Austrian Power Grid AG counts on social media expertise from The Skills Group

Skills secured the four-year social media contract for the Austrian power grid operator in a public tender.

Vienna, March 7, 2023 – The communications agency Skills was able to prevail in the course of a multi-stage public tender and will strategically develop the social media activities of Austrian Power Grid AG (APG) in the coming years in order to strengthen the positioning of the Austrian electricity grid operator as a supporting pillar of the domestic infrastructure. Since 2020, The Skills Group has been assisting the company in the development and support of several social media channels. Now, the – both strategic and operational – support of Austrian Power Grid AG in terms of social media will be expanded to include new aspects such as addressing potential employees.

Austrian Power Grid AG, Austria’s independent electricity grid operator, is responsible for securing and expanding the nationwide supply of electricity. Within the framework of its social media presence, the focus so far has been on Twitter and LinkedIn, where the respective accounts have been established as relevant sources of information on the Austrian power grid. In the coming years, the focus will now be on the qualitative expansion of these channels and the support of the communities they have created, but other channels are also to be developed.

“The energy crisis and the turn towards renewable energy have massively increased the need for communication around the power grid. Especially on the topic of supply-security, there has been a dramatic increase in public attention. The mammoth task of a supply-secure development toward a sustainable energy system – in which the power infrastructure plays a central role – is also slowly coming into the public consciousness. Responsible communication via social media makes an important contribution in all these topics to informing the public about current developments and challenges in electricity infrastructure. We are very happy to have found a partner for this who prepares these often somewhat unwieldy topics in an expert and target-group-oriented manner,” says Christoph Schuh, Head of Corporate Communications & Reputation Management at APG.

“On the surface, we are often dealing with rather technical and complex content, which at first glance doesn’t seem particularly sexy or broadly appealing. But on the one hand, we love topics that need explaining, and on the other hand, electricity infrastructure is highly relevant, because we all need electricity around the clock. All the more reason for us to be delighted with this wonderful assignment,” says Stefan A. Sengl, Managing Partner of The Skills Group, about winning the contract.

About Austrian Power Grid (APG)

As independent transmission system provider, Austrian Power Grid (APG) is responsible for Austria’s secure electricity supply. With our high-performance and digital electricity infrastructure, as well as the application of state-of-the-art technologies, we integrate renewable energies, act as a platform for the electricity market, create access to low-priced electricity for Austria’s consumers and thus form the basis for a secure and sustainable business and living location. The APG grid covers a route length of about 3,400 km, which the company operates, maintains and continuously adapts to the increasing requirements of the electrification of society, business and industry with the help of a team of about 733 specialists . In 2022, thanks to our dedicated employees, the reliability of supply hit 99.99 percent once again, measuring up to other top-notch companies in our field. Our investments of 490 million euros in 2023 (2022: 370 million euros) are an economic driver and an essential building block for achieving Austria’s climate and energy targets. In total, APG will invest around 3.5 billion euros in grid expansion and conversion by 2032. This is around 19 percent of the total 18 billion euros that the e-economy will invest in grid infrastructure over the next ten years. (www.apg.at)

About The Skills Group

Founded in 1984, The Skills Group (www.skills.at) has been one of Austria’s leading PR agencies for almost 40 years. Skills specializes in overall communications for companies and institutions and in the implementation of complex and sensitive communications projects. The agency serves clients such as American Express, B&C Privatstiftung, B&C Industrieholding, EVVA, Google, Mars, Therme Wien – a resort of VAMED Vitality World, as well as numerous institutions, public bodies and associations, such as the Chambers of Labour, the MEGA Bildungsstiftung, the Saferinternet.at initiative, the Austrian E-Commerce Quality Mark and APG – Austrian Power Grid. Since 2019, Skills has been the majority owner of the Viennese digital and innovation agency datenwerk (www.datenwerk.at) and successfully implements online and social media projects together with it.

Enquiry notice: The Skills Group, Stefan A. Sengl E: sengl@skills.at M: +43 1 5052625-15