2010: Integration of Luxgaz Distribution S.A. 2011: Integration of the electricity and gas networks of the City of Luxembourg
Headquarters
Rue de Strassen, 105 L-2555 Luxembourg
Area served
Luxembourg
Key people
Laurence Zenner (CEO) Mario Grotz (President)
Products
Electricity and natural gas
Revenue
(311.3 million € (2022))
Owner
1. Encevo S.A.: 75.43% 2. City of Luxembourg: 20% 3. State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: 2.28% 4. 42 Luxembourg municipal authorities: 2.13% 5. Fédération du Génie Technique: 0.10% 6. Creos Luxembourg S.A.: 0.05%
Creos Luxembourg S.A. owns and manages electricity networks and natural gas pipelines in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In this capacity, the company plans, constructs and maintains high, medium and low-voltage electricity networks and high, medium and low-pressure natural gas pipelines, which it owns or which it is responsible for managing.[1]
Creos was formed as a result of a merger between Cegedel S.A. – the Grand-Ducal electricity company of Luxembourg, which was founded in 1928 and at the time distributed 70% of the country's required electricity supply, Soteg S.A. – Luxembourg's primary gas supplier, and Saar Ferngas AG – a distribution company created in 1929 in Saarland.[2] On 23 January 2009, all the shares from Cegedel S.A. and Saar Ferngas AG were transferred to Soteg S.A., which – after successfully launching a mandatory public bid for all shares not yet in its possession – underwent extensive restructuring with retrospective effect on 1 January 2009, giving rise to a new energy group. Named Enovos, it included the parent company Enovos International S.A. as well as two main subsidiaries: Creos (formerly Cegedel S.A.) in charge of network activities, and Enovos Luxembourg S.A. in charge of production, sales and marketing. Enovos and Creos each have a subsidiary to serve the German market: Enovos Deutschland and Creos Deutschland.[3][4]
Over the next two years, Creos consolidated its position on the Luxembourg market. In 2010, it expanded its gas transmission network to include a distribution network and it purchased the natural gas networks from Luxgaz Distribution S.A., whereby the management of commercial activities was handed over to Enovos Luxembourg S.A.[5] On 1 January 2011, the City of Luxembourg transferred its electricity and natural gas networks as well as its teams to Creos in exchange for a shareholding stake. The publicly owned shareholding thus rose from 5.71% to 24.57%.[6][7] Besides its subsidiary in Germany, Creos also has a shareholding in the following companies: Luxmetering (the Interest Economic Group which pilots the smart metering network) since 2012, Balansys (joint-venture between Creos and Fluxys Belgium) and Ampacimon since 2015 and NEXXTLAB since 2018.[8]
In order to more clearly distinguish the parent company from its subsidiaries – energy provider Enovos and grid operator Creos – Enovos International was given a new visual identity in 2016 and is now called Encevo.[9] End July, private equity firm Ardian sold its stake up to 24.92 percent in Encevo to China Southern Power Grid International, the second grid operator in China and in the world.[10][11]
Following a reorganization of the Encevo Group in Germany at the end of October 2021, Creos Luxembourg sold its stake in Creos Deutschland Holding GmbH.[12][13] On 1 July 2023, Laurence Zenner, previously head of CFL Cargo, became the new CEO of Creos Luxembourg.[14]
Business sector
Creos Luxembourg S.A. plans, constructs and maintains the electricity and natural gas transmission and distribution networks in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Creos installs and manages the meters, processes the customer consumption data, invoices the network access charges and monitors the suppliers' movements and changes.
