Working visit by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Building and Digitalisation

Lower Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs Olaf Lies in conversation with Wien Energie Managing Director Karl Gruber at Simmering power plant.

In September 2023 a high-ranking delegation from the state of Lower Saxony visited Vienna to learn about the topic of public sustainable housing. The delegation of around 30 people was led by Minister of Economic Affairs Olaf Lies. He was accompanied by experts from the fields of architecture, housing, the state administration and social institutions.

The first day of the visit to Vienna Public Utilities included an exchange with the research company ASCR, which is conducting research on the energy system of the future in the "living lab" of the urban development area of Seestadt Aspern. On the second day, a visit to the Simmering power plant followed, where Managing Director Karl Gruber presented Vienna's energy provider's Wien Energie plans and projects in heat generation. The delegation also visited one of the two large heat pumps in Vienna.

Meeting with Deputy Mayor Gaál

Also on the agenda was a professional exchange with the non-profit co-operative housing association GWSG of Vienna Public Utilities, which presented one of its excellent sustainable refurbishment projects. In addition to the political meeting with Vienna's Deputy Mayor and Executive City Councillor for Housing Construction Kathrin Gaál, which involved input for the foundation of the new Lower Saxony housing company, the delegation was able to get a first-hand impression of neighbourhood development in Vienna during visits to the urban development areas of Sonnwendviertel and Seestadt.

"Vienna Public Utilities is highly committed to driving forward an affordable, innovative and climate-friendly heat transition. In view of our major challenges, the in-depth insights into this project as well as into new housing concepts and projects that are social as well as sustainable and modern were therefore so immensely valuable - not least for the current founding phase of the Lower Saxony State Housing Association", said Olaf Lies.