trawa wins Arverio as a new traction power customer: PPA tender by the Austrian Federal Railways subsidiary is underway

trawa wins the state-owned Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), Austria's largest railway group, as a new customer for traction power supply in Germany. The new cooperation is a further step in the expansion of activities in the specialized traction power segment.

Why traction power poses special challenges

Traction power is structurally demanding in terms of energy economics. Traction power costs are frequently volatile and difficult to calculate: classic full-service supply at fixed prices is expensive, whereas pure spot market supply carries risks for the customer. 

At the same time, the consumption behavior of locomotives is difficult to predict. Regenerative braking feed-ins and operational changes in driving operations can lead to high balancing energy costs in particular.

In addition, there are increasing demands for sustainability and CO2 reduction. Therefore, supply concepts are needed that combine economic efficiency, supply security, and renewable energies in a meaningful way.

Against this background, Austrian Federal Railways joins a list of other railway companies from the DACH region that rely on trawa as a specialized energy supplier for traction power. The new cooperation shows how relevant customized energy economic models have become in this market.

Focus on ÖBB's German traffic

The focus of the cooperation is on the comprehensive power supply of the Austrian Federal Railways' German traffic. This includes, among others, the operations of the subsidiary Arverio as well as segments of freight and passenger transport of the Rail Cargo Group.

Spot market and PPAs as part of the energy portfolio

A key component of the energy portfolio of the Austrian Federal Railways are Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), i.e., direct electricity supply contracts with solar and wind power plants. 

In June 2026, the subsidiary Arverio Baden-Württemberg will publicly tender corresponding electricity volumes from wind power plants via the German Procurement Portal (DTVP).

From 2027, these volumes, along with the spot market shares, will be managed via trawa as part of the traction power supply.

Further energy economic building blocks

In addition, other energy economic components are taken into account, including the direct marketing of renewable plants and the marketing of battery storage.

This creates a procurement model that merges the various requirements of ÖBB and responds to the specific characteristics of traction power.

trawa as a specialist for traction power

The new cooperation builds upon existing customer relationships of trawa in the traction power sector. David Budde, Managing Director of trawa, contextualizes the new partnership:

We are very pleased to cooperate with the Austrian Federal Railways. Traction power poses high demands on procurement, management, and energy integration. This cooperation demonstrations all the more that specialized and custom-fit supply models are increasingly establishing themselves in this market. For us, this is another important step toward further expanding our position in the traction power sector.

Would you like to restructure your traction power supply or further develop existing procurement models?

We would be happy to talk to you about requirements, market models, and suitable supply concepts.