Other non-financial information
CO2 and energy
This section provides a detailed review of the energy consumption by Alliander itself and the CO2-related impacts of operations. The methodology and the conversion factors used are also described.
Energy consumption
Alliander takes 2012 as the base year for calculating the reduction in its energy consumption. This is because the targets were formulated in 2012.
Energy consumption # | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Gas consumption in buildings | 1,386,649 m3 1 | 915,619 m3 | 1,256,026 m3 |
Fuel consumption of vehicle fleet | |||
Petrol | 1,360,318 Litres | 1,248,224 Litres | 1,237,807 Litres |
Diesel | 4,392,424 Litres | 4,360,044 Litres | 4,606,842 Litres |
LPG | 10,186 Litres | 9,659 Litres | 9,786 Litres |
Electricity2 | 0 kWh | 204,555 kWh | 136,000 kWh |
Electricity consumption in buildings | 9,779,593 kWh | 9,818,143 kWh | 10,456,041 kWh |
- 1 The addition of technical sites in the calculation means an increase in the total gas consumption of buildings overall.
- 2 The electricity consumption for our vehicle fleet is accounted for in the figures for our buildings.
Energy consumption GJ | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | Conversion factor |
Gas consumption in buildings | 48,768 GJ | 34,258 GJ | 44,174 GJ | 35.17 official energetic value of Slochteren gas |
Electricity consumption in buildings | 35,207 GJ | 35,345 GJ | 37,641 GJ | |
Total energy consumption in buildings: | 83,975 GJ | 69,603 GJ | 81,816GJ | |
Energy consumption mobility | Conversion factor | |||
Petrol | 44,074 GJ | 40,442 GJ | 40,105 GJ | conversion factor 32.4 |
Diesel | 157,249 GJ | 156,090 GJ | 164,925 GJ | conversion factor 35.8 |
LPG | 265 GJ | 251 GJ | 254 GJ | conversion factor 26 |
Electricity | 0 GJ | 736 GJ | 490 GJ | conversion factor 3.6 |
Total energy consumption mobility | 201,588 GJ | 197,520 GJ | 205,774 GJ | |
Total energy consumption | 285,563 GJ | 267,123 GJ | 287,590 GJ |
CO2-emissions and carbon footprint
For the purposes of the report, a uniform emissions standard is used across the sector. This differs from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
The GHG Protocol figures are presented in the following table.
Scope 1 | 2018 | 2017 |
Gas consumption in buildings | 2,621 | 1,838 |
Natural Gas Network Leakage loss | 48,021 | 48,345 |
Lease & company cars: | 17,933 | 17,621 |
SF6 Emissions: | 1,255 | 1,295 |
Total | 69,830 | 69,099 |
Scope 2 | 2018 | 2017 |
Electricity consumption in buildings | 4,327 | 4,344 |
Network loss on electricity, technical | 274,740 | 300,950 |
Network loss on electricity, administrative | 121,272 | 141,607 |
Total | 400,339 | 446,901 |
Scope 3 | 2018 | 2017 |
Commuting, business travel, air transport | 4,504 | 5,773 |
Total | 4,504 | 5,773 |
Total | 2018 | 2017 |
Total footprint | 474,673 | 521,773 |
Carbon offset | -186,777 | -105,911 |
Total, including carbon offset | 287,896 | 415,862 |
Most of the figures included in the tables and graphs in this report are taken from the underlying source systems. Some figures, however, are derived from third-party records or reports. An example of this is the volume of waste and the level of waste-related CO2 emissions.
Arriving at the carbon footprint and the energy consumption involves making assumptions and estimates. Since 2016, the CO2 emissions factor for the grid losses has been calculated on the basis of the energy purchased from our suppliers to cover grid losses. For the 2018 annual report, the 2017 electricity labels have been used. This gives a figure for the CO2 coefficient of 0.26475 kg CO2/kWh. This includes an adjustment of 2% for tank-to-wheel.
More than 85% of the carbon footprint is attributable to grid losses on power distribution, giving a figure of 0.26475.
Approximately 10% of the CO2 equivalent footprint is due to gas leakage losses, based on the mix of gas pipes in Alliander’s network. The cast-iron gas mains have higher leakage losses (323 m3/km/a), which is considerably higher than the mains using PE pipe (55.29 m3/km/a). The CO2 equivalent is calculated using a factor of 25 for methane.
