The “Energiewende” Reform Impact on the Largest German Energy Companies: E.ON, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall

This paper examines the development strategies transformation of Germany’s leading energy companies, namely E.ON, RWE, Vattenfall and EnBW. In the light of Energiewende reform, – energy transition towards sustainable energy production – and other circumstances, including the global financial crisis, the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the government measures to promote renewables, suppliers of traditional energy sources are now suffering heavy losses and facing strong competition from green power suppliers. The paper reveals that in order to survive these companies have to adjust their business strategies to the changing regulatory framework by implementing cost-cutting programs, insisting on governmental support of their businesses or penetrating other markets. The comparative analysis of these companies helps to understand the differences in their strategies and contributes to further research in this field.