Stedin Group's activities
Stedin Group focuses on all activities relating to constructing, managing and maintaining energy grids. We also facilitate the energy market.
Grid management
Stedin and Enduris are the independent grid managers within Stedin Group. They operate alongside five other regional grid managers in a regulated market. Each regional grid manager is a monopolist in its area of operations. Regulation means that the work performed by grid managers is provided for in Dutch law and that the rates which they may charge for this work are set by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). The regulation model encourages grid managers to achieve maximum performance in terms of efficiency and quality by using a benchmark comparison.
Stedin
As a grid manager, Stedin ensures a safe, reliable and affordable energy supply for its more than 2 million customers. Stedin has 3,672 employees (male: 3,050; female: 622).
Enduris
Within DNWG Group, grid manager Enduris manages the energy network for around 200,000 households and businesses in the province of Zeeland. DNWG Group (Enduris plus DNWG Infra) has a total workforce of 669 (male: 548; female: 121). DNWG Group will remain a separate part of Stedin Group until the end of 2021, at which point it will be integrated into Stedin Group.
Facilitating the energy market
Facilitating the energy market is part of our societal role as a grid manager. Among other things, this fact means that our electricity and gas grids should be accessible under identical terms and conditions to all energy suppliers. Consumers are free in their choice of energy supplier. The resulting competition guarantees very competitive energy prices, which benefits consumers. In addition, the grid managers make switching to another energy supplier very simple and they ensure that measurement data are exchanged so the supplier can prepare an accurate energy bill. We also enable returning sustainable electricity to the electricity network.
Transition together
Cooperation between grid managers: C-ARM
C-ARM is the platform that allows us to gather and combine the measurement data from all the regional grid managers in the Netherlands. From this central platform, we can make such measurement data available to market parties, including energy suppliers and parties responsible for metering. The aim is enhanced customer ease and convenience for the market parties due to the uniform and transparent way in which all the grid managers operate. The transition is a complex process, which began in 2015. In 2019, Enexis became the first grid manager that switched to the platform. We followed on the last day of the year. Liander and several smaller grid managers will join in the course of 2020. C-ARM is an important step towards achieving our ambition: that market parties should experience us virtually at the national level as a single grid manager.
Non-regulated activities
Review of the portfolio
Our focus is on good grid management and excellent service, which is why we are cautious about non-regulated activities. We only perform these activities if:
- the activity demonstrably adds value for efficient grid management;
- there is a gap in the market;
- Stedin Group is uniquely positioned for this activity.
The economic attractiveness and feasibility of an activity as well as its priority over other activities will determine whether we will include or retain it in our portfolio. Stedin Group evaluated its non-regulated activities in 2018, which resulted in a reorganisation of the portfolio. The acquisition of Joulz Diensten by the British investment company 3i Infrastructure in 2019 followed from this evaluation. You can read more about this matter in the section on Non-regulated activities.
The non-regulated activities account for 5.1% of revenue.
NetVerder
By law, regulated activities for gas and electricity may not be carried out under the same banner as other energy infrastructures (such as steam, biogas, CO2 and heat). These activities were consequently transferred in 2019 to a separate brand within Stedin Group: NetVerder. NetVerder promotesthe energy transition by supporting the development, construction and maintenance of energy infrastructures for heat, steam as well as biogas. NetVerder also focuses on the independent transport and distribution of other new energy sources or carriers. NetVerder is an independent part of Stedin Group. NetVerder has 5 employees (male: 5; female: 0).
DNWG Infra
Within DNWG Group, DNWG Infra is the service provider that builds and maintains the electricity and gas grids in the Province of Zeeland, on behalf of Enduris. In addition, DNWG Infra maintains and manages the grids entrusted to it by other grid managers (e.g. Evides Waterbedrijf, Stedin and TenneT) and by industrial customers. DNWG Infra also supplies services in the area of metering technology in Zeeland and elsewhere, and is an approved party responsible for metering.
Joint ventures
We form joint ventures with other parties for specific activities.
Utility Connect
Commissioned by Stedin Group and network group Alliander, Utility Connect B.V. operates a CDMA telecommunications network, which is used to read out measurement data provided by smart meters and to communicate with smart grid applications. This network allows us to shorten or prevent energy supply disruptions.
TensZ
TensZ B.V. is the joint organisation of TenneT and Stedin for managing and maintaining high-voltage grids. Each party holds a 50% share.
TeslaN
TeslaN B.V. is the joint service provider for the management and maintenance of the high-voltage grids of TenneT and Enduris. Each party holds a 50% share.
ZEBRA
ZEBRA Gasnetwerk B.V. manages and operates a high-pressure gas transport pipeline. This pipeline is used to transport high-calorific gas that is taken in from the gas transport network of Fluxys in the import station in Sas van Gent. The gas is transported to connected high-volume consumers. Enduris has an interest of one third in ZEBRA Gasnetwerk B.V. and Enexis Netbeheer has an interest of two thirds.
On 19 December 2019, an asset sale and purchase agreement was signed between Enduris BV, Enexis Netbeheer BV, Zebra Activa BV, Entrade Pipe BV and Gasunie Transport Services BV. Among other things, the agreement provides for the sale of the assets of the extra high-pressure gas grids, i.e. the 'Midden Zeeland gas grid' and the 'Zebra gas grid' owned (indirectly in part) by Enduris, to Gasunie Transport Services BV. The transaction will take place on 31 December 2020.
Terminology
'We', 'the company', 'Stedin Group' or similar terms or expressions are used in this report to refer to Stedin Holding N.V. and its subsidiaries (including Stedin Netbeheer B.V., NetVerder B.V. and DNWG Groep N.V.). The term 'Stedin' refers to Stedin Netbeheer B.V. and its subsidiaries. 'DNWG' or 'DNWG Group' refers to DNWG Groep N.V. and its subsidiaries, including Enduris B.V. and DNWG Infra B.V.
Stichting Zeeuwse Publieke Belangen (Zeeland Public Interest Foundation)
Stichting Zeeuwse Publieke Belangen is a unique alliance between the province of Zeeland, the municipalities of Zeeland and Stedin Group. The foundation was established to safeguard the arrangements concerning the sale of DNWG/Enduris to Stedin Groupin areas including employment, energy supply and the energy transition. The foundation makes a budget available to promote the energy transition in Zeeland. An overview of the initiatives can be found on the Foundation's website.
Alliances and associations
Among other parties, Stedin has entered into alliances and associations with the following: Universal Smart Energy Framework (USEF), Energy Web Foundation (EWF), Energie Data Services Nederland (EDSN), Natuur en Milieu, Platform Groene Netten, Hier opgewekt, Dutch Power, ElaadNL and Missie H2, as well as water companies Dunea and Evides.
Gorinchem city councillor Eelke Kraaijeveld (on the right) with responsibility for the energy transition, among other things, joins forces with Energy Transition Senior Account Manager Lennard Seriese.