Transport
The greatest impact which Alliander has outside the organisation itself is due to the activity of transporting energy to end-users. This accounts for the following volumes:
Energy transport | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Electricity transport | 29,858 kWh | 29,960 kWh | 29,990 kWh |
Gas transport | 6,090 million m3 | 6,228 million m3 | 6,367 million m3 |
Alliander’s energy intensity ratio is calculated by dividing the energy consumption in gigajoules by the revenue in millions. This ratio takes into account the gas consumption of buildings, the fuel consumption of the vehicle fleet and the electricity consumption of the buildings.
Energy intensity ratio | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
148.2 GJ/Million (€248,637/1,920) | 157.4 GJ/Million (€267,123/1,697) | 181.6 GJ/Million (€287,590/1,584) |
- * This information is not available by energy type. Where Alliander is concerned, a view is obtained according to energy type for Scope 1 use; the distinction according to energy type for Alliander’s own use is of a far smaller magnitude and impact and is therefore immaterial.
Green gas
The total feed-in of green gas in the area supplied by Alliander during the year 2018 was 32,960,000m m3, involving connections to 16 green gas production facilities. The term ‘green gas’ refers to:
Green gas: Bio-SNG, biogas and landfill gas conditioned and upgraded to natural gas quality. Biogas: Gas satisfying the definition of gas as a fuel but differing in that it is a product of the fermentation or digestion process. The two main components of biogas are CH4 and CO2.
Landfill gas: Gas satisfying the definition of gas as a fuel but differing in that it is a product of the natural processes of decay in a landfill site for waste disposal. The analysis is similar to that of biogas.
Bio-SNG: SNG – substitute/synthetic natural gas – produced exclusively from biomass.
Crisis organisation
In case of major outages, an internal crisis organisation is mobilised. Within this organisation, staff members of various departments work on-call shifts. Depending on the nature and scale of the incident, when the crisis is over, we set up a case and/or investigation team to assist and ensure the completion of any internal and/or external investigations. All major incidents are evaluated to identify and implement possible improvements.
CSR organisation
Corporate Social Responsibility is a responsibility that is integral to all parts of the business and is included in the Planning & Control cycle. All the business units perform an analysis of the qualitative and quantitative impacts which their operations have on society. The Management Board has overall responsibility for the economic, ecological and social impact of Alliander. The CSR Manager personally communicates the policy to the managers of the separate entities and assists the management team in defining quantifiable parameters for monitoring progress. The Management Board and the Supervisory Board liaise with stakeholder representatives. Their presence or representation at regular and ad hoc meetings ensures an active awareness of developments and views regarding strategic topics. See the section of the report covering interaction with stakeholders for the various social concerns that have been discussed.
The results of the CSR policy are evaluated with the stakeholders. The extent to which stakeholders appreciate the policy that is pursued and the results that are achieved is gauged by such means as customer surveys, employee involvement, shareholders’ meetings, roundtable meetings and the Social Report.
External assurance of the social part of the annual report
Alliander believes it important for its stakeholders to have formal assurance regarding the social part of the annual report. For the 2017 annual report, Alliander has received an unqualified assurance report affording reasonable assurance with respect to the most relevant part of the annual report, namely the more important management variables taken into account by the company (both financial and non-financial).
Alliander has also obtained reasonable assurance in relation to the material aspects of its reporting (materiality test). Additionally, Alliander has received an unqualified assurance report affording limited assurance covering the rest of the social part of the annual report. To guarantee the quality of the social information, Alliander adopts the Three Lines of Defence model. The various business units are required to submit social information gathered in connection with the stakeholder dialogue, the materiality test and GRI activities, as well as in other ways. The separate entities form the first line of defence and are responsible for supplying reliable information. The business controllers of each business unit form the second line of defence and ensure that their business submits its information reliably and on time. The business controllers check such things as the basis of the information and the analysis of it by the business itself and prepares a file for the verification carried out by the internal audit department. The internal audit department forms the third line of defence, verifying the social information before it is reviewed by the external auditors. The external auditors form the final link in the verification process and provide ultimate assurance, as expressed in the report.
