Notes to the consolidated financial statements
Accounting policies
Alliander N.V. is a public limited liability company, with registered offices in Arnhem, the Netherlands.
The 2019 financial statements were signed by the members of the Management Board and the members of the Supervisory Board on 14 February 2020. The Supervisory Board will submit the financial statements for adoption by the General Meeting of Shareholders on 8 April 2020. The accounting policies are based on the assumption of a going concern.
The Alliander group
Alliander N.V. is a public limited liability company, with registered offices in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The principal activities of Alliander and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (also referred to here as ‘Alliander’, ‘the Alliander group’, ‘the group’ or similar expressions) are the operation of electricity and gas networks covering roughly one-third of the Netherlands, and the provision of related services.
The subsidiary Liander owns and manages the regional gas and electricity networks in the provinces of Gelderland, Friesland, Noord-Holland and parts of Zuid-Holland, Flevoland and Noordoostpolder. Under the Electricity Act 1998 and the Gas Act the management of the networks and regional distribution of energy are the exclusive responsibility of the network operator. Qirion (formerly Liandon) provides services relating to the construction and maintenance of complex energy infrastructures. Alliander AG carries on network operation and public lighting activities in Germany. The subsidiary Stam is a medium-sized firm of contractors based in Noord-Holland, engaging in network construction and maintenance work. The activities of Alliander Telecom N.V. and the joint operation CDMA Utilities B.V. concern the group’s data communications. Through its subsidiaries set up in recent years, including Firan and Energy Exchange Enablers, Alliander has taken the initiative in and is facilitating developments and activities aimed at creating a sustainable energy supply for the Netherlands. A review of 2019 can be found on our annual report website. The increase in sustainable forms of electricity generation on a more decentralised level places demands on the power distribution infrastructure and represents a challenge for network companies. Alliander sees it as its responsibility, together with other market participants, to facilitate this greater sustainability at an acceptable cost to society.
Non-controlling interests
There are third-party non-controlling interests in Alliander’s activities. This concerns a 5% interest on the part of the Municipality of Nijmegen in Indigo B.V., a 5% interest on part of the Municipality of Hengelo in Warmtenetwerk Hengelo B.V. and a 25% interest in Warmte-Infrastructuur Limburg Geothermie B.V., all subsidiaries of Firan. See Note [12].