50 years of experience in the energy industry
VNG, which has always seen itself as part of an internationally oriented gas and energy industry, has its roots in eastern Germany stretching back more than 50 years. In 1958 “Technische Leitung Ferngas” was established as a division of the electricity supplier VEB Verbundnetz West, Dessau. The present-day company came into being with the change of political order in 1989: Verbundnetz Gas Aktiengesellschaft was founded in Leipzig on June 29, 1990, two days before German economic and monetary union came into effect. VNG was the first fully-privatised company in eastern Germany.
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July 1, 1958VEB Verbundnetz West Dessau sets up “Technische Leitung Ferngas” in Leipzig, the forerunner of the present-day VNG. |
July 1963VEB Verbundnetz Ost, Verbundnetz West and Verbundnetz Mitte are combined to form VEB Verbundnetz Berlin. “Technische Leitung Ferngas” becomes the gas division of this unit. |
May 1968Agreement between the governments of the USSR and the GDR which includes arrangements for Russian gas imports. |
January 1969The gas division of VEB Verbundnetz Berlin becomes an independent unit called VEB Verbundnetz Gas. |
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1970“Schwarze Pumpe” gas combine set up with responsibility for VEB Verbundnetz Gas. |
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May 1, 1973The GDR receives its first Russian natural gas. Imports rise from 2.7 billion cubic metres per year (1974) to 6.5 billion cubic metres per year (1989). The gas is taken by VEB Verbundnetz Gas at Uzgorod/ Velke Kapusany on the Ukraine/Slovakian border. The gas is transported through former Czechoslovakia to Sayda under long-term transit agreements; at Sayda it is compressed and fed into the Import-Erdgas-(IEG)-System (pipeline system). |
1974To ensure the security of supply three underground storage facilities – Bernburg Bernburg (1974), Buchholz (1976) and Bad Lauchstädt (1976) – with a total capacity of 1,490 million cubic metres are integrated in the IEG system. |
1978East Berlin gradually converted from town gas to natural gas. |
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1982“Urengoi agreement” – under this natural gas delivery agreement between the governments of the USSR and the GDR, the USSR gives a commitment for the reliable and long-term delivery of an annual 0.7 billion cubic metres. In return, the German signatory undertakes to lay natural gas pipelines, build compressor stations and provide equipment in USSR territory. |
January 20, 1986The Yamburg agreement is signed: this agreement concerns cooperation to develop the Yamburg natural gas reservoir, the construction of the transmission pipeline from Yamburg to the Western border of the USSR and other structures relating to the USSR gas industry as well as associated deliveries of natural gas from the USSR to the GDR. |
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Spring 1990Transferring business responsibility to VEB Verbundnetz Gas by separating the unit from the “Schwarze Pumpe” gas combine is prepared in three stages. An independent sales division is set up and structural changes made in the company to adjust to future market demands. VNG receives support from Ruhrgas AG Essen, BEB Hannover, and the economics ministries in Bonn and Berlin. |
April 1, 1990VEB Verbundnetz Gas is completely separated from the “Schwarze Pumpe” gas combine, thus securing the independence of VEB Verbundnetz Gas. |
April 10, 1990Erdgasversorgungsgesellschaft mbH Leipzig (EVG) (today: Erdgasversorgungsgesellschaft Thüringen-Sachsen mbH Erfurt) is founded: VEB Verbundnetz Gas and Ruhrgas AG hold equal shares. |
June 27, 1990A gas supply agreement for two million cubic metres of natural gas is signed with BEB Erdgas und Erdöl GmbH Hannover. |
June 29, 1990Two days before German economic and monetary union comes into effect VEB Verbundnetz Gas becomes Verbundnetz Gas Aktiengesellschaft. Initially, all shares are held by the Treuhandgesellschaft (trust agency) in Berlin. The first – provisional – Executive Board comprises Dr.-Ing. Klaus-Ewald Holst, Lutz Hänsel, Dr.-Ing. Werner Hauenherm, Otto Hülsenbeck and Sigmar Schubert. |
August 16, 1990In a first step, Treuhandgesellschaft sells 45 % of the shares to Ruhrgas AG Essen (35 percent) and BEB Brigitta Erdgas und Erdöl GmbH Hannover (10 percent). Subscribed capital amounts to DM 540 million. All shares are registered shares. |
