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 its energy consumption, the year in which the targets for CO₂-related emissions were formulated. In 2012, emissions totalled 761 kilotonnes CO₂-eq without a greening policy. The gross emissions in 2020 totalled 408 kilotonnes CO₂-eq (-46% compared to 2012); including greening, net emissions amount to 205 kilotonnes CO₂-eq.
At least 10% of our own electricity consumption is fed by renewable electricity we have generated ourselves, and surplus is fed back into the grid. The entire remaining consumption of electricity for buildings will be greened/compensated by Guarantees of Origin for wind energy produced in the Netherlands. The Duiven and Arnhem Bellevue offices are almost energy-neutral (at least an A label). For 10% to 50% of the user surface, sustainable heat is used for space heating using thermal energy storage. All Alliander offices will meet the A, B or C label criteria by 2023 at the latest.

• 1 The addition of technical facilities means that the total gas consumption by buildings was up overall.
• 2 The electricity consumption for our vehicle fleet in 2018 and 2019 is accounted for in the figures for our buildings.

CO₂-emissions and carbon footprint

For the purposes of the ‘Making the energy supply and our organisation sustainable’ section, a uniform emissions standard has been used. This differs from the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. The figures expressed in CO₂ equivalents in accordance with the GHG Protocol are presented in the following table.

• 1 The CO₂ emission result for 2019 has been recalculated according to the most recent emission factors.

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 2020 annual report, the 2019 electricity labels have been used. This gives a figure for the CO₂ coefficient of 0.20218kg CO₂/kWh. This includes an adjustment of 2% for tank-to-wheel. More than 62% of the carbon footprint is attributable to network losses in the electricity infrastructure. From 2020, network operators will be obliged to purchase the natural gas leakage loss over a larger part of the chain. This means that these losses will represent a higher portion of the carbon footprint. This brings the share of leakage losses in the gross footprint to 32% (2019: 11%). The gas leakage loss is based on the number of kilometres of pipeline in Alliander’s gas network. Cast-iron gas mains have higher leakage losses (323m³/km/a), which is considerably higher than the mains using PE pipe (55.3m³/km/a). The CO₂ equivalent is calculated using a factor of 25 (methane).

Our carbon footprint per million euros in revenue has been greatly reduced in recent years through targeted measures.

Transport

The greatest impact Alliander has relates to the activity of distributing energy to end users. This accounts for the following volumes:

The calculated network losses are the end result of the allocation and reconciliation process, in which the difference is calculated for all volumes entering the Liander network less all volumes taken up by end users. The main causes of network losses are losses that occur during transmission (through resistance or other factors), customers who consume electricity without a contract, and improper use or theft of electricity from the grid. The total grid losses are finalised using a ‘reconciliation’ process. Meter readings are often estimated and only read at a later time, meaning there is delay in settlement and allocation and it takes a few years for data to be finalised.

For the energy intensity ratio, Alliander divides its own energy usage in gigajoules (GJ) by its net revenue. This ratio takes into account the gas and electricity consumption of buildings and the fuel consumption of the vehicle fleet. The development of the ratio over a series of years shows the decrease in Alliander’s own energy usage per million euros of net revenue. In 2020 we see an additional decrease in energy usage due to the much lower occupancy of our buildings.

• * 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 2020 was 55 million m³, a 32% increase compared with 2019. This involved connections to 20 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. Gas satisfying the definition of gas as a fuel but differing in that it is a product of a 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 (CSR) 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 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 surveys, 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 2020 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 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.

Additional information