Christian Feuerherd, CEO of BEW Berliner Energie und Wärme AG

1. Why are you involved as a Berlin Partner? 

Als kommunales Berliner Landesunternehmen liegt uns die Vernetzung mit lokalen Akteuren besonders am Herzen. Partnerschaften für unsere Stadt stehen im Fokus. Berlin Partner nimmt dabei eine zentrale Rolle ein. Deshalb ist die BEW, auch mit ihren Vorgängergesellschaften, von Anfang an Teil des Berlin-Partner-Netzwerkes.  

2. What drives your company, what are you currently working on? 

Since May 2024, we have been part of the Berlin state family. Our goal is to reliably supply Berliners with heat, cooling, and electricity as usual. With over 2,000 kilometers in length, the Berlin district heating network is the largest in Western Europe and supplies around 700,000 apartments and around 8,000 other buildings with heat. In doing so, we make an important contribution to one of the biggest issues of our time: the heat transition and the common goal of a climate-neutral capital by 2045. Decarbonizing district heating requires the integration of many small and large components into the heating system. These include the integration of waste heat sources, biomass, heat storage, or power-to-heat systems. Our maxim is the triad of supply security, affordability, and transformation of heat generation.

3. What do you appreciate about the (economic) location of Berlin? What do you appreciate about Berlin? 

Our company has been an important part of Berlin's energy supply for over 140 years. We are proud to have advanced Berlin's dynamic energy history and to be significantly involved in implementing urgent future issues. In the capital, many things come together: art, sports, science, as well as various social and cultural institutions. With our diverse engagement, we want to contribute to a livable, sustainable, and forward-looking city. For us, Berlin is not just an economic location but also our home. Personally, I appreciate the great openness of all stakeholders in Berlin. It is a lot of fun to exchange ideas across company boundaries to create something great together.

4. What distinguishes your company at the Berlin location in terms of cooperation? Is there a project that is particularly close to your heart? 

The energy future of the city is particularly close to my heart. This requires all our efforts for efficient energy production and consumption. We also want to remain permanently attractive as a Berlin company for our employees, trainees, and applicants. This includes continuing to promote our open and diverse culture. With numerous measures and offerings, we create excellent working conditions with a long-term perspective. One project, for example, is improving working conditions in the shift system at our power plant locations to meet the transformation of the working world in this area as well.