In Luxembourg, following the liberalisation of the energy markets, an independent organisation – the Luxembourg Institute of Regulation (ILR) – organises and supervises access to the networks. The tariffs are subject to its approval and it monitors the tolls invoiced to the users. The energy suppliers are thus guaranteed transparent access to Creos's networks.[15]
Infrastructure
Electricity network
The majority of the electric current in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg comes from Germany via two double high-voltage 220,000 volt (220 kV) lines that are connected to the German network.[16] The interconnection with the Belgian electricity market has become operational with the commissioning of a phase shifting transformer (PST) at the Schifflange Centre in October 2017,[17] and around 15% of the energy fed into the network is produced locally (biogas, cogeneration, wind turbines, hydroelectricity and photovoltaics)[18] The electricity is transmitted to the six transformer stations (Flebour, Roost, Itzig/Blooren, Heisdorf, Bertange and Schifflange) where the voltage is reduced from 220 to 65 kV before being distributed to industries and large municipal distribution networks. The voltage is then reduced from 65 kV to 20 kV in more than 60 transformer stations distributed across the whole country. The electric energy obtained is distributed to SMEs, towns and villages where the transformers reduce the current voltage to 0.4 kV before distributing it to the end consumer. A control centre, known as Electricity Dispatching, remotely controls and manages these high and medium-voltage networks.
The total length of the Luxembourg electricity network managed by Creos is 10,123 kilometres, including 593 kilometres of high-voltage lines, 3,702 kilometres of medium-tension lines and 5,828 kilometres of low tension lines.
Electricity
2022
Electricity flow
GWh
4,998.9
Electricity network peak
MW
827.7
Length of network
km
10,382.8
Natural gas network
Thanks to its entry points with Germany, Belgium and France, Luxembourg is linked to the interconnected gas networks throughout Europe. Monitored by Dispatching Gas, the high and medium-pressure pipelines carry the gas to sixty or so communes that are connected to the national gas network. Pressure-reducing stations that supply the local networks then reduce the gas pressure. Creos ensures the distribution of natural gas in 45 communes.[19][20]
Natural gas
2022
Total capacity of gas network
Nm3/h
319,000
Gas network peak
Nm3/h
201,866
Volume transported
GWh
6,797
Length of network
km
2,192.5
Since 1 October 2015, Creos and its Belgian counterpart Fluxys Belgium, in collaboration with their respective regulators ILR and CREG, have merged the two national markets into one single Belux market. This integration, the first of its kind between two European Union member states, reflects the willingness of the European Union to create a borderless European gas market[21],[22],[23],.[24]Balansys, the joint venture between Creos and its Belgian counterpart Fluxys, is the balancing operator in the Belux zone from 1 June 2020. In other words, it is responsible for ensuring that the gas market is well supplied, without one of the two suppliers having to pay an entry fee for its gas on the other's market.[25]
Operation centres
Creos has four regional centres, which are dedicated to building, operating, maintaining and repairing the electricity and natural gas networks.
The Roost[lb; fr] Centre manages the central and northern regions. It covers the high, medium and low-voltage electricity services and the medium and low-pressure natural gas services, the central store and both the mechanical and electrical workshops[26],.[27]
The Schifflange Centre covers the southern part of the country.
The Luxembourg City Centre, which covers the capital and the adjoining communes of Strassen and Hesperange, moved together with the Strassen headquarters to a new site in Merl at the end of 2021.[28]
The Contern Centre manages and adjusts the meters, in particular smart meters.
Dispatching for electricity and natural gas together with the monitoring rooms for remote network control and management are installed at the Creos facility in Bettembourg since 2020.