Supplementary information
Description | 31/12/2018 | 31/12/2017 |
Date of previous report | 22/02/2018 | 09/03/2017 |
Significant financial assistance from public authorities | € 2,431,827 | € 2,683,244 |
Accidents and health complaints of citizens in relation to operating assets/health & safety lawsuits filed by customers and/or third parties | 1 ongoing | 3 ongoing |
0 completed | 1 completed | |
Power outage frequency: | Saifi: 0.468 | Saifi: 0.239 |
Power outage duration in minutes | Saidi: 30,6 | Saidi: 20,87 |
Caidi: 72,16 | Caidi: 87,41 | |
Efficiency of transport and distribution: Total network loss as a % of total feed-in | 2018: 4.76% | 2017: 4.4% |
Total length of leased optical fibre infrastructure | 4,180 km | 4,002 km |
Total length of own optical fibre infrastructure | 1,776 km | 1,774 km |
Newly realised fibre optic infrastructure | 71 km | 277 km |
Percentage of employees eligible for pension scheme in 5 years | 28% | 28% |
Percentage of employees eligible for pension scheme in 10 years | 40% | 40% |
Number of employees with fixed-term employment contract | 451 | 491 |
Number of employees with indefinite employment contract | 5,407 | 5,401 |
Number of employees with full-time employment contract or temporary contract | 5,893 | 6,124 |
Number of employees with temporary contract | 1,613 | 1,691 |
Number of employees with part-time employment contract or temporary contract | 1,578 | 1,455 |
Total number of employees | 7,471 | 7,583 |
Total number of PERMANENT employees (FTEs) | 5,669 | 5,716.15 |
Total number of TEMPORARY employees (FTEs) | 1,147 | 1,363.15 |
Percentage of employees covered by collective labour agreements | 100% | 100% |
Inflow of male employees | 452 | 419 |
Inflow of female employees | 129 | 135 |
Outflow of male employees | 501 | 372 |
Outflow of female employees | 160 | 128 |
Employees younger than 25 | 90 | 95 |
Employees of 55 and older | 1,624 | 1,618 |
Employees between 25 and 35 | 1,244 | 1,264 |
Employees between 35 and 45 | 1,528 | 1,510 |
Employees between 45 and 55 | 1,372 | 1,405 |
Employees in leadership positions | 518 | 513 |
Male employees | 4,709 | 4,719 |
Female employees | 1,149 | 1,173 |
Female employees in leadership positions | 28.80% | 24.95% |
People at a distance from the labour market number (2018: 103, of which 8 status holders) | 95+8 | 102+6 |
Female/male salary ratio | 0.9908 | 0.9770 |
Share of the workforce represented in formal H&S committees of employer and employee | 99.9% | 99.9% |
Number of reported complaints about working conditions via the formal complaints mechanism | 9 | 2 |
Number of reported cases of sexual harassment (and discrimination) by employees | 31 | 37 |
Monetary value of significant fines and total number of non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations | € 10,000 | € 20,000 |
Monetary value of significant fines for non-compliance with laws and regulations governing the provision and use of products and services | € 10,000 | € 40,500 |
Number of environmental incidents reported to competent authority | 21 | 23 |
Number of non-financial sanctions imposed for non-compliance or improper compliance with environmental laws and regulations | 0 | 4 |
Ongoing legal cases against the organisation by third parties in which corruption/fraud is a part of the complaint | 0 | 0 |
Companies with which the relationship has been terminated owing to corruption/fraud | 0 | 0 |
Employees confronted with measures owing to corruption/fraud | 9 | 9 |
Number of employees who attended safety training this year (and passed the exam) | 1,707 | 1,520 |
Number of contractors who attended safety training this year (and passed the exam) | 0 | 14 |
Office waste: paper (in tonnes) | 2018: 847 | 2017: 864 |
Office waste: securely destroyed paper (in tonnes) | 2018: 112 | 2017: 160 |
Office waste: miscellaneous (in tonnes) | 2018: 397 | 2017: 449 |
Office waste: hazardous (in tonnes) | 02 | 2017: 4 |
Business waste: metal (in tonnes) | 2018: 7,775 | 2017: 8,112 |
Business waste: wood (in tonnes) | 2018: 199 | 2017: 215 |
Business waste: plastics (in tonnes) | 2018: 937 | 2017: 802 |
Business waste: soil (in tonnes) | 2018: 2,743 | 2017: 1,699 |
Business waste: miscellaneous (in tonnes) | 2018: 4,515 | 2017: 4,758 |
Hazardous waste (in tonnes) | 2018: 764 | 2017: 1,155 |
Waste: total tonnage | 2018: 18,290 | 2017: 18,219 |