1991In its first 18 months as a joint stock company, VNG generates sales of DM 5.3 million and delivers 138.6 billion kWh of gas. During this period, the priority tasks were to diversify the sources of gas supply, tie in with the West European gas grid, expand VNG’s own pipeline network and create new business relations with North and Western Europe. |
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September 1992The VNG network ties in with the West German transmission system at Vitzeroda on the border between Thuringia and Hesse. One-sided dependence on Russian natural gas thus comes to an end. The commencement of deliveries from Ruhrgas AG marks the beginning of gas deliveries from western Europe to eastern Germany. |
199384 percent of all households in VNG’s service territory have been converted to natural gas. 1.25 million conversions were carried out in 1993 alone. |
1994At the end of 1994 the natural gas conversion rate is 98.5 percent. Between 1990 and 1994, the length of the entire natural gas grid in eastern Germany expands from 7,800 kilometres to almost 70,000 kilometres. |
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June 1995The last town gas flame in eastern Germany is extinguished in Leipzig, heralding the completion of the conversion program in only four and a half years. During this period, VNG alone invested some DM 1.5 billion in converting roughly 6,100 kilometres of high-pressure pipelines to natural gas, building approximately 700 kilometres of pipelines and increasing storage capacity at its underground storage facilities. |
October 1996An impressive ceremony in Leipzig attended by the President of the Bundestag Prof. Dr. Rita Süssmuth celebrates the beginning of Norwegian natural gas deliveries. |
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March 1997The 500 VNG employees at the Leipzig and Böhlitz-Ehrenberg locations move into the new headquarters at Braunstrasse 7 in the Leipzig-Nordost business park in the space of just one weekend. |
April 2000The Mallnow / Groß Köris delivery station is commissioned, following the Sayda station as the second delivery station for Russian natural gas. |
October 2001VNG sets up the “Verbundnetz der Wärme” community network. The initiative seeks to heighten the profile and popularity of social commitment in the states in the eastern part of Germany. The initiative’s patron is Regine Hildebrandt. |
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August 2002As severe floods hit the region, VNG and its partners and customers provide free natural gas to the people affect by the disaster to help dry out their houses and apartments. The company, its employees and partners donate a total of 4 million euros to help the flood victims in many ways. |
October 2003VNG concludes the first delivery agreement with the Italian company HERA S.p.A.; since then, activities in Italy have steadily expanded. |
January 2006VNG establishes ONTRAS VNG Gastransport GmbH, or ONTRAS for short, on January 1 in order to comply with stipulations of the Energy Industry Act to fully unbundle gas trading and gas transport activities. |
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August 2006VNG announces the founding of VNG Norge AS at ONS - Offshore Northern Seas, the world’s largest offshore technology trade fair and exhibition. |
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October 2006As part of the Petersburg Dialog in Dresden, TU Bergakademie Freiberg and the St. Petersburg State Mining Institute sign a memorandum to establish a permanent German-Russian raw material forum in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. |
November 2007One year after it had been founded VNG Norge acquires the first four production licenses and begins exploring for natural gas in a designated block on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. |
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June 30, 2008Launch of the CO2SINK pilot project. The first quantities of CO2 are stored at VNG’s former underground storage facility in Ketzin, Brandenburg. Over the next two years up to 60,000 tonnes of CO2 are to be stored in Ketzin at a depth of over 600 metres. |
September 10, 2008VNG celebrates its 50th anniversary together with the workforce, customers and partners as well as numerous VIP guests from politics, industry and culture. |
October 1, 2008VNG opens three new sales offices in Düsseldorf, Stuttgart and Munich as part of its plans to establish a sales network across Germany. |