Smart grids, electric mobility and energy management
In accordance with the law of 7 August 2012 that transposes the European Energy Efficiency Directive into Luxembourg legislation, all the gas and electricity meters must be changed across the entire national territory, independently of the network operator. Creos has installed 300,000 smart meters that record detailed information on the consumption and production of energy throughout the entire territory of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, including 250,000 electricity meters and 50,000 gas meters. The installation of these new electricity and gas meters – called Smarty – in Luxembourg homes will enable the creation of networks with built-in real intelligence: smart grids. These smart grids are capable of monitoring decentralised electricity production (similarly to wind turbines and photovoltaic panels), directing the variations of the feeds into the distribution networks with greater precision and managing the isolated demand peaks linked with the charging of electric vehicles more effectively. The law from 7 August 2012 also stipulates that the metering system must be able to receive other vectors such as water and heating[29],[30][31],[32],[33],.[34]
Creos is working towards the national electric vehicle objective that consists of installing 800 public charging stations for electric cars and hybrid plug-in cars across the country. Each charging station will incorporate two charging points, and the network – known as Chargy – will include 1,600 parking bays dedicated to electric vehicles. Creos will be responsible for the deployment, operation and maintenance of the public charging infrastructure on its distribution network, representing a total of 749 stations out of the 800 that are to be installed.[35] In January 2021, Creos inaugurated the first two Superchargy ultra-fast charging terminals at Kirchberg, a district of Luxembourg City. By 2023, 88 SuperChargy direct current (DC) terminals will be extended along the country's main roads and motorways, as well in some Park & Ride (P&R) car parks, i.e. 19 locations in all.[36]
Creos is also preparing the Third Industrial Revolution of the country.[37] This convergence of IT, renewable energy and means of transport will have an impact on how the power grids are managed. To anticipate this evolution, the grid operator joined forces with Powerdale S.A. to create NEXXTLAB, an entity that aims to develop innovative solutions[buzzword] in the field of energy management in coordination with the widespread introduction of electro-mobility.[38]
Electric power transmission is the bulk movement of electrical energy from a generating site, such as a power plant, to an electrical substation. The interconnected lines that facilitate this movement form a transmission network. This is distinct from the local wiring between high-voltage substations and customers, which is typically referred to as electric power distribution. The combined transmission and distribution network is part of electricity delivery, known as the electrical grid.
Electric power distribution is the final stage in the delivery of electricity. Electricity is carried from the transmission system to individual consumers. Distribution substations connect to the transmission system and lower the transmission voltage to medium voltage ranging between 2 kV and 33 kV with the use of transformers. Primary distribution lines carry this medium voltage power to distribution transformers located near the customer's premises. Distribution transformers again lower the voltage to the utilization voltage used by lighting, industrial equipment and household appliances. Often several customers are supplied from one transformer through secondary distribution lines. Commercial and residential customers are connected to the secondary distribution lines through service drops. Customers demanding a much larger amount of power may be connected directly to the primary distribution level or the subtransmission level.
Power-line communication (PLC) is the carrying of data on a conductor that is also used simultaneously for AC electric power transmission or electric power distribution to consumers. The line that does so is known as a power-line carrier.
Distributed generation, also distributed energy, on-site generation (OSG), or district/decentralized energy, is electrical generation and storage performed by a variety of small, grid-connected or distribution system-connected devices referred to as distributed energy resources (DER).
The electric power industry covers the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electric power to the general public and industry. The commercial distribution of electric power started in 1882 when electricity was produced for electric lighting. In the 1880s and 1890s, growing economic and safety concerns lead to the regulation of the industry. What was once an expensive novelty limited to the most densely populated areas, reliable and economical electric power has become an essential aspect for normal operation of all elements of developed economies.
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions. Between the generating station and consumer, electric power may flow through several substations at different voltage levels. A substation may include transformers to change voltage levels between high transmission voltages and lower distribution voltages, or at the interconnection of two different transmission voltages. They are a common component of the infrastructure. There are 55,000 substations in the United States.
The National Grid is the high-voltage electric power transmission network serving Great Britain, connecting power stations and major substations, and ensuring that electricity generated anywhere on the grid can be used to satisfy demand elsewhere. The network serves the majority of Great Britain and some of the surrounding islands. It does not cover Northern Ireland, which is part of the Irish single electricity market.
An electricity meter, electric meter, electrical meter, energy meter, or kilowatt-hour meter is a device that measures the amount of electric energy consumed by a residence, a business, or an electrically powered device.
Ergon Energy Network is a subsidiary company of Energy Queensland Limited (EQL) a Government owned corporation owned by the Government of Queensland. It distributes electricity to around 763,000 customers across Queensland, excluding South East Queensland through a distribution network regulated by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) who set the prices that Ergon is allowed to charge for distribution.
A smart meter is an electronic device that records information—such as consumption of electric energy, voltage levels, current, and power factor—and communicates the information to the consumer and electricity suppliers. Such an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) differs from automatic meter reading (AMR) in that it enables two-way communication between the meter and the supplier.
A virtual power plant (VPP) is a system that integrates multiple, possibly heterogeneous, power sources to provide grid power. A VPP typically sells its output to an electric utility. VPPs allow energy resources that are individually too small to be of interest to a utility to aggregate and market their power. As of 2024, VPPs operated in the United States, Europe, and Australia.
