BDEW

The Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft (BDEW) is Germany's principal trade association for the energy and water industries, representing more than 2,000 member companies across electricity, gas, district heating, water and wastewater. Founded in 2007 through the merger of the former VDEW, BGW and associated sector bodies, BDEW is headquartered in Berlin and is the dominant industry voice in German and EU energy policy debates. Its members collectively operate most of Germany's power generation, distribution, and water supply infrastructure.

Kerstin Andreae has led BDEW as Vorsitzende der Hauptgeschäftsführung since 1 November 2019, bringing a background as Green Party Bundestag member and economic policy spokesperson. BDEW publishes market statistics, files position papers with the Bundestag and EU institutions, and regularly testifies before parliamentary committees on energy legislation.

At the 24 June 2026 Wirtschaftsausschuss hearing on the StromVKG capacity-payment law, BDEW chief Kerstin Andreae stated the first auctions "should still start in 2026", backing the 1 September auction date that the committee had been examining. The statement aligned BDEW with continuity on the accelerated Bundestag timeline and against any amendment that would push the auction into 2027. BDEW's endorsement carries weight with the committee because its member utilities are the primary bidders in the planned 11 GW tender; a 2026 start locks in forward capacity commitments before the heating season. The live remaining dispute, the Südbonus regional uplift, was flagged by BDEW alongside the Bundeskartellamt's concerns, though neither surfaced as a formal committee amendment. The urgency behind the September timeline is reinforced by the wider market: EU carbon broke EUR 80/tonne on 25 June, hard-flooring German CCGT marginal cost near EUR 98/MWh regardless of soft gas prices and making the case for subsidised dispatchable backup increasingly concrete for BDEW members sizing forward portfolios.