November 2008VNG launches the VNG.gasmarkt product family which offers customers the company’s entire range of gas industry services. |
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December 2008VNG founds its wholly-owned subsidiary VNG Italia S.r.l. registered in Bologna (VNG Italia) at the end of 2008. |
January 2009Swissgas and VNG jointly establish SET Swiss Energy Trading AG registered in Zurich. The purpose of the new company is to optimize Swiss gas procurement and strengthen VNG’s gas trading business. Swissgas holds a 65% stake in SET, the remaining share is held by VNG. |
April 2009VNG becomes a natural gas producer in Norway. The company acquires all the shares in Endeavour Energy Norge AS (EEN) registered in Oslo. |
May 19, 2009VNG and OOO Gazprom Export set up the Erdgasspeicher Peissen GmbH joint venture. A working gas volume of almost 600 million m³ will be available following a 15-year investment period. The facility is located in a salt cavern formation in Peißen near Bernburg. The new underground storage facility goes by the name of “Katharina”. |
July 2009VNG concludes a long-term delivery agreement with the Luxembourg energy company Enovos. From autumn 2012, VNG will deliver gas to Luxembourg for 15 years.VNG bundles its gas business in Poland in a new Polish subsidiary called VNG Polska with effect from July 1. |
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December 12, 2009VNG purchases a section of the Berlin Wall signed by Helmut Kohl, George Bush senior and Mikhail Gorbachev on the occasion of the ZDF TV channel’s “Ein Herz für Kinder” charity gala. This unique specimen is to set out on an educational journey through Germany and Europe called “Mauerfälle” (breaking down walls) as part of the VNG initiative “Verbundnetz für Demokratie und Toleranz” (network for democracy and tolerance). |
May 17, 2010The Danish limited liability company VNG Danmark ApS is set up as a subsidiary of VNG Norge. It is responsible for exploration and production on the Danish Continental Shelf. |
November 2010VNG Energie Czech and Energie Bohemia merge on November 1, 2010. All employees who formerly worked for Energie Bohemia are transferred to what used to be the holding company, which now assumes responsibility for gas wholesaling.The first Berlin-based refuelling station of VNG-Erdgastankstellen GmbH begins its trial operation at Chausseestraße 61. A 20% blend of climate-neutral biomethane is available to environmentally-aware drivers at all VNG refuelling stations. |
April 2011VNG offers its first online booking system for short- and medium-term storage capacity. From April 1, customers can book free capacity for the next two storage years online via the VNG storage portal. |
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May 2011The Annual Press Conference is held on May 19, 2011. In 2010, VNG remained on course despite tougher competition and again increased sendout. VNG AG’s annual sendout in that year rose by 20.4 per cent to 220.3 billion kWh. Net income for the year ran at €59 million. |
| The foundation stone for the Etzel storage facility (ESE) is laid. The new cavity storage has a projected working gas capacity of some two billion cubic metres. VNG’s share of the working gas capacity is 150 million cubic metres. Phased start-up is scheduled for 2012 – 2014. |
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June 21, 2011Under the scientific and technical cooperation between VNG and OAO Gazprom, the ejector unit at the Bernburg underground storage facility is officially commissioned on June 21, 2011 following successful trial operation. |
August 2011VNG receives certification for its biomethane blends from the TÜV SÜD technical inspection authority. In August, VNG begins supplying customers with certified blends comprising natural gas mixed with a 10, 25, 30 and 51 per cent share of biomethane. |
September 2011Commercial and industrial customers located in North Rhine-Westphalia with annual demand of 1.5 to 15 million kilowatt hours (kWh) can purchase natural gas from VNG online via the new VNG|direkt online portal (www.vng-direkt.de). |
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Ground breaking at the new “Katharina” underground storage facility in Peißen near Bernburg is celebrated on September 16. Erdgasspeicher Peissen GmbH registered in Halle (Saale) is scheduled to successively commission twelve cavities by 2024. |
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