Load management, also known as demand-side management (DSM), is the process of balancing the supply of electricity on the network with the electrical load by adjusting or controlling the load rather than the power station output. This can be achieved by direct intervention of the utility in real time, by the use of frequency sensitive relays triggering the circuit breakers, by time clocks, or by using special tariffs to influence consumer behavior. Load management allows utilities to reduce demand for electricity during peak usage times, which can, in turn, reduce costs by eliminating the need for peaking power plants. In addition, some peaking power plants can take more than an hour to bring on-line which makes load management even more critical should a plant go off-line unexpectedly for example. Load management can also help reduce harmful emissions, since peaking plants or backup generators are often dirtier and less efficient than base load power plants. New load-management technologies are constantly under development — both by private industry and public entities.
The smart grid is an enhancement of the 20th century electrical grid, using two-way communications and distributed so-called intelligent devices. Two-way flows of electricity and information could improve the delivery network. Research is mainly focused on three systems of a smart grid – the infrastructure system, the management system, and the protection system. Electronic power conditioning and control of the production and distribution of electricity are important aspects of the smart grid.
The electricity sector in New Zealand uses mainly renewable energy, such as hydropower, geothermal power and increasingly wind energy. As of 2021, the country generated 81.2% of its electricity from renewable sources. The strategy of electrification is being pursued to enhance the penetration of renewable energy sources and to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all sectors of the economy. In 2021, electricity consumption reached 40 Terawatt-hours (TWh), representing a 0.2% increase compared to the consumption levels in 2010.
An electrical grid is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids consist of power stations, electrical substations to step voltage up or down, electric power transmission to carry power long distances, and lastly electric power distribution to individual customers, where voltage is stepped down again to the required service voltage(s). Electrical grids vary in size and can cover whole countries or continents. From small to large there are microgrids, wide area synchronous grids, and super grids.
A wide area synchronous grid is a three-phase electric power grid that has regional scale or greater that operates at a synchronized utility frequency and is electrically tied together during normal system conditions. Also known as synchronous zones, the most powerful is the Northern Chinese State Grid with 1,700 gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity, while the widest region served is that of the IPS/UPS system serving most countries of the former Soviet Union. Synchronous grids with ample capacity facilitate electricity trading across wide areas. In the ENTSO-E in 2008, over 350,000 megawatt hours were sold per day on the European Energy Exchange (EEX).
The term smart grid is most commonly defined as an electric grid that has been digitized to enable two way communication between producers and consumers. The objective of the smart grid is to update electricity infrastructure to include more advanced communication, control, and sensory technology with the hope of increasing communication between consumers and energy producers. The potential benefits from a smart grid include increased reliability, more efficient electricity use, better economics, and improved sustainability.
A Distribution Transformer Monitor (DTM) is a specialized hardware device that collects and measures information relative to electricity passing into and through a distribution transformer. The DTM is typically retrofitted onto pole top and pad mount transformers. A pole top or pad mount transformer commonly powers anywhere from 5-8 homes in the US and is the last voltage transition in stepping down voltage before it gets to the home or business. The conventional placement of Distributed Temperature Monitoring (DTM) devices is typically observed at the terminals of transformers. However, there are instances where these devices are directly affixed to the secondary power lines. DTM apparatus commonly comprises precision-centric sensors, either of the non-piercing or piercing variety, in addition to communication modules integrated on board for seamless data transmission. Adequate provisions for power supply are also incorporated within the DTM setup. The captured data from the DTM unit is relayed to a central data collection engine and/or the established Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) / Meter Data Management (MDM) system, where pertinent information pertaining to the transformer is stored and made accessible to users. Often, analytical platforms come into play to decipher the data gleaned and reported by the DTM, thereby enhancing the comprehension of the acquired information.
An interconnector is a structure which enables high voltage DC electricity to flow between electrical grids. An electrical interconnector allows electricity to flow between separate AC networks, or to link synchronous grids. They can be formed of submarine power cables or underground power cables or overhead power lines.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, formerly known as the Commission for Energy Regulation, is the Republic of Ireland's energy and water economic utility regulator.
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