Interaction with our environment

Being 'in touch with our environment' is an increasingly important part of our task and our day-to-day work. At all levels. Listening and engaging in dialogue with our stakeholders is an indispensable step towards 'doing the right things right', having a shared understanding of the challenges we face in the energy transition and being and remaining in touch with what the environment asks and demands of us. Our mission is 'Working together to create an environment filled with new energy'. We do this actively on our three strategic spearheads and on the material topics prioritised by us and our stakeholders.

The importance of these material topics is also reflected in the ancillary positions held by members of our Board of Management. See Biographical details of members of the Board of Management of Stedin Group.

Our stakeholders

Our stakeholders are the people, groups or authorities that have an influence on Stedin Group and vice versa. Contacts with our stakeholders partly take place in a structured form, but they can also take place on an ad hoc basis, depending on the topic. The public and regulated nature of Stedin Group to a large extent determines the categorisation below into stakeholder groups.

  • internal: employees;
  • external: private and business customers, shareholders, investors and rating agencies, government, politics, regulators, energy supply chain, public organisations, local environment, NGOs and civil-society organisations, suppliers, media, memberships, interest groups and industry organisations, knowledge institutions and partners.

Policymakers and policy frameworks

Stedin Group aims to play a linking role in the transition to a new energy system to ensure that this remains safe, sustainable, reliable and affordable. Our core tasks as grid manager are impacted by the transition, and existing policy frameworks must be adapted to make the necessary changes possible. Owing to our public function, Stedin Group's interests in this regard are social interests. We engage in constructive dialogue with the stakeholders in the societal arena, and we contribute our experience and expertise. We mostly do this in cooperation with Netbeheer Nederland. These talks are always conducted by employees of Stedin Group. We do not engage a Public Affairs consultancy firm on a permanent basis. Nor does Stedin Group donate funds to politicians, political parties or government institutions.

Environment management

The energy transition will require numerous and sometimes major adjustments that also necessitate spatial adjustments. Strategic environment management is necessary to ensure this is supported by society. In order to create a shared position and support, we involve other organisations and stakeholders as early as possible to ensure effective coordination of plans. We do so in several ways – for example, by making data on our grids publicly accessible and by concluding covenants as well as agreements for long-term cooperation with municipalities and other parties. In 2022, the new Environmental and Planning Act (Omgevingswet) will come into force, under which participation will be required, whereas at present it is voluntary.

Corporate social responsibility

Given our societal role, we are reticent in engaging in sponsorship activities. Accordingly, we base our choice for sponsoring or a financial contribution on initiatives in which we foreground our primary core tasks in the energy transition and get energy users on board in the changing energy world. Our most important initiative in 2021 concerned supporting the 'Energiebank' in Rotterdam and The Hague.

The purpose of the 'Energiebank' is to ensure energy remains available as a primary necessity of life for households that do not have enough money to pay their energy bill. Stedin's assistance is provided through people as well as funds. Two Stedin employees provide advice as energy coaches to reduce energy costs. In addition, we donate €8,000 annually. In 2021, the 'Energiebank', together with the Hartekind foundation, was again one of the two charitable causes as part of the annual end-of-year gift. Stedin employees were able to opt for a personal gift or a financial contribution to one of the two charitable causes. As a result, we were able to hand over an amount of €1,700 to the 'Energiebank' in Rotterdam and The Hague. The goal for 2021 was to support 200 households and to deploy 80 active coaches in that connection. That is also the goal for 2022. The outcome for 2021 was that we deployed 65 coaches and visited 80 households. The goal was not achieved due to the restrictions relating to COVID-19.

In addition, Stedin engaged in sports sponsorship by sponsoring cycling activities. This is aimed at positioning Stedin in the province of Zeeland. A small part was also used for community initiatives and good causes in which individual Stedin employees played an active role. In 2021, Stedin's total budget for sponsorship and financial contributions was €30,750 (2020: €36,000).

We also undertake active and broad-based efforts to promote an inclusive society.

In the table below, we provide insight into the numerous contacts we have with our principal stakeholders.

