EBM

Primeo Energie was founded in 1897 as Elektra Birseck Münchenstein (EBM) by engineer Fritz Eckinger and politician Stephan Gschwind. The cooperative was established to introduce electric lighting and provide electricity to municipalities in the Birseck region near Basel.

The electricity distribution network gradually expanded into neighbouring areas of the cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Solothurn. Between 1906 and 1914, EBM connected eleven additional municipalities and the town of Saint-Louis in the French region of Alsace to its network.

From the late 1970s, EBM became involved in energy conservation and energy efficiency. In 1982, it commissioned its first combined heat and power plant. The company subsequently expanded its activities in decentralised heat generation and district heating.

In the 1990s, EBM began investing in photovoltaic installations and other renewable energy technologies. In 2005, it established Kleinkraftwerk Birseck AG to develop its renewable electricity generation activities. The company entered the French market in 2010 through the acquisition of small hydroelectric power plants and was renamed aventron in the same year. Additional investors subsequently acquired stakes in the company.

In 2016, EBM participated in the acquisition of Aare Versorgungs AG (AVAG), an electricity distribution company serving the Olten region.

The company also expanded its activities in electricity supply, energy trading and energy services in Switzerland and France. In 2019, EBM and its group companies adopted Primeo Energie as their common brand. The cooperative retained its previous legal name until April 2026, when it was renamed Primeo Energie Genossenschaft.

In Münchenstein, the company operates the Primeo Energie Kosmos, a centre for exhibitions and educational activities relating to energy and climate. Opened in 2022, it developed from an electricity museum established in 1997 to mark the cooperative's centenary. The centre provides interactive exhibitions and educational programmes for schools and the general public.

Energy solutions

The Energy Solutions segment comprises the procurement, trading and supply of electricity and gas, together with related energy services in Switzerland and France. Its customers include industrial and commercial companies, electricity utilities, municipalities and private households. The segment also provides energy portfolio management, power purchase agreements, balancing services and solutions for the local generation and consumption of electricity.

In Switzerland, these activities are conducted primarily through Primeo Energie Schweiz AG, a joint venture with Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich (EKZ), which holds a 25% stake. In France, the group operates through Primeo Energie France SAS and related companies. Its activities include electricity supply to industrial and commercial customers, energy procurement and trading, the marketing of electricity from renewable sources and energy-related services.

The French business has also expanded into the residential electricity market. At the end of 2025, its residential customer portfolio comprised approximately 154,000 customers.

Grids and services

The Grids and Services segment covers the construction, operation and maintenance of electricity distribution networks, basic electricity supply and network-related services in Switzerland and France. In Switzerland, the group operates distribution infrastructure in parts of the cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Solothurn, including the Olten region. In France, its network activities are concentrated in Alsace.