Elektrizitäts- und Wasserwerk Mels

Company profile

 

EW Mels was founded in 1954 and employs 16 full-time and 3 part-time staff who work around the clock to ensure that you, the customer, receive an optimal supply of electricity, drinking water, and firefighting water, as well as cable TV and internet.

The public water supply has been in place in Mels for over 100 years, and electricity has been produced since 1904.

Electricity plant
In 1904, pioneer Arnold Hartmann acquired the state concession for the use of hydropower on the Seez. Contracts with the municipalities of Mels and Sargans agreed on the construction of the "Schlössli" hydroelectric plant in Seeztobel (now KW Tobel) and the creation of a primary and secondary network in both municipalities.

The hydroelectric power plant in the rear Seeztobel was initially equipped with a 150 hp turbine. However, electricity consumption was quite modest at first. Mels, for example, had only 12 electricity customers at the time. But soon the advantages of electricity became widely known, and the number of subscribers and consumption rose rapidly.

Just two years after it began operating, an expansion was necessary, and by 1910, three turbines with a total output of 600 hp had been installed. All three came from the Hartmann machine factory in Flums, where the founder of the power plant had worked.

Although subscribers in Mels, Sargans, and Flums could normally be supplied solely from the Schlössli plant, bottlenecks repeatedly occurred, especially during periods of water shortage. In 1920, the Hartmann network was therefore connected to the Spoerry hydroelectric plant in Flums so that energy could be obtained when needed. When the Plons power plant began operating on January 10, 1948, the merger with the Spoerry company was dissolved.

In 1954, the Hartmann family's 50-year electricity supply contract with the municipalities of Mels and Sargans expired. They exercised the right of repurchase for the distribution and production facilities stipulated in this contract. The political municipality of Mels acquired the business from the Hartmann family.

Waterworks
On March 10, 1901, an extraordinary and well-attended town meeting voted almost unanimously to build a water supply and hydrant system. This covered the areas of Vorderberg, the village of Mels, and the town of Heiligkreuz. Until then, water had been supplied via wells, which were built and operated by so-called well cooperatives.

This important decision was soon followed by implementation, with work beginning at the end of May and being completed within 1901. The first regulations on water and hydrant supply were introduced in 1902.

In 2001, the municipality of Mels celebrated the 100th anniversary of its water supply. The anniversary brochure is available from EW Mels.