from our extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of trading, including its opportunities and risks.  Providing risk management solutions to our clients is one of our core competencies.  We are able to generate tailor-made energy and risk management solutions to help our customers succeed in their daily business.

Axpo buys and sells electricity, natural gas/LNG, oil, and other energy derivatives (what is known as cross-commodity trading). We also trade purely financial products – derivatives such as options, futures and swaps.

In addition, we trade CO₂ certificates, so-called green certificates (proving that certain electricity has been generated by a renewable energy source), and energy from renewable sources. We can also trade customers’ energy on the market, if required.

Our accreditation by numerous energy exchanges and broker platforms throughout Europe allows Axpo customers to expand their activities across both geographical borders and energy sources, with opportunities in both exchange-based and bilateral energy trading.

We offer central and direct access to key wholesale market trading hubs, from the intraday market to direct trading with counterparties in over-the-counter (OTC) transactions, including multi-year contracts of up to ten years.

All our trading transactions are contractually based on either standard European Federation of Energy Traders (EFET) framework agreements or bilateral framework agreements.

At the best of times, the normal ebb and flow in energy consumption and prices can be challenging. But when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, energy markets changed dramatically. Nowhere more so than in the volatile market for natural gas.

To ensure that the natural gas needs of our customers continue to be met, Axpo can draw on our proven experience in energy trading, risk management and market analysis to give customers the flexibility and assurance they need. We have developed a wide range of products and services, each tailored to specific customer requirements. All backed by Axpo’s Europe-wide and growing international presence.

Customers benefit from our comprehensive product portfolio, which offers both standard products and tailored energy solutions to ensure that your choice of procurement model matches your consumption behaviour, appetite for risk and project timescale.

As pioneers of power purchase agreements (PPA), the current boom in the popularity of long-term PPAs came as no surprise to Axpo. We have seen a remarkable increase in demand from energy intensive industries for electricity generated by renewable energy sources, especially in Europe and the United States.

At the same time, renewable energy producers and investors are seeking price stability when selling their electricity. The slashing or abolition of government subsidies for renewable energies, coupled with a sharp drop in the cost of new plants, has only accelerated this phenomenon.  

The surging demand for PPAs and innovative energy services looks set to continue alongside the exponential growth in renewable energies. Fortunately for our corporate customers across the world, Axpo’s in-depth PPA expertise that has been built over the last 15 years, allows us to continue supporting them as they seek to lower their CO2 emissions.

As the largest Swiss producer of renewable energies, Axpo is playing an important role in decarbonisation and the energy transition, not only in Switzerland but across Europe. We invest in solar and wind power, hydrogen, hydropower, biomass and battery solutions.

Axpo owns more than 5,500 MW of installed renewable energy across Europe and manages a renewable energy portfolio of 93 TWh.

With customised energy solutions and so-called PPAs (power purchase agreements) – a financing model that makes it possible, among other things, to build wind and solar power plants without subsidies – we are helping to further expand climate-friendly and CO2-free energies.
 

Wind

Axpo is a leading player in wind energy in Switzerland and across Europe, with a proven track record of developing over 90 wind farms and a total installed capacity exceeding 1,600 MW. In France, we rank among the top companies in wind farm development and construction. Looking ahead, Axpo aims to develop 3,000 MW of onshore wind energy across Europe in the coming years.

Solar

Axpo operates across the entire solar value chain, with broad expertise to develop, build, finance, and operate solar plants.

Our projects are highly diverse, including solar installations on office buildings, industrial rooftops, car parks, shopping centres, greenhouses, Agri-PV, and ground-mounted systems. To date, we have developed over 700 large-scale solar plants with a total installed capacity exceeding 1,300 MW. In the coming years, Axpo aims to develop 10,000 MW of solar energy across Europe.

Biomass

Axpo is the leading processor of biogenic waste in Switzerland and the market leader in the biomass sector, with 24 sites, a wood-fired power plant and a mobile service unit for green waste and natural fertiliser processing. Around 300,000 tonnes of green waste and up to 200’000 tonnes of wood are processed annually.

With more than 15 years’ experience in the business, we will continue to expand biomass in Switzerland on a large scale over the next few years. We are sharing our expertise with European customers, having recently closed a pioneering PPA to produce biomethane from one of Spain’s largest dairy farms. 

Batteries

Axpo has been active in the development, construction and commercial optimisation of large batteries for several years and will continue to grow in this area internationally. In the context of the energy transition, large storage capacities are becoming increasingly important. In 2024, Axpo commissioned a 20 MW/20 MWh battery storage facility (based on lithium-ion technology) in Landskrona, Sweden. Axpo will continue to expand its storage activities in the coming years.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is an important climate-friendly energy carrier particularly for industry and transport. Axpo is investing in the development of the green hydrogen ecosystem. In Switzerland, we have the largest green hydrogen plant in the country at the H2 plant in Domat/Ems (Graubünden). Axpo recently celebrated the groundbreaking of a further hydrogen plant in Bürglen (central Switzerland). The green hydrogen produced by this plant will be used to power the first passenger vessel on Lake Lucerne.

Hydropower

Around 60% of electricity in Switzerland is generated by hydropower, of which Axpo is the largest producer. In doing so, we are making a significant contribution to the country’s climate-friendly power mix.

Our hydropower plant portfolio (both owned and co-owned) comprises around 60 plants. This includes the Limmern pumped storage plant which, with its 1,000 MW pumping and generating  capacity, is one of the largest battery storage facilities in Europe.

The availability of relevant data over the life cycle of an asset is key to the efficient operation of our energy infrastructure. It ensures properly balanced power production and a stable grid. Axpo offers customers the most advanced energy optimisation solutions, based on information systems developed by our experts.

Employing collaborative BIM methodology (Building Information Modelling), we plan and operate digitally. Our modular Insights platform – a kind of ‘Google for energy infrastructure’ – gives employees, from asset management to service personnel, direct access to all relevant data, enabling them to improve operational efficiency.  

Simulations and analytics of turbines or transformers, for example, coupled with digital workforce support, enable easier inspection and preventive maintenance.

To ensure the most effective optimisation of their energy assets, Axpo’s digital solutions are developed, tested, and applied in close collaboration with our customers’ own industry specialists.