E.ON remains on growth path and accelerates investment pace
- Continued strong operating performance: Nine-month adjusted Group EBITDA increased to €7.8 billion, adjusted Group net income to €2.9 billion
- Significant negative earnings impact expected in fourth quarter from price reductions for millions of electricity and gas customers
- Investments in sustainable growth and the energy transition increased by around 40 percent to €3.9 billion in the first nine months
- E.ON plans to increase investments to a total of €6.1 billion for fiscal year 2023 and confirms its earnings forecast for the Group
E.ON continued its successful growth path in the third quarter of 2023. Both segments – Energy Networks and Customer Solutions – increased their operating earnings compared with the prior-year period. The year-to-date earnings performance was backed by a further stabilization of the energy market environment and wholesale price levels.
Commenting on the nine-month results, E.ON CFO Marc Spieker said: “We continued our strong operating performance in the third quarter. We are speeding up our investments in the energy transition - in Germany and across Europe - and are further increasing our investment plan for the current fiscal year. By the end of 2023, we plan to invest a total of around €6.1 billion in the energy transition.”
Adjusted Group EBITDA and adjusted Group net income significantly above prior-year level
At €7.8 billion, adjusted Group EBITDA in the first three quarters was around €1.7 billion above the previous year's level. Due to the positive earnings performance in both segments, adjusted Group net income increased by more than €800 million to €2.9 billion.
In the Energy Networks business, adjusted EBITDA increased by almost €800 million to €4.9 billion. The investment-driven growth continued in almost all regions. In Germany in particular, the recovery in the energy market environment led to significant temporary relief, which will be passed on to customers through network charges in the coming years.
In the Customer Solutions business, adjusted EBITDA rose by around €1.6 billion to €3 billion. Here too, the market environment had a positive impact. The further stabilization of price levels on the wholesale markets contributed to the positive earnings performance compared with the prior-year period, which was heavily burdened by very high energy prices. In addition, further adjustments in procurement and one-off effects had a positive impact on the nine-month result.
Growth strategy reaffirmed: Investments increased to €3.9 billion in the first nine months – further investments planned for 2023
E.ON continued to expand its investments in energy networks and sustainable customer solutions, significantly increasing them compared with the same period last year. In the first nine months, investments amounted to more than €3.9 billion. This represents a rise of around 40 percent. E.ON continues to drive its organic growth. For the full year 2023, the Group is increasing its planned investments by €300 million to a total of around €6.1 billion.
From 2023 to 2027, E.ON plans to invest a total of €33 billion in energy networks and customer solutions. Marc Spieker commented: “We are ready to increase our investments further in the coming years, provided there is an investment environment with a reasonable return. This is in line with our social responsibility to drive decarbonization in Europe and further accelerate the energy transition.”
With more than €3 billion, the majority of investments in the reporting period went into the expansion and digitalization of the network infrastructure. To achieve the political targets of the energy transition, the expansion of distribution networks must be synchronized with the expansion of renewable energies. As Europe's largest distribution system operator, E.ON has a key role to play. In October 2023, the company connected the millionth renewable energy pant to its distribution system in Germany. E.ON expects another six million plants and distributed customers to be connected to its networks by 2030.
E.ON also increased its investments in the Customer Solutions business by nearly 40 percent year-over-year. In particular, the company invested in energy solutions for the decarbonization of cities and businesses. E.ON is involved in numerous projects and partnerships for a decentralized, sustainable and future-proof energy supply. E.ON recently signed the UK's first strategic energy city partnership with the city of Coventry.
Earnings forecast for the fiscal year confirmed
For the 2023 financial year, E.ON still expects an adjusted Group EBITDA of between €8.6 billion and €8.8 billion and an adjusted Group net income of between €2.7 billion and €2.9 billion. Marc Spieker said: “We have kept our promise to our customers. In recent months, we have implemented price reductions for millions of our electricity and gas customers. We expect the pass-through of lower wholesale prices and other effects to have a significant negative impact on our earnings in the Customer Solutions business in the fourth quarter.”
The full-year earnings guidance continues to reflect a potential deterioration in the energy market environment in the fourth quarter. The main reasons for this are the current increased volatility of the markets due to uncertainties on the global supply and demand side as well as the tense geopolitical situation.
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This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group Management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to align them to future events or developments.
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