The energy future and the necessary transformation of the energy system hold enormous potential – with opportunities that we are determined to actively use. We therefore adjusted our strategic goals and put them in more concrete terms through a Group-wide process during the past financial year. Our stakeholders measure us according to these goals, but from different viewpoints: Customers expect reliable, modern and affordable products and services. The public sector and civil society expect specific contributions to climate protection and the fast transformation of the energy system. To address these many requirements we need trusting relationships with investors who, in turn, expect a reliable capital market strategy.
The Strategy 2030 is now updated, we are on course – and our motto is: “More sustainable. More digital. More productive.“
We will continue to invest in the expansion of our networks, renewable energies, storage technology and e-mobility as well as digitalisation and AI in the coming years. In numbers, this means an average of roughly EUR 1bn annually that we will invest in the energy future to master the current challenges and to develop new business opportunities. Four fifths of this amount will be directed to Lower Austria – and here, the continuous expansion of drinking water supplies is an additional area for investment.
Our ambitions bring a lot of challenging and many different tasks for our colleagues. We are proud that we can rely on such a good mix of broad-based and specialised know-how in our Group – and on employees who work with the same great commitment on the implementation of our projects as they do on meeting our customers’ daily expectations. We are firmly convinced that we can master future issues even more quickly and productively when our competent teams build a “cooperating intelligence“ with the many new digital possibilities. This approach will allow us to increase the productivity of processes and further improve the quality of services and products in relations with our customers. The use of state-of-the-art software and digital technologies is, in any case, a must for flexibility management due to the large data volumes, fluctuating loads and diverse market participants.
An annual investment volume of EUR 1bn not only requires comprehensive management – from the early project idea and initial discussions with the affected stakeholders to the receipt of the necessary permits, hiring of suppliers and construction up to the final commissioning. We must also arrange long-term, structured financing for these enormous amounts. The most important basis for this is our own financial stability and profitability. We attach great importance to an excellent credit standing and, in this connection, work together with two international rating agencies. Our goal is to maintain ratings in the solid A range that will safeguard our long-term access to the capital markets at attractive conditions. We also cooperate with numerous banks and investors who rightly expect EVN to remain a reliable and economically stable company with a sound credit standing which meets all obliations towards its financing partners.
As a listed company, we also have obligations to the broad international shareholder base which supports us with particular trust in the form of equity. To satisfy this trust, we also strengthened our message to the capital market as part of the update to our Strategy 2030 and, in particular, adjusted our dividend policy. Based on the Group net result of EUR 436.7m recorded for the 2024/25 financial year, the Executive Board will make a recommendation to the 97th Annual General Meeting which calls for the distribu-tion of a dividend of EUR 0.90 per share. The dividend for the financial years beginning with 2025/26 is planned to equal at least EUR 0.90 per share, assuming a stable regula- tory and energy policy environment. In the following years up to 2029/30, we want to increase the dividend to at least EUR 1.10 per share and reach a pay-out ratio of roughly 40%.
We are looking forward to the future with optimism. Supported by our strategy, our know-how and the commitment of our employees, we are convinced: EVN will successfully utilise the opportunities created by the transformation and grow sustainably – for the benefit of our customers, our investors and society.