swb Vertrieb Bremen GmbH

What swb Vertrieb Bremen GmbH does

The Ems-Weser-Elbe Versorgungs- und Entsorgungsverband (EWE-Verband) is a Zweckverband — a municipal purpose association under German public law — headquartered in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. It was formed in 2006 through the merger of the Energieverband Elbe-Weser (EEW) and the Landeselektrizitätsverband Oldenburg (LEV), with predecessor organizations tracing back to 1913. Its membership comprises 17 districts (Landkreise) and 4 cities in the Ems-Weser-Elbe region, with voting rights in the Verbandssammlung proportional to capital contributions; the three largest voting members are Stadt Oldenburg (11.51%), Landkreis Friesland (10.61%), and Landkreis Cloppenburg (10.26%).

Its statutory Zweck is to secure and promote regional energy and disposal supply. The principal instrument through which this is executed is the indirect majority ownership of EWE AG, an integrated utility providing electricity, gas, heat, and telecommunications services in northwestern Germany. The Zweckverband holds a 74% economic interest in EWE AG via two wholly-owned intermediate holding vehicles: Weser-Ems-Energiebeteiligungen GmbH (59%) and Energieverband Elbe-Weser Beteiligungsholding GmbH (15%). The remaining 26% has been held by ARDIAN since February 2020, replacing EnBW — which had first acquired a 26% strategic stake in 2009 before progressively divesting between 2016 and 2019.

The entity has no proprietary technology platform and no commercial revenue stream of its own. Operating costs are funded via member-municipality assessments under the Verbandsordnung. Its de facto products are governance functions: convening the Verbandssammlung and Verbandsausschuss, appointing representatives to EWE AG supervisory bodies, and managing long-term capital allocation decisions for the 74% stake. Leadership comprises Herbert Winkel (Verbandsgeschäftsführer since 2022), Heinz Feldmann (Stellvertretender Geschäftsführer), and Dr. Anika Logemann-Prunk (Leiterin der Geschäftsstelle). The organization is not VC-backed and operates under public-law governance rather than as a commercial enterprise.

Name

swb Vertrieb Bremen GmbH

Legal name

Ems-Weser-Elbe Versorgungs- und Entsorgungsverband

Website

https://ewe-verband.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ems-Weser-Elbe Versorgungs- und Entsorgungsverband (EWE-Verband) is a German public-law Zweckverband of 21 municipalities in Lower Saxony that indirectly holds 74% of integrated utility EWE AG, with ARDIAN holding the remaining 26% since 2020.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Utility Governance

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (55)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Regulated Residential & SMB Retail Supply (Default/Standard Offer) (EUAGABAA)

Keywords

• Municipal utility association
• Energy supply governance
• Public law corporation
• Utility shareholding
• Inter-municipal cooperation

Headquarters

HQ city

Stadt Bremen, Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Core offering

swb Vertrieb Bremen GmbH is referenced in the firmographic record, but the supplied source material describes the Ems-Weser-Elbe Versorgungs- und Entsorgungsverband (EWE-Verband), a Zweckverband (municipal purpose association) under German public law. The entity's fundamental activity is the statutory governance of its 21 member municipalities and the indirect 74% majority shareholding of EWE AG, which supplies electricity, gas, and heat to the Ems-Weser-Elbe region of Lower Saxony. It does not directly sell retail products or services but functions as a public-law holding and coordination body for regional energy supply.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Municipal Zweckverband governance and statutory membership services

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Pfalzwerke AG: Regional energy utility serving the Palatinate region in southwestern Germany. Comparable as a mid-sized regional multi-utility with municipal ownership ties, though operating in a different geographic market.
• Lechwerke AG: Regional energy utility serving Bavarian Swabia with municipal shareholder base. Comparable as a regulated regional energy supplier with public-law ownership characteristics, though focused on southern Germany rather than Lower Saxony.

Direct peers

• Mainova AG: Frankfurt's municipal energy utility, majority-owned by the city. Comparable as a municipally-controlled multi-utility (electricity, gas, heat, water) operating under regulated supply mandates with similar public-law ownership characteristics.
• Thüga Holding GmbH & Co. KGaA: Germany's largest municipal utility holding network, federating stakes in over 100 Stadtwerke. Directly comparable as a holding structure that aggregates municipal interests in regulated energy supply, with a similar Zweckverband-adjacent governance model.
• N-ERGIE Aktiengesellschaft: Nuremberg's municipal energy utility serving parts of Bavaria. Comparable as a regulated regional multi-utility (electricity, gas, heat, water) under municipal majority ownership, with similar Zweckverband-style stakeholder structures.
• EWE AG: The core operating subsidiary in which the association holds 74% indirect ownership. Directly comparable as the multi-utility energy supply business (electricity, gas, heat) serving the Ems-Weser-Elbe region; included as a peer because it represents the underlying asset and economic exposure of the association.
• Avacon AG: Regional energy distribution company serving Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and surrounding areas. Directly comparable as a regional energy distributor in the same northwestern German market where EWE AG operates, with overlapping customer base and regulatory exposure.
• Stadtwerke München GmbH: Munich's municipal multi-utility (electricity, gas, district heat, water, public transport). Comparable as a large municipally-controlled energy supplier operating under a public-law mandate, similar in regulated multi-vector utility exposure.

Broad incumbents

• E.ON SE: One of Europe's largest investor-owned utilities with significant German distribution and retail operations. Comparable as a major regulated utility operator in the same regulatory regime, though structurally distinct from the association's municipal holding model.
• EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG: Major German regional energy company and former strategic partner of EWE AG (exited 2019). Comparable as a large integrated utility with renewable generation, grid, and retail activities, though operating at national scale rather than as a municipal Zweckverband holding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swb-vertrieb-bremen-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about swb Vertrieb Bremen GmbH