Vattenfall’s Centenary 2009

Vattenfall’s centenary 2009 was celebrated with a broad variety of external and internal activities throughout the year, all with the common purpose to explain and visualise the company’s strategic direction and its vision of the future.

The centenary offered a unique opportunity to increase the contacts and the mutual understanding within the Group and to build relations with customers and the general public. The programme, which was directed to customers, the general public, politicians, media and our own employees, included four main parts:

1. Local Energy and climate days for the general public.

A mobile interactive exhibition for the whole family, “Energy for the future”, was produced, in a pavilion of more than 400 square meters. It toured in five countries and nine cities. We presented global climate facts, the vision about the sustainable city and how we contribute to it, how to make energy conscious choices in everyday life, Vattenfall’s strategic direction, and different technological and smart energy solutions including e-mobility and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

2. Local Energy and climate seminars for local decision makers, business and industry representatives, customers and media.

Seminaries were held in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Poland Germany, gathering close to 2 000 participants.

3. Vattenfall International Energy and Climate Week in Stockholm.

The international Energy and Climate Week included over 30 seminars during three seminar days. They discussed challenges, solutions and co-operation in the struggle against the climate change. The themes of the three days were “Making Electricity Clean”, “Energy for a sustainable society” and “Responsibility to find solutions”. The speakers came from the USA, Russia, Chile, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Poland, Sweden and the UK. The seminars gathered more than 700 participants from all Vattenfall markets, including business leaders, decision makers, government officials, researchers, students, and media.

A gala dinner with the Royal Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden and some 700 guests in the Stockholm City Hall ended the Energy and climate week.

4. Employee events. 

The Employee events took place in 13 cities and five countries. People from different lines of work participated. The intentions were 1) to strengthen general commitment and the awareness of belonging to a leading European energy company, 2) to actively promote a dialogue about our responsibility and about our intentions with the strategic direction Making Electricity Clean, and 3) to socialise with colleagues from different countries and have a nice time together.

Before the events took place, the employees were offered the opportunity to address questions to the management.

Up with People, young men and women from some 20 countries contributed to the Employee events with an energetic musical show and also carried out community service activities and good citizen-projects in 17 communities in five countries on behalf of Vattenfall’s Centennial.

A common idea throughout all centenary activities was to put the local operations in the context of the broad Group perspective. The climate issue and the over-all perspective were the common themes. The general ambition was to create understanding, both intellectually and emotionally, for Vattenfall’s strategic direction, to strengthen relations and to create an experience of insight among the participants.