Uniper Reaffirms Energy Transformation Strategy With Around €5 Billion Investment Plan Through 2030

Uniper Reaffirms Energy Transformation Strategy With Around €5 Billion Investment Plan Through 2030

(IN BRIEF) Uniper has reaffirmed its energy transformation strategy and plans to invest around €5 billion between 2025 and 2030, with approximately half of the investment directed to Germany. The strategy focuses on flexible generation, renewable energy, gas portfolio diversification and hydrogen-ready infrastructure. More than half of the planned investment will go into Flexible Generation, including hydrogen-ready power plant projects at Gelsenkirchen-Scholven and Staudinger with a combined target capacity of around 1.7 GW. Around one third of the programme is planned for Green Generation, including solar, wind and hydropower projects. Uniper also sees growth potential in Europe’s expanding data centre market, using its power plant sites, grid connections and energy expertise to attract data centre operators and generate new revenue through site deals, PPAs and direct power supply. The company said its strong balance sheet and investment-grade ratings provide the foundation for the investment plan.

(PRESS RELEASE) DÜSSELDORF, 17-Jul-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Uniper has reaffirmed its transformation strategy, outlining plans to invest approximately €5 billion between 2025 and 2030 in flexible generation, renewable energy and the expansion of its gas procurement portfolio.

The company said the investment programme is designed to support security of supply and the transformation of Europe’s energy systems. Around half of the planned investment is expected to be allocated to Germany.

Uniper’s strategy is focused on strengthening a diversified portfolio that combines dispatchable power generation, renewable energy and a broader gas supply base. The company said this mix will help improve resilience and competitiveness in a changing geopolitical, regulatory and energy market environment.

Michael Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of Uniper, said the company is investing where supply security, competitiveness and decarbonisation meet.

“We invest where supply security, competitiveness, and decarbonization converge,” said Lewis.

He added that Uniper is directing additional capital toward flexible generation, particularly in Germany, where demand is increasing for secure capacity, modern power plant infrastructure and hydrogen-ready assets.

Uniper’s three business segments — Green Generation, Flexible Generation and Greener Commodities — remain focused on gradual decarbonisation. Key measures include the phase-out of coal and investments in renewable energy, hydropower and hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants.

By 2030, Uniper aims to operate 15 to 20 gigawatts of power generation capacity. At least half of this capacity is expected to come from renewable, low-carbon or decarbonisable generation assets.

The company has further sharpened its investment priorities and plans to allocate more than half of the €5 billion programme to the Flexible Generation segment.

This includes new construction projects, site developments, plant conversions and modernisation projects across several markets. The planned investments also include assets with potential for climate-neutral operation, such as CCS-ready or hydrogen-ready plants.

In Germany, Uniper expects the upcoming StromVKG tenders scheduled for September and December 2026 to play an important role in its investment plans. The company intends to participate with two hydrogen-ready power plant projects at Gelsenkirchen-Scholven and Staudinger, with a combined target capacity of around 1.7 gigawatts.

Both projects are already well advanced in technical planning and site preparation.

Further opportunities include new-build projects, lifetime extensions, modernisation programmes and gigawatt-scale conversion projects in Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden and the Netherlands.

These include the Connah’s Quay project with carbon capture and storage integration in the UK and the conversion project at Karlshamn in Sweden, where Uniper aims to decarbonise a total of 1.7 gigawatts of capacity by 2030.

Approximately one third of the planned investment programme is earmarked for the Green Generation segment.

Uniper plans to invest in the expansion and operation of renewable energy assets, as well as the modernisation of existing hydropower facilities. The company aims to reach investment decisions for an average of up to 500 megawatts of solar and wind projects per year.

Current key projects include the 160-megawatt Happurg pumped-storage hydropower plant and a 54-megawatt expansion of hydropower capacity along Sweden’s Ume River.

In the Greener Commodities segment, Uniper plans to further diversify its gas business as global energy trading continues to be shaped by geopolitical developments.

The company maintains its medium-term target of expanding its gas portfolio to 250 to 300 terawatt-hours, mainly through long-term supply contracts.

Uniper’s portfolio expansion is supported by long-term agreements with suppliers including Woodside in Australia, Tourmaline in Canada and ConocoPhillips in the United States.

The company said its focus remains on ensuring secure supply for customers in Germany, including around 1,000 municipal utilities and industrial customers, supported by a broad gas storage portfolio.

At the same time, Uniper is expanding its portfolio to include renewable and low-carbon gases as well as hydrogen. At the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park, Uniper and its consortium partners are demonstrating the use of hydrogen across the full value chain, including production, storage, transport, marketing and end use.

Uniper also sees new growth opportunities from Europe’s expanding data centre infrastructure. The company expects rising demand for digital infrastructure to create opportunities both through demand for suitable sites and through future electricity consumption.

In addition to revenue from selling or leasing sites and potential co-investments, Uniper aims to generate earnings through structured power purchase agreements and, where commercially viable, direct supply from its own generation capacity.

Lewis said the rapid growth of digital infrastructure is creating new opportunities for the company.

“The growing power demand of data centers requires reliable, high-performance, and long-term energy supply solutions,” said Lewis.

He added that Uniper’s sites, grid connectivity and energy market expertise position the company to support the growth of Europe’s data centre market and contribute to digital transformation.

Uniper has already identified more than ten company-owned sites with suitable infrastructure, located along European data hubs. Three projects are at an advanced development stage, with further financial investment decisions expected this year. A first project in the United Kingdom has already been completed.

The company said the data centre opportunity offers significant earnings potential with comparatively limited capital investment and could increase the share of contract-backed earnings in its portfolio.

Uniper said its strong balance sheet provides the foundation for the investment programme. At the end of last year, the company had approximately €12 billion in equity and a net cash position of around €2.8 billion.

Rating agencies S&P, Scope and Fitch assign Uniper investment-grade credit ratings, highlighting the company’s liquidity position, improved cash flow visibility, disciplined financial policy and strategic shift toward more stable and predictable earnings sources.

About Uniper

Düsseldorf-based Uniper is a European energy company with global reach. It has about 7,000 employees and plays a key role in ensuring a secure energy supply in Europe, particularly in its core markets of Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Uniper’s 18.5 gigawatts of power generating capacity make it a mainstay of reliable power production. Uniper is a leading gas trader and one of Northwestern Europe’s most important LNG importers, and its broad procurement portfolio enhances supply security. Uniper’s investments in renewables, hydrogen, and other low-carbon energy carriers propel the transformation of the energy system.

Uniper provides energy and services to about 1,000 municipalities and industrial companies in its home market, Germany. Uniper is also Germany’s largest operator of gas storage facilities and hydropower plants.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Uniper SE Management and other information currently available to Uniper. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. Uniper SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to modify them to conform with future events or developments.

Media Contact:

Birgit Korte
SVP External Communication and Group Spokesperson
birgit.korte@uniper.energy

SOURCE: Uniper