Latest news with #Uniper
Techday NZ
21-05-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Celonis, Uniper & Microsoft drive AI-powered energy overhaul
Celonis has entered into a collaboration with Uniper and Microsoft aimed at supporting digital transformation and process excellence within the energy sector. The arrangement will support Uniper in achieving greater transparency in its business processes and facilitate AI-driven automation and end-to-end process orchestration across the company. Leveraging Microsoft Copilot Studio and Power Automate, in conjunction with Celonis Process Intelligence, Uniper intends to implement artificial intelligence solutions company-wide, enabling the adoption of new technology-driven processes for broader operational gains. Damian Bunyan, Chief Information Officer at Uniper, commented, "The energy industry is facing major challenges, and we want to be a pioneer in digital transformation. The powerful combination of Microsoft's AI technologies with Celonis' process intelligence lets us identify value-driving AI use cases, intelligently automate workflows, and track performance gains. Thanks to this strategic collaboration, we can optimise our operations, empower our employees, and deliver greater value to our customers." Bastian Nominacher, co-founder and co-CEO of Celonis, stated, "AI is only as effective as the data and context it feeds on. Celonis provides the process data and business context that gives AI the understanding it needs to drive meaningful business transformation and real value. Together with Microsoft, we're enabling Uniper to drive tangible results." Celonis will deliver its system-agnostic process intelligence platform as part of the collaboration. This platform creates a process-centric data foundation, which is key for developing agents using AI platforms such as Microsoft Copilot Studio and is now integrated with Microsoft Fabric to enhance interoperability and data availability. Microsoft will contribute its AI technology and its ability to scale AI deployment rapidly, supported by its productivity suite that includes Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Power BI, and Power Automate. Uniper has been recognised as an early adopter, applying the joint capabilities of Celonis and Microsoft in real-world, high-impact AI use cases with results intended to act as an example within the global energy industry. Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President for Business and Industry Copilot at Microsoft, said, "The next generation of AI requires deep reasoning grounded in enterprise data and business processes. By combining Celonis Process Intelligence with Microsoft Copilot Studio and Microsoft AI, we are enabling companies to build intelligent solutions that deeply understand and optimise business operations. Uniper is a great example of how this powerful combination can accelerate transformation, unlock significant value, and help companies lead their industries forward." Uniper's involvement with Celonis began five years ago, focusing on operational excellence within its global energy operations. To date, Uniper has deployed Celonis across 27 business processes, connecting to eight source systems, and involving over 350 active users throughout the company. Reported operational improvements from Uniper's use of Celonis technology cover areas such as plant maintenance, human resources, hydro power operations, IT service management, energy sales and technology, financial services, and internal audit. Among key achievements, Uniper has optimised its plant maintenance processes to ensure workplace safety and compliance, thereby reducing risk and supplier waiting times. Within HR, Uniper has improved the recruiting process for managers by reducing the time to hire and optimised the candidate experience through the deployment of automated notifications. Business reporting in the hydro power segment was made more timely, decreasing operational costs and improving supplier steering. IT service management was enhanced to allow more efficient supplier steering and faster incident response. In energy sales and technology operations, Uniper shortened proposal management cycles, while automating daily and timely reporting in financial services and optimising opportunities for cash discounts. Meanwhile, the internal audit department benefited from support for its "Trusted Advisor" and data-driven eAudit approach.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Uniper plans first solar power farms in Sweden in renewables push
Oslo: German utility Uniper is developing its first two solar power farms in Sweden as part of a wider company push to invest into renewable energy, it said on Friday. In a partnership with solar producer Solgrid, Uniper will develop the Segaas and Segerhult solar farms in central Sweden, with a planned joined capacity of 35 megawatts (MW). The start of construction is planned for early 2026 and completion expected by 2027 at the latest. "For Sweden to be able to double electricity production and succeed in the energy transition, we must invest in everything," Johan Svenningsson , CEO of Uniper Sweden, said. "All types of power is needed," he added. Swedish government forecasts predict that power demand will rise from 136 terawatt hours (TWh) today to around 300 TWh in 2045, amid growth from industry and transport. To meet the increase, the current government favours building new nuclear power over adding more intermittent renewable power generation. Uniper at present operates 74 hydropower plants in Sweden and is a co-owner in all of Sweden's existing nuclear plants while also operating a gas- and an oil-fired power plant in the Nordic country. On a group level, Uniper is targeting 10 gigawatts (GW) of ready-to-build wind and solar power generation capacity by 2030, with several solar farms already under construction or development in Germany, Hungary and Britain.
