Ing. Mag. Stefan Wagenhoferwho has previously worked for the Austrian Association for the Gas and Water Industry (ÖVGW) as vice president and spokesman for the gas industry, has been the new ÖVGW President since January 1, 2025. Wagenhofer has been managing director of Gas Connect Austria since 2011 and has excellent connections in the energy industry. Stefan Wagenhofer has been a board member of the ÖVGW since 2020, where he is also actively involved in the research advisory board.
Mag. Nikolaus Sauer will take over the role of ÖVGW Vice President at the beginning of the year. Nikolaus Sauer, lawyer and managing director of the Northern Burgenland Water Piping Association (WLVNB), is also the new spokesman for the water sector. Sauer has been on the board and in various functions at ÖVGW for several years.
Energy transition only possible with “green gases”.
As the new ÖVGW President, Stefan Wagenhofer will continue to advocate for the environmentally friendly energy source gas, in particular for the further development and diversification of the gas infrastructure and the conversion to green gas. “As ÖVGW president and spokesman, I see the key challenges in the coming years as maintaining security of supply, achieving European climate goals while at the same time ensuring competitive energy prices for companies and households. This can only be achieved by integrating green gases such as biomethane or hydrogen. – Green gases are climate-neutral, burn without fine dust and can be easily transported and stored in the existing gas infrastructure,” says Wagenhofer.
The energy crisis showed that gas as an energy source and raw material cannot be replaced in the medium and long term. It is important to increase the production of green gas as quickly as possible in order to ensure 100% security of supply in a climate-friendly manner. “The ÖVGW plays a key role in this. Next year we will publish new regulations for hydrogen, such as the ‘Conversion of gas pipes for operation with hydrogen’. Technical questions in this context are clarified in advance through our research projects. We will also expand our training offerings accordingly. In spring 2025 we will start a “Basic Hydrogen Knowledge” course and a new training program to become a qualified person for hydrogen systems in motor vehicles
says Wagenhofer.
Climate change: sustainable drinking water supply
The ÖVGW Vice President and spokesman for the water sector, Nikolaus Sauer, will work hard to ensure the sustainable security of Austria’s water resources and a sustainable drinking water supply. “This requires the development of an Austria-wide water strategy that actually ensures the legal priority of drinking water supply in practice – especially in water shortage situations. Concrete legal measures are needed to ensure long-term water availability in the face of climate change and increasing resource use. The introduction of mandatory measurement for all water users and the establishment of a central database of the quantities of water withdrawn and the associated creation of statistical evaluations and analyzes would be important. This is the only way authorities and water suppliers can have a reliable database for the management of groundwater resources
“, says Sauer. Sauer is convinced that only by introducing compulsory measurement for all water users can authorities and water suppliers create a reliable database for the management of groundwater resources.
The ÖVGW
The Austrian Association for the Gas and Water Industry (ÖVGW) has been a leading competence network for gas and water supply for over 140 years. It offers technical expertise, certifications and training and further education and is the only independent representation of the interests of Austrian drinking water suppliers. With over 300 member companies, the ÖVGW supplies around 80% of the population with high-quality drinking water, 100% of which comes from groundwater and spring water. The focus of the ÖVGW is on protecting groundwater, ensuring a secure supply and developing sustainable, climate-neutral solutions for the future of energy and water supply.
According to the OVGW’s statutes, the general assembly elects the president and vice-president for a period of two years. The President and the Vice President must alternately come from the gas and water sectors, with the Vice President being appointed President in the following term of office after his term of office has expired. Depending on their professional affiliation, the president and vice president represent the association externally as spokespersons for the gas and water sector.