| A Timeline of RheinWerk Energy GmbH | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 21, 2039 |
| Author | Steve Ruggles |
| Backer Lore | Yes |
| Internal Name | rheinwerk_timeline |
| Internal Series | ◀ Rheinwerk (series), #2 |
April 21st, 2039:
Understanding the Beast - A Timeline of RheinWerk Energy GmbH
Personal Blog Post by: Steve Ruggles
Since my post about RheinWerk Blackout Squads almost two weeks ago, I've been getting a lot of requests from people for more information on the company itself. Their origins, who owns what, this sort of thing. Cutting through all the crap on the VR, here is what I've so far managed to put together to best explain how Rheinwerk initially rose to power:
01.August 2009
In a surprise move, Johann Gossler III announced the purchase of nearly all of Europe's hydroelectric power plants formerly owned by Vattenfall. Gossler is heir to a family of bankers dating back to the times of the Hanseatic League and has before had a seat in the board of his family's bank, Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG.
At this time he himself founded the Gossler Energie GmbH and according to a press conference at the time, he wanted to "create reliable and sustainable energy with as little ecological impact as possible."
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01.September 2009
On this day Gossler revealed contracts with several of Germany's largest industrial companies to supply them with energy. All parties involved stated that a clean and cheap source of affordable electrical energy is not only desirable but is the first step in a new and exciting orientation of the German production sector.
Furthermore the founding of a dedicated R&D department was announced, centered on the development and progress of renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydroelectricity.
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17.September 2009
A document appeared on the internet, detailing that Gossler Energie can't provide the power they need for their contractors and furthermore unearthing several ties between GE and companies like Vattenfall, RWE, or the French EDF, who all produce electricity the old fashioned way using coal, gas and nuclear power.
Though the document could be traced back to a group of young students and engineers, none of them ever came forward after numerous interview requests.
GE's PR department stated that "economic ties are a necessity due to the structure of the power grid in Europe, which is in large part owned by the old energy suppliers. These ties are simply for the rental of power lines and do not have anything to do with insufficient capabilities of GE to meet the demands of their customers."
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28.May 2010
GE's R&D department unveiled a prototype of a solar panel, able to convert 34% of sunlight into electrical energy, roughly 10% more than any other model and close to the efficiency reached under lab conditions.
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01.August 2010
Exactly one year after the foundation of the Gossler Energie GmbH, Johann Gossler made another surprise announcement:
"The new millennium is now a decade old. It saw us continue our way of life without much regard to the planet we live on and most of us take for granted. As of today, the Gossler Energie GmbH - with support from our numerous partners in the industrial sector - will be the cornerstone of a new Corporation.
I welcome and encourage you all to join us in helping Rheinwerk Energie not only provide Europe with the power we need for our lives, but also to create said power in a sustainable way that does not leave our children with a polluted atmosphere, radioactive waste below their feet and acidic rain falling on their heads.
Rheinwerk Energie will not only provide power, we will also start to restore the areas of Europe most victim to the surge of industrialization which ultimately brought us to this very day. Until now the states of Europe have done very little to improve these areas, in no small part due to a severe lack of funding... but with your help, we can change that. We aim to recreate a greener Europe!"
It was later revealed that the company's founding letters stated, "at least 50% of all annual earnings will be invested in either the research of reliable energy sources and/or the re-naturalization of industrial wastelands."
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October 2010
Following a great start in the stock market, Gossler's Rheinwerk Energie began several projects all over Europe to re-naturalize industrial wastelands, all in cooperation with local governments and former owners, needless to say with no little interest from the media.
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05.July 2011
In a surprise statement, Johann Gossler III today revealed plans to acquire French nuclear plants and utilize them in cooperation with their former owner, EDF.
Gossler stated, "With a sad heart I hereby acknowledge that it is at the time not possible to fuel Europe's energy needs with renewable sources alone. We, the board of directors and I, came to the conclusion that this move for our company is the one with the least ecological impact to meet the demands while still staying as true as possible to this company's initial goals of providing clean energy."
Financial analysts couldn't say how much GE would have had to pay to get the French plants under their control, let alone where those funds came from. Unsurprisingly the stock exchange reacted with more than a little turmoil.
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08.June 2012
Today Rheinwerk Energie officially completed the re-naturalization of Bergheim, a large strip mining area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Critics see this as a purely cosmetic manoeuvre, the former owner RWE had already begun the re-naturalization and only handed the last bit of work over to Rheinwerk.
During a celebration, J. Gossler III announced partnerships with various oil companies to "evaluate the possible restoration of oilfields and rigs in all corners of the world, land and sea."