By achieving innovations and developing new technologies, we aim to protect the earth’s climate, enhance the efficiency of our operations, and ensure security of supply and competitive energy prices.

 

Our coordinated strategy encompasses research, development and the implementing of technologies in demonstration projects. This scope enables us to pave the way for promising technologies to be tested on a large scale and rapidly enter commercial operation.

Including the investments made by our market units, we invested EUR83 million in R&D and in small-scale demonstration projects in 2007, 44 percent more than in 2006. We also invested in large-scale demonstration projects to test technology on a commercial scale which cause a multiple of the expense.

 

A key part of our R&D effort is the technology offensive innovate.on. The initiative is devoted to the implementation of new technologies. Another component of our R&D is our International Research Initiative, which provides financial assistance to promising research projects at universities and scientific institutes.

 

Our market units also have programs that support research and technology development at universities.

 

The results of the research we support are made available to the wider research community and the general public.