Stakeholder

Note

Material topic

Employees

  • All employees – quantitative employee survey
  • Works council – formal consultation and 3D consultation with Supervisory Board and Board of Management
  • Trade unions – periodical negotiations on terms and conditions of service

78

Private customers

  • Customer panel – efforts to improve process, system, customer journey and/or communication
  • Customer survey – quantitative survey
  • Customer service – questions about connections, the smart meter and failures
  • Disputes Committee – independent body that considers complaints or damage claims that the customer and Stedin are unable to resolve.
  • Consumer organisations – dialogue with, for instance, the Association of (Prospective) Homeowners (Vereniging Eigen Huis - VEH) and the Dutch Consumers' Association

12347

Business customers

  • Account support and customer service – products and services make the energy transition plans possible – efforts to improve processes, systems, the customer journey and/or communication.
  • Customer survey – quantitative survey
  • Collectives Desk – point of contact for questions on connections and arranging feed-in connections for returning energy to the grid for energy collectives
  • Representation of business customers within the Regional Energy Strategies
  • Industry/Port of Rotterdam – coordinate challenges of the energy transition for energy infrastructure

1234567

Shareholders

Investors and
rating agencies

  • 44 Dutch municipalities – General Meeting of Shareholders and Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. Formal and informal consultation, meetings on specific topics, individual contact
  • Shareholders' Committee – 9 members who represent the 44 shareholders of Stedin Group
  • Annual rating review meeting, financial publications

All material topics

2578910

1Supply reliability2 Affordable and efficient services 3Customer satisfaction 4Stakeholder dialogue and environment 5Investing in infrastructure 6Smart grids, data technology and innovation 7Safety and security
8Good employment practice 9Positive impact on people and environment10Financial, economic performance

Stakeholder

Note

Material topic

Government

  • European and national – laws and regulations, energy policy
  • Province, region, municipalities – provincial and municipal consultations on utilities, interprovincial consultation, consultation and coordination of work below ground and permit applications, regional and local energy policy, coordinate energy transition plans and realisation of (test) projects – Regional Energy Strategies, Regional Agenda for Charging Infrastructure Network, Transition Vision for Heat, Test Beds for Natural Gas-free Districts, coordinate realisation of investments in the grids, covenants for multidisciplinary operations, cooperation of security regions.

1234567910

Politics

  • Upper House of Parliament and House of Representatives, States General, Ministries – influencing policy on relevant themes, frameworks for, for instance, Regional Energy strategies, contributing expertise and experience.

245610

Regulators

  • State Supervision of Mines, Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets, Radiocommunications Agency Netherlands, Social Affairs and Employment Inspectorate, Dutch Safety Board, Dutch Data Protection Authority, Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets, Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate, EU Supervisors – inform (standard and ad hoc), knowledge exchange

125678910

Energy supply chain

  • Netbeheer Nederland, regional grid managers, national grid managers TenneT and Gasunie, energy producers and energy suppliers, parties responsible for metering, independent service providers, Energie Nederland, Energie Data Services Nederland, Vereniging Nederlandse Energie- en Data Uitwisseling – aimed at knowledge exchange, partnerships, promotion of interests, cooperation, dialogue

All material topics

Public organisations

  • Water authorities, Water companies, Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management, ProRail, Staatsbosbeheer (National Forest Service in the Netherlands), housing associations, Cyber Security Council – consultation and coordination of work below ground and permit applications

1234567

Local environment

  • Businesses and private individuals in an area where work is being or will in due course be carried out – environment management, engage in dialogue and inform

3413

NGOs and civil-society organisations

  • Natuur en Milieu, Milieudefensie, Greenpeace, Springtij – knowledge exchange, dialogue
  • Jinq, 'Energiebank' Rotterdam and The Hague, Stichting Hartekind, USEF Foundation – voluntary work, cooperation

89

Suppliers

  • Contractors and suppliers of goods and services – cooperation, relationship management and dialogue

2347

Media

  • National, regional and online media – inform

All material topics

Memberships


interest groups/
industry organisation
s

  • IPMA, Mijnaansluiting.nl, Dutch Power, Cigre Nederland, Nestor rapportage, Vereniging voor Energie Milieu en Water – member and/or an active role as chair or board member
  • Dutch Consumers' Association, Association of (Prospective) Homeowners (VEH), construction and electrical engineering industry association, Techniek Nederland, employers' association WENB, VNG (Association of Netherlands Municipalities) – inform, engage in dialogue, knowledge exchange

123467

Knowledge institutions

Partners

  • Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, Wageningen University & Research, Erasmus University, Utrecht University and Groningen University, Nijenrode – knowledge exchange, research, cooperation
  • Senior secondary vocational education (MBO) and higher professional education (HBO) degree programmes – cooperation
  • Universal Smart Energy Framework, Deltalinqs, Dutch Power, Energy WEb Foundation, Energie Data Services Nederland, Green Village, Platform Groene Netten, Stichting Elaad, Missie H2, Starthubs.com, CE Delft, Netherlands Energy Research Alliance, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), GOPACS, IPO (Association of Provincial Authorities), Economic Board South Holland, Bouwend Nederland, Techniek Nederland – participation in management, cooperation

468

8

567