Reuters
15-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Weak EU gas prices, Chinese demand to encourage storage refill, Uniper executive says
AMSTERDAM, May 15 (Reuters) - Current low European gas prices, supported by weak Chinese demand, will encourage the refilling of EU gas storage sites this summer, a senior executive at German utility Uniper ( opens new tab told Reuters. EU inventories were left two-thirds empty by the end of the winter season and the continent is estimated to need around 30 billion cubic metres (bcm) more gas than last year to meet storage targets. The EU parliament voted earlier this month in favour of loosening filling gas storage rules, over concerns the requirement to fill storage to 90% capacity by November 1 inflates prices. "In Europe, the summer-winter spreads that we see now do incentivise storage filling," Carsten Poppinga, Uniper's chief commercial officer said in an interview on the sidelines of Flame gas conference in Amsterdam. Gas prices rose in February to two-year high of 58 euros per megawatt hour (MWh), but they have since fallen and are now at around 34 euros/Mwh, according to LSEG data. Analysts estimate summer-winter spread has gone down from a high of around 7 euros/MWh earlier this year to 1.3 euros/MWh currently. The EU faces competition for LNG on the global market from Asia. But China, the world's largest LNG buyer, in April recorded its lowest LNG demand since October 2022, and has been reselling U.S.-sourced LNG cargoes to Europe amid a tariff war with the United States. If this continues, it would help Europe replenish stocks. A temporary truce agreed by Washington and Beijing earlier this week could unblock some of the two-way trade brought to a standstill by the conflict between the world's two biggest economies. If a final deal between the two powers is agreed, it might spur economic activity in China and support a pick up in gas demand. "If China takes a lot more of the LNG that is currently coming to Europe, then, of course, it's a different ball game, and then we would see higher prices," Poppinga said Poppinga said that Europe will continue to need LNG even if demand goes down, adding that while trying to diversify supply sources, the continent is still expected to get a large portion of its supplies from the United States. "U.S. LNG remains the most economic way to bring gas into the European Union," he said. In 2022, the German government bailed out Uniper ( opens new tab, once Gazprom's ( opens new tab biggest European customer. The German group has since replaced Russian gas volumes entirely via other suppliers including from the United States, Australia and the Middle East.
Reuters
14-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Gas price around 25 euros/Mwh could boost investment, Uniper executive says
AMSTERDAM, May 14 (Reuters) - Gas prices around 25 euros ($28.13) per megawatt-hour, compared to 34 euros currently, could be needed to stimulate investment in the European economy going forward, a senior executive at Germany's utility Uniper ( opens new tab said on Wednesday. Since the energy crisis of 2022, when gas prices peaked at nearly 350 euros per megawatt hour (MWh), dozens of firms across Europe have closed factories and cut activity and jobs as high gas prices undermined their competitiveness. "I'm optimistic that gas prices around 25 (euros/MWH) might stimulate some investment in the European economy going forward, if you can prove that this is a price level that can be stable," Carsten Poppinga, Uniper's chief commercial officer said at the Flame gas conference in Amsterdam. Many businesses have maintained their reduced demand and lower manufacturing activity, with negative implications for Europe's sluggish growth. Poppinga said that Europe will continue to need liquefied natural gas (LNG) even if demand went down, adding that while trying to diversify, the continent is expected to get a large portion of its supplies from the United states. "U.S. LNG remains the most economic way to bring gas into the European Union," he said. ($1 = 0.8889 euros)
Leader Live
13-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Taller chimneys planned for Connah's Quay low carbon plant
The consultation runs until June 6, 2025 and feedback can by shared by emailing info@ or sending in writing to FREEPOST CQLCP (no stamp required). Connah's Quay Low Carbon Power would be fitted with carbon capture technology to capture CO2 emissions and connect into nearby CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure as part of the HyNet industrial cluster. This would enable the captured CO₂ to be transported to permanent offshore storage facilities in repurposed depleted offshore gas fields. Uniper said the Connah's Quay Low Carbon Power project would not only generate low carbon electricity but could also help to maintain economic prosperity in Deeside and across the region.
